The Village Murder Casebook

Case file · Series 24, Episode 2 · Season 24, Episode 2

Book of the Dead

A disgraced author's revived treasure-hunt book sends Mods Mire searching for clues shortly before its creator is murdered.

Verified filming locations

Every filming site currently documented in this Casebook file is listed here. The published evidence does not establish a complete production itinerary.

  • Holy Trinity Church · Penn Street, Buckinghamshire

    The church becomes the parish church of fictional Mods Mire.

    Filming source ↗
  • The Red Lion · Penn, Buckinghamshire

    The real pub keeps its name when it appears as The Red Lion in Mods Mire.

    Filming source ↗
  • Elm Road shopfront · Penn, Buckinghamshire

    A village shopfront stands in for Othello Khan's antiques business, Kollectables.

    Filming source ↗

Map lookup by place name. A private house’s exact address is not marked.

Selected episode credits

Book of the Dead cast

These selected cast entries link to their published profiles. They do not include every name shown in the end credits.

The 60-second case card

Should I watch this one?

The programme turns a puzzle book into both village entertainment and a map of unfinished business.

Best for
Treasure hunt · Literary legacy · Buried history
Mood
Dark
Team
DCI John Barnaby with DS Jamie Winter
Spoiler guidance
Read the premise freely; open the marked sections only after watching. Check the linked provider advisory for further viewing information.

Why it matters

The programme turns a puzzle book into both village entertainment and a map of unfinished business.

Mods Mire marks the anniversary of Bertram Jewell's celebrated puzzle book, The Seeker, with a new edition containing an additional page of clues. Celebration turns sour when the author's former identity and imprisonment become public, raising doubts about both his reputation and the promised treasure.

After Jewell is killed, the hunt continues through the woodland, church and businesses of Mods Mire. Barnaby and Winter must determine who understands the new clue sheet, what was hidden during the author's earlier life, and why a literary revival has made several villagers dangerous.

  • Treasure hunt
  • Literary legacy
  • Buried history
Break the seal: reveal the finding

Who was the killer in Book of the Dead? (spoiler)

The new treasure hunt is inseparable from the author's earlier fraud, an old accomplice and information encoded for someone who knows his past rather than merely his books.

More episode detailsProduction, cast, deaths and filming information

Credits, context and checked facts

Production and cast

TV series
Series 24
Episode number
Episode 2
Written by
Jeff Povey
Directed by
Gill Wilkinson
Listed transmission date(s)
11 December 2023
Reported filming period
April–May 2023
Detective
DCI John Barnaby
Partner
DS Jamie Winter
Pathologist
Dr Fleur Perkins · Annette Badland
Principal setting
Mods Mire
Casebook tone
Dark

Sources accompany the production credits and filming links.

Fictional settings and real filming places are listed separately. Filming links include 0 mapped areas; 3 exact sites.

Credits and archive connections

  • Writer credits8 episodes credited to Jeff Povey
  • Director credits3 episodes directed by Gill Wilkinson
  • Release positionCase 138 of 144
  • Story characterDark · Treasure hunt · Literary legacy
  • Location evidence3 exact screen-use matches
A village name hiding in plain sight

Mods Mire rearranges the letters of Midsomer, a piece of wordplay particularly suited to an episode built around coded clues.

Penn becomes Mods Mire

Penn Street supplies the parish church, pub, antique-shop exterior and several village tracking shots used for the fictional community.

Sources for the production file

Published episode chronology and credits ↗Official ITV programme page ↗Filming-location reference index ↗

Credits follow the linked chronology. Dates can differ between territories. Consult original credits for story, teleplay and adaptation wording. External synopses may contain spoilers.

The performers behind this case

Core cast

Follow the cast links for full actor and character guides.

Image credits identify the licence used. No programme publicity stills are reproduced.

Forensic team

Dr Fleur Perkins

Credit
Resident pathologist
Played by
Annette Badland
Meet the Casebook pathologists →

Spoiler-controlled deaths

Deaths recorded in this case

3 people die in this case, according to the linked death record.

Break the seal: reveal the list of deaths
  1. Bertram Jewell

    Murder · Blunt force

    Performer check
    • Bertram Jewell: Jon CulshawThe published cast record and episode dossier use Bertram Jewell; the list of deaths's former single-l spelling has been corrected.
  2. Venetia Butts

    Murder · Suffocation

    Performer check
  3. Venetia Butts's son

    Murder · Drowning

    Performer check
    • Venetia Butts's son: not listed in the current published cast recordThe historical victim is described by relationship rather than name, and no corresponding performer appears in the current published cast record.
Break a second seal: reveal the verified killer
Series 24 · episode 2 · checked 15 September 2026

Who was the killer in Book of the Dead? (spoiler)

Eli Trask

Eli killed Bertram Jewell when their old gas-alarm fraud and its supposed treasure threatened to surface, then killed Venetia Butts after she blackmailed him and threatened his son Ludo. He staged evidence against the Myhills; Venetia's son's earlier death in the gas-alarm explosion remains a separate historical consequence of the fraud.

Verified motive

Eli killed Bertram when their old gas-alarm fraud risked exposure and Bertram's fabricated treasure kept consuming Ludo's life. He killed witness Venetia after her blackmail escalated into threats against Ludo, then framed the Myhills; Eli consistently describes the later violence as an attempt to free his son for a proper life away from Bertram and the book.

Search the complete deaths index →

Real place → fictional identity

Where was Book of the Dead filmed?

Penn Street, Buckinghamshire

Holy Trinity Church

Used as: The church becomes the parish church of fictional Mods Mire.

Penn, Buckinghamshire

The Red Lion

Used as: The real pub keeps its name when it appears as The Red Lion in Mods Mire.

Penn, Buckinghamshire

Elm Road shopfront

Used as: A village shopfront stands in for Othello Khan's antiques business, Kollectables.

Sources accompany the identified filming places.

Wider filming areas

Places connected to this file

Location research remains open.

No real filming place is confirmed for this case.