The case of the wily widower who wound up dead

The case of the wily widower who wound up dead
The case of the wily widower who wound up dead (Image credit: Steven Peskett)

The body of badly beaten drunk Liam Powell leads the Sun Hill officers to two pitifully neglected children and a blackmail victim. But with DS Max Carter leading the investigation, not all the coppers are confident of getting a result. Victim Liam was a regular drinker at a pub near to where his body was found, but landlord Nick (Lee Whitlock) and his girlfriend Louisa Gate (Nicola Stapleton – EastEnders, Bad Girls, Emmerdale) say they have no idea how he ended up dead after he left their pub. At Liam’s home, DC Terry Perkins, Pc Kirsty Knight and Max are shocked to find two young children, filthy and starving. Turns out Liam has been struggling since the death of his wife a year ago. CCTV footage rescues the investigation when it reveals that, contrary to Louisa’s statement, she argued with Liam on the night he died. In fact, Louisa is quite the liar – just not a very good one. The police discover that she and Liam had an affair and he was blackmailing her, threatening to tell Nick. So, did she kill him to shut him up? Or had Nick already found out about their affair and decided to teach Liam a lesson? Those aren’t the only questions on Terry’s mind. He thinks Max is still using drugs.

Patrick McLennan

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix. 

An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.