This episode is based on one of the story lines in the third Frost novel "Night Frost", which was published two years prior shortly before the series began production. It is heavily toned-down compared to the book, in which there were three additional senior citizens killed (although only two by the serial killer; the third is attacked by the house burglar in "self defense" and dies later in hospital, whereas Mrs Haynes is the one who dies later in the show and not immediately as in the book). Frost's partner in the book was D.S. Gilmore, who appeared in the previous series'
Not with Kindness (1992) along with most of the novel's other story lines. In this episode he is partnered by D.S. Maureen Lawson in her first of several guest appearances, a new character created specially for the show. D.C.I. Allen is also written-in to the episode as he (as D.I.) was away sick in the book, leaving Frost to investigate basically every crime in Denton.