Another instalment in the Roy Grace series and I wasn’t disappointed. It all starts with a horrific traffic accident, in which a young man loses his life. There are three drivers involved but only one flees the scene and it falls to Grace’s team to identify the missing driver. This series never follows the standard murder investigation plot and the police manage to not get personally embroiled, which are both bonus points for me. Dead Man’s Grip contains a good balance of police work, insight into the victims’ lives and a dash of action.

I have always found Peter James’ books to be the most believable when it comes to the police procedural aspect. Whilst the actual crimes might be a bit fair fetched, I can imagine Brighton PD to be just as described in Grace’s world. If any Brighton coppers would like to correct me, please do!

I would hope that after reading this book, people may think twice about driving to work after a night out. I have known many people that will stay out later drinking and get into their cars first thing in the morning when there is no way the alcohol has left their systems. I don’t drive myself, but I can’t imagine even a hungover state is conducive to good reactions.

This is unconnected to the writing but the image quality on the cover is shocking. Surely they can’t have ran out of high-quality photos of Brighton sea front already? It looks like a photo enlarged on a colour photocopier. Now I only paid a fiver for my copy, but if you were paying full RRP, you’d expect something a bit nicer on a hardback.

If you’ve not read any Peter James before I strongly advise that you start at the beginning with Dead Simple, which is my personal favourite. He has also written some standalone novels but you can identify a Roy Grace one as they all contain the word “Dead” in the title.

Dead Simple 4/5
#2 Looking Good Dead 4/5
#3 Not Dead Enough 4/5
#4 Dead Man’s Footsteps 3/5
#5 Dead Tomorrow 4/5
#6 Dead Like You 4/5
#7 Dead Man’s Grip 4/5