The Doctor Blake Mysteries series takes place in Ballarat, Australia, which looks like an absolutely beautiful, serene place – other than the occasional, weekly murders! Dr. Lucien Blake returns to his hometown after a long time away to take over his late father’s medical practice. He doesn’t seem particularly happy to be back, nor does he seem to have been missed very much while he was away. Lucien had been captured by the Japanese during WWII and had been held in a prisoner of war camp. He was separated from his wife and daughter during the war and does not know where they are.
Lucien inherited his father’s large Victorian house, which came with a few boarders: a young police man, a young nurse, and a beautiful middle-age housekeeper. At the beginning of the series you see Lucien interact with his patients a lot of the time. However, in later shows, Lucien’s job as police surgeon seems to dominate his time – which is fortunate for viewers with a penchant for well-told and thought-out mysteries.
The acting in The Doctor Blake Mysteries is terrific. Craig McLachlan plays Lucien Blake, housekeeper Jean Beazley is played by Nadine Garner, and Joel Tock is Chief Superintendent Matthew Lawson. All three of them are very, very convincing as three adults who grew up knowing about each other’s secrets. Cate Wolfe plays the young nurse, Rick Donald is the young constable who is then replaced by Charlie Cousins.
The late 1950s atmosphere is also very convincing. It’s very reminiscent of old 1950 television shows/movies. Of course, since Lucien inherits his father’s old Victorian house, a lot of the furniture dates way back.
I should mention that since the police chief and Lucien go way back, they share a friendship and mutual respect that is really enjoyable to see. This is rather refreshing because many TV mystery shows display an antipathy between the police and an amateur sleuth. Lucien is actually encouraged to do more than just the forensic necessities and to involve himself in the mysteries.
All in all, this is another beautiful Australian mystery series. The acting, writing, wardrobe, scenery, and yes, the mysteries are all very good. I highly recommend watching The Dr. Blake Mysteries, and from the letters I’ve received recommending the series, many other Cozy Mystery readers also enjoy watching the show.
P.S. This show is available on Netflix.
For more Cozy viewing ideas, click on my Cozy Mystery TV & Movies page.
One of the recurring questions that I get asked a lot is “what book is this from?”, usually from people who are looking to revisit a book they vaguely remember from . While I can answer a fair number of these on my own, there are some that stump even me – but thankfully, rarely you, the site readers! So without further ado, here are a few of the more recent Cozy Mystery identification questions!
