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Roy Grace #2
Looking Good Dead
Tom Bryce did what any decent person would do. But within hours of picking up the CD that had been left behind on the train seat next to him, and attempting to return it to its owner, he is the sole witness to a vicious murder. Then his young family are threatened with their lives if he goes to the police. But supported by his wife, Kellie, he bravely makes a statemenet to the murder enquiry team headed by Detective Superintendent Roy Grace, a man with demons of his own to contend with. And from that moment, the killing of the Bryce family becomes a mere formality — and a grisly attraction. Kellie and Tom's deaths have already been posted on the internet; you can log on and see them on a website. They are looking good dead.
336 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
About the author
Peter James
212 books3,296 followersPeter James is a global bestselling author, best known for writing crime and thriller novels, and the creator of the much-loved Detective Superintendent Roy Grace. With a total of 16 Sunday Times No. 1s under his belt, he has achieved global book sales of over 20 million copies to date and has been translated into 37 languages.
Synonymous with plot-twisting page-turners, Peter has garnered an army of loyal fans throughout his storytelling career – which also included stints writing for TV and producing films. He has won over 40 awards for his work, including the WHSmith Best Crime Author of All Time Award, Crime Writers’ Association Diamond Dagger and a BAFTA nomination for The Merchant of Venice starring Al Pacino and Jeremy Irons for which he was an Executive Producer. Many of Peter’s novels have been adapted for film, TV and stage.
Synonymous with plot-twisting page-turners, Peter has garnered an army of loyal fans throughout his storytelling career – which also included stints writing for TV and producing films. He has won over 40 awards for his work, including the WHSmith Best Crime Author of All Time Award, Crime Writers’ Association Diamond Dagger and a BAFTA nomination for The Merchant of Venice starring Al Pacino and Jeremy Irons for which he was an Executive Producer. Many of Peter’s novels have been adapted for film, TV and stage.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 854 reviews
April 14, 2023
Roy Grace book No. 2:An ordinary bloke picks up a dropped CD on a train and ends up being hounded by snuff website makers! Snuff videos as in organised and filmed assaults and murders!
Roy and co. are up against it, trying to find the gangsters running the snuff empire. More good stuff for this underside of the coast of South East England police detective series. 7 out of 12, firm Three Star read.
2016 and 2009 read
Roy and co. are up against it, trying to find the gangsters running the snuff empire. More good stuff for this underside of the coast of South East England police detective series. 7 out of 12, firm Three Star read.
2016 and 2009 read
August 5, 2021
It seems I read and reviewed Dead Simple, the first book in this series, back in 2018. At the time I was planning to start the next book very soon. Time flies but here I am reviewing it at last.
Looking Good Dead turns out to be another excellent police procedural with several really horrific crimes included. I think James has a penchant for the macabre and gross but I always speed read the worst bits. There is plenty of action and the tension builds hugely towards the end as the police race against time to save two innocent people.
I like Roy Grace as the main character. He is a good detective and manager of his team, nearly always making suitable decisions. He can drive people hard but also shows a sympathetic and understanding side. I do wish his name was not Grace though. When the author refers to him as Grace in the text my mind instantly visualises a female character.
Anyway, I enjoyed it and intend to move on to the next book soon. (much quicker than the three years it took last time I said that).
Looking Good Dead turns out to be another excellent police procedural with several really horrific crimes included. I think James has a penchant for the macabre and gross but I always speed read the worst bits. There is plenty of action and the tension builds hugely towards the end as the police race against time to save two innocent people.
I like Roy Grace as the main character. He is a good detective and manager of his team, nearly always making suitable decisions. He can drive people hard but also shows a sympathetic and understanding side. I do wish his name was not Grace though. When the author refers to him as Grace in the text my mind instantly visualises a female character.
Anyway, I enjoyed it and intend to move on to the next book soon. (much quicker than the three years it took last time I said that).
April 25, 2020
I'm giving this 4 stars even though it was a bit slow to start. Once things got going though, full speed ahead for me! I read the first book in the series a long time ago so only remember the basics but it didn't matter. The author fills you in on the detective's story in this installment. I loved the secondary characters (the good guys) as much as Detective Grace. The storyline is very disturbing (child abuse being a big component) and the bad guys were REALLY bad. The author creates a lot of suspense that made me want to zip to the end. And the end.....
May 24, 2009
I don’t easily get creeped out by books these days. Not any more. Not since Stephen King’s It permanently damaged me as a child, when I was reading it under the bedcovers late at night, torch in one jittery hand, twice frightened that my mother would catch me in the forbidden act of reading “that author with evil in his head.”
Did you know, momma, what was in mine?
So it’s been a while that I got the willies from a book, which makes me very glad that I picked up a copy of Peter James’s Looking Good Dead. It’s a brilliant thriller. Here’s why.
Tom Bryce, a regular Joe salesman, is sitting on the train from London to Brighton thinking about his wife and kids. And like anyone who’s ever had a standard class fair, he’s stranded next to a right prick yelling into his mobile phone. So when the guy gets off the train and leaves a CD behind, Tom’s not exactly in the mood to play Good Samaritan.
This is where we all collectively yell, “Why oh why, Tom, did ya have to take the CD home?”
That night our dear friend Tom watches a snuff movie. Then his computer is hacked and before long he’s running scared and fighting for the life of his wife and kids. Never mind his own.
At the same time, Detective Superintendent Roy Grace is called out to a gruesome discovery in a field on the same day that he’s got a hot date lined up. But what he finds out there opens up old wounds; his own wife disappeared many years ago, and since then he’s forever been wondering what happened to her and blaming himself.
This is a superb thriller in every sense of the word. Peter James drops us right into the households of every day people. He shows us that they also read the Gruffalo to their kids, watch the Simpsons, and then he tears them to shreds, and we’re left wondering exactly who this bastard is. James also has a great sense of place, constantly feeding us information about Brighton without overpowering us with needless description. In fact, everything about his writing is precise and to the point. He is as efficient a writer as he is a killer of characters, is Mr James.
I wish I could stop with the laurels there, but his research and deep understanding of the Brighton Metropolitan Police shines through, especially in his treatment of cyber crime and modern technologies. Here’s another great detail: I love looking out for how authors tie their novels back to the titles. In Peter James’s case, when the words “Looking Good Dead” are spoken, you don’t know if you want to laugh or slam the book shut and run.
A well-rounded novel this: great characters, great plotting, and a story that could become all too real. I’m going to commit sacrilege in the crime-reading world and say I enjoyed this book more than Michael Connelly’s The Poet,
Just do me a favour: don’t read this under the bedcovers with a torch.
Did you know, momma, what was in mine?
So it’s been a while that I got the willies from a book, which makes me very glad that I picked up a copy of Peter James’s Looking Good Dead. It’s a brilliant thriller. Here’s why.
Tom Bryce, a regular Joe salesman, is sitting on the train from London to Brighton thinking about his wife and kids. And like anyone who’s ever had a standard class fair, he’s stranded next to a right prick yelling into his mobile phone. So when the guy gets off the train and leaves a CD behind, Tom’s not exactly in the mood to play Good Samaritan.
This is where we all collectively yell, “Why oh why, Tom, did ya have to take the CD home?”
That night our dear friend Tom watches a snuff movie. Then his computer is hacked and before long he’s running scared and fighting for the life of his wife and kids. Never mind his own.
At the same time, Detective Superintendent Roy Grace is called out to a gruesome discovery in a field on the same day that he’s got a hot date lined up. But what he finds out there opens up old wounds; his own wife disappeared many years ago, and since then he’s forever been wondering what happened to her and blaming himself.
This is a superb thriller in every sense of the word. Peter James drops us right into the households of every day people. He shows us that they also read the Gruffalo to their kids, watch the Simpsons, and then he tears them to shreds, and we’re left wondering exactly who this bastard is. James also has a great sense of place, constantly feeding us information about Brighton without overpowering us with needless description. In fact, everything about his writing is precise and to the point. He is as efficient a writer as he is a killer of characters, is Mr James.
I wish I could stop with the laurels there, but his research and deep understanding of the Brighton Metropolitan Police shines through, especially in his treatment of cyber crime and modern technologies. Here’s another great detail: I love looking out for how authors tie their novels back to the titles. In Peter James’s case, when the words “Looking Good Dead” are spoken, you don’t know if you want to laugh or slam the book shut and run.
A well-rounded novel this: great characters, great plotting, and a story that could become all too real. I’m going to commit sacrilege in the crime-reading world and say I enjoyed this book more than Michael Connelly’s The Poet,
Just do me a favour: don’t read this under the bedcovers with a torch.
July 4, 2019
"Een goede thriller maar enkele toevalligheden maken dat het geen absoluut maximum in sterren krijgt. Alleszins ben ik fan van Roy Grace en kijk ik uit naar deel 3 in deze spannende serie!"
https://elinevandm.wordpress.com/2019...
https://elinevandm.wordpress.com/2019...
May 11, 2014
After a disappointing first outing in 2011, Roy Grace was rested and given another go in this unimproved follow-up.
Grace is in charge of a new investigation which has many of the hallmarks of Dead Simple: gratuitous violence, graphic sex and offensive dialogue. Three characters wet themselves and one defecates, and the murders are simply horrific.
Where some superior writers find their plots meandering into the unpleasant, James appears to take delight from the opportunity to write about gore, smut and paedophilia and shoe horns it in, however unnecessary. Given there is no child abuse in the case at any point, the sheer number of references suggests James has a bee in his bonnet about the issue, or a dark pleasure in alluding to it. The question begged of almost all of the unsavoury content: does this add anything? The answer: usually not.
Supporting characters are given too much page time. A whole chapter is dedicated to the woman who finds the body. A whole chapter about her new part in a musical and all sorts of useless trivia, only for her to never be mentioned again. This isn’t characterisation; it’s pointless. When he’s finished that, we learn everything but the OS coordinates of the exact spot in Brighton where the action is set at that moment, a social profiling going back 20 years and a run down of where’s good for a kebab nearby. I’m all for immersive settings, but Rankin’s Edinburgh or McBride’s Aberdeen this is not.
Elsewhere, when layers of pointless detail isn’t being laboured on every extra and setting, James has somehow put together a cast transcending class that nevertheless are united in their anti-Labour, anti-Blair, anti-Iraq views. There are too many references to the then-Blair government to be editorially justified. I want a story, Mr. James, not an agenda.
The exception to the universal thought process is the new character – an un-PC old timer who comes in with no reason other than to give James an opportunity to pour out racist, homophobic bile and then have Grace tell him off. It seems like another excuse to commit the horrible words to page.
The much maligned mediums are back, but don’t wreck the book the way they did with Dead Simple. Having said that, the climax comes out of nowhere and is not at all satisfying. The various loose ends aren’t tied up so much as the author merely states they don’t matter any more.
I did enjoy the last line though. It raised a small smile.
A poor excuse for a “snuff book”, fittingly full of dung beetles, and a very definite end to Grace’s career on my bookshelf.
Grace is in charge of a new investigation which has many of the hallmarks of Dead Simple: gratuitous violence, graphic sex and offensive dialogue. Three characters wet themselves and one defecates, and the murders are simply horrific.
Where some superior writers find their plots meandering into the unpleasant, James appears to take delight from the opportunity to write about gore, smut and paedophilia and shoe horns it in, however unnecessary. Given there is no child abuse in the case at any point, the sheer number of references suggests James has a bee in his bonnet about the issue, or a dark pleasure in alluding to it. The question begged of almost all of the unsavoury content: does this add anything? The answer: usually not.
Supporting characters are given too much page time. A whole chapter is dedicated to the woman who finds the body. A whole chapter about her new part in a musical and all sorts of useless trivia, only for her to never be mentioned again. This isn’t characterisation; it’s pointless. When he’s finished that, we learn everything but the OS coordinates of the exact spot in Brighton where the action is set at that moment, a social profiling going back 20 years and a run down of where’s good for a kebab nearby. I’m all for immersive settings, but Rankin’s Edinburgh or McBride’s Aberdeen this is not.
Elsewhere, when layers of pointless detail isn’t being laboured on every extra and setting, James has somehow put together a cast transcending class that nevertheless are united in their anti-Labour, anti-Blair, anti-Iraq views. There are too many references to the then-Blair government to be editorially justified. I want a story, Mr. James, not an agenda.
The exception to the universal thought process is the new character – an un-PC old timer who comes in with no reason other than to give James an opportunity to pour out racist, homophobic bile and then have Grace tell him off. It seems like another excuse to commit the horrible words to page.
The much maligned mediums are back, but don’t wreck the book the way they did with Dead Simple. Having said that, the climax comes out of nowhere and is not at all satisfying. The various loose ends aren’t tied up so much as the author merely states they don’t matter any more.
I did enjoy the last line though. It raised a small smile.
A poor excuse for a “snuff book”, fittingly full of dung beetles, and a very definite end to Grace’s career on my bookshelf.
January 21, 2019
Okay so I am now totally and utterly addicted too this series!!! There are twists and turns in this book that keep your mind active and keeps you coming back for more!
The descriptive writing that Peter James uses prints images in your mind (not always the nicest images to see!) but it gives the book added depth and makes it stand out from other books. This book does refer back too the last book (luckily I read that one first!) but it does also recap so if you haven’t read the first book you can catch up with the characters and what the situations are.
It is the type of thriller that when you are away from it you brain is wondering what will happen next, who did it , how will they catch them. I did miss out on sleep because I wanted to read the book instead! I will definitely be reading the next book in the series and I would recommend this book and his first book to anyone who loves thriller novels!
The descriptive writing that Peter James uses prints images in your mind (not always the nicest images to see!) but it gives the book added depth and makes it stand out from other books. This book does refer back too the last book (luckily I read that one first!) but it does also recap so if you haven’t read the first book you can catch up with the characters and what the situations are.
It is the type of thriller that when you are away from it you brain is wondering what will happen next, who did it , how will they catch them. I did miss out on sleep because I wanted to read the book instead! I will definitely be reading the next book in the series and I would recommend this book and his first book to anyone who loves thriller novels!
February 15, 2016
An excellent thriller! A follow-up to Dead Simple, it is that rarity a second book that is better than the first. Roy Grace is back and is up against a conspiracy and a high-tech computer crime is involved.
As an avid BBC Radio 4 listener, I chuckled at the character of the Weatherman and his quoting of the Shipping Forecast. Though, I do wonder what non-Beeb listeners would make of that.
This book has a great pace and characters that you can really get behind! Can't wait for book #3.
As an avid BBC Radio 4 listener, I chuckled at the character of the Weatherman and his quoting of the Shipping Forecast. Though, I do wonder what non-Beeb listeners would make of that.
This book has a great pace and characters that you can really get behind! Can't wait for book #3.
January 12, 2016
Spoilers Ahead
Had this novel been less than 150 pages I could have given it three stars but at 336 pages it’s simply horrible. There is so little “story” to this story that it could have been squeezed into a short story or a novella at best. This is quite possibly the worst-paced “thriller” I’ve ever made it through. If you edited out all of the superfluous trivia you could have read the whole thing in 45 minutes.
Here is the story. A regular Joe finds a DVD on commuter train that gives the user access to a snuff flick website. His computer is almost immediately hacked by the nefarious snuff flickers and they threaten his life if he goes to the police. This is about all that happens for over half of the book with the pages being filled with the mundane and highly tedious details of regular Joe’s family life and his horrible wife who is a compulsive eBay shopper. She seems like a complete moron although her husband remarks at one point that she has a lot of wisdom.
The police inspector Roy Grace is an equally tedious individual. There is absolutely no indication that he is any good at his job and the rest of his colleagues seem just as dull.
At one point regular Joe’s wife is abducted by the snuff flickers but instead of getting to the fucking point and telling us just what is happening to her we are taken on a rambling and completely idiotic stream-of-consciousness that tells us that Grace’s dad liked to build toy boats, that he has a Mars bar and coffee for breakfast, that Norman Potting is dressed well, and something about someone’s kid being taken to the zoo.
Instead of copying and pasting some doggerel from the book I’ll just write a pastiche.
The police arrive to ask a man about where the killers may be hiding. He asks them if they would like something to drink. He offers them tea but he also has coffee. Or perhaps they would prefer a soft drink? How about some biscuits? Would they care for biscuits?
I wish that I had a nickel for every time I screamed out loud while reading some stupid bit of trivia, “Why the fuck do I care about this?” There is almost nothing to this book. It begins with a horrible snuff flick although there is no sex involved which seems highly unlikely. I seriously doubt that in this day and age of special effects that there is much call for actually killing someone in a movie meant for sick perverts. We learn almost nothing about this sinister world because so much of the book was dedicated to giving the most tedious details of the lives of regular Joe and family, Roy Grace, and a couple other members of the department.
The whole plot device of the family being kidnapped is stupid and doesn't make a lick of sense. Why in the world would the snuff flickers go after regular Joe? After he had gone to the police they had nothing left to gain and everything to lose.
And how many times did they mention regular Joe's wife and her vodka problem? she's in the hands of snuff flickers who are about to cut her up like a fresh fish and he's worried about her drinking? This was beyond stupid.
Had this novel been less than 150 pages I could have given it three stars but at 336 pages it’s simply horrible. There is so little “story” to this story that it could have been squeezed into a short story or a novella at best. This is quite possibly the worst-paced “thriller” I’ve ever made it through. If you edited out all of the superfluous trivia you could have read the whole thing in 45 minutes.
Here is the story. A regular Joe finds a DVD on commuter train that gives the user access to a snuff flick website. His computer is almost immediately hacked by the nefarious snuff flickers and they threaten his life if he goes to the police. This is about all that happens for over half of the book with the pages being filled with the mundane and highly tedious details of regular Joe’s family life and his horrible wife who is a compulsive eBay shopper. She seems like a complete moron although her husband remarks at one point that she has a lot of wisdom.
The police inspector Roy Grace is an equally tedious individual. There is absolutely no indication that he is any good at his job and the rest of his colleagues seem just as dull.
At one point regular Joe’s wife is abducted by the snuff flickers but instead of getting to the fucking point and telling us just what is happening to her we are taken on a rambling and completely idiotic stream-of-consciousness that tells us that Grace’s dad liked to build toy boats, that he has a Mars bar and coffee for breakfast, that Norman Potting is dressed well, and something about someone’s kid being taken to the zoo.
Instead of copying and pasting some doggerel from the book I’ll just write a pastiche.
The police arrive to ask a man about where the killers may be hiding. He asks them if they would like something to drink. He offers them tea but he also has coffee. Or perhaps they would prefer a soft drink? How about some biscuits? Would they care for biscuits?
I wish that I had a nickel for every time I screamed out loud while reading some stupid bit of trivia, “Why the fuck do I care about this?” There is almost nothing to this book. It begins with a horrible snuff flick although there is no sex involved which seems highly unlikely. I seriously doubt that in this day and age of special effects that there is much call for actually killing someone in a movie meant for sick perverts. We learn almost nothing about this sinister world because so much of the book was dedicated to giving the most tedious details of the lives of regular Joe and family, Roy Grace, and a couple other members of the department.
The whole plot device of the family being kidnapped is stupid and doesn't make a lick of sense. Why in the world would the snuff flickers go after regular Joe? After he had gone to the police they had nothing left to gain and everything to lose.
And how many times did they mention regular Joe's wife and her vodka problem? she's in the hands of snuff flickers who are about to cut her up like a fresh fish and he's worried about her drinking? This was beyond stupid.
January 10, 2023
Looking Good Dead (Roy Grace, #2) by Peter James
Synopsis /
Tom Bryce did what any decent person would do. But within hours of picking up the CD that had been left behind on the train seat next to him, and attempting to return it to its owner, he is the sole witness to a vicious murder. Then his young family are threatened with their lives if he goes to the police. But supported by his wife, Kellie, he bravely makes a statement, to the murder enquiry team headed by Detective Superintendent Roy Grace, a man with demons of his own to contend with.
My Thoughts /
If he could have had the smallest inkling of the devastating impact it was going to have on his life, he would have left the damned thing on the seat.
What would you do if you found a nondescript CD left on an empty seat of the passenger train while you were on your way home from work? By all accounts, it looks harmless enough, sitting there all alone and unlabelled – probably won’t even have anything on it. But Tom Bryce’s curiosity got the better of him and he picked it up and took it home. You’ve all heard of the saying ‘Curiosity killed the cat’? Let me tell you, that once you’ve finished Looking Good Dead, you’ll never think twice about picking up stray or stranded items of ‘anything’, ever again. Oh, Tom. Tom. Tom. You should never have done that!!
That night after dinner and kids’ bedtime, Tom is putting in some time working in his home office. Curious about the contents of his mysterious find, Tom boots up his laptop and inserts the disc. It’s at this point where we are all shouting (in our minds) ‘Don’t do that Tom! Tom! Don’t. Do. That!’ Ah, too late. [Why doesn’t anyone listen to my mind’s inner warnings? Hahaha.] Playing nothing but a black screen at first, it takes a moment for Tom’s addled brain to register that there’s something actually playing on the screen. And when he does, he’s horrified. In short, it’s a video of a young girl being brutally murdered.
Back in his small, almost brand new office, in the huge, recently refurbished two-storey art deco building which had originally been built in the 1950s as a hospital for contagious diseases and which now housed the headquarters of Sussex CID, Grace sat down in his swivel chair. Like almost every item of furniture in the room it was almost fresh out of its box, and didn’t yet feel familiar or comfortable.
To him, each stack represented more than just a human life that had been taken – and a killer who was still free – it symbolized something very close to his own heart. It meant that a family had been unable to lay its past to rest because a mystery had never been solved, justice had never been done. And Sherlock Holmes. ‘When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.’
Detective Superintendent Roy Grace has been called to a field where a gruesome discovery has been made. A body. The victim, a young woman, has been found, dismembered. Those first to attend the scene have cordoned off the area but informed DS Grace that the young woman’s head cannot be accounted for. Grace and his team will have to work smart and hard to establish the identity of the victim, the identity of the perpetrator or, perpetrators, and also work to establish a motive. Grace knows he’ll be under intense pressure to solve this case – a case with seemingly no clues or any forensic evidence – apart from one, which they will need to hold back from the press.
I’m not in the business of raising hopes, I’m in the business of finding criminals.
Originally published in 2006, this well written police procedural has not aged one bit. DS Grace is a good detective. He manages his team with a firm hand, yet is also sympathetic and understanding. Each victim is someone’s missing person, and this affects him deeply. As we have learned, his own wife disappeared some nine years ago and since her disappearance, there has been absolutely no trace of her whereabouts or clues as to what may have happened to her.
James has written a superbly plotted thriller. The characters are developing and evolving with each story and we are getting a little more insight into Grace’s psyche.
Crime was no respecter of weekends.
The television series of the same name ‘Grace’, has modernised these books – so there are slight differences between the book and tv versions. Having seen the television version of this book, I have to say that I prefer the book version better. But then again, I always do.
Synopsis /
Tom Bryce did what any decent person would do. But within hours of picking up the CD that had been left behind on the train seat next to him, and attempting to return it to its owner, he is the sole witness to a vicious murder. Then his young family are threatened with their lives if he goes to the police. But supported by his wife, Kellie, he bravely makes a statement, to the murder enquiry team headed by Detective Superintendent Roy Grace, a man with demons of his own to contend with.
My Thoughts /
If he could have had the smallest inkling of the devastating impact it was going to have on his life, he would have left the damned thing on the seat.
What would you do if you found a nondescript CD left on an empty seat of the passenger train while you were on your way home from work? By all accounts, it looks harmless enough, sitting there all alone and unlabelled – probably won’t even have anything on it. But Tom Bryce’s curiosity got the better of him and he picked it up and took it home. You’ve all heard of the saying ‘Curiosity killed the cat’? Let me tell you, that once you’ve finished Looking Good Dead, you’ll never think twice about picking up stray or stranded items of ‘anything’, ever again. Oh, Tom. Tom. Tom. You should never have done that!!
That night after dinner and kids’ bedtime, Tom is putting in some time working in his home office. Curious about the contents of his mysterious find, Tom boots up his laptop and inserts the disc. It’s at this point where we are all shouting (in our minds) ‘Don’t do that Tom! Tom! Don’t. Do. That!’ Ah, too late. [Why doesn’t anyone listen to my mind’s inner warnings? Hahaha.] Playing nothing but a black screen at first, it takes a moment for Tom’s addled brain to register that there’s something actually playing on the screen. And when he does, he’s horrified. In short, it’s a video of a young girl being brutally murdered.
Back in his small, almost brand new office, in the huge, recently refurbished two-storey art deco building which had originally been built in the 1950s as a hospital for contagious diseases and which now housed the headquarters of Sussex CID, Grace sat down in his swivel chair. Like almost every item of furniture in the room it was almost fresh out of its box, and didn’t yet feel familiar or comfortable.
To him, each stack represented more than just a human life that had been taken – and a killer who was still free – it symbolized something very close to his own heart. It meant that a family had been unable to lay its past to rest because a mystery had never been solved, justice had never been done. And Sherlock Holmes. ‘When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.’
Detective Superintendent Roy Grace has been called to a field where a gruesome discovery has been made. A body. The victim, a young woman, has been found, dismembered. Those first to attend the scene have cordoned off the area but informed DS Grace that the young woman’s head cannot be accounted for. Grace and his team will have to work smart and hard to establish the identity of the victim, the identity of the perpetrator or, perpetrators, and also work to establish a motive. Grace knows he’ll be under intense pressure to solve this case – a case with seemingly no clues or any forensic evidence – apart from one, which they will need to hold back from the press.
I’m not in the business of raising hopes, I’m in the business of finding criminals.
Originally published in 2006, this well written police procedural has not aged one bit. DS Grace is a good detective. He manages his team with a firm hand, yet is also sympathetic and understanding. Each victim is someone’s missing person, and this affects him deeply. As we have learned, his own wife disappeared some nine years ago and since her disappearance, there has been absolutely no trace of her whereabouts or clues as to what may have happened to her.
James has written a superbly plotted thriller. The characters are developing and evolving with each story and we are getting a little more insight into Grace’s psyche.
Crime was no respecter of weekends.
The television series of the same name ‘Grace’, has modernised these books – so there are slight differences between the book and tv versions. Having seen the television version of this book, I have to say that I prefer the book version better. But then again, I always do.
February 2, 2021
3.5 Stars
rounded up to 4 Stars
For some reason this book just didn't captivate me as much as the first one and it is hard to put my finger on exactly what it is that didn't quite click for me. Reading it was like pushing a shopping cart with a wobbly wheel. The Weatherman for instance. What was his deal besides acting like a total cliché weirdo savant autistic geek from another planet? How was he recruited and in touch with these dudes? Black Web? It was never mentioned. Instead of writing more on him we get a whole chapter on the lady whose dog found the victim's hand and then was dropped from the story. The man and wife set to be the next victims were completely unlikeable and extremely shallow, it was hard to garner empathy with those two, again it felt like pushing a cart with a wobbly wheel. It wasn't the fact that the heinous crime of snuff movies was too much for me to read about after all I survived Stuart MacBride's Logan MacRae Series (you can't get much darker than his police procedural crimes) I just think it was just too many frayed threads left undone. What about the guy who ordered those 25 Rolex watches with the small microchip of the scarab beetle and possibly with the child pornography link that was talked about a lot in the novel but never really followed up on? Again what was the significance of the scarab murder in England and the scorpion murders in Europe? Is there a tie in? If not why mention it? Yep, too many frayed threads left dangling. Will this be picked up later in the next book or just dropped? Again there goes that wobbly wheel. Still the series has a lot of potential. I hope to see more character development with Roy Grace and if the author keeps mentioning about the weird circumstances concerning his wife's disappearance I hope he gives us crumbs along the way to an ultimate solution otherwise it will just become annoying. Even The Fugitive found his one armed man.
For some reason this book just didn't captivate me as much as the first one and it is hard to put my finger on exactly what it is that didn't quite click for me. Reading it was like pushing a shopping cart with a wobbly wheel. The Weatherman for instance. What was his deal besides acting like a total cliché weirdo savant autistic geek from another planet? How was he recruited and in touch with these dudes? Black Web? It was never mentioned. Instead of writing more on him we get a whole chapter on the lady whose dog found the victim's hand and then was dropped from the story. The man and wife set to be the next victims were completely unlikeable and extremely shallow, it was hard to garner empathy with those two, again it felt like pushing a cart with a wobbly wheel. It wasn't the fact that the heinous crime of snuff movies was too much for me to read about after all I survived Stuart MacBride's Logan MacRae Series (you can't get much darker than his police procedural crimes) I just think it was just too many frayed threads left undone. What about the guy who ordered those 25 Rolex watches with the small microchip of the scarab beetle and possibly with the child pornography link that was talked about a lot in the novel but never really followed up on? Again what was the significance of the scarab murder in England and the scorpion murders in Europe? Is there a tie in? If not why mention it? Yep, too many frayed threads left dangling. Will this be picked up later in the next book or just dropped? Again there goes that wobbly wheel. Still the series has a lot of potential. I hope to see more character development with Roy Grace and if the author keeps mentioning about the weird circumstances concerning his wife's disappearance I hope he gives us crumbs along the way to an ultimate solution otherwise it will just become annoying. Even The Fugitive found his one armed man.
April 25, 2011
Quite a good book and I enjoyed reading it. I came across an interview with Peter James in The Hindu and that was what led me to this series. I was expecting though, that the Inspector Grace books would become a must read for me, like Colin Dexter's books starring Inspector Morse. Perhaps an unfair expectation....
The story revolves around a couple who get caught up in an unsavoury snuff video operation run by a group of killers. A bit unreal at times, it felt to me, but who am I to say that? Also the eventual unraveling depended a bit too much on luck and not on solid detection -in that sense, somehow I think the book failed. It is after all the alternate explanation that gets to you. James also seems a bit amateurish in explaining how Grace senses where people are lying and where they are telling the truth; a matter of looking at where the eyes go to. Are these that simple?
Anyway, while I am sure I will pick up more Inspector Grace books to read in the future, I will probably not anticipate them the way perhaps I wanted to.
The story revolves around a couple who get caught up in an unsavoury snuff video operation run by a group of killers. A bit unreal at times, it felt to me, but who am I to say that? Also the eventual unraveling depended a bit too much on luck and not on solid detection -in that sense, somehow I think the book failed. It is after all the alternate explanation that gets to you. James also seems a bit amateurish in explaining how Grace senses where people are lying and where they are telling the truth; a matter of looking at where the eyes go to. Are these that simple?
Anyway, while I am sure I will pick up more Inspector Grace books to read in the future, I will probably not anticipate them the way perhaps I wanted to.
July 9, 2023
After reading the first in this series Dead Simple I commented that Roy Grace is almost impossible to dislike and he endeared himself more to me in Looking Good Dead. Sure, he's a bit of a stereotype as far as middle-aged(ish) cops go, but he's just likeable. Grace is aided and abetted by a group of characters who are diverse, well thought out and generally do a good job.
However, as with the previous novel, James also displays his ability to create annoying characters, namely the whole of Tom Bryce's family. Yes, I know they are having a tough time and that two of them are small children! James and the audio narrator really pull out all the stops in making them so irritating that the reader is rooting for their enemies.
Looking Good Dead has a lot of similarities to its predecessor. It's a very entertaining story, with the investigating team chasing wild geese and generally blundering through the case while waiting for a break to help them out. Grace works his socks off but his lack of progress keeps his boss on his back and the papers at his throat.
There are occasional pauses in the excitement so that James can meander off for a while with some random information, background stuff I suppose, but it never detracts from the story. Roy even has time for a little romance, which was a nice reward for his endeavours. With a few coincidences, a slice of luck and the obligatory hint from the medium, the tale draws to a conclusion, leaving the reader and perhaps one or two of the characters feeling pretty satisfied.
However, as with the previous novel, James also displays his ability to create annoying characters, namely the whole of Tom Bryce's family. Yes, I know they are having a tough time and that two of them are small children! James and the audio narrator really pull out all the stops in making them so irritating that the reader is rooting for their enemies.
Looking Good Dead has a lot of similarities to its predecessor. It's a very entertaining story, with the investigating team chasing wild geese and generally blundering through the case while waiting for a break to help them out. Grace works his socks off but his lack of progress keeps his boss on his back and the papers at his throat.
There are occasional pauses in the excitement so that James can meander off for a while with some random information, background stuff I suppose, but it never detracts from the story. Roy even has time for a little romance, which was a nice reward for his endeavours. With a few coincidences, a slice of luck and the obligatory hint from the medium, the tale draws to a conclusion, leaving the reader and perhaps one or two of the characters feeling pretty satisfied.
June 8, 2022
After reading book 1 and 4 in this series, I added all the other books to my TBR, because they were intriguing mysteries and the detective work was good.
But this book was very disappointing. The detective plot was miniscule and Roy actually visits clairvoyants to help in his work!
The audio was over 10 hrs, i read it at twice the speed, still found it a waste of time.
The book was filled with unnecessary information
- how each and every character looks and how they are dressed. (The author describes a teenaged baby-sitter as 'sex on legs'. Huh !?)
- backstory of minor characters (why do we have to know the story of the woman who found the victim while walking her dog?)
- Roy's pre-occupation with how to dress up for this date, when he should be busy solving the cases.
- The murder and torture was described in graphic details, which put me off.
The characters were all unlikeable. The most irritating were Kelly and Tom Bryce. There were pages and pages describing their perfect happy family. I didn't feel any sympathy for the shopaholic and alcoholic Kelly, though her husband thinks she has lot of wisdom. And please show me one husband IRL, who brings flowers to his wife every week, even after 10 years being married. If my husband ever did that i would suspect that he was having an affair, and feeling guilty about it.
All details of Roy's personal and professional life were exactly the same as it was in books 1 and 4. Some of these sentences repeated verbatim in those books as well. I can only guess that the same is repeated in the other books of the series.
I don't have the patience to read the same details of how unsupportive Roy's boss Alison Vosper is, or how Sandy disappeared without a trace 9 years ago on Roy's 30th birthday and how he still has kept her things (clothes and hairbrush with some of her hair) and feels guilty to get on with his life. And also his romance with Cleo.
I have deleted the rest of the series from my TBR.
But this book was very disappointing. The detective plot was miniscule and Roy actually visits clairvoyants to help in his work!
The audio was over 10 hrs, i read it at twice the speed, still found it a waste of time.
The book was filled with unnecessary information
- how each and every character looks and how they are dressed. (The author describes a teenaged baby-sitter as 'sex on legs'. Huh !?)
- backstory of minor characters (why do we have to know the story of the woman who found the victim while walking her dog?)
- Roy's pre-occupation with how to dress up for this date, when he should be busy solving the cases.
- The murder and torture was described in graphic details, which put me off.
The characters were all unlikeable. The most irritating were Kelly and Tom Bryce. There were pages and pages describing their perfect happy family. I didn't feel any sympathy for the shopaholic and alcoholic Kelly, though her husband thinks she has lot of wisdom. And please show me one husband IRL, who brings flowers to his wife every week, even after 10 years being married. If my husband ever did that i would suspect that he was having an affair, and feeling guilty about it.
All details of Roy's personal and professional life were exactly the same as it was in books 1 and 4. Some of these sentences repeated verbatim in those books as well. I can only guess that the same is repeated in the other books of the series.
I don't have the patience to read the same details of how unsupportive Roy's boss Alison Vosper is, or how Sandy disappeared without a trace 9 years ago on Roy's 30th birthday and how he still has kept her things (clothes and hairbrush with some of her hair) and feels guilty to get on with his life. And also his romance with Cleo.
I have deleted the rest of the series from my TBR.
December 11, 2016
After reading dead simple I didn't think the second book could be as good but I eat my words ... couldn't put this book down and downloaded the next book straightaway.
Goodbye world I will see you in a days time as I have a feeling I will be engrossed in the next book!!!
Goodbye world I will see you in a days time as I have a feeling I will be engrossed in the next book!!!
July 31, 2021
Плохо быть «бедным и больным»: приходится слушать не то, что хочется, а то, что доступно по подписке.
Первый детектив (помните, про экстрасенса и заживо погребённого друзьями риэлтера?) был дурацким, но слушался на удивление легко, и вот я прочла ещё один, тоже за денёк. История такая растянутая, что, опустив все ненужные beating around the bush, сюжет можно было бы уложить в сотню страниц. Более того, автор верен себе и ближе к концу книги замечает вероятного преступника у газетного ларька, просто по пути на работу. И такой, о, прикольно, кажется, это тот, кто мне нужен!
У злодеев тут, кстати, не только Eastern European, но и техасский акцент. Русские, албанцы, американцы объединяются в любви к запретным удовольствиям!
Если не накоплю денег на Лолиту, придётся слушать третью часть!
Первый детектив (помните, про экстрасенса и заживо погребённого друзьями риэлтера?) был дурацким, но слушался на удивление легко, и вот я прочла ещё один, тоже за денёк. История такая растянутая, что, опустив все ненужные beating around the bush, сюжет можно было бы уложить в сотню страниц. Более того, автор верен себе и ближе к концу книги замечает вероятного преступника у газетного ларька, просто по пути на работу. И такой, о, прикольно, кажется, это тот, кто мне нужен!
У злодеев тут, кстати, не только Eastern European, но и техасский акцент. Русские, албанцы, американцы объединяются в любви к запретным удовольствиям!
Если не накоплю денег на Лолиту, придётся слушать третью часть!
November 14, 2021
Muy bueno.
September 7, 2018
Δεν θα πω ότι ενθουσιάστηκα. Έχει κάτι ο Peter James που δεν με τραβάει τόσο. Αρκετά καλή η ιστορία αλλά σε πολλά σημεία θεωρώ ότι φλυαρούσε. Στο φινάλε βέβαια πηγαίνει αρκετά δυναμικά αλλά σαν τελικό αποτέλεσμα δεν θα πως ότι με ικανοποίησε.
Βέβαια ίσως δώσω μία ακόμα ευκαιρία στο συγγραφέα... Από την άλλη όμως υπάρχουν τόσα βιβλία να διαβάσει κανείς...
Βέβαια ίσως δώσω μία ακόμα ευκαιρία στο συγγραφέα... Από την άλλη όμως υπάρχουν τόσα βιβλία να διαβάσει κανείς...
November 13, 2014
PJ writes very well, direct prose, and he imagines his characters very thoroughly. Chief Superintendant Grace with his disparu wife attempts to contact her through mediums; and PJ builds the host of victims. But that's just it. My standard for detective fiction is one or two murders. If you need more than that--and apparently PJ does--you're not writing at the top of the form.In the case of this specific novel, there's much that appears movie-like; probably the author is aiming toward film, and who can blame him. Write a book, and you need to write another; write a film, and with luck--retire.
Turns out, PJ's training was in film, and he has already written several films for others; and he is an aficianado of fancy fast cars. He's even given a couple police cruisers to Brighton, one painted with the his latest novel cover for colors.
But there are huge differences between prose and film: for example, the car chase. Nothing more boring on the page. Granted, PJ has an early police speeding scene that holds attention, but ....
I cannot recall any of the classics--Sayers, Christie, Donna Leon--using lots of body parts, though film and TV almost requires such.
Turns out, PJ's training was in film, and he has already written several films for others; and he is an aficianado of fancy fast cars. He's even given a couple police cruisers to Brighton, one painted with the his latest novel cover for colors.
But there are huge differences between prose and film: for example, the car chase. Nothing more boring on the page. Granted, PJ has an early police speeding scene that holds attention, but ....
I cannot recall any of the classics--Sayers, Christie, Donna Leon--using lots of body parts, though film and TV almost requires such.
October 27, 2023
Tom Bryce vindt een cd in de trein en neemt hem mee naar huis. 's Avonds stopt hij argeloos het schijfje in de computer en ziet tot zijn ontzetting een nietsvermoedende jonge vrouw, die live voor de camera wordt vermoord.Op hetzelfde moment onderzoekt de politie in Brighton, onder leiding van inspecteur Roy Grace, de identiteit van een vrouw wier lichaam zonder hoofd in de duinen gevonden is.
Niet lang nadat Tom de inhoud van de cd heeft bekeken, wordt hij bedreigd. Hij en zijn familieleden zijn hun leven niet zeker als hij naar de politie gaat. Maar Tom ziet geen andere uitweg en legt, gesteund door zijn vrouw Kellie, dapper een verklaring af tegenover Roy Grace en zijn rechercheteam.
Vanaf dat moment is de moord op de familie Bryce slechts een kwestie van tijd en een gruwelijke attractie. De moord wordt al aangekondigd op het internet? Tom en Kellie hebben de dood voor ogen.
Samen met @thebooksofwonder las ik vorige week het tweede deel van de serie met Roy Grace in de hoofdrol.
'De dood voor ogen' begint vrijwel meteen heftig. Je maakt kennis met Tom en hij vindt de cd in de trein. Wat hij op deze cd ziet is echt enorm gruwelijk en eigenlijk weet hij niet wat hij moet doen. Kort daarna beginnen er bij hem en in zijn omgeving allerlei vreemde dingen. Heeft dit te maken met de achtergelaten cd? Ondertussen is er dan ook nog de zaak van de vermoorde vrouw in de duinen.
In dit tweede deel lees je ook weer meer over het privéleven van Roy Grace en dit is wel een leuke toevoeging.
Toch moet ik zeggen dat ik in dit deel iets miste. Het begint supergoed, spannend en mysterieus, maar helaas ging het verhaal voor mij toch een ietwat andere kant op dan dat ik gehoopt had. Persoonlijk vond ik het voorgaande deel dan ook beter.
Ik ben dus heel benieuwd naar het derde deel, want die zullen we komende maand weer samen gaan lezen.
Beoordeling: 3,5 ⭐️
Niet lang nadat Tom de inhoud van de cd heeft bekeken, wordt hij bedreigd. Hij en zijn familieleden zijn hun leven niet zeker als hij naar de politie gaat. Maar Tom ziet geen andere uitweg en legt, gesteund door zijn vrouw Kellie, dapper een verklaring af tegenover Roy Grace en zijn rechercheteam.
Vanaf dat moment is de moord op de familie Bryce slechts een kwestie van tijd en een gruwelijke attractie. De moord wordt al aangekondigd op het internet? Tom en Kellie hebben de dood voor ogen.
Samen met @thebooksofwonder las ik vorige week het tweede deel van de serie met Roy Grace in de hoofdrol.
'De dood voor ogen' begint vrijwel meteen heftig. Je maakt kennis met Tom en hij vindt de cd in de trein. Wat hij op deze cd ziet is echt enorm gruwelijk en eigenlijk weet hij niet wat hij moet doen. Kort daarna beginnen er bij hem en in zijn omgeving allerlei vreemde dingen. Heeft dit te maken met de achtergelaten cd? Ondertussen is er dan ook nog de zaak van de vermoorde vrouw in de duinen.
In dit tweede deel lees je ook weer meer over het privéleven van Roy Grace en dit is wel een leuke toevoeging.
Toch moet ik zeggen dat ik in dit deel iets miste. Het begint supergoed, spannend en mysterieus, maar helaas ging het verhaal voor mij toch een ietwat andere kant op dan dat ik gehoopt had. Persoonlijk vond ik het voorgaande deel dan ook beter.
Ik ben dus heel benieuwd naar het derde deel, want die zullen we komende maand weer samen gaan lezen.
Beoordeling: 3,5 ⭐️
March 1, 2019
This took up almost immediately after the first book in the series ended. I'm not sure it's necessary to read the first one, but it adds to the enjoyment, in my opinion.
This book had one of the most unlikable characters I can remember, although I might be forgiven if I've forgotten any worse ones - and I hope to forget about this one, too. This villain was grossly overweight but acted like he was God's gift to women and society as a whole. Considering he has no respect for life and will kill anyone he feels like, a lot of people are smart enough not to disagree. He has some fine upstanding hobbies - mainly, child porn, snuff films, etc. What's not to like?
I like the main character, Roy Grace, and most of the other non-villainous characters. The only thing I'm not too crazy about is the supernatural aspect - Roy Grace goes to consult with a medium to help solve the crimes, something that got him into trouble in the first book. I personally don't believe in this sort of thing - although to be fair, Roy Grace isn't a firm believer either. But I like to read books where the solution is believable, not some magic out of the mind of a medium. It's OK in fantasy books where magic and the supernatural are a big part of the story, but this is not one of those cases.
However, the books have been good enough to overcome this nit, and are very addicting if you don't mind this one thing. I plan to read more soon.
This book had one of the most unlikable characters I can remember, although I might be forgiven if I've forgotten any worse ones - and I hope to forget about this one, too. This villain was grossly overweight but acted like he was God's gift to women and society as a whole. Considering he has no respect for life and will kill anyone he feels like, a lot of people are smart enough not to disagree. He has some fine upstanding hobbies - mainly, child porn, snuff films, etc. What's not to like?
I like the main character, Roy Grace, and most of the other non-villainous characters. The only thing I'm not too crazy about is the supernatural aspect - Roy Grace goes to consult with a medium to help solve the crimes, something that got him into trouble in the first book. I personally don't believe in this sort of thing - although to be fair, Roy Grace isn't a firm believer either. But I like to read books where the solution is believable, not some magic out of the mind of a medium. It's OK in fantasy books where magic and the supernatural are a big part of the story, but this is not one of those cases.
However, the books have been good enough to overcome this nit, and are very addicting if you don't mind this one thing. I plan to read more soon.
April 19, 2017
A disappointing second novel in the Roy Grace series.
Tom Bryce is your average Joe commuter. On one typical afternoon coming home from work, the person beside him leaves behind a CD. Unable to catch up with the owner, he takes it home and inserts the CD into his computer. Tom is shocked to see a murder taking place on his computer. Tom and his family are now being threatened by the murderers who made the CD. Can Roy Grace catch them before Tom and his family get killed?
I loved the first book in the series Dead Simple, so this novel was a disappointment since it didn't have a lot of the elements from the first novel. I just felt that I was along for the ride, there was nothing that had me shocked or surprised.
I will still read the remaining books in the series, but I will go into them with some hesitation.
Tom Bryce is your average Joe commuter. On one typical afternoon coming home from work, the person beside him leaves behind a CD. Unable to catch up with the owner, he takes it home and inserts the CD into his computer. Tom is shocked to see a murder taking place on his computer. Tom and his family are now being threatened by the murderers who made the CD. Can Roy Grace catch them before Tom and his family get killed?
I loved the first book in the series Dead Simple, so this novel was a disappointment since it didn't have a lot of the elements from the first novel. I just felt that I was along for the ride, there was nothing that had me shocked or surprised.
I will still read the remaining books in the series, but I will go into them with some hesitation.
March 26, 2022
Определено ми хареса!
Допадна ми наслагването на различни сцени и разплитането на убийството, както и разкриването на връзката между всички замесени...
Стилът на писане на Джеймс ми беше много приятен. Считам че именно заради него книгата се чете лесно и бързо.
Единствената забележка, която имам е лекото размиване на героите. Може би не ми допадна, че са тоооолкова много и уж са различни, но не баш и не съвсем.
Реална оценка за книгата 3.5★
Допадна ми наслагването на различни сцени и разплитането на убийството, както и разкриването на връзката между всички замесени...
Стилът на писане на Джеймс ми беше много приятен. Считам че именно заради него книгата се чете лесно и бързо.
Единствената забележка, която имам е лекото размиване на героите. Може би не ми допадна, че са тоооолкова много и уж са различни, но не баш и не съвсем.
Реална оценка за книгата 3.5★
July 28, 2015
2nd book in the Roy Grace series by Peter James.
I love the way Peter James writes, they are so easy to read and the characters are well crafted and the plots well planned. The novel is fast paced and instantly grips you leaving you wanting more. I liked it that much I started the next book in the series immediately.
I love the way Peter James writes, they are so easy to read and the characters are well crafted and the plots well planned. The novel is fast paced and instantly grips you leaving you wanting more. I liked it that much I started the next book in the series immediately.
December 6, 2020
Enjoyed the first in the Roy Grace series (Dead Simple) as the story kept me guessing and I was eager to know what happened next. I turned a blind eye to the characters that were all stereotypical. The next book (this) started well but I could no longer ignore the sexually objectified female characters.
I've had my fill. Couldn't finish it.
I've had my fill. Couldn't finish it.
March 29, 2023
Хареса ми много повече от първа, може би защото я слушах и прочита беше страхотен!
January 25, 2018
This was a reread, finding that I had no unread books while I waited for the postman to deliver my last order, and it was a good reread. it had been too long since I had spent time with Roy Grace which tells me I need to check my Peter James bookmark to determine what the next couple of books are that I haven't read yet.
I like how James shows us the workings of a major crime unit in Brighton and Hove; quite different in many ways from what we're shown for American units. I also like how he takes the time to introduce us to the Brighton and Hove of today and yesterday.
If you haven't read any of James' 'Dead' novels and if you like a good police procedural then I urge you to do yourself a favor and meet Roy Grace
I like how James shows us the workings of a major crime unit in Brighton and Hove; quite different in many ways from what we're shown for American units. I also like how he takes the time to introduce us to the Brighton and Hove of today and yesterday.
If you haven't read any of James' 'Dead' novels and if you like a good police procedural then I urge you to do yourself a favor and meet Roy Grace
September 11, 2018
Looking Good Dead by Peter James is the second book in his Inspector Roy Grace mystery series set in Brighton, England. If you like a tense, sometimes action-packed, gritty mystery, then you'll like this book.
Tom Bryce, a London-based businessman, sees a CD left on a seat in the train car he takes home to Brighton after work each day. He sees the man who dropped it but can't find him to return it. That night he checks it out to see if there might some clue to the owner so he can return it. This turns out to be a fateful mistake as the cd leads him to a website where he views a snuff film, a young woman murdered on camera. The cd can be tracked by the people making the film and this turns Bryce's life upside down.
Meanwhile, Inspector Roy Grace and his murder investigation team are investigating the murder of a young woman, whose body has been found in a field. Well, parts of her body have been found. The body is in pieces and her head is missing.
Thus begins a fascinating, fast-paced thriller. The tie-in between Tom Bryce and the dead body comes to light during the investigation. Bryce finds himself and his family under threat from the murderers. Grace's job is under threat from his boss, who is threatening to transfer him to the north of England due to a recent car chase accident which has received bad press.
Grace, after the disappearance of his wife, many years ago is only slowly getting his life back in order, even starting to date, this being lovely pathologist, Cleo. We also get insight into the lives of his team, how their work affects the family lives. Each member of the team is different and interesting.
We also get insight into the lives of the Bryces, their financial issues, Kellie's spending and drinking habits, etc. And we also are exposed to the murderers, their coldness and cruelty. The story moves quickly, the investigation is fascinating. The build-up is tense and interesting and the ending moves at a very fast pace.
I enjoyed this thriller very much. It read well and kept you turning pages to see how things would be resolved. I also enjoyed the development of relationships and look forward to seeing how they move along in future books. Excellent story. (4 stars)
Tom Bryce, a London-based businessman, sees a CD left on a seat in the train car he takes home to Brighton after work each day. He sees the man who dropped it but can't find him to return it. That night he checks it out to see if there might some clue to the owner so he can return it. This turns out to be a fateful mistake as the cd leads him to a website where he views a snuff film, a young woman murdered on camera. The cd can be tracked by the people making the film and this turns Bryce's life upside down.
Meanwhile, Inspector Roy Grace and his murder investigation team are investigating the murder of a young woman, whose body has been found in a field. Well, parts of her body have been found. The body is in pieces and her head is missing.
Thus begins a fascinating, fast-paced thriller. The tie-in between Tom Bryce and the dead body comes to light during the investigation. Bryce finds himself and his family under threat from the murderers. Grace's job is under threat from his boss, who is threatening to transfer him to the north of England due to a recent car chase accident which has received bad press.
Grace, after the disappearance of his wife, many years ago is only slowly getting his life back in order, even starting to date, this being lovely pathologist, Cleo. We also get insight into the lives of his team, how their work affects the family lives. Each member of the team is different and interesting.
We also get insight into the lives of the Bryces, their financial issues, Kellie's spending and drinking habits, etc. And we also are exposed to the murderers, their coldness and cruelty. The story moves quickly, the investigation is fascinating. The build-up is tense and interesting and the ending moves at a very fast pace.
I enjoyed this thriller very much. It read well and kept you turning pages to see how things would be resolved. I also enjoyed the development of relationships and look forward to seeing how they move along in future books. Excellent story. (4 stars)
March 25, 2017
Was it me or were a few paragraphs just simply lifted from his first book? The bits about Roy Grace's wife Sandy? It was almost word for word. Also some of the details were plain wrong (Coming from Brighton I know!) I find James formulaic, pedantic, and unbelieveable. I am reading his next one, just because I am from Brighton, and it is nice to read about your home city... but as for the writing, the characters and the plot... BOOOO.
October 29, 2020
История – 7/10
Идея – 7/10
Изпълнение – 7/10
Интрига/Темпо – 8/10
Герои ��� 6/10
Стил на писане (За жанра) – 7/10
Eлементи на изненада – 8/10
Емоционален заряд – 7/10
Теми за размисъл – 4/10
Степен на оригиналност (за жанра) – 6/10
Идея – 7/10
Изпълнение – 7/10
Интрига/Темпо – 8/10
Герои ��� 6/10
Стил на писане (За жанра) – 7/10
Eлементи на изненада – 8/10
Емоционален заряд – 7/10
Теми за размисъл – 4/10
Степен на оригиналност (за жанра) – 6/10
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