After dinosaur fossils are discovered in the foothills of Brokenwood, the town buzzes about the potential boost for tourism; but when a paleontologist turns up dead, the future doesn't look so rosy.

When the Brokenwood Small Business Association stage a Mexican "Day of the Dead" night market, they don't bargain on an actual dead body becoming part of the festivities.

A writers retreat on a picturesque estate generates ample inspiration when the mentor, Dame Audrey McKinnon, is found deceased, floating under a nearby waterfall.

Brokenwood's favorite dentist, Sonny Lyman, is the subject of Jools Fahey's amorous attentions. When Sonny's wife is found gassed in an oven, Jools becomes the prime suspect.

"The House of Screams," a local scare attraction, becomes the venue for an actual murder when a teenager is found with a sickle through his neck.

While a visiting theatrical troupe puts on a nativity play at St. Judas, a precious holy relic goes missing, and the actor playing Jesus is killed.