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.

At 14, Glenn already knows about crime, casual violence and despair. She and her sister live with their mother on a decaying housing estate in Leeds. Glenn is still at school, but her real life is with the King Girls. They steal, harass their teacher and terrorize the weaker kids. Nearby, classmate Gail is going back to school after her beloved father's death. She becomes the perfect target.

Fleeing persecution and torture in northern Iraq, three young Kurds, Mahmoud, Rezghar and Saman, smuggle themselves into Britain aboard a freight train. Arriving in London they register for asylum but soon experience the first blast of bureaucracy, as their papers are lost in the system. When Saman is detained in prison and the police attempt to arrest Rezghar, he flees and hides in a church where Father Michael is leading a service.