Rent Midsomer Murders: Series 1: Written in Blood (1997)

Gerald Hadleigh, secretary of the Midsomer Worthy Writers' Circle had never wanted to invite best-selling novelist Max Jennings to one of their meetings. When Gerald is found dead the next morning from a brutal battering the other members of the circle wish they had heeded his reluctance. Inspector Barnaby soon discovers that Gerald is a man of mystery, a man with a past. When another body is found, Barnaby has a double murder on his hands.