Vera's former colleague Stuart Macken kills himself after his house is fire-bombed, leaving his daughter Stella in a coma. Vera learns that Stuart never recovered from his wife Marianne leaving him for Brian Gower and had to be made subject of a restraining order. Given the two men's mutual antipathy, Gower is Vera's prime suspect but then there are others, people he recently arrested. One is Stella's former school teacher and another may have been her older lover. Indeed Stella turns out to hold the key to everything. At the same time Vera's perceived bias toward Stuart leads to a run-in with constable Holly. Written by don @ minifie-1

Social worker Jenny Lister is murdered whilst out swimming. Two years earlier she had been exonerated following the case of Mattie Jones, who drowned her baby son whilst her colleague Connie Masters was blamed and her life ruined. Everybody speaks of Jenny as if she was perfect, arousing Vera's suspicions, especially when she learns that Jenny was writing a book about some of her cases, including Mattie, and her laptop, containing the draft, is stolen. Chief suspect is Mattie's ex-boyfriend, osteopath Michael Morgan, but then Vera learns that Jenny was having a mysterious affair. Then the thief is murdered in the same way as Jenny, and the laptop gives Vera the key to solving the case but also the task of preventing another death in a race against time. Written by don @ minifie-1

Vera investigates the murder of young Niall Coulter, whose body fell from a bridge onto a lorry which ended up in Portsmouth. Both his employer Marty and his mother Shirley attest to his being a model citizen though Shirley plainly has something to hide and it seems that Niall was planning to leave home to move in with an older, terminally ill friend. When the drug dealer who attacked Shirley after she accused him of killing Niall is murdered, Vera realises that Niall was not the clean-cut boy he was painted to be. She also meets for the first time, Maggie, her father's old girlfriend. Written by don @ minifie-1

After Private Ollie Barton is blown up by a land-mine, his regiment, known as the Sandancers, returns home from Afghanistan and Vera and Joe are asked to investigate the suspicious death of Sergeant Dev, awarded the Military Cross for saving the rest of his men after Ollie's death. Military policewoman Shep is helpful but Vera finds most of the suspects, resenting civilian interference, literally closing ranks. Then the traumatized colleague who admits to Dev's murder and feels he caused Ollie's death is also found dead. In fact Ollie's fate and its effect on those who were closest to him play a key role in solving the case. Written by don @ minifie-1