Plot

John Ransom collapses and dies outside a pub after a fight with his brother-in-law over the baptism of his niece. He has electrical scars across the top of his head.

DCI Barnaby and Sgt. Scott investigate the death of John Ransom in the village of Midsomer Mere. He had just been ejected from a pub for fighting but the post mortem shows a series of burn marks on his skull indicating he may have been subject to electric shock. The police find that the dead man's brother Max was conducting experiments in precognition and had applied the shocks. As Barnaby delves deeper, he learns of an ongoing dispute between the Ransom and the Kirby families over whether a newborn niece should be baptized. The families have a long history of fighting and both claim to have the power of second sight.—garykmcd

John Ransom gets thrown out of the village pub in Midsomer Mere after fighting with his brother-in-law, and a short while later he is found dead on the green, dumped after electrocution. It's discovered that simpleton lush John had been used as a guinea pig for scientific experiments in a Farraday cage by his brighter brother Max, who suspected they inherited the clairvoyant talent of 'Second Sight'. Barnaby and Scott soon discover that another family possesses a similar gift, but refuses to exploit it, but their Emma Kirby is Max's forbidden lover. The killer strikes again in the Ransom basement. Local vicar 'preaching Pete' Kubatski, brought in to normalize the alarming low church attendance, tells Barnaby and Scott about the abundant superstition, and is murdered in his church. The detectives must delve deeper to unravel many secrets within the village to find the truth.—KGF Vissers

Barnaby and Scott investigate a death in Midsomer Mere, where villagers seem to have the ability to predict future events. John Ransom's head was covered in scorch marks, the result of his brother Max's research into second sight. Is his death due to a pub brawl with his brother-in-law Ben Kirby over plans for a baptism, or is he a casualty of the bizarre experiments? In the battle between faith and science, even Barnaby thinks he has seen a man somewhere before. It's time to delve into the village's history for clues.—Anonymous