Lauren Lyle is reprising her role as detective Karen Pirie in ITV’s first glimpse of season two of the hit crime drama.
Initially released in 2022, the three-part drama, based on Val McDermid’s novels, follows Pirie as she delves into chilling cold cases.
The first season, which comprised three two-hour episodes, was based on The Distant Echo and focused on the murder of a barmaid 25 years prior.
Now, with a promotion to Detective Inspector under her belt, Pirie will return later this year to helm another gripping investigation. This time, it will be based on McDermid’s 2008 book, A Darker Domain.
A captivating synopsis for the upcoming series reads: “After her bittersweet success in series one, Karen has been promoted to Detective Inspector and seemingly given the authority she has long been fighting for”, reports the Scottish Daily Express.
“Just as she’s getting into the swing of her powerful new role, she is assigned an infamous unsolved case that will put her under intense scrutiny; from her boss, from the media, and ultimately, from sinister forces that would rather the past stayed in the past.
“The 1984 case of Catriona and Adam Grant has confounded investigators and intrigued the public like no other. Catriona, the charming young heiress to a vast oil fortune, and her two year old son Adam, were brutally kidnapped at gunpoint outside a fish and chip shop in Fife.
“The ransom notes that followed stirred up an uncontrollable press storm, but when the culprits fell silent, the police faltered, and Catriona and Adam were never seen again.
“Now, a man’s body has been discovered, with indisputable links to the original kidnap. With the first piece of evidence in decades, Karen must assemble an unbeatable team alongside her sincere and lovable sidekick DC Jason ‘Mint’ Murray (Chris Jenks) and the brilliant – but romantically complicated – DS Phil Parhatka (Zach Wyatt).
“With the international renown of the kidnap and the constant pressure from Catriona’s father, Sir Broderick Grant (James Cosmo), the team take on the biggest challenge of their careers to date.
“As Karen delves deeper into what happened in the autumn of 1984, political grudges and painful secrets reveal themselves, and it soon becomes clear… the past is far from dead.”
Eager fans are treated to first-look images that herald another gripping season of the thriller series, with the Outlander star taking the lead.
After a three-year break, Karen Pirie is set to return to ITV, poised to replicate its previous success; the show’s debut episode captivated 6.6 million viewers in 2022.
The second series sees the return of Chris Jenks and Zach Wyatt, along with Steve John Shepherd, Rakhee Thakrar, and Emer Kenny, who also resumes her role as writer and executive producer.
Jack Stewart, another former Outlander star, is set to join the cast for the second season, alongside a stellar ensemble that includes Julia Brown, Mark Rowley, Bridgerton’s James Fleet and Tom Mannion from Mr Selfridge.