Customer Reviews

Dead Man's Time (Ds Roy Grace 9)

5 star:		(223)
4 star:		(43)
3 star:		(27)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I've spent the day totally engrossed. Roy Grace is back and Peter James is at the top of the game again with a plot which, unexpectedly, starts in New York in 1922. I was a little disappointed by one of the recent books in this series. Grace, although beset by his missing wife 'baggage', was on the brink of becoming comfortable and the plotting was less convincing and a little predictable.

But make no mistake, this tale blows you away. Gangland New York sets the scene; from there the plot and characters move seamlessly back and forth in 'soundbite' style chapters, weaving together the links and intricacies. Every character is plausible. I could 'see' the seedy and slightly down at heel antique knocker as a person. I could smell fear when things went wrong. The truly chilling Apologist is in a league of his own. Peter James has created a series where the characters have dimension and relevance. The reader can understand and empathise with their conflicts and is interested in how the key characters develop and move on in their lives. Grace, the career cop, has a new family. We can appreciate what that means to him and understand his motivations and the difficulties that difference in responsibility brings. Tension builds palpably. The plotting is both creative and compelling and the climax is gripping.

For me, Peter James is one of a handful of writers who has mastered the complexity of plot and pace. This story has both, in spades. Intrigue and suspense supported by real dialogue that flows from one page to the next and you have everything for a totally compelling tale. I was totally involved and my only disappointment isthe wait for another one. Brilliant read, loved it!

Edited to add, whilst this is the most recent in the series, it works well as a stand alone read; sufficient backfill for a new reader to follow the threads of subplots which runs through the series.

No one can doubt the skills of Peter James as a fine crime writer. Dead Man's Time did not really tick the right boxes of what I expected of the author. Not Dead Yet is much better piece compared to Dead Man's Time. The build up to the novel is incredibly slow and tedious. The momentum of the novel picks at some point, but dried down later. The novel tackles the area of petty crime within the antique world. It paints the characters within the trade in a negative and stereotypical light. There is needless waffle throughout the novel, as the writing becomes repetitive. It feels though the author struggles to put pen on paper. DS Grace is a strongly represented character. The attention to details of police procedures is insightful. Pace of the novel needed to pick up much quicker as it did in earlier pieces. I did not find the novel compelling and gripping enough, to maintain my interest. Three stars is a fair reflection on this occasion.

I enjoy the pace and twists of the Roy Grace thrillers. The pace always quickens and although there are lots of back references it can be read as a stand alone story.

, Peter James and Roy Grace, where do I begin? I have read all of the books in this series and am normally gripped by each and every book I read. When I read the synopsis for this one I really wasn't sure. I was (as usual) to be proved wrong. This latest Roy Grace novel starts out with a vicious robbery at a Brighton Mansion and millions of pounds worth of antiques taken. It also leaves an elderly woman, Aileen McWhirter, fighting for her life. Roy Grace and his team lead the enquiry when the woman dies from her injuries and her brother Gavin Daly gets involved.

There is one item that is absolutely invaluable to Gavin, and although he is now well into his nineties he is still a force to be reckoned with. The invaluable item is a specific watch and the story, believe it or not, all revolves around the watch. I'm not one for major spoilers so will go no further with the storyline or plot.

What I will say is that Peter James is an awesome writer, however, there is one thing that is driving me insane. If, like me, you follow the series there has been an element to each book regarding Roy's first wife Sandy who has been missing for over 10 years. This is the thing that is the cause of my angst. I really think the storyline concerning her needs to be dealt with and then finished, or dropped altogether. I feel like it has gone on for far too long and to the point where it's lessening my enjoyment of the book. This particular book tells the story of Roy Grace and his team now, and the past concerning Gavin Daly and his family which forms part of New York's gangs in the 1920's. This alone, was done with skill and the story had me gripped from start to finish. However, every time Sandy get's mentioned I feel like hurling my book into a wall.

Okay, I know some of you may think that's extreme but when you have read a certain storyline for years (8 years in the case of the Roy Grace novels) certain elements are key. Sandy is now NOT key in my opinion, and the more I hear about it the more it grates on me. Do I want answers, yes! Do I want snippets each year, No! Deal with it and let's move on?!?

Anyway, that aside this is actually a brilliant story and as usual Peter James shows off his skill with style. I think the majority of fans will love this book and newcomers should definitely read from the beginning of the series (although not an absolute necessity). Once again, we wait another year to see what is next on the agenda for Roy and his family and friends.

So here we are again. Another year, another Roy Grace novel. As usual, I picked this up as soon as it was out - or rather, downloaded it straight to my Kindle. And that's the funny thing: the Grace novels are all reasonably long novels; but they don't feel like that when you're reading them. The short, punchy, attention-grabbing chapters, the smorgasbord of characters and the intensely interesting information on all manner of diverse subjects - crime and the solving of in particular - make each and every Grace book breeze by in just a few days...

...which isn't what you want because before you know it, you've reached the end, via a fast, breathtakingly exciting finale and it's all over again for another year!

So OK, is the new Grace novel as good as the previous entries? Why, of course! James long ago hit on a successful formula of marrying hard-edged, believable characters with highly readable, fast-paced narrative, to which he has always added (and this includes the pre-Grace supernatural and thriller books) a liberal dose of fascinating research. So yes, you learn from his books too, although admittedly for the most part you're too absorbed in the narrative to really stop and think about some new aspect of procedural crime you've just become aware of. I wish I could remember all those facts now, as by book nine in the series I should have an arsenal of useful `how to avoid being a victim of serious crime'-style information filed away for future use!

I've deliberately omitted information about the plot of Dead Man's Time. I've no interest in stating that here - you can read a précis just about anywhere. No, what I want you to know - particularly all the non-Grace/Peter James readers out there - is that you're in for a treat with just about any of Peter's books. Yes, it helps to have read the Grace novels in order, but it isn't entirely necessary. Be assured of a super-fast paced, exciting, intelligent and fascinating read, populated with *personalities* rather than merely characters; all tied together with clever plotting and a wicked streak of very black English humour.

I'm sure it'll be number one again, and really, reading Dead Man's Time, you can see why. Well done Peter, and roll on book ten!

It's been quite a while since I read a Peter James novel, so I was quite happy to receive an ARC of Dead Man's Time, the ninth in the Roy Grace series. On the plus side, it's an enjoyable enough read, with a fairly complex plot that weaves an interesting tale. James clearly knows his police procedures and the cop side of the story has the feel of authenticity. The family and criminal sides of the story, however, felt uneven and overly contrived. The whole Amis Smallbone subplot, for example, was unconvincing. Whereas Grace, his partner and some of his colleagues were three-dimensional and engaging, many of the characters were flat and caricaturish. The tale is told through workmanlike prose, and despite each chapter only being a couple of pages long there were too many redundant passages and repetition. Overall, then, a reasonably entertaining tale, with a nice twist at the end, but somewhat uneven in its telling.

A poor book not up to usual Peter James standard. The characters are unreal, the plot is unbelievable and the story line panders to those emjoying unsophisticated violence. If criminals are really like this I can't think why there are not even more in jail. Simplistic.

A good read that goes some way to explain about the 1st wife. Some interesting comment on family dynamics. A tad too black and white in some of the character portrayal for me but still worth reading on the whole.

I appreciate that many thousands have loved this novel and found it the equal if not better than the previous Roy Grace tales. I loved the previous episodes in the series. This one was a disappointment. Strengths have become weaknesses: police procedure is underlined and double checked so we know how factual and truthful it all is. That would be fine if the writing was better but we do not have believable or interesting characters herein. Instead we have , stereotypical, poorly drawn caricatures. Who cares if they live or die? Who understands their raison d'�tre ? Clearly some readers think they do, but I do not appreciate being presented with two dimensional cyphers against a preposterous back story. The dialogue ,including that between Grace and his partner, is risible; the drawing of an historical backdrop is sadly lacking in authenticity of tone. Worst of all, there is no moral compass or central humanity to the book. Thus all the characters, ostensibly evil or not so evil, fail to stir us. I feel that I have wasted valuable time with worthless low-lifes... And that includes the petty criminals and their richer brethren. To add misery to distaste, the character of Sandy holds up the action and strikes a false note throughout. There are much, much better crime writers out there and Peter James needs a much stricter editor for the next novel if he is to retain his place at the top.

Detective Superintedent Roy Grace is tired, exhausted as is his soon to be wife, Chole. They have a new seven week old son, Noah. As all parents know, the first year in a child's life is one of little sleep for the parents. Grace is worried that this lack of sleep will interfere with his job. One of his colleagues keeps interjecting his thoughts about how love leaves after a child enters the picture. What worries the new father has, as if he does't have enough troubles with a new murder to solve.

The victim, Aileen McWhirter, 92, is tortured to obtain the details of the combination of her safe as well as her bank account details. The thieves steal more than antiques, it turns out a valuables Patek Phillipe watch, a family heirloom has gone missing. Gavin Daly, Aileen's brother, is a very rich man who made his money via antiques. His son, Lucas it seems is a drug addict, and he and his father do not get on well. However, Daly and is son are determined to get the watch back, never mind the rest of the antiques. And,they work against the police which sets Grace's nerves on edge.

The mystery of the watch is a terrific plot, and the writing is solid and entertaining. There are several interesting twists and turns. And, of course, Sandy, the former lost wife, turns up. This part of the series has become so dull that I have come to dislike Sandy. She is not interesting nor a part of he plot that I want.

One of Grace's former prisoners, who hates Grace with a passion, is out on parole, and he is set to enact revenge. This part of the storyline is a litte off base, but brings some interest. Grace's travel to New York City is a part of the book that could have been deleted. Like Officer Cobb, I don't understand why Grace feels the need to be there.

One of Grace's colleagues is always eating Red Maltesers, and I finally googled to find out what they are:

'Maltesers are a confectionery product manufactured by Mars, Incorporated. Maltesers consist of a roughly spherical malt honeycomb centre, surrounded by milk chocolate. They are most popular in Denmark, the UK, Australia, Switzerland, Spain, Ireland, Canada, France, Hong Kong, and Portugal. Maltesers are also one of the types of sweet included in Mars's Revels assortment.' Wiki

I found it tough going in the first third of this book, but it picked up and it became a fast paced mystery, the kind I love.

Recommended. prisrob 06-20-13