Morse and Lewis investigate the death of Dr. Julian Dear, a senior fellow at an Oxford college. Dear was to participate in a debate on the evening of his death, where he was headed when attacked, suffered a fatal heart attack during what appeared to be a mugging. The College's Master, Matthew Copley-Barnes comes upon a young man leaning over the body of Dear, and the young man pushes the Master aside in his escape. Morse soon learns that Copley-Barnes has been receiving strange packages, and also that the College has large investments in Corby International, a major bio-agricultural/chemical firm. These facts and the interest of a well-known journalist, Sylvie Maxton, writing an article about the Master leads Morse to a complex cover up of scientific information as well as the discovery of a long-hidden tragedy. Written by garykmcd

Trevor Radford, Managing Director of the family's Radford Breweries, is found murdered in the brewery. He had been working late one evening mounting a defense against an unwelcome takeover attempt from a rival brewery. There appears to be some disagreement in the family as to whether they should sell out. His brother Stephen, an entrepreneur in his own right, thought the time had come to rid themselves of a losing proposition but their father would like to maintain the family tradition that now spans 150 years. Morse and Lewis learn that Trevor's wife was having an affair with Stephen, so there is always the possibility that there this is a crime of passion rather than greed. They also learn of a long ago claim against the business' assets. Written by garykmcd

Morse and Lewis investigate the death of Jackie Thorn who was found bound and stabbed in her flat. The murder is a carbon copy of one that occurred 27 days previously and they assume both were committed by the same man. The team is joined by Sgt. Siobhan Maitland, a expert in crimes against women. In the course of the investigation, they find that both women had purchased their cars from the same dealer and Morse becomes convinced that the owner, Jeremy Boynton, is the culprit. When they find a third assault victim who survived an attack some 5 years previously, Morse is more convinced than ever. The only thing now is that Morse needs evidence, provided he has the right man of course. Written by garykmcd

Morse finds himself the subject of a murder investigation when his friend, Beryl Newsome, is murdered at a rehearsal of the Magic Flute and he foolishly touches the murder weapon. Morse is suspended and DCI Bottomley, with DS Lewis assisting him, is put in charge of the case. Morse feels that he was set-up and looks to his past to see who, among the many criminals he arrested, might now be setting about seeking revenge. When someone scratches masonic symbols all over his car and he is reported for erratic driving, Morse wonders if Masons may somehow be involved. When a large number of his personal items are found in Beryl's apartment, Morse is placed under arrest. Written by garykmcd