Episode 1 - Well-Schooled in Murder

Detective Inspector Lynley and Detective Sergeant Havers are drawn into the closed world of prestigious public school Bredgar Hall when a promising young pupil, Matthew Whateley, goes missing.

Episode 2 - Payment in Blood

Lynley and Havers travel to the Highlands of Scotland, where an eminent playwright has been murdered. The suspects are glamorous stars of the film and theatre world, who have been rehearsing their new play in impresario Sir Stuart Stinhurst's remote country pile.

Episode 3 - For the Sake of Elena

In the rarefied world of Cambridge, Lynley and Havers investigate the murder of Elena Weaver – a stunning young deaf student, bludgeoned to death on a morning run. When it emerges that she was pregnant, Elena's life seems to have been a mystery to even those closest to her.

Episode 4 - Missing Joseph

In an apparently tranquil Lancashire village, Lynley investigates the mysterious poisoning of vicar Robin Sage.

Episode 5 - Payment in Blood

An avant-garde play is being read at a Scottish country house, and during the evening the playwright is brutally murdered. Unhappily for Lynley, his own beloved Helen is one of the suspects, and perhaps he allows his feelings to cloud his judgment.

Episode 6 - For the Sake of Elena

Episode 7 - Missing Joseph

Once again Lynley's friends and family are involved in one of his cases. His friend Deborah St James (whose husband is crippled) gets very close to a country clergyman she meets at the National Gallery. When he is found dead, supposedly poisoned by accident, Deborah is anxious to get to the bottom of the death and calls in Lynley. It's a complex case, and in working to solve it Lynley and Havers improve their relationship.