Introducing this major new detective franchise Vera starring Academy Award nominee and BAFTA winner Brenda Blethyn (Secrets and Lies; Atonement) as Chief Inspector Vera Stanhope. Middle-aged Vera is an experienced, not to mention brilliant, murder detective. Kind-hearted but a loner, she freely admits she can become obsessed with her job. In this feature-length debut, Vera takes on her first murder case since the death of her father. Julie Armstrong (Gina McKee - Notting Hill; The Forsyte Saga), is distraught when she discovers the lifeless body of her teenage son, Luke. He has been strangled and then carefully placed in a bath decorated with wild flowers. Vera and Sergeant Joe Ashworth (David Leon - RocknRolla), have barely begun their investigation when another body turns up and the signs point to a serial killer. When, Lukes sister Laura provides a vital clue and then goes missing, Vera and Joe have a race against time to find the murderer and save Lauras life.