Deputy Assistant Commissioner Charlie Hillian is killed on the night of his retirement party. Hillian was at one time a senior officer in Oxford and was in fact Morse's boss. He was also writing a book about his most memorable cases, including one about the unsolved death of an 8-year-old girl some 18 years ago. The suspect in that case, Frederick Redpath, was at Hillian's house the day he died and that chapter from the manuscript is missing. There are other suspects however, including Hillian's ghost writer who will now receive all of the book's royalties; a handyman who was working on the property; and Redpath's daughter, who knew the little girl who was killed all those years before. Morse comes into conflict with with a colleague DCI Dawson, who was one of Hillian's protégés, as they again look into the little girl's death. Written by garykmcd

Victoria Hazlett is a brilliant student who aspired to the priesthood in the Anglican Church. When she collapses and dies during an exam, the post-mortem reveals that she was likely poisoned, but the pathologist can't quite identify one of the substances found in her system. Victoria was a member of a group that advocated women priests and ran a shelter for women who required assistance in their life. Several members of the group feel that an anti-womens' group led by the Reverend Geoffrey Boyd is responsible, but there is little evidence. There is a link to a nearby weight loss clinic. Morse is quite attracted to one of the women in the group but is taken aback when he learns she lied to him about her whereabouts the night before Victoria died. Written by garykmcd

Morse and Lewis investigate the murder of fun-loving raconteur Harry Field, a mediocre artist with no real style to call his own, with many of his paintings featuring the same mystery woman. As they dig deeper into his past, they discover a possible link to art forgery. Meanwhile, Lewis considers trying for a promotion in Traffic Division. Written by Mark Limvere-Robinson

Morse and Lewis investigate when Nicos, the chef from a local Greek restaurant, is found murdered. He had been in England for 6 months and they initially learn little about him other than he was well liked and had no enemies. They eventually learn that he had previously been in England as a sous-chef for Digby Tuckerman, a wheeler dealer whose hotel went bankrupt and is now hoping to open a series of marine theme parks. Morse seeks the advice of Randall Rees a scholarly expert on ancient Greek ships and learns that he too was recently in Greece as the organizer of a symposium on ancient Greek maritime vessels. When Nicos' sister is also killed, Morse must determine who would want them both dead. Written by garykmcd

When the case against the Abingdon gang comes under scrutiny, Morse and Lewis must travel to Australia to locate their prime informant who was resettled there with his entire family in exchange for the information he provided the police. When they get there, they find the informant, Kenny Stone (now known as Mike Harding), is somewhat difficult to pin down. When they learn that someone in Mike's family subscribes to a newspaper from home, they fear that members of his old gang may also be looking for him. When Harding's daughter is kidnapped, they have two people to find, but not surprisingly Morse and the local constabulary knock heads from the outset. What Morse learns about the original convictions, however, turns the entire case on its head. Written by garykmcd