This the first instalment in a new ITV murder mystery series opens with a man being fatally shot in a large house in the City of Bath. The next morning a man, Max Crockett, and his pregnant wife return home and discover the body. He is dressed very similarly to the dead man; as he gets his wife to call the police he sets about making it look as if somebody broke into the house through a rear door. He also disposes of the man's phone and takes a valuable item from the house to suggest a robbery.
Investigating the case are DCI Lauren McDonald, a high flier who has just transferred from London, and DS Dodds, an officer who hasn't worked a case in over ten years whose superiors are hoping can be pushed out of the force. Our duo soon start to believe the answer lies within the Crockett family but Max is a leading local entrepreneur with powerful contacts who urge other lines of enquiry.
This is a by the numbers murder mystery; we have a mismatched pair of detectives, an attractive location, an obviously suspicious character with an alibi and a number of suspects. As such it doesn't immediately stand out in a crowded field but if you enjoy the genre it is worth watching. The two leads are solid, although at this stage it is Dodds who is the more interesting. The central mystery was interesting; we may know that Max Crockett is doing things to sabotage the police enquiry but his motives aren't obvious for some time. There are slight echoes of 'King Lear' as he plans to give his business to one of his three daughters but won't initially say which leading to some family tension. The final revelation is perhaps a little far-fetched but not too much for a light-hearted mystery. A minor gripe is that the murder weapon is a Colt 1911 pistol, it is suggested that this could be a stolen army weapon; the British Army never used that model they use 9mm Browning Hi-Powers. The cast is solid; Jason Watkins stands out as the understated DS Dodds; Tala Gouveia is good as McDonald, a character who is initially a bit irritating and Robert Lindsay is fun as Max Crockett. Overall I enjoyed this and will certainly watch the next episode; whether it will grow to be an ongoing series remains to be seen.
Investigating the case are DCI Lauren McDonald, a high flier who has just transferred from London, and DS Dodds, an officer who hasn't worked a case in over ten years whose superiors are hoping can be pushed out of the force. Our duo soon start to believe the answer lies within the Crockett family but Max is a leading local entrepreneur with powerful contacts who urge other lines of enquiry.
This is a by the numbers murder mystery; we have a mismatched pair of detectives, an attractive location, an obviously suspicious character with an alibi and a number of suspects. As such it doesn't immediately stand out in a crowded field but if you enjoy the genre it is worth watching. The two leads are solid, although at this stage it is Dodds who is the more interesting. The central mystery was interesting; we may know that Max Crockett is doing things to sabotage the police enquiry but his motives aren't obvious for some time. There are slight echoes of 'King Lear' as he plans to give his business to one of his three daughters but won't initially say which leading to some family tension. The final revelation is perhaps a little far-fetched but not too much for a light-hearted mystery. A minor gripe is that the murder weapon is a Colt 1911 pistol, it is suggested that this could be a stolen army weapon; the British Army never used that model they use 9mm Browning Hi-Powers. The cast is solid; Jason Watkins stands out as the understated DS Dodds; Tala Gouveia is good as McDonald, a character who is initially a bit irritating and Robert Lindsay is fun as Max Crockett. Overall I enjoyed this and will certainly watch the next episode; whether it will grow to be an ongoing series remains to be seen.
