Peter James’s crime novel The Perfect Murder supplies most effective entertainment as adapted for the stage by Shaun McKenna.

I applauded a touring version starring Les Dennis when it visited Milton Keynes two years ago. It’s out on the road again now with Shane Richie heading the cast.

At Sonning, meanwhile, we have a top-notch revival under director Keith Myers, which is given all the professional polish long associated with this popular dinner theatre.

The story deals with an early case for detective Roy Grace, who in a series of well-received novels might be considered Brighton’s equivalent of Oxford’s Inspector Morse.

Not for the first time in fiction we are shown a husband and wife who want to murder each other and indeed plan to do so.

First to own up to the coming crime is the hubby, Victor Smiley (Andrew Paul), a dull IT consultant with an egg box company.

Fresh from a bout of rumpy-pumpy with Croatian hooker Kamila (Aneta Piotrowska), he boasts of a fool-proof scheme to murder the missus and cash in on her life insurance. Perhaps with the money in mind, Kamila happily consents to become his new partner.

The shrewish Joan Smiley (Sonia Saville), meanwhile, has her own bit on the side, being secretly involved with a jack-the-lad taxi driver called Don Kirk (Adam Morris). His Cockney rhyming slang – somewhat risqué – supplies welcome humour. Donald Duck? You have it in one.

So how does Roy Grace (Nick Lawson) come into the story? Well, initially we find him in consultation with Kamila, not in her usual professional capacity but as a psychic with a gift for knowing where bodies are buried, submerged or otherwise disposed of.

Soon there is going to be another one for her to find out about. But will the corpse be that of Victor or of Joan? The suspense will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout.

CHRISTOPHER GRAY

4/5