Looking Good Dead: Volume 2 (Roy Grace)

Product Information

Grace is a British television crime drama series, based in the English city of Brighton & Hove, that stars John Simm in the title role of Detective Superintendent Roy Grace, a dogged detective who, haunted by the disappearance of his wife some years previously, solves a variety of cases. [1]

The first half is slow as we get to know the characters and premise, but after the interval I was completely hooked. The investigation suddenly gets into full swing and you start to put the pieces together. And even though I made some accurate guesses, I did not expect the main twist! A thriller cast

Detective Superintendent Roy Grace has to solve a disturbing murder whilst protecting an innocent eye witness, in this TV tie-in edition of Looking Good Dead, by award winning crime author Peter James. When a young woman’s body is found butchered in Brighton, Roy Grace cannot help but think of his own missing wife and her unsolved fate. An inquiry into skeletal remains takes Grace down a labyrinthine trail through the past. 3. Dead Man's Footsteps Top left: Gaynor Faye as Kellie Bryce, Luke Ward-Wilkinson as Max Bryce, Leon Stewart as Branson and Adam Woodyatt as Tom Bryce; top right: Adam Woodyatt as Tom Bryce and Gaynor Faye as Kellie Bryce

The series, based on the bestselling novels by novelist Peter James, [2] was adapted by acclaimed screenwriter Russell Lewis, with a pair of films, comprising the novels Dead Simple and Looking Good Dead, filmed in 2020 for broadcast in 2021. [3] Dead Simple, broadcast in March 2021, attracted an estimated 7.2m viewers, which made it the fifth-most-watched programme for the week of 8–14 March, according to BARB. [4] Learning that Tom has made a statement to Grace’s team, the killers have to act. But when they plan the murder of the Bryce family, it’s not just revenge – it’s entertainment.Unfortunately, as is likely the case with any crime story which makes its way to the stage, any character introduced to the audience is likely to have a significant part to play in the rest of the show. So, when American investor Jonas Kent (Ian Houghton) offers Bryce a solution to his cash flow problems, the convenience of it all is so obvious and stark – like a lot of this production – that the idea that he isn’t involved in the criminal deeds is extremely hard to believe. Looking Good Dead follows his other "dead" novel adaptations - Dead Simple, Not Dead Enough plus The Perfect Murder and The House on Cold Hill. This time, the stars come from the main three soaps - Adam Woodyatt (38 years in EastEnders) and Gaynor Faye (Emmerdale and Coronation Street). The Bryce family are having problems. Father Tom (Adam Woodyatt) has over-extended his business to the point of bankruptcy. Stress pushes wife Kellie (Gaynor Faye) into compulsively drinking / cleaning / spending (sometimes at the same time). Teenage son Max (Luke Ward-Wilkinson) plots to emulate his alienated half-brother and escape the family home as soon as possible and, in the meantime, has sneakily accessed his mother’s online bank account without her knowledge. The discovery of skeletal remains in a Brighton storm drain and a young girl being hunted by an armed hitman appear to be unconnected, until the two cases unexpectedly collide in the most unimaginable way. Meanwhile, a former colleague of Grace's from the Met, Cassian Pewe ( James D'Arcy) has been sent down to assist the team, and immediately sets about re-opening the investigation into the disappearance of Grace's wife. As the two come to loggerheads, it soon becomes a battle of wills as old enemies must unite to save Abby Morton (Katie Clarkson-Hill) and her elderly mother from those desperate to recover a sheet of priceless stamps.