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S1E1 - Episode 1

Ex-con Joe Ruby is a volunteer at a local priory, tending to the grounds, seeking forgiveness and attempting to start a new life, all under the kind but watchful eye of Father David.

But when the body of one of the monks is found hastily buried in a remote part of the priory grounds, Oxford-educated DI Rose O'Connell and her green second-in-command DS Raj Singh are sent to investigate.

The mysterious circumstances make it a tricky case to solve. What secrets are these sacred grounds hiding? And what do these God-fearing suspects know about the murder? There's Brother Christopher, the gentle monk who loves to garden, Sister Marie, the stern but kindly nun who runs Bible class and Father David, the cryptic, ever-wise prior. Alongside them is the victim's brother Benedict, who is someone in need of support and money. And then there's Joe himself, who with his criminal past becomes suspect number one for Rose and Raj.

But when Joe comes up with some insights from his own dodgy history, Rose senses that Joe may prove useful after all.

Finding themselves investigating alongside each other, Joe and Rose set out to solve the mystery of who killed Brother Mark, frustrating each other at every turn, only to uncover a truth far more shocking than either anticipated.

Air Date: 23 Oct 2026 00:00 (CDT)

S1E2 - Episode 2

When an exclusive, high-roller poker night ends with the murder of oil magnate and seemingly devoted family man Jeremy Hare, Rose and Raj find themselves completely out of their depth in the gambling world. The evidence is perplexing. Jeremy's substantial winnings from the night are still on his body, and he's been stabbed with an ornate, ceremonial golden knife that was left at the scene. Unfamiliar with the complex strategies and unspoken rules of high-stakes poker, Rose and Raj are left struggling to decipher the various hidden motives of the players around the table.

The game was hosted by Ace Dawso, a slick operator and local villain, with whom Joe and Rose have had a previous run-in. Ace's invitation-only matches attract an elite, ruthless crowd. There's Rami Ashraf, an enigmatic Egyptian playboy and seasoned poker pro with secrets to protect; Eleanor Calvert, a sharp stock-market whiz and one of the country's wealthiest, most calculating women; and Ace himself, who sat out the fatal hand but oversaw the room with a watchful eye. Every player present had something to lose and possibly a reason to want Jeremy silenced.

Baffled by the tight-lipped suspects who can quickly tell that she doesn't understand the game, Rose soon realises that conventional police work won't crack this case. She has no choice but to recruit Joe, whose history makes him the ultimate insider. Enticed back into the illicit world of gambling, Joe is forced to confront the dangerous addiction that nearly ruined his life. To help Rose read the table and flush out a cold-blooded killer, Joe must walk a risky tightrope, gambling not just with cash, but with his own addictions.

Air Date: 23 Oct 2026 00:00 (CDT)

S1E3 - Episode 3

A healthy young labourer is found dead in a shallow ornamental pond on the vast country estate of Lady Philippa Armstrong and her son Jonathan. While the tragic incident initially appears to be nothing more than a straightforward workplace accident, Rose and Raj are called in to investigate glaring discrepancies. After all, how does a strong young man manage to drown in mere inches of water?

Meanwhile, Joe overhears staff from Gallowbrae Hall discussing the suspicious death. Having spent much of his youth stealing from the estate, Joe knows the local personalities and the layout of the property inside out. Believing he can be of genuine help to an unconvinced Rose, he eagerly inserts himself straight into the investigation. Finding themselves reluctantly paired up once again, Rose and Joe must untangle the messy, tight-knit relationships of Gallowbrae's eccentric inhabitants.

At the centre of the drama are the Armstrongs, an old-money family desperately holding onto what's theirs while caught in a fierce controversy over a new rewilding scheme. This scheme will close off public land to reintroduce sensitive wildlife and plants, sparking intense outrage from one local inhabitant in particular. Adding to the tension are Maxine, the devastated housekeeper who keeps her cards close to her chest; Whittick, the grouchy gamekeeper fiercely determined to protect Gallowbrae at any cost; and Gavin, the angry intruder and conspiracy theorist who views the aristocratic family and everything they stand for as completely abhorrent.

Struggling to navigate the complex social dynamics of the estate, Rose reluctantly accepts Joe's persistent interference. Together, the duo soon uncover a dark web of deep-seated secrets and lies within the family and their devoted staff.

Air Date: 23 Oct 2026 00:00 (CDT)

S1E4 - Episode 4

When estate agent Luke Wandle is found brutally murdered in his own office, Rose and Raj are met with a tangled web of motives. Naturally, suspicion falls on the two people who discovered the body: Luke's wife, Catherine, and his business partner Damon. But as the investigation deepens, the suspect list rapidly expands to include an embittered former employee with an axe to grind and Luke's tight-lipped secretary and her controlling husband, all hiding secrets of their own.

Air Date: 23 Oct 2026 00:00 (CDT)

S1E5 - Episode 5

When the body of a windsurfer washes ashore on Beadnell Bay, Rose and Joe are pulled into a murky case involving the intertwined worlds of funerals, windsurfing and dangerous spiked cigarettes.

The victim is identified as Andrew Bilton, stepson to Bev Bilton, a stern funeral director who quickly becomes suspect number one after Rose and Raj discover underlying resentments between her and her stepson. Complicating matters further, Bev is locked in an intense feud with Kass Moberly, a vibrant young funeral director who was secretly seeing Andrew before his death. As the investigation deepens, further tangled up in the case are Bev's shifty deputy manager, Alfie, and Andrew's tight-knit windsurfing crew, Noah and Chatri, who seem to be hiding secrets of their own.

Meanwhile, Joe launches his own off-the-books investigation into a local group of teenagers getting high at the priory, deeply concerned for their safety. What begins as a side project soon intersects directly with Rose's murder case, revealing a shocking connection between the spiked cigarettes circulating among the youth and Andrew's unpleasant death.

Joining forces once again, Rose and Joe must navigate a muddle of illicit drug dealing, cut-throat commercial feuds, a shady ashes scandal and a volatile love triangle. Together, they traverse the Northumberland coast to piece together the truth and catch a killer before anyone else gets hurt, or worse...

Air Date: 20 Nov 2026 00:00 (CDT)

S1E6 - Episode 6

When a burnt-out delivery van is discovered on a quiet rural road, Rose and Raj are met with a grim crime scene: a charred body in the passenger seat and no sign of the driver. Sifting through the ashes, they uncover a bizarre assortment of clues, including a melted key fob, rusted gardening tools and a bottle of imported Polish vodka.

Tracking down the van's insured drivers leads them to Kelly Prudham, a tight-lipped agency cleaner, and Scott Smith, a devoted widowed father missing since the previous evening. Is Scott the vanished driver, or is he the unidentified victim in the passenger seat? Kelly claims concern for Scott's young daughter Chloe, yet she stonewalls every question. However, Rose's sharp eyes spot an identical bottle of Polish vodka in Kelly's flat, indicating that Kelly may have a dangerous motive for concealing her and Scott's recent movements.

Meanwhile, Joe can't resist probing into the mystery. Dragging Brother Christopher along, he snoops around the crime scene and dives into Scott's past. Relying on his sharp human intuition and feeling somewhat aligned with this man who seems to be struggling as a father, Joe forms a bold theory about Scott's whereabouts. But his covert search goes sideways, stranding Joe and Christopher in a perilous predicament deep in the Northumbrian moors.

With time running out and danger escalating, Rose, Joe and Raj must pool their findings to identify the burnt remains, track down the arsonist and expose the motive behind the blaze before the truth burns out completely.

Air Date: 20 Nov 2026 00:00 (CDT)

S1E7 - Episode 7

When James Irving is shot dead in broad daylight in the middle of a bustling market town, the police are left with an inexplicable murder scene. No witnesses saw where the sniper's bullet came from, and there is no clear motive. Assigned to the case, Rose and Raj hit a wall. James was a well-liked man with no obvious enemies, and despite clear CCTV coverage of the square, the killer remains completely invisible.

As media and political scrutiny intensifies, opportunistic county councillor Jeffrey Cecil seizes the tragedy to whip up public hysteria, stoking anti-outsider sentiment and fear. Out of options, Rose turns to Joe. Knowing his military background and his uncanny knack for reading human psychology, she brings him into the investigation, reuniting the pair to crack an impossible case.

The stakes skyrocket when a second shooting occurs in identical, ghost-like fashion. This time, Rose and Raj uncover a critical link: both victims were army veterans. Facing unprecedented pressure from local politicians and journalists, and James's understandingly demanding widow, Marissa, Rose finds herself under a spotlight unlike anything she has handled before.

To trace the military-grade weapon used in the attacks, Joe is forced to approach Ace, whose help always comes with a cost. Turning to such an untrustworthy ally places Joe in a hugely difficult position, but one that's worth it to help Rose. Working against the clock, Rose, Raj and Joe must untangle the connection between these fallen soldiers to expose an elusive sniper before another target ends up in the crosshairs.

Air Date: 20 Nov 2026 00:00 (CDT)

S1E8 - Episode 8

When accountant Robbie Bickell slips out of a pub without paying and vanishes into a taxi, no-one expects his dramatic end. Hours later, as the tide recedes along the ancient pilgrims' way to Lindisfarne, a walker makes a terrifying discovery: Robbie's body, tied to a wooden refuge post. His killer leaves behind a single, cryptic clue - a playing card depicting St Cuthbert, the medieval saint who founded Holy Island's famous monastery.

Assigned to unravel the ritualistic murder, Rose and Raj interrogate everyone linked to Robbie's final hours: the barmaid who poured his last drink, his estranged wife Anna, and a schoolgirl witness who may have seen him entering the taxi.

But as Rose tries to decipher the holy card's deeper meaning, Joe faces his own battle closer to home, when local gangster Ace pays him a menacing visit, holding potentially explosive leverage. Ace knows Rose used public money to fund Joe as an undercover player in Ace's high-roller poker game, an unorthodox move that could destroy her career. He offers a ruthless ultimatum: Joe does his bidding or Rose's career gets ruined. Crushed under the weight of this blackmail, Joe suddenly pulls away from Rose, leaving her baffled by his unprecedented lack of interest in her work.

Compounded by an unexpected visit from her father, Rose finds her focus divided just as Joe reaches a desperate tipping point. Caught in a brutal moral dilemma, Joe must decide whether to betray Rose to protect himself or to walk away from the life he now loves in order to protect Rose. Can he bring himself to come clean with her?

Air Date: 20 Nov 2026 00:00 (CDT)

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