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. ( )

Ok for a brainless read while on holiday. I was a bit fed up with the whole victim's family takes revenge for crime bit as PJ has done that storyline before and not that long ago in the series. The missing wife storyline mostly took a back seat and I for one was fine with that as it makes my eyes roll. ( )

And the thrills continue with Dead Man’s Time, the 9th book in Peter James’ series featuring DS Roy Grace. Picking up immediately after the last book, an on-going threat to Roy’s family continued to develop as also does another mystery that has been part of the series from the first book. Roy and his crew are working on a particularly heinous crime where an elderly woman was beaten and tortured as her house was robbed of valuable antiques.

Having just become a father, Roy is battling fatigue and guilt at not being able to help Cleo more with their newborn son, Noah. He also feels a responsibility to solve this crime that is growing ever more intricate and eventually has him heading to New York for a few days. Unknown to him an old enemy sees his absence as an ideal time to strike at Cleo and the baby. The action, as always in this series, is fast and furious, the various plots weave throughout the book but eventually come together to give the reader a satisfactory conclusion.

Having read the last two books almost back-to-back, it is now time to give this series a rest but I will be back to read on as this is a series that I can rely upon to provide plenty of twists and turns that keep me engaged. ( )

This book starts with a short prologue set in 1920's New York City. A very young brother and sister are spared after their mother is shot and their father kidnapped. Their father was associated with an Irish gang and it's likely he's been killed. The children are taken to back to Ireland by their aunt, but before they board the ship, someone gives the young boy his father’s pocket watch and a series of numbers. He vows to return one day and find his father.

Fast forward about 85 years and DS Roy Grace is investigating the home invasion murder of an older woman. It's not hard to guess that she's the young girl from the prologue. Her brother, now in his 90s doesn't care about the millions of dollars of antiques that have been stolen. They've also stolen his father's watch, their priceless family heirloom, and the only thing they have to remind them of their former life. He's rich and powerful and plans to get it back even it means lying to Grace to keep him from finding the murderer first. In addition to investigating the murder, Roy is trying to cope with becoming a new father. He can't sleep and his relationship with his girlfriend, Cleo, has become more difficult. He's also unaware that a nasty criminal named Amis Smallbone is preparing to harm Cleo and the baby.

The plotting is tight and the tension is well done. There are several red herrings that makes it an interesting story for any crime fan. DS Roy Grace and his team are great characters and the story of what happened to the watch and what it means was quite intriguing. It's a real page turner and I can't wait to see what happens in the next book. ( )

Somehow I missed this one when it came out. I have loved this series since I first read Book 1 featuring Roy Grace. Roy is portrayed as a detective with integrity and respect for his profession and compassion for the victim. He keeps working until the case is solved all the while trying to balance his personal life. I don't think I have ever given a book in this series less than 4.5 to 5 stars. This one only received 4...and I thought about 3.5. It had too much going on at the same time and some of the antique information was unnecessary and drug out what was otherwise a good story. Still love Roy and will certainly continue the series. ( )

The usual high standard of police procedural, which interestingly includes a historical link back to the gangs of New York in the 1920s. The only negative for me is the continuing saga of Roy Grace's long missing wife, who appears to have managed to obtain a false passport and build up considerable assets in Munich, which stetches credibility, given she supposedly disappeared without trace (and finances as I recall). ( )

This book starts with a short prologue set in 1920's New York City. A very young brother and sister are spared after their mother is shot and their father kidnapped. Their father was associated with an Irish gang and it's likely he's been killed. The children are taken to back to Ireland by their aunt, but before they board the ship, someone gives the young boy his father’s pocket watch and a series of numbers. He vows to return one day and find his father.

Fast forward about 85 years and DS Roy Grace is investigating the home invasion murder of an older woman. It's not hard to guess that she's the young girl from the prologue. Her brother, now in his 90s doesn't care about the millions of dollars of antiques that have been stolen. They've also stolen his father's watch, their priceless family heirloom, and the only thing they have to remind them of their former life. He's rich and powerful and plans to get it back even it means lying to Grace to keep him from finding the murderer first. In addition to investigating the murder, Roy is trying to cope with becoming a new father. He can't sleep and his relationship with his girlfriend, Cleo, has become more difficult. He's also unaware that a nasty criminal named Amis Smallbone is preparing to harm Cleo and the baby.

The plotting is tight and the tension is well done. There are several red herrings that makes it an interesting story for any crime fan. DS Roy Grace and his team are great characters and the story of what happened to the watch and what it means was quite intriguing. It's a real page turner and I can't wait to see what happens in the next book. ( )

It was great to be back with this series and I galloped through this book. An interesting story which had much of its root cause in incidents that happened in Brooklyn ninety years before when a mother was murdered and a father was abducted. Towards the last 100 pages I could not put it down and despite having work the next morning had to read on past midnight to get to the resolution of the book. I do love this series, which is set in Brighton (on the south coast of England) and a good group of characters have been brought together, but the author has also refreshed it with a new member of the team. For those of you that have followed the series a shocking development happened in the life of one of the main characters (staying mum!). It was also interesting to see how having a young baby affected Roy Grace in his job! If you haven't read this series I do recommend it, especially if you enjoy feeling part of the investigation process. ( )

I love mysteries that dig into the past, and this one has a sad and compelling event - the murder of a young boy's parents in 1920's Brooklyn - at its center. The plot is complicated, in a good way - you do need to pay attention. The villains are really nasty, but the central characters are very likable and realistic. You also learn a bit about antiques and vintage watches. Peter James is well worth reading. ( )

Book number 9 in the series swings between Brighton and New York, present day and 1922 and plays against an historicaly true back story. The main characters are now well defined and provide additionalinterest. The story itself is good, although not up there with the best un this series ( )

Peter James's latest book Dead Man's Time is the ninth entry in the Detective Superintendent Roy Grace series.

I had read the first four or five books in this series, but hadn't picked up one lately.

Dead Man's Time opens with a scene from 1922 - a scared young boy is witness to his mother's death and his father's disappearance in New York. The only thing left to him is his father's broken watch and a list of names and numbers. Fast forward to 2012 England. The boy is now ninety five. That same watch has been tucked away in his sister's safe for all those ensuing years until a brazen daytime robbery occurs. A robbery that seems to be more than just a grab for the valuable antiques and paintings in the home, for the existence of the watch is known to very few. The thieves aren't content with their looting - they also murder the old woman.

Roy's team is called in to investigate. James has created a solid, enjoyable police procedural. I always enjoy the team atmosphere of British crime solving and the piecing together of clues. Grace's team is ever changing, but some old standbys are still with him. James gives this supporting cast personality - they come across as real and believable.

Grace bases his storyline on actual historical events - the Irish gangs and politics of 1920's New York. I did find this quite interesting and hopped on to the internet to check out some of the details - notable The Dead Rabbit Gang. However, I did find parts of the plot a bit of a stretch. Grace's need to travel to New York seems unbelievable, as do his actions while there. The subplot involving a criminal from Grace's past seems overdone. And I found the thugs in England to be clichéd in both dialogue, descriptions and actions. As I mentioned, I haven't read the last three or so books, but one thing hasn't changed or been resolved . Grace's ex wife Sandy has been hanging in the background for long enough - hopefully this is the end of her and her storyline. Grace does include a good personal storyline with Grace's role as a new father.

Dead Man's Time was a solid read, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this series to those who enjoy British police procedurals. But it wasn't a standout for me. ( )

Remember the ‘stag do one’. Well I do very well. The reason being that I believe that if a book is good, really good I don’t forget it. Dead Simple by Peter James is one of my all time favourites and one I won’t forget. It also introduced me to Peter James as an author and to his character Roy Grace.

I am at the stage now where the crime dosen’t really matter it’s the characters lives as I feel that I know them personally. The plot on this book was a little thin with the detectives and criminals running around after an expensive watch. This dosen’t matter because for me it was what next for Roy, Cloe and baby Noah, and what is Sandy up to. The story with Sandy has gone a bit slow she is still there in the background. I am looking forward to when and if Roy and sandy do come face to face.

Always a good read for me and I will certainly be waiting for book number ten next year and any other books by Peter James. This book however wasn’t as good as previous novels in the series although I enjoyed it. ( )