I loved Magpie Murders but was concerned that a similarly complicated mystery involving two timelines and the fictional murder associated with them might prove too difficult to bring to the small screen. I was wrong.
The acting is superb; all the characters seem to be even more at home with their characters than in Magpie Murders.
The set designs are astounding considering the difficulties of the nature of the story. One in the hotel eight years earlier, one current, and one in the fictional hotel.
The cinematography is likewise excellent, and the music is supportive rather than obtrusive.
The story is, as mentioned, exceptionally complicated but was handled very well. I was particularly pleased with the Conway character knowing who murdered Parris and putting clues in his novel. Despite his general unpleasant nature, he did his best to expose the real murderer. His final scene with Susan where he insists on keeping the seemingly superfluous clues is masterful.
One of the things that annoys me in mysteries is too much time spent on character drama outside of the mystery. I thought they did a good job of keeping that to a minimum and tying it to the story.
The various mysteries were logical and reasonably solved without all sorts of twisting events into knots to achieve the ends. A common problem with most mysteries I watch these days.
Just a delight all around. Highly recommend for mystery fans.
