Dead Simple: Roy Grace, Book 1

This book is hard to put down it’s such a compelling read. There are many twist & turns which I didn’t see coming. Very well written. I will certainly follow this author.

This is the first in the best-selling series featuring Detective Superintendent Roy Grace and his team.A stag night prank goes wrong. Michael is a known practical joker and his friends decide to turn the tables on Michael and play a practical joke on him. His friends decide to bury him in a coffin underground for a matter of hours. Then something happens which changes things and Michael’s fate appears to be sealed. Roy Grace has to investigate the case and try to locate the groom. Michael’s best man is keeping schtum but it is clear that he has something to hide. Roy has his own demons to contend with as his wife Sandy has walked out on him and disappeared apparently without a trace.Normally I find that that the first book in a series can be slow initially as they are making introductions etcetera but this book hit the ground at speed and kept up the pace throughout. I liken it to the snowball effect in that the story starts off slow but as it goes down the slope it gathers pace and increases in size.Peter James is one heck of a writer. Certain chapters are written from the point of view of Michael, the groom and Peter James is able to accurately convey the sense of claustrophobia from being in the coffin. At times I felt that I was buried in the coffin with Michael.I loved how all the characters were well conceived & portrayed. There were a mixture of different personalities and I took to some more than others. I loved Roy Grace & his team, although I did have to cringe at Norman, who seems to be a relic from the era of DCI Gene Hunt and he does seem to be stuck in a time warp.I likened reading this story as being the equivalent of being on a rollercoaster ride in that there are plenty of twists, turns and stomach churning moments. At times I literally had to hold my breath as I feared what was coming next.Peter James is a popular writer and on the strength of this book, it is easy to see why. I really did enjoy reading this book and would definitely recommend it to others. I look forward to reading further books in this series.

Well written and difficult to put down!

Peter James certainly knows how to write gripping, tense & original crime stories, & this first book in the celebrated Brighton-based Roy Grace detective series is a real corker that ticks every box for the discerning reader.I actually came to this book after starting with the seventh book in the series (Dead Man's Grip) - I'd randomly come across it, not knowing it was part of a series, & thoroughly enjoyed it. So, could this first book possibly be as good... the answer is an emphatic yes!!For anyone who's coming to this as their first experience of the detection skills of Roy Grace, it really is the best place to start, as the books follow a timeline that charts Roy's own life - as well as the often bizarre & elaborate homicides that are his job to solve.This first book concerns a crazy stag-night (Bachelor Party) prank at the outset that goes horribly wrong, as serial-joker Michael Harrison's four male friends take a rather unwise route to exacting 'revenge' on him for them all being on the receiving-end of his past pre-wedding pranks.What follows is a tense & (literally) claustrophobic story that twists, turns & becomes ever-more desperate as Peter piles on the suspense & keeps the reader guessing right to the end.I absolutely loved the book - it's totally absorbing & you're never ever quite sure where it's headed. I love Peter's elegant research on police matters & procedures (a hallmark of this series) that give the books a very uneasy sense of realism, as the relative drudgery of Roy's life plays out against the backdrop of the grave crimes he's determined to solve. The Brighton setting is used well, as Peter uses his local knowledge of his favorite English seaside town - seeming almost prosaic in contrast with the the (often quite far-fetched) extremities of what Roy Grace has to deal with in these stories.So, all in all an excellent read, & Peter has certainly set a new benchmark for gritty & heart-stopping modern crime fiction.

Very well written, such a cool story. I thought the characters were interesting and easy to imagine. Certainly hope he is still writing new books in this series, just started the second one and it’s also great so far.

I bought a used copy of the book. The packaging quality was fine and the book is in a good condition.

No puedes dejar de leer, cambia a cada paso.

Great book, exciting and gripping. Description of the East Sussex area brilliant. Loved the TV series, but the book is brilliant.

Consiglio vivamente questo talentuoso autore, i suoi libri tengono incollati alle pagine, coinvolgente la trama e credibili i personaggi!! Lo adoro!! Voto 10!!!