The blunt-talking Detective Superintendent Andy Dalziel does not suffer fools gladly, but he has even more trouble with what he calls the 'smart arses' of the world. So when the inexperienced Peter Pascoe joins his team at Mid-Yorkshire CID, the omens don't look good. Pascoe is one of the new breed of career police officers, armed with a degree, a caring attitude, and a sharp brain.

Cranford, in 1842, is a market town in northwest England. It is a place governed by etiquette, custom and above all, an intricate network of ladies. It seems that life has always been conducted according to their social rules. For spinsters Deborah Jenkyns, the arbiter of correctness, and Matty, her dumurring sister, the town is a hub of intrigue. Handsome new doctor Frank Harrison has arrived from London; a retired Captain and his daughters move...