The Chemistry Of Death review: Packed with cliffhangers that will desperately leave you wanting more

Harry Treadaway and Jeanne Goursaud
in a boat in The Chemistry Of Death — Harry Treadaway and Jeanne Goursaud star in The Chemistry Of Death (Picture: Paramount+)

Let’s face it, The Chemistry Of Death is doing itself no favours with a title that sounds more like a death metal band or a niche Mastermind specialist subject.

But dig beneath its titular bones and what you get is a neat twist on the well-worn murder mystery thriller. In Norfolk.

The key player is Dr David Hunter, a forensic pathologist played with languidly bashful charm by Harry Treadaway.

Now forensic pathologists are 10-a-penny in crime dramas but this Dr Hunter is one of a kind, a world-leading authority on human decomposition no less.

Where Dexter could read blood spatter like a book, Hunter cracks cases with the help of the creepy crawlies that make their home in corpses. Well, it’s different.

What’s not so different is that Hunter is bugged by his own tragic past, seen via flashbacks, which explain why this pathology high-flier is now holed up working as a GP in a small Norfolk village.

Harry Treadaway as Dr David Hunter — Harry plays Dr David Hunter, a forensic pathologist (Picture: Paramount+)

But that’s a small nit to pick in a series that shines a light on a close-knit rural community in a much more authentic way than the likes of Midsomer Murders.

Based on the best-selling books by Simon Beckett, the plot is full of twists and cliffhangers which might explain why it’s dropping weekly rather than being released as a box set.

Dr Hunter stood in the doorway of a cottage in his forensic overalls — Dr Hunter is a world-leading authority on human decomposition (Picture: Paramount+)

Two police officers in the rain — The murder mystery has plenty of plot twists (Picture: Paramount+)

Still, it’s an odd move for a streaming service though, because The Chemistry Of Death would rank high on the litmus test for binge-ability.

So you’ll have to exercise patience as the truth behind a serial killer with a sick line in angel-wing symbolism worms its way to the surface.

But with Treadaway well cast as a man desperate to keep the real world at arm’s length and strong support from Jeanne Goursaud as love interest/potential next victim, The Chemistry Of Death is on to a winning formula.

Episode one available today on Paramount+. New episodes on Thursdays

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