Obviously no book would be complete without JK Rowling writing about writers, the pitfalls of publishing and amassing enemies even within the fellow authors fraternity and sisterhood. Corm (Tom Burke) can now take on Robin (Holliday Grainger) as an assistant as he's cleared his debts and the phone hasn't stopped ringing off the hook with clients and cases (Sherlock again anyone?) Especially with the publicity he must've got solving the supermodel, Lula's, murder. He's approached by a woman named Leonora (Monica Dolan) who wants him to call her husband, write Owen Quine at some retreat cos his daughter's missing him. He's gone missing before but always turns up. However he's not there. She leaves the money for him anyway even if he refuses it. Then decides he will help her after all.
He meets with Liz (Lia Williams) Quine's publisher who claims to be suffering from a bout of flu, as well as some silly moments with her dog and assistant (they're not called 'ass of an ant; for nothing Will & Grace!) Apparently he's got a first in English. Agh how difficult is it to get a first in English or History come to think of it! She tells him about Quine's book and how it alienated everyone, she shouldn't have given it the okay for it to be published but she read a few pages and did that. Now his friends and fellow authors are up in arms over it. But she's not very helpful, purposely.
Calling it here but she was my suspect, she wasn't helpful and also she's been paying money to his family, but I doubt it would be out of the goodness of her heart, especially when Corm later finds out what Quine wrote about her too. Calling on Leonora he finds her coping with their daughter, Dodo and how someone left a manuscript of his new book, Bombyx Mori. (The silkworm named for the larvae of the moth Bombyx Mori). Which he borrows but doesn't get through reading it. As we get flashes of what it's about, and the title character I take it, being killed off. Robin skips to the end of it and invites him for drinks with Matthew (Kerr Logan) her fiance and also invites him to their wedding. Though they don't really have much to say to each other.
After Corm finds his DB in a house he shared/owned with Fancourt (Peter Sullivan) Leonora is arrested as she had access to the keys. Seems strange she'd kill him cos she knew about his affairs and she'd always take him back. Also how her daughter needed him and loved his stories. Ridiculous bit that was, writing backwards like Yoda.
Robin later receives news from Matthew about his mother passing and is given time off by Corm but instead decides to drive him to Devon since he can't drive himself and to meet with Jerry (Dominic Mafham) who he knew for a long time. Apparently Robin is very handy to have around since she's done an Advanced Driving course cos she was bored and drives through the fields like some kind of a super rally driver, cos she'll miss her train and won't make the funeral, leaving him to get back somehow in the rental. Which we don't get to see. Robin is in tears when they stopped over since she wants to be a PI, it's all she's ever wanted and was upset when he announced in front of Matthew that he was looking for a partner since the workload was too heavy. She wants to be considered and he say if she's keen he can sign her up for a surveillance course.
Other suspects included Andrew Fancourt, another author who is still reeling over the suicide of his wife,Ellie (Tamara Topolski) who wanted to be writer but he blames Quine for it in many ways. Liz is in love with Fancourt, but he doesn't want anything to do with her and she wants to apologize for the manuscript being published.
Episode 2 continued in much the same way with Corm going back and forth between potential suspects and we get to meet his brother, Al (Joel Batey) who's an american Dj, keeping it in the usical family tradition, as they have lunch in the restaurant where Quine and Liz had a fight publicly, where it appeared they were feigning it for the publicity. As for his disappearance, he got that out of Agatha Christie and her own mysterious disappearance. Corm gets a lawyer friend for Leonora, but she angrily loses the plot not trusting her. She also tells Corm not to relapse where his ex Charlotte is concerned and she also sends him some photos. Seems she's the one who's relapsing and can't leave him alone.
Matthew finds out she missed the funeral arrangements cos of work as she admits it wasn't Corm's fault she didn't go. Also how she studied psychology just to be a PI and nothing else. He wants her to be happy, but says he shouldn't come to their wedding. Corm has lunch again with Liz where he mentions the restaurant fiasco and how Fancourt wanted nothing to do with her, and she bursts into tears saying he was cruel to bring that up. Leaving him to foot the bill, no doubt. But this is where I actually confirmed my suspicions of her being the killer. A the party where Corm's been invited to, did you like the views of the London skyline in the night, Robin gets Fancourt to speak with Corm, where he tells them more about his wife. Aided by Robin getting the MSS pages from Dodo after exchanging her necklace for her to steal.
Jerry gives him the MSS to read as he gets him on side by having wine with him, cos it may be early but he likes it. Having the MSS checked and compared to other ones, Corm finds that it was written by someone else. Cos Jerry tells him Quine didn't use semi-colons in his work for the 20 odd years he's been editing his work. Seems Liz wrote Bombyx and attributed to Fancourt's wife killing herself. Which she denies and makes a run for it, pursued by Robin. It was the motive for bumping Quine off since he knew this MSS led to Ellie's death, and he was blackmailing Liz. See I said she wouldn't pay his family out of the goodness of her icy heart!
Corm gives Robin a note saying if she can find it, he'll pay for the surveillance course. These eps weren't as good as the other three intro eps, quite boring in places and only Tom kept the interest going, giving a good portrayal of the title character. Otherwise it wasn't anything to write home about, or to write at all! Ha. Couldn't help but think it's all been done before.
As well as Robin giving Corm Cornish fudge and beer for his birthday, of course she'd know when it was, she spent that much time Googling him! Shall I add ogling him in the process too, cos obviously and unashamedly there is chemistry between them, but let's not go there.
Series 3 returns next year!
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