6/10
Very poorly acted
16 March 2024
With the exception of Samantha Bond, who plays Judith, and Jo Martin, who plays Suzie, the cast in this is surprisingly bad. The actresses who play Becks and Tanika are particularly bad, as is the actor who plays DS Perry. And I'm afraid it spoiled the drama for me.

I've read the book (quite good), so was looking forward to the TV version. Unfortunately, it was adapted for the screen by the author, and I think it would have benefitted from someone else taking over. There are connections in the author's head that don't make it to the screen. A different screenwriter would have filled the gaps. Another problem is that some of the characters are completely different to the book. Becks, in particular, is almost like another character. In the book, she's a meek little mouse. Here, she's strident. So, the dynamic between the three main characters changes. Suzie is also quite different. In the book, she charges around like a bull in a china shop. Here, she's more considered.

Obviously, some plot points get abandoned in the adaptation, others are changed, and some characters are introduced (for no reason). It just all seemed a bit muddled to me. As I said, I think it would have benefitted from a screenwriter who hadn't written the source material.

There are (so far) two sequels to the first novel. The 2nd was disappointing. The third was just plain awful. So I won't be watching any more of these if they make them.
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