Off the back of a successful tour of Peter James’ Looking Good Dead in 2021/22, Wish You Were Dead is the sixth of Peter James’ novels to be staged and continues Detective Superintendent Roy Grace’s story.

Roy Grace and Cleo Morey take their first holiday together with son Noah, accompanied by nanny Kaitlyn and Grace’s colleague, Jack. Cleo hopes to finally get Grace to herself, but characters from Grace’s past have other ideas. 

Set in a French Chateau, designer Michael Holt has created the perfect ambience for the piece, with an old rustic charm about the set but equally creepy and eerie. The set manages to display different storeys of a building in a creative way, with hidden gauzes used to great effect. You feel like you know what is behind each closed door without having to be shown. 

The first act has exceptional pace and timing, and great cohesion between the actors. They bounce off of one another and create believable relationships. The first half ends leaving the audience excited to return after the interval. The second half, on the other hand, loses a bit of its patter and there is an air of predictability about the ending. 

George Rainsford (Casualty) and Giovanna Fletcher (2:22 Ghost Story) put in a reliable performance as couple Roy Grace and Cleo Morey. Clive Mantle (Game of Thrones) puts in a great shift as bad guy Curtis, using great comic timing and a gruff menacing demeanour to play the part with conviction. Stealing the show is Rebecca McKinnis playing Madame L’Eveque; her performance is enthralling and believable. She manages to be contained in the over-dramatic moments to ensure that they don’t feel over the top and holds a circle of attention every time she is on the stage. A truly sublime actress and a great addition to the cast. 

This play is enjoyable and enthralling and you always root for Roy Grace and his family to survive the sticky situation that they find themselves in. It is well worth a trip to see the show and just because it is the sixth of Peter James’ shows to be staged, doesn’t mean that it follows the blueprint set by others. It can easily be viewed as a stand alone piece and is something we highly recommend you see, Besties! 

**** Four stars

Reviewed by: Emma Rooney

Wish You Were Dead plays at Norwich Theatre Royal until 25 February and continues to tour until July. To book tickets for select touring venues, please click here.