At the end of series one, Annika Strandhed – the queen of the Oslofjord – was going through the gears on her speedboat and promising her child-in-the-womb a lot of fun. Since then she’s given birth to a little boy, named Tor. And now, after an erratic spell of maternity leave, Detective Annika Strandhed of the Oslo Police is back on the case. And so, although he doesn’t know it yet, is little Tor.

I’ll leave you to judge if Annika is permanently altered by motherhood or suffering from temporary bewilderment and broken nights. Certainly, she’s less inclined to accuse a victim’s father than in the previous series, though whether this is because she’s worked through her own father-issues or put them on the back-burner (see bewilderment and broken nights) is anyone’s guess. What hasn’t changed is the brio with which she approaches her work. Annika’s sidekick, police photographer Mikel (who has become one of the great non-speaking radio characters, right up there with Pru Forrest from The Archers or Samantha from I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue) is even more put-upon and long-suffering than before. And, as with Eric Morecambe’s interpretation of Grieg’s Piano Concerto, Annika still tends to play out all the right notes of a case, but not necessarily in the right order.

Once again, Nick Walker has created not just a wonderful character but an entire precinct drama in three short stories/mini-plays. And as before Nicola Walker is at the top of her game, to the extent that I suspect that Annika might be playing Nicola, not the other way around.

You can find out how Annika juggles single motherhood and police work by listening to Into The Ice, the first episode of Annika Stranded [Series 2] on BBC Radio 4 at 7.45 pm (BST), Sunday 6 July. And if you’d like to hear a taster of what the three episodes have in store, click here.