We have seen it time and again in plots for many other movies and shows. A person living in a city with some sort of criminal investigative career has some unexpected tragedy befall them. Because of this, said person picks everything up and moves far away from the city and to an obscure small town to escape their tragedy and memories only to find themselves inevitably pulled into another investigation. It’s a cookie-cutter setup for a lot of crime thrillers.
The Chemistry of Death, the new crime thriller streaming on Paramount+ takes this tried and true base of a plot and is attempting to stand out from the crowd of other similar shows with its storyline, gritty and relatable characters, and enough twists and turns to captivate the audience and keep them coming back for more each week.
The Chemistry of Death: The Plot
This new show is based on the critically acclaimed book The Chemistry of Death by Simon Beckett, a British crime fiction author. Though he has written other books in the series following protagonist David Hunter, the show focuses only on the book with which it shares its name.
In the first episode, we meet Dr. David Hunter, a once-renowned forensic anthropologist who did work as a consultant for the police. After a tragedy takes his family, David decides to leave everything behind and escape to the small town of Manham. He takes the job as the village’s general practitioner and assumes he will be able to lead a more peaceful life.
However, things quickly take an unexpected turn for the doctor when two young boys, brothers Neil and Sam Yates, discover the mutilated remains of a woman’s body in the woods. With David’s previous career being what it was, he soon finds himself reluctantly entangled in the investigation. As he tries to focus on the investigation at hand, he also is battling his own inner demons through flashbacks.
He simultaneously tries to settle into his new life while also helping the police investigate the murder, when he comes into contact with other people in the village who fill some stereotypical small-town roles. He has the previous general practitioner for the town, who acts as a sort of mentor for David on how to adapt to the small-town life, while also giving a little backstory for some other people and warnings when necessary. Henry specifically warns David to be careful around Gary Yates, the father of Neil and Sam, who is known to have a very short temper and is presumably abusive towards his wife, Linda. David also meets one of the local teachers, Jenny, when she reaches out to him for help with the two boys who found the body.
Things speed up as another woman goes missing and suspicions rise among the population. It then becomes a race against time when David must solve the murder and catch the killer before anyone else becomes a victim.
The Chemistry of Death: The Cast
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The cast of this new show may not be as star-studded as some we see on other streaming platforms, but there are definitely some notable actors fulfilling these roles. The main character and protagonist of the show, David Hunter, is played by Harry Treadaway (Penny Dreadful and Mr. Mercedes). Jeanne Goursaud who has starred in other series like Barbarians (2020) and Para - We Are King fills the role of the small-town teacher, Jenny Krause, who reaches out to David for help with the boys who had discovered the dead body in the woods. The small town’s previous general practitioner, Henry Maitland, is played by actor Lucian Msamati (His Dark Materials and See How They Run). Every small-town crime story comes with a young investigative journalist determined to uncover truths. Maggie Cassidy is this story’s journalist and is played by actor Katie Leung best known for her role as Cho Chang in the Harry Potter series.
This series also stars Amy Nuttall (Downton Abbey), Nick Blood (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), Amy Manson (The Nevers and Spencer), Neve McIntosh (Doctor Who), and David Hayman (The Boy in the Striped Pajamas).
Release Date and Everything Else We Know
The director for this series is Richard Clark who has also directed episodes in other popular series such as War of the Worlds (2019), Versailles (2015), and Outlander (2014). Produced by Matt Carver (The Descent and The Social Network) and executive produced by none other than the author of the book himself, Simon Beckett, one would hope this show will be able to stay as true to the original story as possible.
If you are a fictional crime thriller fan and this has piqued your interest, you are in luck. The first episode of The Chemistry of Death premiered on Paramount+ on January 12 in the United States and on January 19 in the UK. While there isn’t an official confirmation for subsequent seasons yet, the six total episodes of season one will be released weekly on the streaming platform.
