Peter James' Want You Dead - Review

Want You Dead by Peter James

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


An intense investigation for Roy Grace and the team.

A doctor is burnt alive, while a series of arsons and accidental fires around Brighton and Hove have only one link in common – estate agent Red Westwood.

Ambitious and hopeful for the future, Red finds herself the epicentre of an insidious campaign to terrorise and possess her.

She is the object of an obsession; in the sights of a malignant narcissist who will not stop until he has broken and destroyed her.

‘Want You Dead’ is the tenth novel in Peter James’ police procedural series featuring Detective Superintendent Roy Grace. Smouldering with suspense and distilled with the chill of an autumnal atmosphere, this dark thriller delves deep into the nature of psychological abuse, the insidious nature of the abuser’s manipulative and controlling behaviour and how it escalates into dangerous obsession and the threat of violence.

We meet Red in the aftermath of an abusive relationship, now dating a new man, but her ordeal is far from over. An endearing and empathetic central character, Red remains vulnerable and struggling to move on, but possessing an inner strength and determination to fight through – proving herself a survivor. Her ex-partner Bryce makes for a disturbing and ruthless villain, ever-resourceful and hell-bent on his quest for vengeance and total dominion over Red, his obsession and pyromania now entirely out of control. At each twist of the plot, the tension ratchets up, Bryce always one step ahead and Red ever deeper into danger. Meanwhile, Roy and Cleo are about to be married, Noah now almost four months old. Unknown to Roy, his own wedding threatens to be derailed by more than the launch of this new murder investigation.

With tragic and emotional moments and detailed insights not only into the police investigation, but also into the mind and history of the perpetrator, a keen focus on the victims, in particular Red, and also touching on the personal lives of the police team, this tenth installment once again masterfully brings all these elements together to craft a riveting and absorbing police thriller that remains engrossing from the shocking opening scenes through to its suitably blazing, yet chilling, conclusion. It’s perhaps one of my favourite entries in the series so far, though it's difficult to make that distinction in such a consistently high quality series. Once again, we are left poised to dive into the next in the series, ‘You Are Dead’.

Relentless and intoxicating, ‘Want You Dead’ is a superb psychological thriller and another gripping chapter in the case files of Roy Grace.



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