Life of Crime

Series one, episode three
It’s the itch that Denise can’t help scratching, even 28 years later. We’re in 2013, and a girl is found raped and murdered after an outdoor gig. Denise (Hayley Atwell) sees connections to the deaths of Amy Reid and Joanna Andrews that have dogged her life and derailed her career. But will her hunch be proved right and her reputation cleared, just as she applies to be Superintendent of Lambeth? And what might the revival of painful memories mean for the families?

What tonight’s closing episode may lack in plausibility, it makes up for in the tension and ultimate release of its execution. From the skilfully played awkwardness of Denise’s sitdown with Amy’s mum to the repercussions of Denise sending her protégé, Jay, to bait a suspect, ‘Life of Crime’ turns the screw relentlessly. The intrusion of Denise’s personal life still feels perfunctory, but otherwise this is a satisfying climax to a curious series.