In the fictional Yorkshire town of Wetherton, the unlikely duo of politically incorrect elephant-in-a-China-shop-copper DS Andrew Dalziel (pronounced Dee-ell) and his more sensitive and university educated sidekick DS, later DI, Peter Pascoe is always on hand to solve the classic murder mystery, while maintaining down-to-Earth wit and humour.
On Halloween, Kate Johnson is killed in her bedroom, the victim of a shotgun blast. Her husband Guy is the obvious suspect, having now vanished. In an odd twist, the couple had been part of a television broadcast the previous Halloween where hypnotist Lee Knight demonstrated that people could be induced to do anything, including murder. The deceased's daughter, Katherine Taylor, is convinced that the hypnotic suggestions of a year ago are what caused her father to kill her mother and that Knight is responsible. When she too is found dead, however, the case takes yet another turn. Meanwhile, Dalziel undergoes hypnotherapy to quit smoking.
On Halloween, Kate Johnson is killed in her bedroom, the victim of a shotgun blast. Her husband Guy is the obvious suspect, having now vanished. In an odd twist, the couple had been part of a television broadcast the previous Halloween where hypnotist Lee Knight demonstrated that people could be induced to do anything, including murder. The deceased's daughter, Katherine Taylor, is convinced that the hypnotic suggestions of a year ago are what caused her father to kill her mother and that Knight is responsible. When she too is found dead, however, the case takes yet another turn. Meanwhile, Dalziel undergoes hypnotherapy to quit smoking.
As the body count continues to rise, Dalziel and Pascoe continue to focus their investigation on Lee Knight. Knight continues to maintain his innocence and says he's being set up by someone. The police uncover that most of the principals are involved in witchcraft of one sort or another. As the victims' bodies are being dismembered, they believe the killer is set to perform some type of ritual. Pascoe believes Knight is innocent and the true killer is someone who is well-known to Andy.
As the body count continues to rise, Dalziel and Pascoe continue to focus their investigation on Lee Knight. Knight continues to maintain his innocence and says he's being set up by someone. The police uncover that most of the principals are involved in witchcraft of one sort or another. As the victims' bodies are being dismembered, they believe the killer is set to perform some type of ritual. Pascoe believes Knight is innocent and the true killer is someone who is well-known to Andy.
A sunburned Dalziel returns from holiday in Australia and finds himself immediately investigating a murder. The dead man is Declan Roach, a researcher at the local university found in a laboratory clean room. The autopsy confirms that he died from nitrogen intoxication but it is unclear at first if it was accidental or not. Roach was working under the direction of Professor Frances Cunningham, who in turn has a major contract with Aphrodite, a major cosmetics firm. She's working on a formula for a rejuvenation cream that will be nothing less than a fountain of youth and there's obviously a great deal of money at stake. Dalziel, meanwhile, is thinking of packing it in and emigrating to Australia.
Having disposed of Michael Wheeler's body, Pascoe tries to cover up all traces of the crime. When a homeless man discovers the body, Dalziel has little sympathy for the dead. As phone calls from the killer persist, Pascoe wonders if Wheeler may have in fact been innocent but when they manage to unscramble the calls, they realise that a young woman may also be involved. Meanwhile, Dalziel makes the horrifying realisation that Pascoe is involved in Wheeler's death.
