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Episodes: All (23)

Season: 1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |  6
Year: 2001  |  2002  |  2003  |  2004  |  2005  |  2006  |  2007

Season 1

Season 1, Episode 1: A Great Deliverance

Original Air Date—12 March 2001
When a farmer, William Tey, is hacked to death with an ax in his barn, Scotland Yard assigns Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers to the case. Lynley is the 8th Earl of Asherton and is a graduate of Eton and Oxford; he is on the fast track in the police service. Havers has a working class background and feels that she is discriminated against. Despite the differences in their background - very often, the two simply don't understand one another - they make a good team. As for the murder, there are several possible suspects. Tey's wife had left him many years before and one of his daughters ran away and would have nothing to do with him. A nephew will now inherit his farm, providing a good motive. Throughout the investigation, Lynley has to deal with former colleagues who would like nothing better than to bring him down.

Season 1, Episode 2: Well Schooled in Murder

Original Air Date—8 April 2002
When an old school friend contacts Lynley about a missing schoolboy, the inspector soon has to launch a murder inquiry.

Season 1, Episode 3: Payment in Blood

Original Air Date—15 April 2002
Inspector Lynley (Nathaniel Parker) and Sergeant Havers (Sharon Small) are sent to a remote Scottish mansion house, the home of Sir Stuart Stinhurst (Ronald Pickup), to investigate the violent death of a famous playwright whilst she was helping to rehearse a production of her new play. Initial investigation reveals that practically anybody could have committed the crime but everybody appears to have a convincing alibi and nobody has a motive. As the investigation continues an apparent nearby suicide begins to have a bearing on the case and Lynley believes that is wasn't suicide. The arrival of a new guest, Helen Clyde (Lesley Vickerage), a former girlfriend of Lynley's who is now a lover of one of the main suspects starts to cloud his judgement and raise Havers' suspicions. As the real motives begin to appear and the dark pasts of some of the guests are revealed will Lynley catch the double murderer?

Season 1, Episode 4: For the Sake of Elena

Original Air Date—22 April 2002
When the daughter of a Cambridge professor is brutally killed while out jogging, Lynley and Havers are assigned to the case. The young woman was deaf and on the evidence, it appears the attack was deliberate. There are any number of suspects: the girl's father is divorced, re-married to a much younger woman who suspects him of having an affair; another Cambridge professor known for being a bit too friendly with students and against whom she was about to make a formal sexual harassment complaint; her ex-boyfriend, with whom she had recently broken up; a student advisor who was very attracted to her, but in whom she had little interest. While in Cambridge, Lynley takes the opportunity to get in touch with Helen Clyde who is staying locally with her sister. At home, Havers continues to deal with the effects of her mother's Alzheimer's disease and the need to provide ever more care.

Season 1, Episode 5: Missing Joseph

Original Air Date—29 April 2002
While on detachment to the Lancashire police, DI Lynley investigates the apparent murder of the Reverend Robin Sage who is found on a rural path, where he was presumably walking home. The autopsy reveals that he was poisoned with wild hemlock. He had dinner the previous evening with Juliet Spence who was also violently ill through the night, but survived the poisoning. Juliet is involved in a relationship with PC Steve Shepherd, son of the local DCI Kenneth Shepherd and it is apparent that Juliet's teenage daughter, Maggie, is not pleased with her mother's choice. Uncovering a false identity is central to solving the crime. Lynley meanwhile has fallen in love with Helen Clyde, but can't quite bring himself to do something about it. DS Havers is dealing with the aftermath of having placed her aging mother in a care home.

Season 2

Season 2, Episode 1: Playing for the Ashes

Original Air Date—10 March 2003
When England cricketer Kenneth Waring dies of asphyxiation after a fire is set at a friend's house, the police have no doubt they are dealing with murder. The house belonged to Waring's patron and close friend Miriam Whitelaw who had a visitor the evening Waring died, her estranged daughter Olivia. Waring was separated from his wife Jeannie and had recently given her divorce papers. As well, his lover and agent Gabriella Patten, the ex-wife of a cricket teammate, has gone missing. Miriam had recently been attacked by animal rights activists which, unbeknown to her, included her daughter. When Waring's son confesses to the murder, Lynley has his doubts. Lynley decides they need a profiler on the case and not surprisingly hires Helen Clyde for the job but things don't go very well. Havers moves into her new flat.

Season 2, Episode 2: In the Presence of the Enemy

Original Air Date—17 March 2003
The conservative editor of a major newspaper, Dennis Luxford, receives a ransom demand: publish the details of his first-born child or else. Some years earlier, he had a weekend tryst with a left-wing politician, Eve Bowen, now a government Minister and by mutual agreement his paternity has never been publicly acknowledged. In a strange twist the girl is killed before Luxford has a chance to publish the story. Inspector Lynley and Sergeant Havers are in charge of the investigation but are also soon dealing with another kidnapping when Luxford's young son Leo is taken and he again received the same ransom demand. The solution lies in uncovering events from long ago. Meanwhile, Lynley and Helen Clyde's relationship becomes even more complicated due to her friendship with Luxford and her attempt to assist him.

Season 2, Episode 3: A Suitable Vengeance

Original Air Date—24 March 2003
It's a tension filled weekend for Tommy Lynley when he and Helen go the family estate to hold their engagement party. Tommy is estranged from his mother owing to the time he found her in bed with their family physician, Dr. Trenarrow, while his father was dying of cancer in the next room. He's on less than good terms as well with his brother Peter who feels that Tommy abandoned him when their father died. When Mick Cambrey is found dead in his shop in the village, the police arrest his father-in-law John Penellin, the Lynleys long-time estate manager. Lynley and Haver soon determine that the death is related to drug smuggling. When one of the weekend guests, Justin Brooke, is found dead on the estate, they realize something other than heroin was being smuggled.

Season 2, Episode 4: Deception on His Mind

Original Air Date—31 March 2003
Lynley and Havers investigate the death of Hatham Kureshi in the seaside village of Balford-le-nez. He was to marry Shala Malik, the daughter of a prominent businessman. The marriage was an arranged one but it turns out she was having an affair with a local man, Theo Shaw. She is also pregnant. Things are not going well in the Malik family and Shala's older brother Muneer is a particularly nasty character. There is also much tension in the community owing to what some claim was a previous incident where the police supposedly covered up the murder of a 16-year old Asian boy. When the police learn that Hatham was also gay, it adds a whole new angle to their investigation.

Season 3

Season 3, Episode 1: In Pursuit of the Proper Sinner

Original Air Date—4 March 2004
DI Lynley investigates the death of Nicola Maiden and Gerry Cole who were beaten to death while out camping. Nicola's father Andy Maiden is a retired police officer but neither of her parents know, or will admit to knowing, who Cole is and thought she was seeing Julian Britton. Andy believes she was killed as a means of getting back at him and offers to go through his old files. The investigation reveals that Nicola worked for Martin Reeve, the owner of an escort agency. She had recently quit and set off on her own. Andy had also put him away once, for 10 years, leading to the break-up of Reeve's marriage. When another murder occurs, it sends the investigation in a different direction involving a theft and blackmail. Sgt. Havers finds herself demoted and back in uniform for having shot a flare pistol at a senior officer who had put a child in danger. Lynley manages to get her assigned to the case and hopes she will take the opportunity to rehabilitate her reputation and her career.

Season 3, Episode 2: A Traitor to Memory

Original Air Date—11 March 2004
Lynley and Havers (who plans to resign from the force in a month) are assigned to the hit and run (and hit and run again) of a woman.

Season 3, Episode 3: A Cry for Justice

Original Air Date—18 March 2004
Barbara Havers is re-appointed to her rank of Detective Sergeant and she and Inspector Lynley are assigned to investigate the murder of Morag McNicholl. The killing was made to look like a suicide but it is clear she was killed by a blow to the head and that her wrists were slit after her death. The police also find a large amount of cash in the flat so they can rule out robbery as a motive. The police pursue several lines of inquiry. The dead woman was membership secretary at a prestigious private club so Havers goes undercover there to see what information she can glean. Lynley looks into identifying a young man who was apparently stalking Morag. Throughout, Lynley is having difficulty coming to grips with his impending fatherhood, fearing that his own dysfunctional family background will get in the way.

Season 3, Episode 4: If Wishes Were Horses

Original Air Date—25 March 2004
DI Lynley and DS Havers investigate the murder of a forensic psychologist, Professor Dermot Finnegan, who was blown to bits with a car bomb. In his profession, he has done much work for the police and the list of those seeking revenge is endless. In his home village, Noel Shakespeare's daughter was imprisoned for killing her abusive husband and he has campaigned relentlessly to get her a new trial. Then there is Peter Stephanopoulos who also served 10 years largely on Finnegan's testimony but has now been released. Complicating matters is the fact that Finnegan was also a ladies man having had several affairs and ex-wife who shows up at his funeral. Lynley is surprised when he learns that his wife Helen also worked with. The case takes on a very personal slant for Lynley when someone takes a shot at Helen and she is severely injured.

Season 4

Season 4, Episode 1: In Divine Proportion

Original Air Date—17 March 2005
Inspector Lynley and Sergeant Havers are sent to a small village in East Anglia to investigate the murder of an interior designer who was shot inside the house but her body was deliberately moved outside. As the investigation proceeds they discover that the dead woman's sister was raped and committed suicide fifteen years earlier and the perpetrator mysteriously disappeared. These events are somehow connected to the current crime but the perpetrator's son refuses to co-operate with the investigation and attempts suicide to avoid doing so. As the pair close in on the murderer, Havers, becomes trapped in the local pub with several villages and the murderer. During the siege the villager's dark secret is revealed and the reason for the current murder becomes clear and Havers is forced to relive the horror of her recent shooting in order to prevail.

Season 4, Episode 2: In the Guise of Death

Original Air Date—24 March 2005
DI Lynley is visiting the family estate with his sister Dorothy. Lynley is concerned that his mother may not be able to run the place on her own. As he debates whether to continue his police career or return to Cornwall permanently, he studiously avoids having to tell his mother that he and Helen are separated after the loss of the baby. Havers is also in the area on leave and attending a rehab center. They're soon drawn in by the local police to assist with the suspicious death of Stephen Fenner who is found hanging in his barn. The post-mortem reveals that he was drugged and the suspicious death is soon a murder investigation. Fenner had recently been on the wrong end of a business deal having bought a lame racehorse. The investigation reveals however that there is a smuggling ring operating along the Cornish coast and Fenner may have been involved. A key suspect and a police officer will die however before Lynley and Havers identify the ringleader.

Season 4, Episode 3: The Seed of Cunning

Original Air Date—31 March 2005
Lynley and Havers investigate the beating death of a doorkeeper at Parliament.

Season 4, Episode 4: Word of God

Original Air Date—7 April 2005
When the police discover the body of a man frozen in a meat truck, they think they have a case of people smuggling. The man had a false British passport in his possession and his death had similarities to a previous smuggling operation gone wrong. However the autopsy reveals that he was actually strangled. They also find a page from a Koran that proves to be extremely valuable. The Immigration authorities show little interest in Lynley and Havers' murder investigation. Lynley is under a great deal of stress, particularly with respect to his failed marriage and he is accused of stepping over the line with the result that he faces a disciplinary hearing over his conduct.

Season 5

Season 5, Episode 1: Natural Causes

Original Air Date—20 July 2006
DI Lynley finds himself suspended from duty accused of having threatened a witness. As a result, DS Havers is temporarily re-assigned to DI Fiona Knight. They look into the murder of Edie Covington who was found dead in her car at the bottom of the lake. Edie was well known to many in the local area and had incurred the wrath of Owen Hardourt-Baines, a local land developer who had hoped to develop the lakeside into a housing estate. The police think they have a motive and forensic evidence that points to a killer, but in the end must look elsewhere. Although suspended, Lynley can't help but involve himself in the case. In his personal life, things are looking up when a reconciliation with his wife seems to be in the offing.

Season 5, Episode 2: One Guilty Deed

Original Air Date—27 July 2006
The case against a mobster seems to fall apart with the killing of a potential informant.

Season 5, Episode 3: Chinese Walls

Original Air Date—3 August 2006
Emily Proctor is found stabbed in Hyde Park. The police learn that the 23-year old was living her dream. She had obtained a first in law and was a pupil in the Chambers of well-known barrister Tony Wainwright. At age 13, Emily had first seen Wainwright in a television documentary about refugees and had always wanted to work with him. As Lynley and Havers look into her background however,they are able to paint a more complex picture of the victim. She had recently reunited with her half-sister and was involved in the Internet sex industry. When the police learn that Wainwright's fiancée was killed a few days before his wedding many years ago, the investigation takes a new direction.

Season 5, Episode 4: In the Blink of an Eye

Original Air Date—10 August 2006
The police investigate the murder of Peter Rooker, a press photographer who was killed in an alley way. Rooker had been a successful war photographer in Bosnia but in recent years had been trying his hand at being a paparazzo. Rooker was also selling his photos to Melissa Booth, the editor of a major tabloid newspaper and his one time lover, now married to Eddie Price a very powerful business man. When the police determine that they were having an affair, Price becomes their principal suspect but he has a solid alibi for the time of Rooker's murder. Lynley's wife provides him with a psychological profile of the killer and he realizes the case revolves around Rooker's ward, Nina Delic. Tragedy, however, results.

Season 6

Season 6, Episode 1: Limbo

Original Air Date—9 June 2007
The investigation into a 12-year old disappearance is revived, and Lynley gets involved since he is a friend of the victim's family.

Season 6, Episode 2: Know Thine Enemy

Original Air Date—16 June 2007
Inspector Lynley and Sgt. Havers investigate the death of teenager Sarah Middleton who had gone missing two weeks previously. She was found in a lake and had been dead for three or four days. She had also been sexually assaulted. When a second schoolgirl, Kelly Stevens, also goes missing the police fear they have a predator on their hands. The police focus on Guy Thompson had only recently beaten his wife, Tanya. Havers works on gaining the wife's trust while Lynley learns more about the husband's troubled background. As they continue the investigation, there is growing doubt as to just who is the most dangerous.

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