The Musical Milkman Murder - In the idyllic country village used to film Midsomer Murders, it was the real-life murder story that shocked 1920 Britain - Softcover

Long before the picturesque village of Little Marlow became a well-known location for filming episodes of popular television crime shows such as Inspector Morse, Miss Marple and Midsomer Murders, the tranquil Thameside hamlet was the site of a real-life murder that would have taxed the imagination of even the most inventive TV screenwriter. In the immediate aftermath of the Great War, Little Marlow was thrown into a state of great excitement by the discovery of the body of a young married woman named Kate Lilian Bailey. The scene of the tragedy was Barn Cottage, a pretty countryside residence; the weapon of choice was poison, and the man accused of the murder was local milkman, George Bailey - Kate's husband. Who was George Arthur Bailey? What drove this seemingly harmless milkman to murder his wife? Who, or what, sealed his fate? Almost a century later, through exhaustive research, author Quentin Falk brings to light the extraordinary and colourful facts of this strangely under-reported crime to reveal not just one astonishing story, but an intriguing crime and compelling weave of several stories. The Musical Milkman Murder paints a vivid picture of rural society in early 20th century England, reveals the grisly tale of a star-crossed couple torn apart by poison - that subsequently lead to an execution and the suicides of a judge and a hangman - and the tragic story of a daughter who would take half a lifetime to discover the terrible truth behind her parentage.

Quentin Falk, editor of the BAFTA magazine, "Academy," is the author of books on Anthony Hopkins, Albert Finney and Graham Greene. A former editor of Screen International, he has been film critic for the "Daily Mail" and "Sunday Mirror, " as well as a regular contributor to newspapers and magazines for more than 30 years.