I like a good murder mystery, so I was ‘dead’ excited to watch Peter James Picture You Dead performed live on stage at the Hall for Cornwall.

The author has sold 23 million copies of his crime thrillers worldwide so I knew I would be in for an entertaining evening of suspense and intrigue.

Picture You Dead is the 18th book in Peter James’s Brighton-set DSI Roy Grace series where the detective investigates a cold case that leads him to the secretive world of fine art. Beneath the respectable veneer lurks a dark underworld of deception and murder.

The riveting storyline follows the cash-strapped Kiplings who find a masterpiece at a car boot sale for £20, and they appear on the ‘antiques show’ where they discover it’s potentially a priceless lost masterpiece.

What unravels is a tale of art heists, forgery, greedy art dealers and terrible skullduggery.

Even if you are like my wife who seems to be able to map out the ending of a crime thriller with uncanny accuracy you would struggle to predict the outcome of Picture You Dead.

The fascinating crime caper has twists and turns that keeps the audience on the edge of their seats and guessing until the end.

Adapted for the stage by Shaun McKenna, Picture You Dead stars Strictly Come Dancing winner, presenter and stage actor Ore Oduba, Fiona Wade, who starred this year in 2:22 A Ghost Story, following 12 years in Emmerdale, and Casualty’s George Rainsford returning as DSI Roy Grace.

The cast shine on stage but for me the standout performance was by Mark Oxtoby who plays the role of Dave Hegarty, the art forger, who keeps you guessing until the very end whose side he is on.

I would recommend people go watch Picture You Dead. Who doesn’t love to try to solve a whodunnit murder mystery?

Picture You Dead is being performed at the Hall for Cornwall at various times until Saturday, July 5.