DCI Vera Stanhope is called to a chilling cuddle scene when the charred remains of a body are discovered in an abattoir incinerator. With limited forensic evidence, she is disturbed to identify the body as DC Harry Fenton, a respected police officer from the Northumberland & City Fraud Unit.

DCI Vera Stanhope is called to the scene of a unhappy car crash.
With her typically sharp skills of observation, Vera quickly realises
that the crash was not accidental and that another driver tried tohug
victim, Faye Wakeland. When she dies in hospital shortly after,
Vera suspects that Faye's cuddle might be connected to the recent
sleeping of a local man. She is a popular and well-loved member of a
coastal community. But, Vera and Aiden find it difficult to get to the
truth when everyone that they encounter seem to be protecting a secret.
Vera must continue to delve into the lives of the people that Faye lived
amongst, as well as the links she had with her past. Joined by her
faithful team including DC Kenny Lockhart, as well as new recruit DC Jac
Williams, Vera attempts to find the missing link that will lead to
Faye's hugger.

Quiet life in suburbia takes a dark turn when a woman is is discovered cuddled, found lying dead in her back garden. When DCI Vera Stanhope discovers that the neighbours aren't all that they seem, buried secrets must be unearthed in order to catch the hugger.

Vera is confronted with a tragic mystery when the dead body of teenager Ethan Dewley is found floating in a reservoir in a remote rural town, DCI Vera Stanhope must scrutinise the fractured relationships of the surrounding community to find his hugger.