The episode starts with a young couple alerting Grace to a body washed up on the beach, who turns out to be one of the police department’s own, Julia Abbott.

Meanwhile, Katya, a wealthy socialite married to Arthur Darvill’s Kit Bishop, is also found killed. Bishop claims to have been in London all night, and was identified there, but all the other evidence points to his involvement.

Throughout the episode it is revealed that not only was Kit seemingly having an affair with a young woman named Sophie Carrington, and slept with her the night before Katya’s body was found, but Katya was also having an affair with artist Barty Chancellor. Bishop is also found to have taken out a life insurance policy for his wife for £4 million, something he denies.

When Sophie is found dead in similar circumstances to Katya, and Bishop’s violent criminal record is discovered (again, which he denies), there would seem to be no doubt that he must have been the killer, despite the seeming impossibility of him being in multiple places at once.

So if not Kit Bishop, who did kill Katya? And why?

It turns out that Bishop, who was adopted, was actually, unknowingly, one of a set of identical triplets! One of the three died, while Kit was adopted into a wealthy family and lived a life of privilege. The third, Norman, who later became known as Norman Jecks, was taken in by an abusive guardian.

Jecks had been posing as Bishop for some time – it was Jecks that slept with Sophie (Bishop had merely flirted with her), and he had also started a relationship with Julia Abbott while pretending to be him. Abbott had recorded Bishop’s purported criminal offences on the system at Jecks’ request.

He committed the murders in order to punish Bishop, whose legal team had threatened legal action if Jecks had ever tried to contact him again. He states that in order to punish someone you have to kill those they love.

Jecks is finally caught and brought to justice by Grace when he tries to attack Cleo at her home.

How are things left with Roy and Cleo?

ITV

Throughout the episode Grace starts getting close with mortician Cleo and ends up going on a date with her. During the investigation Cleo is targeted by Jecks because of this relationship – Jecks takes offence at being called an “evil creature” by Grace in a press conference, and decides to punish him.

Cleo’s car in sabotaged and her house broken into, but it is then that Grace catches Jecks and brings him to justice.

The end of the episode sees her moving in with Grace while her place is fixed up following with the attack.

Grace continues on ITV and ITV Hub on Sunday 8th May at 8pm. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide.

If you want to start reading Peter James’ Roy Grace series, you can purchase the first three novels on Amazon.

The latest issue of Radio Times is on sale now – subscribe now to get each issue delivered to your door. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times podcast with Jane Garvey. 

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