On a leave of absence from the police force, Luther is laying low in a rundown cottage on the edge of England but a visit from his old colleagues at the Met brings a shocking piece of news that draws him back to London in search of the truth. Meanwhile, a gruesome serial killer has struck the city. With a trail of clues leading from one crime scene to the next, Schenk and his team must work out the twisted logic that connects each victim but this murdering mastermind is more than a match for the police, outsmarting them at every step. It's not long before Luther is back in the Bullpen, determined to steal a march on the killer before it’s too late.
故事发生在上世纪九十年代初期,顾铭(于和伟饰)受公安分局局长吴建南(要武饰)的破格提拔,成为了刑警队长,新官上任三把火,顾铭喊出了“命案必破,不破不休”的口号,并且在之后的工作生涯中一直贯彻着这个信念。然而,刚刚上任没多久,市里就发生了一起恶劣的凶杀案,面对这既没有证据亦没有线索的案件,调查陷入了僵局之中,最终,顾铭认输了。时间匆匆流逝,顾铭凭借着自己的努力一直奋战在第一线,破获过无数千奇百怪、扑朔迷离的疑难杂案,十五年后,当曾经让他败北的凶杀案的相关线索再度浮出水面之时,顾铭知道,这是他雪耻的最后机会。
该剧是英剧《摩斯探长》的续篇,于2006-2015年在ITV播出,共九季33集,每集约90分钟,其中从2013年的第七季开始每集在ITV1首播时被拆分为上下两部分连续两周播出,然而在重播时以及在美国PBS电视台播出时依旧作为整集播出。该剧将背景设置在学术气息浓郁的牛津,剧中很多含有隐喻的诙谐对白在外国文学爱好者看来会别有趣味,同时延续摩斯系列侧重通过案件展示各色人生和命运悲剧的特色,凶手被揭露后通常会有一幕对手戏将矛盾推至高潮,尘埃落定后缓和而带有希望的片尾曲又形成鲜明映衬,让人感叹命运无常及人的渺小,同时又看到光明的希望。该剧多位编剧也曾参与ITV版大侦探波洛和马普尔小姐系列剧的改编。