The Pembrokeshire Murders

Fantastic mini-series. Great police work and a very well done adaptation. All actors were excellent.

Based on a true story. Compelling, draws you in and makes you wonder what brings a person to such deeds. Scary if you think that this has really happened.

Placed in the beautiful scenery of Wales.

This series is a dramatization of real events which took place in Pembrokeshire, in the South West of Wales. In 2006 a new Detective Chief Superintendent, Steve Wilkins, decides to reopen a notorious pair of unsolved murders from the 1980s. He is hoping that advances in DNA analysis will tie items gathered at the time to somebody whose DNA is in the system. Similarities with other crimes leads Wilkins and his team to suspect convicted burglar John Cooper. He is in jail but is up for parole; Wilkins is convinced that he will kill again if released... he just needs to find that crucial piece of information that will enable him to press new charges.

Since this is based on real events it doesn't feature the sort of events one would expect in a fictional murder mystery... we don't get multiple suspects or moments of danger for the police. Instead we look at the more painstaking parts of real investigations; trying to find images of the suspect at the time of the crimes to match with a sketch made by a police artist based on a witness statement; checking for paint samples and searching for a pair of khaki shorts. It is fascinating to see the police trying to find which evidence is crucial during interviews with Cooper. The cast is impressive; most obviously Luke Evens and Keith Allen as Wilkins and Cooper respectively. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to fans of crime drama; even those who usually prefer the fictional variety.

The disturbing criminal profile of a sadist Even if the outcome of the plot is known, it is exciting to look over the shoulder of the investigative team Unexcited and simple. And that is exactly the strength of this mini-series. All in all, not a classic crime thriller, but sober, straightforward and without surprises, almost like a documentary.

Well acted and well told - it's based on a real story so cannot be more sensationalised than reality; I found it gripping