Once more, police surgeon Doctor Lucien Blake finds himself uncovering murderers. He has a good supporting cast helping or hindering him, as the case may be. I particularly like Alice Harvey, the Russian-born pathologist with whom he works closely. At one autopsy, she asks him, "Are you all right? You don't seem yourself. You've barely said a word, to me or him." She's referring to Blake's habit of talking respectfully to the murder victims.The series sometimes strays into the unrealistic, such as Lucien breaking & entering to find clues. But it has always been like that and it is a small irritant, not enough to affect my enjoyment of the mysteries.Speaking of enjoyment, at the end of episode 3 there is a huge surprise for the audience. But not as big of a surprise as it is for Lucien, who opens his door and stands there in shock with his mouth open.....1..."The Open Road" Ballaret is hosting a stage of the 1960 Red Australia Trial, a motor rally whose winners may go on to further glory in the Nationals. Dirty tricks abound, such as leaving a fire cracker to stir up the dust and obscure the view on a sharp curve. But can a dirty trick include murder?....2..."Golden Years" The Foster brothers announce a new development, Goldrush Park. Not everyone is happy about it. Someone is murderously unhappy.....3..."Lucky Numbers" Ten year-old Elizabeth Chapman gives her Mummy a kiss and heads off to school. She less than a block away when she realizes she forgot her lunch on the kitchen table. She rushes back to the kitchen to find broken plates and a bloody knife of the kitchen floor. And her mother no where to be seen.....4..."Against the Odds" It's in the early morning hours, and Alexander Martin is exercising a horse at the track. He comes galloping down the straight when he is flung of his horse to his death. As his aunt tells Blake, "What experienced rider falls on a training run?"....5..."The Place of Love" At midnight a man runs through the woods of the Hayes Military Base outside of Ballaret. It's Lance Corporal Mervyn Rogers, but he's in civvies and running right through the middle of tactical night maneuvers. But they use only blanks on maneuvers. Don't they?....6..."A Difficult Lie" Local mogul Patrick Tyneman is playing golf with the new Chief Superintendent when they find a bloodied body in a bunker. Definitely a bad lie.Keep your eyes peeled for the kangaroos on the golf course!....7..."For Whom the Bell Tolls" Ballaret has a volunteer fire service. The firehouse has a bell tower and it is rung to call the volunteers when needed. One night, the bell rings, and Rod Drury rushes over to find no one else there. Well, no one but a murderer.....8..."The Visible World" Special glasses all around to view a solar eclipse. The Ballaret Observatory opens its doors and there's a murder. I must say, the rationale given for the bad guy's urge to murder doesn't seem realistic to me. Unless, he wasn't the murderer.Season 4 of "Doctor Blake" totals 472 minutes for the 8 episodes. If you buy it on disc, it has English SDH subtitles available and no bonus features.At the beginning of this season, we say goodbye to Mattie, the cheerful district nurse who boards at Blake's. She's taken a job in London, and who would want to hold her back. Now it's just Lucien and Jean in the house.Happy Reader