Death of a Stranger is the first episode of the third series of Midsomer Murders and originally aired on 31st December 1999.
While Barnaby is away on holiday his replacement, the soon-to-be-retired Ron Pringle, arrests Billy Gurdie for the murder of a tramp who lived in the woods near the village of Upper Marchwood. When Billy's father is also found dead in the same woods some three weeks later, an apparent suicide, Barnaby seriously questions the coincidence. When the post-mortem reveals the second death to also be murder, Barnaby is certain that both murders were committed by the same person.
Tropes:
- Disappeared Dad: Simon Tranter, father of Grahame Tranter, walked out and disappeared 30 years before the story.
- Driven to Suicide: At the end, facing utter ruin and broken by the truth about his parentage as well as losing his child and the woman he loves, Grahame Tranter hangs himself before Barnaby can catch up to him.
- The Grand Hunt: Barnaby investigates a murder that takes place during a fox hunt, and has a village full of toffs as suspects.
- Yandere: Grahame Tranter ends up disturbingly close to this, though he ultimately can't go through with it and ends up Driven to Suicide instead.
