Death of a Dormouse is a 3-part thriller adapted from the classic novel by Reginald Hill.
For as long as she can remember, Trudi's led her life in fear – of strangers, of asking questions even of leaving the house. Brought up by a loving, but anxious and over protective father, then married to the high-flying but controlling Carter.
After years of living in the great European cities and just days after their return to the UK to an idyllic cottage on the edge of the River Dart, Carter is killed in a car crash - and so Trudi retreats even further into her safe, blinkered cocoon.
But staying put is no longer an option, first there's the discovery that despite all the trappings of their privileged life together, Carter has died broke. Flat broke. And second the arrival of Trudi’s one good friend – Jan – a strong, bright woman who's had a much tougher life than Trudi's and still lives in the local council estate. Two women who couldn't be more different, yet the bond between them since childhood still holds strong and true.
After a lot of badgering from Jan, Trudi sues the trucking company responsible for her husband's death. All sorts of question have to be answered – and with each new answer comes the discovery that for all these years she’s been living with a total stranger, who in turn was living a life that was complex, ruthless and deadly.
But as each new piece of the puzzle falls into place the women arrive at the most shocking and baffling reveal of all - at the heart of all this dark duplicity is Trudi herself. And from that moment on both their lives are in terrifying jeopardy.
Trudi's cosy refuge is in ruins, and the quivering Dormouse is history.