For me, this offering from James was a welcome return (I have not read any of his books for a while). As one would expect the procedural aspects of Police work and investigations are well represented. Unlike some of the earlier novels, though, I felt that this one didn't get too bogged down by the minutiae as in the first two or three books. Many of the recurring characters make a welcome return but to a lesser degree, although, there is a nicely developing story arc for Norman Potting. Also, there are developments for Glenn Branson too in a surprisingly moving twist to his particular situation. So with that out of the way on to the crux of the story... Stolen antiques, torture, murder, betrayal, gangsters (old and new) and a damn fine twist! With some very nicely fleshed out characters James takes us through the history of the early New York gangs to the modern-day world of antiques trading by theft to order. In a bold opening young Gavin Daly witnesses the murder of his mother, his father is taken away never to be seen again and he and his sister eventually find themselves in their dotage in Roy Grace's Brighton. Following a brutally graphic torture scene Roy and his team find themselves hunting for the despicable criminals responsible for Gavin Daly's sister's brutal death, in addition they are seeking the whereabouts of millions of pounds worth of antiques, art and a very valuable watch. As the investigation unfolds more bodies pile up, sub-plots reveal themselves as integral to the main story-line, and some dirty secrets are exposed. Once the investigation takes Grace to the U.S it ramps up a notch. A showdown in the offices of a business acquaintance of Daly's leaves us in no doubt as to who holds the power in the bitter battle of revenge and vengeance which has played out prior to this. Daly and his hateful son, Lucas (a detestable wife beater), clash in a somehow unsurprising way. I was genuinely shocked at the events in this part, though, as, indeed, by what followed. Their dynamic as father and son is no great surprise and I found myself agreeing with Daly wholeheartedly when discussing Lucas. Daly is perhaps the strongest character throughout and he oozes charm, gentlemanly honour, integrity and a hefty dose of well-earned respect. As Daly comes to understand the mysterious message presented to him decades ago he reveals himself to be a genuinely sad figure. I think, too, that Roy Grace admired Daly. I did, irrespective of any of wrongdoings of yore. The Sandy part of the story arc is minimal but has its impact, which will no doubt present itself in the next in the series. The twist at the end is wonderful. It earns five stars despite being a bit long winded and taking a tad too long to get to the point.

Another excellent book in the Roy Grace series. Only advice would be to read them in order, as, although each one a story in it's own right, there are threads running through which would be spoiled if read out of sequence. Each book in the series as good as it's predecessor.

The latest in the Roy Grace series from Peter James, and another fantastic read it was too. A murder in Brighton of an elderly lady sets Grace and his team into action once again. The storyline includes action in New York and the surrounding areas of the USA with Southern Spain and, of course, Brighton. The main plot revolves partly around the historical gang wars in the USA which impacts on the lives of two very elderly characters in the storyline of the present. Some very "undesirables" of course make their appearances, adding to the drama and suspense. Along with all this we have the side line story of Grace and his private life with Cleo and his baby son Noah - again very dramatic. And of course what is happening to Sandy these days?.......... Another fantastic read from one of my favourite crime authors.

Right, time for a startling confession. I have to date only read one Peter James book- shame on me. So when I was approached to read and review Dead Man’s Time I was looking forward to the opportunity of re-entering D.I. Roy Grace’s world albeit with a seven book hiatus. In a way this has worked in my favour as I cannot have been said to be influenced by the other books, nor can this give me cause to compare this one to its predecessors in terms of style and character development, so it was really quite nice to read this in a vacuum unhindered, as I sometimes am, by the weight of those books in a series that have gone before! I think was an interesting authorial experiment on the behalf of James as the action in the book pivots between the UK, Spain and America to accommodate the needs of the plot. The book opens in 1920‘s New York, as a young boy’s mother is killed and his father is spirited away by some ne’er-do-wells, immediately piquing my interest, but we are quickly settled back into present day Brighton, with Grace investigating a particularly heinous home invasion and the murder of its elderly occupant. It gradually unfolds that these two events either side of the Atlantic are related, and as the dead woman’s brother, nonagenarian Gavin Daly- a man with his own shady past- seeks his personal revenge on those responsible, Grace becomes embroiled in a tale of greed and murder that inevitably comes a little too close to his own doorstep. I don’t know if it’s just a personal foible on my part, but I did feel that as a reader I had the uncomfortable sensation of treading water a little, during certain parts of the UK based part of the book. There seemed to be a quite laborious journey to who was behind the whole robbery and why, and how by some dubious coincidences Grace’s nearest and dearest come to be threatened, along with a swift trip to Marbella by Daly’s odious son Lucas, and oafish hard man sidekick, to deal with some miscreants and a random diversion to Germany for Grace’s ex-partner Sandy to vent at her therapist. But, fear not, the book increases in excitement one hundred fold when Gavin Daly plus odious son Lucas, the ineffable Roy Grace and a couple of his colleagues all hotfoot it to America for the final denouement. I loved this section of the book, bemoaning the fact that it couldn’t be longer, and loved the interplay between Grace and his American counterparts, the depiction of New York and its environs, and the brilliant Gavin Daly wreaking his revenge for the sins of the past. Excellent, but a long time in coming and rudely interrupted by Grace’s irritating other half, Cleo- despite being showered by police protection after a storm in a teacup incident- making him come home. No. Let him stay a bit longer to hang out with the cool cops! As the previous paragraph shows I did have issues with some of the supporting cast, but I do like Roy Grace- he’s so thoroughly decent and upstanding which proved a nice counterpoint to my personal preference of the more maverick and tortured souls who reside in law enforcement. I like his personal mantra that “he would never stop fighting his corner for the murder victims. He would work around the clock night and day to catch and lock up the perpetrators. And mostly, so far in his career, he had succeeded.” A good cop with a prodigious sense of right and wrong, ingrained with a wry humour and a natural empathy to those around him. I found the focus on his tedious home life a little too intrusive and disempowering throughout, but thought his character really came to the fore when involved in the cut and thrust of the investigation, and when interacting with suspects and colleagues. The other standout character for me was the wily Gavin Daly, a man defined by his father’s disappearance in the era of Irish gangs in New York (the history of which was seamlessly woven into the central plot), and his lifelong ambition to find the truth behind his father’s disappearance and his final resting place. I thought this back story and the characterisation of Gavin himself gave some real backbone to the overall narrative arc, and his steely determination made him an admirable adversary not only for those who had sinned against him but in his cat and mouse relationship with Grace. So despite a couple of quibbles, overall I quite enjoyed my return to the world of Peter James with Dead Man’s Time. I felt quite at home in the company of Roy Grace- our thoroughly decent detective- and thankfully the American aspects of the book, both in the terms of gang history and the relocation of the action to New York- lifted this from, for me personally, a slightly average read, to an infinitely more exciting one. Not bad at all.