New Year dawns and something is rotten in the market town of Kingsleigh, with a body next to the bypass and pet cats going missing. When one turns up dead at Costsave, Ant and Bea start a new investigation but it's harder this time, with so much going on in their personal lives: Queenie's benefits have been cut and Bea is feeling the bite; Ant's father has been arrested and his family is falling apart. But as they dig deeper, more than one crime is about to come to light.