Puzzles are, by their nature, endlessly intriguing. There’s something about a murder mystery that is forever compelling. The elements are timeless.

The comfortable, somewhat homely location- in our story, a small, vaguely familiar rural town.

The hero- a solid, dependable cop with more than a few flaws but a twinkle in his eye - often underestimated by both friends and enemies.

The crime. Macabre, inventive and totally mystifying.

The suspects. Always a collection of quirky, complex characters driven by different but classical desires: love, revenge, pride, lust, envy, greed or hatred.

In the deadly but picturesque town of Brokenwood all these elements are bubbling, seething and coalescing into; The Brokenwood Mysteries

Yes – murders do happen here.They’re strange, disturbing and always baffling.They come when you least expect them.They happen to people you care about.They’re perpetrated by those you’d never suspect.

They’ll keep you guessing whodunit to the very end and the only person who might be able to solve them is Brokenwood’s newest resident – Senior Sergeant Mike Shepherd (Neill Rea) and his smart, sassy side-kick, Detective Kristin Sims (Fern Sutherland).