Review: Peter James' Wish You Were Dead at Nottingham Theatre Royal

It was certainly a holiday from hell, but it wasn’t the murder threat that made it so ­— it was the babysitting.

Peter James’ Wish You Were Dead at Nottingham Theatre Royal is a thrilling crime drama in the second half, as lives are on the line and it seems hope is lost on a disastrous holiday-turned-nightmare

Unfortunately, the first half drags. The plot is constantly halted by the cry of the baby and people rushing off to coo or tend to him which seems unnecessarily overdone.

The audience already know something isn’t quite right ­— the house is creepy, the host is strange and someone’s missing ­— yet the script continues to stall.

My mood was saved by Rebecca McKinnis as angry Frenchwoman Madame L’Eveque, who seems to have mastered comedic timing as she complains her way through hosting demanding guests, with a fitting French accent.

Gemma Stroyan is a believable California girl and George Rainsford is charming as Detective Roy Grace.

However, Giovanna Fletcher’s performance as Cleo Grace falls a little flat ­and seems to lack any real emotion, even while her family’s life is on the line. ­— EG