User Reviews

The skeletal remains of a woman are found in a storm drain. She is identified as Joanna Welbeck, the wife of conman Ronnie Walbeck who died in a plane crash some years earlier.

Another of Ronnie's former wife was also found dead in the boot of a car in France.

It leads Grace to wonder if both deaths are connected and if Ronnie Walbeck really is dead.

Then there is a woman called Abby Morton who is being harassed by a thug over some stolen stamps. It turns out that she is linked to Ronnie Walbeck.

I was not shocked by the connection between both plot strands. It is the kind of thing that occurs often when you adapt a crime book to the screen.

The most awful part was the introduction of the horrid DS Cassian Pewe brought in from London to formally investigate the disappearance of Grace's wife. He immediately reckons Grace is a suspect. He lies and schemes to try to fit Grace up.

It seems Grace and Pewe have had a previous falling out. It leads Grace to quote Jack Nicholson's Joker from Batman (1989.)

I did think if a scene was re-recorded to acknowledge the failings of the Metropolitan police which became public news in 2021.

It is a daft convoluted plot. You really cannot take it seriously.

It is also noticeable that these Grace adaptations all seem to have mainly women in peril or victims. Would be nice if the adaptations entered the 21st century.

After not particularly enjoying the very first episode last year (I didn't much take to the book either), I'd enjoyed the last couple of episodes more. And the central plot of this one I found engaging, but it was ruined by too many completely unbelievable moments:

1 - the girl in the flat has taken extreme security measures because she is scared of a particular person then doesn't ask a courier to remove his helmet to check before opening the door to him.

2 - a serving policeman has his house and garden searched with a warrant without any prior notification - presumably they broke in to do it.

3 - one of the team doing the search is moved from an active murder investigation to a cold case without asking his superior - daft. And that subordinate doesn't think to text his boss to check?

4 - the cliff-top denouement. Even if the girl, who has been portrayed as pretty security conscious (apart from the helmet) and quick thinking, doesn't think to park her car behind the caravan, Grace should have done so when he followed up. Then there was the 'how many people can we cram in a caravan moment' then the awful driving by the DS - spinning the wheels madly so they're bound to slip. Why didn't one of the other coppers on the scene find something to put under the wheels for grip.

I hadn't read this book, so these may have been down to the author rather than the adaptor. I'm a fan of both John Simm and Russell Lewis but I wish they'd found a different vehicle for their talents.

My favourite episode from season1 up until Season 2 , so far, but unsure yet of the episodes that follow this one. However, the plot was unnecessarily complex (for e.g. The names and aliases) and at times , the episode felt over stuffed. However, the concept overall was creative , interesting, and in my opinion spot on.

Additionally, I do agree with the reviews online, which have mentioned the length of the episodes , as being too long. , and the unnecessarily complex plots . I think ideally 1 hour would have made more sense than 1.5 hours .

From a writing /story board perspective, each episode peaks your interest , as the audience , at the Exposition(start of the episode), the Climax, Falling action and Resolution (ending) . However, by 'over stuffing' scenes, which could be cut out, after the initial start of the episode and the scenes before the climax , would benefit from editing . And improve the overall pace of the episode- but that could just be the script writers preference. Also remember these episodes , are trying to fully illustrate Peter James initial vision, demonstrated in his 'Roy Grace' novels. Therefore, I understand the script writers choice to add alot of detail - so again as the audience you'll either love it or hate it .

Anyway to conclude , Katie Clarkson-Hill (Abby) was amazing and I loved the ending! *chefs kiss*

Some good acting in this, but sadly only from the subsidiary characters. Main cast seem to think standing still and speaking slowly is endlessly fascinating. They're half right - it does feel endless. At least we were spared the deeply meaningful shots of the ruined pier this week, a small mercy. Convoluted, tangled and downright boring in places, this is really one for the insomniacs. Spoiler now. Here's a tip for the writer and producers. If you're going to hang a caravan over a cliff as your big finish, don't put your leading man in the van. It's like good old Captain Scarlet, we know he's coming back next week. It's grim down South.