Left You Dead: A Realistically Creepy Crime Thriller (Roy Grace Book 17)

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The case itself made a welcome distraction as Niall Paternoster becomes the prime suspect in the potential murder of his wife Eden who has gone without a trace. Peter J. James (born 22 August 1948) is a British writer of crime. He was born in Brighton, the son of Cornelia James, the former glovemaker to Queen Elizabeth II. This book presented us with a very clever and engaging mystery that shape shifted every time we looked at it. Niall Paternoster reports his wife missing the morning after she disappeared. They were on their way home from a day out visiting a stately manor when Eden, the wife, wanted to stop on the way for some kitty litter. An argument ensued but they finally stopped at a Tesco superstore and Eden dashed in while Niall looked for a parking space. When she had not returned after 45 minutes he first searched the store then went home thinking she may got a lift with someone else. She wasn’t home either so Niall finally went to bed thinking she’d gone off in a huff as she had done once before. In the morning he went to the police. Left You Dead is a twisty mystery with a quiet feel. The truth behind Eden’s disappearance seems straightforward at first, but as any long-time mystery buff knows, that usually means there are a lot more secrets to uncover. I love the way Grace, Branson, and their team work to uncover clues. They work really well together, and even the minor side characters are given enough of a personality to make a mark, such as DS Norman Potting who mostly provides comic relief but is battling health issues, and Sharon Orman, whose lip-reading skills provide vital clues. There’s also a subplot about an incompetent and corrupt boss who seems to have it in for Grace, that seems like it’ll have effects on Grace’s career down the road.

Left you Dead is much more than a police procedural. Grace's personal life plays a huge part in this one and it is an extremely emotional read. No spoilers, but it will break your heart. Grace is a character that I love to read about, his wit and sarcasm gives me a giggle. His commitment to his job is amazing, even at the hardest times of his life. How can you not love him. I am excited to see John Simms play him when it comes to Australian TV. The novel opens with a recounting of Eden’s disappearance from Niall Paternoster’s point of view and this sets the tone, a relatively straightforward account that seems true until the doubts creep in and the reader is unsure what to believe. This happens throughout the novel. It’s skilfully done and insidiously clever. Roy Grace’s attention is not wholly on the case as he has some other things going on, offering both heartbreak and potential joy, and yet he’s still the one to connect all the dots. The upshot is that this novel is a rollercoaster. I was continually on edge trying to work out what exactly was going on, then it had me in tears when tragedy strikes and finally I felt uplifted as hope blooms at the last minute, setting up the next novel nicely. The heart of this story, however, lies not in the mystery, but in a subplot concerning Roy Grace’s personal life, and a very difficult decision he needs to make. The subplot turns this into an emotional read, but James treats it with a very restrained touch. The author also makes sure to interweave this through scenes about the investigation, which are much less fraught. Long-time series fans and casual readers alike will feel for Grace, and will wonder about the questions regarding this that James strongly hints at, but deliberately leaves unresolved.

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

I'm always eagerly awaiting my yearly dose of Roy Grace ever since I first started reading them during the series infancy - I was always going to be hooked on a crime drama set in my hometown of Brighton. Roy Grace is toiling away as happy as he can be with a supervisor he can’t stand, in the Sussex Police. If only he could be left alone to run his investigations how he wants. He’d happily do it quietly before heading home to the love of his life Cleo (medical examiner), and his children, having recently gotten to know Bruno, an older son he didn’t know he had, when his ex died. Peter James is a British best selling writer of fictional crime novels. He has written 25 novels that have been translated into over 35 languages. His series featuring Detective Superintendent Roy Grace have sold over 14 million copies world wide. He has had six UK Sunday Times #1 books consecutively due to this series. Peter James was born on August 22, 1948 in Brighton, Sussex, England. His mother Cornelia James was the Queen’s Glovemaker. Peter's contribution, Wish You Were Dead, centres around Roy Grace's family on a "holiday from hell".

When D.Supt Grace is called in to investigate, it doesn’t take long for him and his team to realise that nothing is quite as it seems – and this might be his most mysterious case yet . . . Left You Dead is a well written, perfectly paced police procedural that sees Detective Superintendent Roy Grace and his team investigating the sudden disappearance of Eden Paternoster, a young woman who seems to have vanished without a trace after her husband dropped her off at a local Tesco, and even though the husband seems to be the most likely suspect from the very start something just doesn’t seem to fit, and this case may actually be a lot more complicated than anyone could have imagined.And of course, filming is also due to begin later this year on the second series of ITV's small screen adaptation Grace, with three new 120 minute films based on Peter's novels Not Dead Enough, Dead Man’s Footsteps and Dead Tomorrow. Thankyou to Macmillan Australia for providing me with a copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review. Although this book should be read as a 'follow-up' to the previous novel, Find Them Dead, due to the continuing 'problems' Grace has with his A.C.C., they can be read independently.

OK, I digress. Once I was past the names, I was on firmer ground with the 17th book in Peter James’ Detective Superintendent Roy Grace series. This is one of the few ongoing sagas that still has me gripped, although the previous outing, Find Them Dead, left me feeling rather dissatisfied as the main character seemed to have been sidelined. Le Prix Cœur Noir at the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines festival, Comme Une Tombe (French translation of Dead Simple)Left You Dead is the seventeenth thrilling crime novel in the Roy Grace series. Enjoy more of the Brighton detective’s investigations with Dead Simple, Looking Good Dead and Not Dead Enough. Dead Man’s Time calls Roy Grace in once more. This time it’s for a burglary that has taken over a million pounds worth of loot. It has also left an elderly man who lives there dying. As Grace shows up on the scene, it’s clear that the family does not care so much about the valuables so much as one valuable in particular. They will do anything to get it. They don’t care about breaking the law and Grace is thrown into a hot pursuit that takes him through Europe and eventually all the way to New York. I would like to thank Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for an advance copy of Left You Dead, the seventeenth novel to feature Detective Roy Grace of the Sussex Police Major Crimes Unit. The next day there is still no trace of Eden and Niall decides to call the police. After a police visit and a few investigations Niall is arrested on suspicion of her murder. DS Roy Grace is called in to investigate and with all his experience he soon realises this case is not all it seems. If you’ve never seen one before, go and look here. No self-respecting UK university was without one in the 1980s and 1990s …

Meanwhile, there’s the usual sideshows that we associate with a James novel – his private life with wife Cleo and strange young son Bruno, problems for his loyal supporting cast of hard-working cops, and the malign presence of ACC Cassian Pewe looming over it all. There’s two main plot lines at play in Left You Dead - the police investigation and a secondary plot that strikes the core of Grace’s family. Suffice to say I rarely get teary in books, most certainly not crime fiction, but I’ll admit to some sniffles in this one. And I’ll remember a quote from this book as well “I heard a quote today that I love, .... about how it’s hard to forget pain, but harder to remember happiness - because we don’t have scars for happiness”. In 2005 The Merchant of Venice, directed by Michael Radford and for which James was executive producer, had a royal premiere in the presence of Prince Charles and received a BAFTA Award nomination. In 2006 the film also won the Silver Ribbon for Best Production Design ( Migliore Scenografia) from the Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists. Having really grown attached to the characters over the years, the emotional impact that Roy and Cleo face in this outing will have repercussions in future books - these sections were so difficult to get though.There is a second plot that explores the deep and emotional theme of organ donation and how vital it is. His interests include criminology, religion, science and the paranormal, as well as food and wine. He has written many restaurant columns. He is also a self-confessed "petrol head," having owned many fast cars over the years, including four Aston Martins, AMG and Brabus Mercedes, a Bentley Continental GT Speed and two classic Jaguar E-Types. He holds an international racing licence, and has in the past competed in the Britcar series in both a Honda Accord and a former British Touring Car Championship SEAT Toledo. His 1965 BMW 1800 Ti, with his co-driver Steve Soper, came 10th overall in the St Mary's Trophy in the Goodwood Revival in 2013. James currently races a 1962 C1 Corvette and a 1964 Mini Cooper S. He has donated two police cars to Sussex Police, which bear his name, and a police car to States of Jersey Police. If you are after a compelling police procedural with a likeable main character you can't go past Left You Dead.