Dead Man's Grip (Roy Grace, #7)

Jan 30, 2012 Tyrone rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime-and-thriller, reviewed

For some reason it actually took a little while to get into this. Normally i devour one of these in a few days. I'm not sure if it was the description of the novel i read from the dust cover, or the involvement of the Mafia in a British police procedural. Or it may be because i also obtained all of the Jack Frost novels at around the same time and couldn't wait to get through those.

Anyway, under pressure of getting the book of to the mother in-law who also loves crime novels, i finally got stuck...more

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Mar 05, 2013 Bettie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: e-book, spring-2013, under-1000-ratings, sussex, series, brighton, britain-england, published-2011, gangsters, teh-demon-booze, medical-eew

Nutty NUUT read

Dedication: To Eva Klaesson-Lindeblad

Opening: On the morning of the accident, Carly had forgotten to set the alarm and overslept.

Best interaction: "In some states in US it's still illegal to do it in any other way than the missionary position. She's now going religious fdundamentalist on me. I'm a deviant in God's eyes apparently."

"Doesn't that make Him a voyeur?"

4* Dead Simple (Roy Grace #1)
4* Looking Good Dead (Roy Grace #2)
4* Not Dead Enough (Roy Grace #3)
4* Dead Man's Footste...more

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Jun 02, 2011 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I pre-ordered this book; something I don’t normally do when buying books. However, being a Peter James enthusiast and having spent many years living and working close to Brighton, (where the Roy Grace series of books are featured) I was keen to read the latest instalment.

Unfortunately some bright spark in the Amazon marketing department, thought it was a good idea to post a video of Peter James explaining the plot of Dead Man’s Grip, his seventh book in the series. Within less than a minute we...more

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Dec 12, 2011 Alla rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

“Dead man’s grip” is the newest entry in Peter James’s mystery series featuring Detective Superintendent Roy Grace of the Sussex police force. In Grace’s newest case, Tony Revere—an American student studying in Great Britain and the grandson of a New York mafia don—is run over by multiple cars while biking on the wrong side of the road.

And soon, all the drivers involved in the accident begin getting murdered one by one, until there’s no one left except Carly Chase—a middle-aged lawyer and singl...more

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Jun 04, 2013 Shaun rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013, crime, fiction, library

OMG the ending! I'll say no more than that but Peter James does love to end the Grace novels on a cliffhanger and this was probably the best one yet! I don't envy the people that read these books upon release, having to wait a year for the next one must've been hell!

I enjoyed this book but it was not the best Grace story. The premise was pretty good, it just wasn't executed that well in my opinion. One of the best things about the Grace books is how real they feel and how well researched and wr...more OMG the ending! I'll say no more than that but Peter James does love to end the Grace novels on a cliffhanger and this was probably the best one yet! I don't envy the people that read these books upon release, having to wait a year for the next one must've been hell!

I enjoyed this book but it was not the best Grace story. The premise was pretty good, it just wasn't executed that well in my opinion. One of the best things about the Grace books is how real they feel and how well researched and written they are. I can't think of many authors in the UK who can write a police procedural better than Peter James. His books are always hundreds of pages long (with a tiny font) and yet they never feel like a chore to read. I finished this one within a day, partly because I couldn't put it down and partly because I need to catch up ASAP before the release of the next book.

This time a student in Brighton from New York is killed in a collision between three vehicles, the vehicle that actually was responsible for the death of the student fled the scene. In the days following the accident, Carly Chase, a woman involved who was over the limit is contacted by the police to say that her life is danger after the two other drivers involved were found dead. I thought the book moved at a quick pace but it just didn't have that gripping story that the other books have had. I didn't really care about Carly and whether or not she lived. I enjoyed reading about the Mafia aspect, although there wasn't that much to read about that. The Grace novels are primarily set in Brighton but I do enjoy the way most of them always involve visiting foreign countries. There was also an appearance from Yac! Who readers of the previous Grace novel will definitely remember.

Ultimately though the best thing about this book was the bits involving the Sandy mystery. Past books have hinted at where she might be but this book touched on it a hell of a lot more. And it all led up to the jaw dropping cliffhanger at the end of the book! I just hope this is continued straight off in the next book, as in previous books cliffhangers the cliffhanger was barely even acknowledged in the following books. There was also a lot more Cleo in this book, with her having problems with the pregnancy. I am still unsure about this character and the relationship with Roy and feel that an appearance from a certain somebody could well shake things up between them. As always Grace's regular team of officers feature including Branson and the fantastic Norman Potting. (less)

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May 27, 2013 Amy Andrea rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Dead Man’s Grip by Peter James is a great book if you are in the mood for a mystery thriller. This book keeps you entertained and wanting to read more. The author switches the point of views from chapter to chapter keeping the reader involved and thinking. It is an exciting read about a girl, Carly, involved in a car crash. However, you later find out that it was not just an ordinary car crash. It turns out that the other drivers involved were tortured and killed before the crash and Carly was t...more Dead Man’s Grip by Peter James is a great book if you are in the mood for a mystery thriller. This book keeps you entertained and wanting to read more. The author switches the point of views from chapter to chapter keeping the reader involved and thinking. It is an exciting read about a girl, Carly, involved in a car crash. However, you later find out that it was not just an ordinary car crash. It turns out that the other drivers involved were tortured and killed before the crash and Carly was the target. As the police further investigate and offer her protective help, she declines and knows that those responsible can hunt her down if she goes into protection. As she tries to out run her killers, they are already one step ahead of her. Peter James uses several writing techniques in Dead Man’s Grip creating a fantastic story proving that a good mystery is never dull.
I loved reading the murder mystery and how the detectives try to solve the case. It kept me interested throughout the book. I found myself always thinking ahead trying to solve the mystery. I liked how the book was written from different characters’ point of views and kept switching from chapter to chapter. Although it was tough to follow along for the first three chapters because I didn’t know the characters, I wanted to give this book a chance. I am glad that I did. Once I got deeper into it, the plot and the relationship between the characters became clearer and I found the story very entertaining and captivating.
The author uses very descriptive details to describe some of the characters and is very graphic throughout the whole book. For example, when the author describes Roy’s wife as she looked in the hospital: “She was wearing a blue hospital gown, and her blonde hair, cascading round her face, had lost some of its usual luster“ (James 31). The author continues painting a picture about how pale she is and the condition she is in. He uses descriptive words like cascading and luster to create an image in your head. He is very descriptive throughout the book not only describing characters but also the settings and accidents in the book. His attention to details keeps you interested by creating images as if you were actually there.
The book doesn’t just have one big story; it has side stories going on for each character. This keeps you entertained throughout the book because you read one person’s side story and then it ends with a cliffhanger switching to another’s story. You don’t know when it’s going to switch back to the first character’s point of view again so you just want to keep reading. For example, one of the side stories is: “The boy had a central nervous system that seemed to be wired all wrong. He appeared to have no pain receptors” (James 64). Later on in the book you figure out what this character’s role is in the accident, but before you get to that part the author provides you with his background and how he spends his life. This keeps you wondering and interested in why this character was introduced and has you wanting to know more about the character. A good book always has well-developed characters and James has done an excellent job in developing the characters in this story.
Overall this book never had a dull moment and always kept me on the edge of my seat. I would highly recommend Dead Man’s Grip to anyone that enjoys reading a good mystery.
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Jun 19, 2012 Best Crime Books rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Now the first thing I want to point out is that I am a huge Peter James fan and in particular of this series. Roy Grace is a fantastic character who I have studiously followed in each book. Peter James has always done a fantastic job of creating stories that capture you and the recurring characters that I have slowly fallen in love with. However, this book failed to leave me with the same satisfaction as others in the past.

The story itself starts off with quite a dramatic car accident. We have a...more Now the first thing I want to point out is that I am a huge Peter James fan and in particular of this series. Roy Grace is a fantastic character who I have studiously followed in each book. Peter James has always done a fantastic job of creating stories that capture you and the recurring characters that I have slowly fallen in love with. However, this book failed to leave me with the same satisfaction as others in the past.

The story itself starts off with quite a dramatic car accident. We have a short introduction of the main characters and then the accident itself is described in all its horrific detail. The beginning set the pace and as usual with a Peter James book the pace stays that way usually to the very end. This new book is as usual over 500 pages long and I felt that around the halfway mark my interest was becoming far less that it usually is.

The main storyline is centred on Carly Chase who was involved in the traffic accident that involved the death of a young man. It now seems that Carly's life is in danger by a killer that has already murdered the other two people involved in the accident. I think the main let down for me was the killer themselves; there was a certain air of disbelief that Peter James had taken this route and I found it lessened my enjoyment of the book.

His writing style is as ever fantastic which makes a book ten times easier to read and as usual his characters are all very strong and make a lasting impression. The appearance of the much loved characters is again a sign of how good a writer he is, so from that perspective he cannot be faulted. Roy Grace along with Glenn Branson and some other recurring characters are as ever brilliantly written and people I want to continue seeing.

Roy's relationship with Cleo is visited throughout the story and we see the glimpses of potential problems for both of them in the future. It is hard to explain why without containing plot spoilers but trust me; this element of the book is brilliant because Peter James has you so hooked on finding out what will happen you just HAVE to buy the next book he publishes.

The last part of these books is the element of Roy's past concerning his wife Sandy. At the end of his last book I was convinced we would see a conclusion to it in this book. I was wrong! In a way I was irritated by the fact as a reader I didn't get the answers I wanted, but boy does Peter James throw in a shocker at the end of this book! It was enough of a shocker to nearly make me forgive him the weak killer element of this story.

Overall I really enjoyed the writing style and elements of the story, but the weak element of the killer really made it feel a bit of a let down for me. Finding it hard to rate but will probably say middle of the road. Not his best book in this series, but a crucial element in the ongoing saga of Roy's past! My advice is to start at the beginning of the series and work your way through. (less)

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Jun 02, 2012 Jacqui rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: thriller-mystery

I recently had the pleasure of reading Mr. Peter James' "Dead Man's Grip". The book is part of a series where the main character is Detective Roy Grace. I believe Mr. James has written a total of seven books around this character and I look forward to reading the rest of them as well.

The action starts in Brighton, England where an American, Tony Revere is a student at Sussex and is killed in an awful traffic accident while bicycling to the University. Turns out the people involved with the accid...more

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Mar 26, 2012 Amy Corwin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime

I love to learn about police work and forensics, and I was doubly happy to find a very suspenseful novel about modern British police work. The suspense in "Dead Man's Grip" is unrelenting and keeps you moving, especially since the chapters are very short and move from character to character in this story about the unfortunate death of a young man and the subsequent revenge killings of those who were involved in the accident. The young man who died is unfortunately the son of a couple with ties t...more I love to learn about police work and forensics, and I was doubly happy to find a very suspenseful novel about modern British police work. The suspense in "Dead Man's Grip" is unrelenting and keeps you moving, especially since the chapters are very short and move from character to character in this story about the unfortunate death of a young man and the subsequent revenge killings of those who were involved in the accident. The young man who died is unfortunately the son of a couple with ties to the mafia and his parents aren't about to let his death go without exacting revenge.

The detective who gets involved in investigating the young man's death is Roy Grace, and he's a very warm, sympathetic character. You want to spend time with him and he's got his own troubles as his lover is pregnant and there are fears she will lose their baby.

Carly Chase is one of the drivers involved in the accident and although she did not hit the young man, she was part of the pile up and was unfortunately listed as driving under the influence of alcohol since she got drunk the previous evening and the dregs are still in her system. She's a single mom to a Harry Potter look-a-like son and the accident is just the beginning of her troubles, because now the parents of the dead man want her dead, too. Or at least to suffer the way they are suffering.

Overall, this was an exciting thrill ride and I only had a few very minor complaints, mostly about some of the characters actions. For some reason, Carly felt she had to talk to the grieving parents, and frankly, although the author was at pains to explain why the character did this, it didn't quite work for me. The same is true of the hit man hired by the parents. I got kind of tired of the "he didn't do x" snippets at the ends of most of his chapters, and at the end, I felt he left a job unfinished that a man of his character would not leave unfinished (as a matter of pride). I don't want to ruin the story, so I won't say anymore about that. My only other irritation had to do with a member of Roy Grace's family--it just didn't work for me--and again, I won't say more than that or go into details because I don't want to ruin the story for other readers.

My gripes may be unique to me and not be noticeable to anyone else. The author did go way, WAY into detail about police procedures that did get a bit boring in the beginning, but they were easy enough to skim over and someone interested in the minutae will enjoy the extra details.

I'm definitely going to look for the next book. It was a great suspenseful read that carried you along swiftly to the end.
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Jan 21, 2012 Teena in Toronto rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The story sounded interesting and had possibilities. I tried to like it but couldn't.

I found it long and draggy. A quarter of the book could have been cut out to make it more enjoyable.

I didn't find any of the characters likeable. Well, the only one I liked was Tony, the cyclist who got killed in the beginning of the book.

There seemed to be a lot of characters, especially cops or cop-related, so I gave up trying to keep them straight.

SPOILERS/POSSIBLE SPOILERS

This is the latest is a series featu...more

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Jan 19, 2012 Wyma rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-4-and-5-star

I don't often find 3 good books in a row by authors I've never or rarely read, but that's what happened this time. Dead Man's Grip is an easy read because many of the characters are quite likeable and thereby pull us into the fray, pulling for them to come out on top. Others are so horribly immoral that we don't mind one bit pulling for them to die. But then there's this one horrible, immoral fellow who is also quite intriguing and we're not at all sure we want him to die.

Set in a favorite place...more

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Jan 01, 2012 Gloria Feit rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the seventh in the Roy Grace series, detailed police procedurals that take place in the Brighton area of Great Britain. The tightly written plots carry the reader from page to page wondering what comes next. And the nearly overwhelming [in a good way, to be sure!] detail keeps the reader from guessing the next step.

This novel begins with the gruesome death of a young man, who defies his mother, the daughter of a mafia don in New York City, to study at a Brighton university and live with...more

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Dec 19, 2011 Ian Mapp rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: crime

I quite like Peter James. He appears on the book show on Sky Arts, always grumbling about why popular authors (such as himself) are never represented by literary awards.

There is a reason for this. His books are the culinary equivalent of a Big Mac. Massively enjoyabel at the time and then instantly forgettable. I can't think anyone would have a Peter James book in their Top 10.

The chapters are short and punchy, the plot relentless and the longer strory of Roy Graces family circumstances are nudg...more I quite like Peter James. He appears on the book show on Sky Arts, always grumbling about why popular authors (such as himself) are never represented by literary awards.

There is a reason for this. His books are the culinary equivalent of a Big Mac. Massively enjoyabel at the time and then instantly forgettable. I can't think anyone would have a Peter James book in their Top 10.

The chapters are short and punchy, the plot relentless and the longer strory of Roy Graces family circumstances are nudged a touch further forward. There is a some positioning in this one, where his disappeared wife is likely to come back with a bang. It's clever the way he is allowing this to very slowly develop.

Unlike the crime in the story - which hurtles along at a breakneck speed of very unlikeliness. The premise of the plot seemed to remind me of Kate Atkinson's one good turn - maybe because a traffic accident was at the heart of it.

The start of the book has a yound student killed in a traffic accident that involves a female lawyer (hung over and over the limit from the night before), a white van man who leaves the scene and a scottish lorry driver who has driven for too long.

The aftermath and the impact on the people involved and emergency crews are all well captured. The "twist" is that the student who dies is the grandson of a american mafia head. Cue their hystercial parents setting on course a series of ghastly revenge killings from a Terminator type hit man.

Now, I would love to know how an unpublished writer would go about pitching this idea to a publishing house? Its along the lines of Alan Partridge inventing TV shows. When you say it out loud, it doesnt sound a credible plot.

But James handles it well and there are some moments of tension and suspense. I rather liked it when the female lawyer travelled to America to see the family and confront them head on - trying to appeal that it was a tragic accident.

Everything else that you would expect from this sort of book is present - nicely wrapped up at the end with a dramatic head to head.

As police procedurals go, the series is up there with the best.(less)

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Dec 18, 2011 Ronald Roseborough rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-adventure-thriller, roy-grace

Detective Superintendent Roy Grace has his hands full with a new baby due and a major investigation underway. This fast paced British police procedural starts with a random traffic accident resulting in the death of a young American man who was struck while riding a bicycle. Three motor vehicles were involved. A car driven by a woman who crashes her car when narrowly avoiding the bicycle. A white van that hits the young man, then speeds away. Lastly a tractor trailer that can't stop before the b...more

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Nov 29, 2011 Justin Yan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, realistic-fiction, arc

James begins the novel with a change of perspective rotating among three players. Carly Chase is a legal solicitor and widowed mother who is backing uneasily into middle age, drinking just a bit too much but still sharp enough to regret it. Stuart Ferguson is a truck driver who has been on the road too long, and is looking forward to making a delivery and getting some rest. And Tony Revere is a university student from the US who is living with his girlfriend, studying abroad (no pun intended) in

...more

James begins the novel with a change of perspective rotating among three players. Carly Chase is a legal solicitor and widowed mother who is backing uneasily into middle age, drinking just a bit too much but still sharp enough to regret it. Stuart Ferguson is a truck driver who has been on the road too long, and is looking forward to making a delivery and getting some rest. And Tony Revere is a university student from the US who is living with his girlfriend, studying abroad (no pun intended) in part to escape his domineering and abrasive mother. More on her later.

Revere, while riding his bicycle to school, is killed rather horribly in a motor vehicle accident in which Chase and Ferguson are dramatically involved but ultimately not at fault. An investigation reveals that Revere was struck by a third vehicle, a white van that quickly left the scene of the accident. The occurrence would be bad enough, but Revere’s parents are not your typical grieving couple: his mother is the daughter of a notorious crime figure, and his father is a mob accountant. Revere’s mother wants revenge and wants it now. So she retains through an intermediary (her brother) the services of a highly skilled and very frightening assassin known as Tooth, a quietly dangerous and merciless man who is as driven and single-minded as a shark.

Tooth flies to Great Britain, and suddenly the people who were involved in the accident, regardless of culpability, begin horrifically dying. Only Chase is left by the time that Grace and the police become fully aware of what is occurring. She is advised to change her name, conceal her identity, and go into hiding with her son. But Chase is no babe in the woods. She is all too well aware that the assassin, and the people who want to see her dead, will stop at nothing until they exact their revenge. The killer, though, is seemingly one step ahead of her and the police. In the end, Chase comes to the realization that she is going to have to take care of herself. But how?

In the meantime, Grace is feverishly working to keep her alive, even as he is pressured from above to wrap up the matter. Exacerbating the situation is the fact that the love of Grace's life, pregnant with his child, is experiencing complications. And another bombshell is threatening to intrude into Grace’s life as well. His long-missing wife is about to be declared dead, a circumstance that will make her very unhappy.

eter James is as single-minded to his craft as his characters, good and otherwise, are to theirs. He continues to spend at least one day per week with the Sussex police, and attends law enforcement conferences throughout the world on a regular basis, all to make sure that the investigative procedures featured in his novels reflect the cutting edge of investigative technique. The bells and whistles are exceeded only by James’s razor-sharp characterization and smart plotting, all of which is infused with a dark gallows humor starting with the book’s title. And James drops a bomb or two along the way (a big one, in particular, at the very end). If you are looking to add another book to your must-read list (and even if you’re not), DEAD MAN’S GRIP should be your top choice.

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Sep 26, 2012 Gina Williams rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, mystery, police, series, thriller, favorites

I'd go 4.5. Thoroughly enjoyable English country side, police procedural, and well developed protagonist that is all too human. What better way to spend an afternoon?

Welcome to the Sussex CID Major Crimes Division where Detective Superintendent Roy Grace has just been informed of a major road collision involving three vehicles and a bicyclist. A truck driver having logged too many hours, a car driven by a business woman and mother, with an alcohol level above the limit, and a van driver who fle...more

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Apr 25, 2012 S. J. Bolton rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was my first Peter James book and it's not difficult to see why he's popular. The word grip is particularly appropriate because the story-line certainly grabs hold of the reader at the outset and doesn't let go.

It begins with a road traffic accident. We see the young American cyclist saying goodbye to his girlfriend, the tired lorry driver and the nice/normal forty-something solicitor setting off for work after a night of heavy drinking. There's a terrible accident. Someone dies. Nobody's...more

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Mar 27, 2012 Linda Branham Greenwell rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, mystery-crime

The story starts off with quite a dramatic car accident. There is an introduction of the main characters and then the accident itself is described in all its horrific detail.
The victim of the accident was a young man who just happened to be the son of a Mafia family. The 3 vehicles involved in the accident each had an unsavory reason for being involved 1) the white van which actually hit the young man - was actually driven by a prisoner on day release, 2) Carly, a mother and divorce lawyer, had...more

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Nov 14, 2011 Kai rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads

Dead Man's Grip started slow just to set up the pace of knowing the three victims' background on the day of the car accident involving a bicyclist. After the first victim was murdered, the book started to pick up the pace. Detective Roy Grace connected the dot when second victim was murdered. All the victims involved in the car accident were being killed off one by one.

Detective Roy Grace raced to protect the last victim Carly Chase. It became a cat and mouse game of guessing and second guessing...more

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Nov 09, 2011 Sheila Beaumont rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adult-fiction, mysteries-suspense-thrillers

Having enjoyed one previous Detective Roy Grace novel by Peter James, I couldn't resist when the opportunity to read this new one came up. It's not a whodunit, since we know early on who the villain is, but it's a first-rate police procedural and psychological-suspense thriller. There's an intricate story, with several subplots; fine portrayals of the characters and their interrelationships (even the hit man is an interesting, if chilling, person); up-to-date cultural references (Angry Birds, th...more Having enjoyed one previous Detective Roy Grace novel by Peter James, I couldn't resist when the opportunity to read this new one came up. It's not a whodunit, since we know early on who the villain is, but it's a first-rate police procedural and psychological-suspense thriller. There's an intricate story, with several subplots; fine portrayals of the characters and their interrelationships (even the hit man is an interesting, if chilling, person); up-to-date cultural references (Angry Birds, the iPhone's GPS Friend Mapper); plenty of suspense with twists and turns; and good writing.

The story starts with a multi-vehicle traffic accident, in which a bicyclist, a student at Brighton University who is riding in the wrong lane, is killed. Unfortunately, the victim is the son of an American Mafia couple, and in revenge, two of the drivers involved in the collision are viciously tortured and murdered. The police warn the third driver, a woman attorney named Carly Chase, who has a 12-year-old son, that she is likely in danger. It did seem to me that Carly is rather TSTL (Too Stupid to Live) in a decision she makes, but people in crisis situations do in real life make unwise decisions, so this didn't distract me from the story too much.

Since I've read only the most recent two of the seven Roy Grace novels, I don't know what's happened earlier, but there is apparently an ongoing subplot in which Grace's wife disappeared and has not been heard from for ten years at the time the action in this novel takes place. We are given a few brief glimpses of her, and of course I'm very curious about what's been going on with her. I'm really looking forward to reading the earlier books.

If you're a fan of good British crime fiction, don't miss this thriller. It's a real page-turner, with suspense that builds and builds, until it becomes nearly unbearable. There's quite a lot of explicit violence, but it doesn't get gratuitously gruesome. And at the end of it all, I was pleased to find a satisfying resolution to a riveting, very well-told story.

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Dec 06, 2011 Andrea (Cozy Up With A Good Read) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own

Originally posted on Cozy Up With A Good Read

I haven't read anything by Peter James before this, and I like that even though this is a series you don't need to read the previous ones (though I would have liked to). This book was amazing. Very intense things happening. I am a big fan of crime novels and this one did not disappoint me at all. I was gripped from the beginning.

What I really enjoyed about this is it's been awhile since I've seen a good crime novel including mafia connections and this...more

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Nov 15, 2011 Michele rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was an ARC won from GoodReads. Dead Man's Grip is a police procedural (which is not my normal choice in books). It was not a psychological thriller, nor was it a suspense or a "whodunnit." I found the plot to be very linear and there were no surprises or turns in the story. It really was just a police procedural. I was hoping for some sort of a plot turn. I understand however that Peter James is very good at the this genre and the book certainly does take you along in the footsteps of the c...more

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Oct 29, 2012 Nick rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

Peter James loves Brighton. I love Brighton. Peter James writes detective fiction. I like detective fiction. Peter James is a car nut. I'm a car nut. Sounds like I should be stalking him rather than reading him, but somehow, despite great expectations, it didn't really turn out that way.
Admittedly, I learned a lot about police procedure from dead Man's Grip, so a lot of realism and a lot of research went in the book. I was reminded of the sleazy parts of Brighton - places that can be forgotten...more Peter James loves Brighton. I love Brighton. Peter James writes detective fiction. I like detective fiction. Peter James is a car nut. I'm a car nut. Sounds like I should be stalking him rather than reading him, but somehow, despite great expectations, it didn't really turn out that way.
Admittedly, I learned a lot about police procedure from dead Man's Grip, so a lot of realism and a lot of research went in the book. I was reminded of the sleazy parts of Brighton - places that can be forgotten in my picture-postcard memory. I was introduced to a range of interesting characters, some more life-like than others. The plot escalated, quite quickly, to a tense and enticing game of chase. So, why do I not feel the need to gush about the greatness of this book?
I felt that the book was more of a film than a novel. I could probably write the screenplay myself - with no training, in my lunch hour - it feels that close to a 'movie.' Although we are dealing with some particularly nasty characters and some very gruesome crimes, I never got the impression that it would be rated higher than a PG film, or would be shown after the 9pm 'watershed.' The fast-paced action is partly the result of short chapters that always throw you from one set of characters and part of the plot to another - a cheap trick in my view. Most of all, though, loathe him or love him, Roy Grace is the hero of the book. Peter James clearly loves him. And that is where we differ. Grace is too flawless to be believable. Even when bad things happen in his life, they happen to him (his girlfriend almost loses their baby) rather than because of him. In the crucial turning point in the chase, Grace gets a hunch that this is the clue they need to catch up with the villain, and without that hunch Grace would not be the hero. This makes Roy Grace a real chancer - willing to risk people's lives on scant evidence and then moving to make an arrest with just one DC in tow. Peter James has created a detective from the days when all policemen were unquestionably clean and dedicated to upholding the law at all costs - even to themselves and their families. Too many years, too many miscarriages of justice, too many high level cover-ups and too many cop shows and novels have passed to believe that the police are like that anymore. (less)

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Feb 19, 2012 Stephen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Jack Unruh and Janet Lockhart

It's a bad day for an accident, it's raining and people are hurrying to work. Carly Chase is late, she dropped off her son, Tyler for school late and she has an important client waiting for her.Stuart Ferguson is overtired and has had little sleep but is trying to make his truck delivery on time. Suddenly a man on a bike dives into Portland Road from the wrong direction. Carly swerves to miss him and crashes into a store front ,Stuart's lorry misses the biker also, but a white van clips the man...more

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Mar 22, 2012 Colin Andrews rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I do enjoy a good detective story and rate the 'Roy Grace' novels by Peter James very highly, particularly as they are set in the Brighton area, where I was brought up.

Although I could again relate closely to the locations and the tension and drama steadily built up in its usual way, I felt the story was rather less credible than those in previous books in the series. There was no mystery as to the motive or perpetrator of two gruesome murders and the only real reason to follow the story throug...more

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Nov 27, 2011 Sandie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads, fiction, mystery

This book was one of my first reads wins!! I love winning free books. I immediately got into this book. I loved the fact that I recv'd the Brit version of this book which stayed true to the culture, locations, and colloquialisms. This I loved...along with that is the lackadaisical attitude towards cursing...I found it over the top. There was too much of the F word...which brought my stars down to 4. I even thought about giving 3.5 due to this and other shortcomings. Then I decided to judge the b...more

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Dec 14, 2011 Kara rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: first-read-book

I was not familiar with this author before. I was pleasantly surprised when I received my ARC thru Good Reads for free!

This is a fast paced thriller - riddled with surprises and intrigue. I really enjoyed the way Peter James embraced the language of London and the settings. Thru his detailed descriptions, I felt like I could walk into the book and right onto the London streets.

If anything - I felt it could have even been a little longer! I loved the character development and I would love to se...more

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Jan 18, 2012 Nancy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Dead Man’s Grip was the first Peter James book that I have read, but it won’t be my last. There was just enough back information about Detective Superintendent Roy Grace that I didn’t feel that I had missed anything by starting the series with this book. The book starts out with a horrific traffic accident involving 3 vehicles and a bicycle. While the bicyclist was truly at fault and was the only one killed, the others were definitely not guiltless in the accident –- at least in the eyes of the...more

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Aug 26, 2012 Joanna (J.F.Penn) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the first Grace novel I have read and it was brilliant, a compelling read with detail crammed into every page. A young man is killed one morning and the 3 vehicles involved were driven by an escaped convict, a woman over the limit and a truck driver with too many hours on the clock. The parents of the young man just happen to be US mobsters who call a hit on the three, and the book spirals into a race against time to save those in danger before the hitman can do his job. Brighton is draw...more

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Jan 08, 2012 Victoria rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Thought it would be nice to try a UK police procedural again and I did enjoy the relationships and indeed the UK police procedural bit. But otherwise found the plot to be predictable, convenient in places and for me personally would have found the revelation of the victim in the car and how they were trapped there better had we not then had a blow by blow from the killer pov. This has confirmed that I'm tired of the sadistic killer, serial killer and psychotic murderers proliferating thriller &...more

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Dead Man's Grip (Roy Grace #7)

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