The Village That Rose from the Dead is the first episode of the nineteenth series of Midsomer Murders and originally aired 18th December 2016.
Abandoned by the army, who took it over in World War II, the village of Little Auburn is to be reoccupied, with three groups of people submitting ideas for its resurrection. When Finn Thornberry, who with girlfriend Corina Craven had opted for an eco-friendly village, is killed, DCI Barnaby and new sergeant Winter discover he had a secret wife nobody knew about. Of the rival bidders, elderly Sylvia Lennard, seeking to restore the village to former glories, hated the deceased, but property developers Blake and Lucy Keswick claim to have had no argument with him. Corinna's father Roderick, who was to judge the worth of each party, is the next victim, and oddly, Finn's mother Andrea is his main beneficiary. With the discovery of an illegal snake farm and more secrets unfolding, Barnaby must decide whether greed or passion accounted for the murders.
Tropes:
- 2xFore: Milo Craven is on the phone to his wife when the killer whacks him on the head with a length of wood.
- Animal Assassin: Milo Craven, Corina's uncle, is killed by being constricted to death by pythons.
- Bitter Almonds: Roderick Craven is murdered by being forced to drink from a cyanide-laced flask. Barnaby, Winter and Kam all notice the smell of bitter almonds.
- Bullet Dancing: A Crazy Jealous Guy does this to a man who cuckolded him in preparation for shooting him for real.
- Disconnected by Death: Milo Craven is on the phone to his wife when the killer whacks him on the head with a length of wood.
- Tank Goodness: In a murder that is unusual even by Midsomer standards, Finn Thornberry is run over by a tank.
