Need You Dead (Roy Grace)

Product Information

When the body of a woman is found in a bath in Brighton, Detective Superintendent Roy Grace is called to the scene. At first it looks an open and shut case with a clear prime suspect. Then other scenarios begin to present themselves, each of them tantalizingly plausible, until, in a sudden turn of events, and to his utter disbelief, the case turns more sinister than Grace could ever have imagined. Set in Brighton and Sussex, England, Need You Dead by Peter James is the 13th book in the Detective Superintendent Roy Grace series (available June 6, 2017). James just gets better and better and deserves the success he has achieved with this first-class series Forget about solving all these crimes; the signal triumph here is (spoiler) the heroine’s survival. When Roy Grace had first joined the Major Crimes Branch, he had made a pledge to himself. He was going to raise that bar from eighty-five percent of homicides solved to as close as possible to 100%.

Need You Dead – Peter James

Another sweltering month in Charlotte, another boatload of mysteries past and present for overworked, overstressed forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan. Meticulous research gives his prose great authenticity . . . James manages to add enough surprises and drama that by the end you're rooting for the police and really don't know if they will finally get their men His 13th case looks as close to routine as it ever gets for Detective Superintendent Roy Grace ( Love You Dead, 2016, etc.). But looks aren’t everything. His relationships at work are just as interesting as his personal ones. I also love his commitment to the job and how he goes about solving the cases.There is one particular harrowing scene in the book which is brilliantly written. There was no need for graphic descriptions of the horrific event, all it took was a telephone conversation and my own imagination. Total perfection. This story begins as a snowball and by the time it ends it makes one hell of an avalanche. Some of the scene is already set for book 14 with Roy Grace’s home life, I feel very uneasy. I think it could even top this one!

NEED YOU DEAD | Kirkus Reviews NEED YOU DEAD | Kirkus Reviews

Peter James has penetrated the inner workings of police procedures, and the inner thoughts and attitudes of real detectives, as no English crime writer before him. His hero, Roy Grace, may not be the most lively cop, nor the most damaged by drink, weight or misery, but he's one of the most believable Lorna Belling, desperate to escape the marriage from hell, falls for the charms of another man who promises her the earth. But, as Lorna finds, life seldom follows the plans you’ve made. A chance photograph on a client’s mobile phone changes everything for her. Detective Superintendent Roy Grace of the Surrey and Sussex Major Crime Branch in Brighton, England, is investigating a most baffling case. A housewife, Lorna Belling, is found dead in a bathtub inside a cheap apartment unit. The primary suspect is her abusive husband, Corin. Upon further investigation, Roy discovers there are several other men who may have wanted her dead. One of the suspects wants Roy dead before he can discover the truth.

This item contains adult content

Note: If you’d like to see Peter James in person, you’ll be able to find him at Thrillerfest 2017, held in New York City on July 11-15. It’s a great conference. A suspenseful, professional-grade north country procedural whose heroine, a deft mix of compassion and attitude, would be welcome to return and tie up the gaping loose end Box leaves. The unrelenting cold makes this the perfect beach read.

Need You Dead, A Roy Grace Novel : Book 13 by Peter James Need You Dead, A Roy Grace Novel : Book 13 by Peter James

The personal stories juxtaposed with the quest for Lorna’s killer create a fresh approach to this thriller with more than a dash of police procedural thrown in. It’s fun to follow along to see if you can solve the mystery before Roy can. There are handy maps at the beginning of the book that are full of details to help you follow along as events unfold. But it’s not easy to figure out who did it. I loved Detective Superintendent Roy Grace from his first appearance in the story. A pretty cool character that has seen his fair share of the worst of people in his career and at times personal life. I don’t really want to say too much about what is going on in his personal life because of course being a series it could take the edge of impact from readers. He is a man I admired immediately. A dedicated man to his career but also one that has learnt lessons the hard way in the past about getting that balance between work and home. What a super wife he has in Cleo. Roy Grace at work comes across as a man who cares deeply for his team and yet also has a tone when he means business with them. The central case in Need You Dead is the murder of the complicated and crossed-in-love Lorna Belling. A hairdresser by trade—and physically abused by her husband—Lorna was hoping love with another man would help her escape her situation. But a chance meeting destroys her dream, and now Lorna’s dead. Many might think that the obvious suspect is her abusive husband. But what looks obvious to the police, doesn’t look so obvious to us, the reader. So who killed Lorna? Set in Brighton and Sussex, England, Need You Deadby Peter James is the 13th book in the Detective Superintendent Roy Grace series (available June 6, 2017).One of the reasons that I love these novels is the stories of DC Grace’s life and loves and how they entwine with the murder cases. Each book presents new challenges for DS Roy Grace. Watching his relationship with Bruno develop as he learns more about his son takes the book to another level.

NEED YOU DEAD – Peter James NEED YOU DEAD – Peter James

Meanwhile, Roy is preoccupied with burying his dead ex-wife, Sandy, who has been missing for many years and becoming a father to their ten-year-old son, Bruno. Bruno is a strange child. Something is terribly wrong with him. Furthermore, Roy’s nemesis, Assistant Chief Constable Cassian Pewe, is somehow connected to Bruno. Firstly, his ex-wife, who had been missing for years, has not only resurfaced but also committed suicide. If that weren’t enough, she’s left behind a ten-year-old son that Roy didn’t know he had. Now he must travel to Germany, where they were living, to bring the boy home to England. Roy Grace, creation of the CWA Diamond Dagger award-winning author Peter James, faces his most mysterious case yet in Need You Dead. Guy Batchelor continued his assessment of the crime scene, reminded all the time of Roy Grace’s words. DS Roy Grace is a very likable character. He is extremely dedicated to his job. Some may say he is too dedicated. Roy fears it is his dedication that drove Sandy away. He blames himself for her death. Does Bruno also blame Roy for Sandy’s death? The entire Roy Grace series reads like a prime-time soap opera. It is very melodramatic and intriguing. It is also fast-paced.The story real consists of the police procedural investigation into the suspicious death of a local woman Lorna Belling, who is known to the police because of domestic violence incidents between her and her husband. Lorna’s body has been discovered in a secret hide away flat in a run down area but the scene just doesn’t add up. As the case progresses a number of possible suspects begin to emerge from her life. Roy Grace, creation of the CWA Diamond Dagger award winning author Peter James, faces his most mysterious case yet in Need You Dead. Also, I was impressed by the introduction of the Super Recognizer Unit. It is composed of a team of police officers who all share a special gift. They are able to recognize the true identity of a partially disguised criminal simply by looking at their eyes, nose, jaw, or other facial feature. I did some research of my own and learned that this unit actually exists at Scotland Yard. The Super Recognizers sound like a group of superheroes. Police Officer Tim Weatherley is one such member of the unit. His life is endangered when he visits Roy Grace. Someone needs Tim dead. Need You Dead doesn’t have a high body count. It isn’t fodder for gore hounds such as me. However, there are some gruesome killings–the type you might find in a horror movie. Peter’s novella, ‘ The Perfect Murder’ (2010) went straight in at No 1 in the iBooks chart and spent 40 consecutive weeks in the iBooks Top 10. It was adapted into a play called The Perfect Murder which did its first, smash hit tour starring Les Dennis in 2014 and is touring again with Shane Ritchie and Jessie Wallace in Spring 2016. The original run was followed by the play of Dead Simple in 2015, starring Tina Hobley and Jamie Lomas which was an equally big success during its 6-month nationwide run. Not Dead Enough, the third of Peter’s books to be translated to stage, is currently touring the UK to critical acclaim, starring Shane Ritchie as Roy Grace and Laura Whitmore as Cleo Morey.