Peter James (1) (1948–)

I have been watching (and enjoying) 'Grace' on BritBox and so, when I saw this in a second hand book sale, I decided to get it. Fortunately it picks up just where the last season of 'Grace' ends. Unfortunately I found it rather boring.

It concerns (mainly older) people falling for romance scams and handing over their entire life savings and taking out mortgages on their houses to help out online lovers they have never met with 'medical bills' etc. I have watched enough 'Catfish' to know this does indeed go on, but this novel never really made me understand why people are so gullible. Most of the victims here were widowed after happy marriages - surely they should know the difference between getting to know a real person and a Sakawa boy working from a script? Anyway...

Otherwise there were just too many strands which didn't entirely come together - multiple victims in multiple countries, a PI, people whose photos were being used, a gait expert (hasn't that now been discredited?), IT experts, hundreds and hundreds of police officers, and then the whole secondary plot involving Tooth, the assassin with health problems. I actually enjoyed the Tooth chapters the most. Also, I'm pretty sure Bruno will grow up to be a serial killer...

I think I will stick to the TV version from now on.… (more)

Roy Grace volume # 9

This story concerns the theft of valuable paintings and other antiques from a house of an elderly woman who died a short time later from the savage beating sustained during the robbery, Aileen McWhirter was 98 years old. Her younger brother Gavin is not only shocked and saddened by this tragedy but is particularly upset about the disappearance of a treasured watch. Detective Superintendent Roy Grace will head the enquiry and finds himself following a murderous race against the clock....and us in another very exciting saga.

The story opens in 1920’s New York when a boy’s mother is killed and the father kidnapped by hard looking men. Then the story quickly moves to Brighton present day with Grace investigating the home invasion. The story unfolds gradually with these two events on both sides of the Atlantic. Back and forth we go. I quite like the way the two different time periods come back together especially at the end. In tandem with the main story but not really a part of it is that someone is after Roy and his family and wants desperately to pull them apart even killed them. Grace nemesis, Amis Smallbone, definitely has a twisted obsession for revenge against our protagonist.

I love how Mr. James is able to takes ideas and make it seem real and believable such as the antiques trade and the psychology of revenge. The cast of characters is great I particularly loved Roy’s relationship with Cleo and their baby Noah which is very well-done in my books. Grace and his team of investigators also work superbly well together. They dig out clues and drive the investigation along while building tension for us to stay riveted till the very end, another plus. Of course the bad guys are interesting and their part give traction even more to this very exciting drama. Oh! Sandy as always has her usual snippet to tease us...what will she do?. Said with short chapters, this gripping tale is a masterful juggling act for the author as well as for Grace.

There is a lot I could mention going on here but I have to leave some for you to discover. This story is so smooth; I zipped through it in no time.… (more)

"Dead at First Sight," by Peter James, involves "romance fraud," a particularly cruel scam in which a hoaxer pretends to be in love with a target, generally an older man or woman who has lost a significant other and is desperate for a second chance at happiness. The victims, who have signed up for a dating service, do not actually meet their "paramours.” The couples correspond online or by cell phone, and trained employees play the role of "lovers,” who know how to seduce their prey and keep them in line. The prospective mates post appealing photographs that fool the unwary into believing that they have found their soulmates. Later on, the swindlers ask for loans, using a variety of pretexts--to help their "sick grandmother" obtain health care, or to hire an "expensive lawyer" to handle a messy divorce.

James is a skilled storyteller who generates sympathy for the unfortunate men and women who are deceived, exploited, and ultimately heartbroken. There are also dead bodies to contend with, and Detective Superintendent Roy Grace, head of the Major Crime Team of Surrey and Sussex, is eager to catch the perpetrators who are not only crooks, but also cold-blooded murderers. The action involves a disfigured mastermind who has had a falling out with his confederates, the avaricious duo Tunde Oganjimi and his distant cousin, Dunstan Ogwang. Another repellant villain is Tooth, a sadistic hired killer eager to make a big score before he retires.

Although it is way too long, "Dead at First Sight" is, on the whole, an engrossing thriller that explores the ways in which predators, "who hide behind firewalls in the dark web," trick the unwary into parting with their life savings. We empathize with the compassionate Grace and his loyal team, who must deal with their condescending and cantankerous boss, Assistant Chief Constable Cassian Pewe. This compelling tale is laced with dark humor (some of the bad guys are not the brightest stars in the firmament), and James incorporates intriguing tidbits into the narrative about the characters' worries, grudges, regrets, and dreams. James writes with a light touch, his dialogue is brisk and involving, and he demonstrates how the desire to get rich quickly and with minimal effort has led criminals to find new ways to prey on the innocent, gullible, and lonely among us.

… (more)