First there is Detective Inspector Mike Shepherd (Neill Rea) who has a penchant for his 1971 Holden Kingswood car. Even though he loves this car, for the first time since he finally considers selling it for a new automobile. In this season he has a big change when he moves to a new house. Can he live with two big changes in his life?

Shepherd is a unique man. He feels for the victims and talks to them, usually promising to find whoever killed him, or her.

Second there is Detective Kristin Sims (Fern Sutherland), whose ability to read people is part of what makes her good at her job. And then there is D.C. Daniel Chalmers (Jarod Rawiri), a valuable member of the team who gets a lot of grunt work and leg work, but manages everything with professionalism, as well as some well-timed humorous remarks.

Pathologist Dr. Gina Kadinsky (Cristina Serban Ionda) is the comic relief of the group, although not intentional. She is top notch at her job. Her dark humor is something viewers have come to expect, as well as her no-nonsense approach to her work. Being Russian, she has little sympathy or empathy. She is a tough cookie. Throughout the show, and especially this season, Gina’s love for Mike Shepherd bubbles to the surface.

Another character in this quirky little town is Frodo (Karl Willetts), whose coffee stand is a gathering place for the locals. And his coffee is the saving grace for the police station, considering Kristin cannot make a decent cup of coffee if her life depended on it.

In this season there is a death in a crop circle, and with all the real life declassifications of extraterrestrials, many people are convinced aliens are at the bottom of this. A new priest brings some anxious moments for Reverend Greene (Roy Ward). A masquerade ball ends in tragedy, with Frodo being a witness. And what’s a murder mystery show without the murder of a bride?

Trudy (Tracy Lee Gray), the owner of the local pub, is found at a murder scene with a bloody knife in her hand. She puts her trust in Shepherd, something she rarely does. And the ukulele orchestra, with Gina as a star musician, encounters a death. This does not deter them, as the show must go on. And it does, with Gina’s composition dedicated to Mike Shepherd.

What has attracted viewers to this show are the humorous interactions between the characters as well as their personal quirks. There are several running jokes like Kristin’s inability to make coffee, Mike’s horrible wine, Gina’s love for Mike, and Frodo’s inadvertent connection to many of the crimes.

The episodes are not complicated. They are laid-back, like the little town of Brokenwood. “The Brokenwood Mysteries” is known for its slow and steady stories, and has been a popular series for 12 years with a 13th season on the horizon.