Murder in Mind

The symptoms are distressing; the diagnosis is a shock and the future a lingering, undignified and distressing death. How many of us would rather make a quick, painless exit? The vexed question of euthanasia is at the core of Mercy as Dr Collins , a country doctor married for thirty years helps his wife Margaret with a so-called assisted suicide. After suffering from what they assume to be a bout of flu, the Collins' world is turned upside down at the devastating news that Margaret Collins has been diagnosed with a rare degenerative brain disorder. With the only prospect being a long slow painful death, Margaret takes the decision to end her life, turning to her husband for his assistance. To the police, he is potentially a criminal. To the public and to the community that know him, Dr Collins is a hero. But what is the truth?

An Englishman's home is his castle, and woe betide anyone who breaches the moat. But just how far should one go if their next door neighbour is driving them up their very expensive walls? Nigel Liddy and his wife Joanne live in a suburban cul-de-sac somewhere in middle England. They drive a Ford Mondeo, they vote New Labour, they used to have nice neighbours. But their neighbours moved... and in their place came the Squires. Alan and his trophy wife Debra are moving up in the world. They drive a Range Rover and a BMW convertible, they vote Conservative, and they are the neighbours from hell. Alan is oblivious to the fact that he and his family are turning Nigel from the quiet English silent majority into a vindictive, obsessed man. Nigel records all the ""nightmare"" events but struggles to find anyone who will take his complaint seriously and very quickly reaches breaking point. He realises there is only one solution to his problem... one final solution.

Deborah is a history postgraduate student, living with three flatmates, one of whom is her long-term boyfriend James. The relationship becomes increasingly fractious as Deborah's finals draw near. Her fitful sleep is punctuated by inexplicable bouts of sleepwalking; James seems less than sympathetic. After seeing a psychologist, Deborah realises that the cause of her unease is the fact that James is having an affair. After a blazing row, he storms out and, the following morning, Deborah wakes up next to a blood-spattered claw hammer. What has she done? Could she have attacked someone in her sleep? Is she really going insane? Or has someone taken advantage of her affliction?