Sara Gleeson

When a delirious prisoner on death row tells Dr Blake he is innocent of the police shooting for which he is soon to hang, Blake is stunned – and believes him. But no-one else seems interested in uncovering the truth. Recidivist criminal Sean McBride is accused of shooting a policeman, Clive Cooper. Sealing his fate on death row, Sean originally pleaded guilty to the crime and refused to defend himself in court.

The death of a migrant factory foreman initially looks like an industrial accident. Dr Blake digs deeper, revealing a hideous string of crimes and the ugly side of post war Australia. Meanwhile, Jean receives a marriage proposal.

Blake returns from China, and finds himself thrown straight into a murder investigation: the newly elected Mayor of Ballarat is found dead at the bottom of the Town Hall steps. But threads of betrayal, adultery and double dealing lead him to some high and low places, and Jean - kept in the dark - worries for him.

The suicide of the local hospital’s first female doctor shocks the community. Dr Blake suspects foul play and sets out to find the murderer amongst the staff and board of the hospital. Meanwhile, another letter from Singapore arrives for Lucien. It takes him days to work up the courage to open it. His reaction to the news about his missing wife and daughter shocks Jean, Mattie and Danny.

When a lion cub seeks out Dar's help to rescue his mother from an evil despot, Dar discovers an entire village needs saving.