Plot

In a storm of publicity, the local teenager's released and the world's introduced to the idea of forensic DNA. But in the villages of Narborough and Enderby there's a real sense of fear: there's a murderer in their midst.

As Baker explains to the press why Hopkirk was released Jeffreys becomes a reluctant celebrity - though not popular with the police, who believed they had their killer. The trail goes cold until Baker has an idea, based on a previous case and proposes to Jeffreys the mass testing of 5,000 local men between 15 and 34 to match their DNA with that found on the victims. Chapman is sceptical, suggesting objections and civil servant Joy Blakefield questions the cost, half a million, though support comes from an unlikely source, prime minister Thatcher. The testing goes ahead though there is resistance in the community until the bereaved Mrs Ashworth speaks out. Ultimately the killer is trapped when, in accordance with one of Chapman's objections, he attempts to persuade a friend to take his place at the testing and the deception is exposed - heralding a new age in police detection.—don @ minifie-1