Injustice - review

Injustice, created and written by the estimable Anthony Horowitz, is a five-part drama playing on ITV this week, and I've just watched the first two episodes. Suffice to say that, hot on the heels of Vera, Scott and Bailey, and Case Histories, this is another telly crime series of merit. Each of those shows has strengths and limitations, but they are a varied bunch, and as a result I've been glued to the screen lately a bit more than usual.

James Purefoy plays a barrister who is a brilliant defender but who has suffered a mental breakdown a while back, for reasons not yet clear. He's developed an aversion to taking on murder cases. But his resolve weakens when an old Cambridge chum calls on him for help. The chum is played by Nathaniel Parker, accused of killing his pretty young secretary, with whom he was having an affair. We are told the evidence against him is strong - so much so that his solicitor says she would have pleaded guilty if she were in his shoes - but I have to say I'm not convinced.

Meanwhile, a rather unpleasant cop is investigating a brutal execution style shooting in a remote East Anglian cottage. The victim is a mysterious fellow who had been living under an assumed name. But a flashback tells us that his killer was Purefoy. Intriguing. One assumes the motive is something to do with meting out rough justice, but much is unclear at present.

I enjoyed both of the first two episodes, which I watched back to back. As ever, the portrayal of the legal world on TV is a bit different from the legal world as I know and experience it, but that's fiction for you. What matters most is whether the story is any good, and it has begun well.