A very enjoyable read , as always with this series; great characters, wonderful setting and fine writing. However, I found this instalment less satisfying than most, mainly because there was less police procedure than usual. The story revolves principally around the trial of a drug smuggler and we see less of Roy Grace as a detective than we are accustomed to. Nevertheless there is plenty to entertain and I shall await the next book with interest.

This is a little bit different to a normal Roy Grace book being more courtroom drama and much less of the nitty gritty of the actual detective work discovering 'whodunnit'. While I enjoyed it as I do everything Peter James has written, I missed having as much Roy Grace and his story as well as the interactions with others close to him. The courtroom drama was well done and page turning and I am hoping there is more about Meg's story in coming books as well as that was also left partially open. I have noticed Peter has been doing more of lately in the last few books in this series and having those stories continue on into future books.

Took me a bit of time to get into this one as it’s not your normal police procedural. This one revolves round the trial section of justice from the view points of the police, judge, juror and accused. It was certainly a different take on this genre and I once I realised that was happening and got into it I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I feel that this book might actually show the realities of modern policing. I’m sure you don’t work on one case and one case only. You jump around from here to there, secondments happen, meetings happen, post charge work for the CPS etc.

I wish that Cleo was utilised a bit more at the moment. She is a pathologist not just a yummy mummy worrying about vegan diets. I really enjoyed them being a duo working together. I think that’s why it’s a four star for me.

And it still keeps getting better

This is the sixteenth Roy Grace novel (all of which I have read) and I find myself saying it is the best yet (again). There are so many aspects to these novels but I love the fact that the author, Peter James, is always bang up-to-date with current situations as well as being well-researched.

Mickey Starr (or Lucky as some people know him) has a brother with downs syndrome who he idolises and has pledged to look after. However, the novel opens with Mickey trying to bring a large quantity of class A drugs into the country hidden in a fake, top of the range, Ferrari. He gets caught and his ultimate boss is then found and the two go on trial.

Mickey pleads guilty in the hope of a shorter sentence so he can get out to his brother whilst the boss denies all knowledge of Mickey and the drugs.

In the meantime, Meg Magellan is taking a redundancy package as she sees her daughter, Laura, going on a round-the-world trip with her best friend. Meg has a sad past with family bereavements and during Laura’s trip is required to do jury service.

As the jury arrive there is somebody at the front of the public gallery filming the jurors with a view to trying to persuade them to return a ‘not-guilty’ verdict.

This is easily a stand-alone novel, although my enjoyment is enhanced by the fact that I know the background to some of the characters and wait for their next moves.

The ending was great. ‘I’m writing because I have something of interest about our mutual friend. No names mentioned because all these letters are read, but I know you were interested in doing something with that park bench.’

I cannot wait for the next instalment.

Thank you to NetGalley, Pan Macmiilan and Peter James for my ARC of Find Them Dead in return for my honest review.

Utterly brilliant read. Highly recommended.

What would the late spring be without the latest Peter James novel? This is the 16th Roy Grace police procedural and it is one of the best.

The normal bunch of characters are all there with their customary problems, peccadillos and foibles and reading this is like welcoming back an old friend.

The plot is well drawn with a number of conjoined loose threads all coming together satisfactorily and there is much more court drama than normal, which was fine by me.

Normally by now a series such as this is looking tired and running on fumes. Not so this one. Peter James is still at the top of his form.

I love it when I see a new Roy Grace book, you know you're in good hands.

For the first time the action is mainly set in the court room during a trial for a lawyer accused of being a drug smuggler.

Meg is selected for jury duty and feels like it'll be a welcome distraction from worrying about her daughter going off travelling with her friend.... That is until she receives a message to say she must sway the jury to a not guilty verdict, her daughter's life depends on it.

As usual, it's an engrossing read with the usual cast supporting the story like Branson and Norman.

The back story regarding Grace's son, Bruno is interesting, lots of red flags all over the place yet for someone as perceptive as Grace he seems to miss them!

Also looking forward to Cassian Pewe's potential downfall in the next book!

Great read.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book, this is my honest opinion

Another brilliant instalment in the Roy Grace series. I don’t know how Peter manages to bring out so many amazing books, all just as brilliant as the previous one. I was so gripped I couldn’t put it down. He has this wonderful knack of keeping you hanging on for more after each book. Please don’t keep us waiting too long for the next instalment. I 1000% recommend this book and series, you won’t be disappointed.

Although written in a very short time due to Coronavirus a great story line. Roy Grace at his best, a story involving drug running, murder and abduction with an attempt to noble the jury. Read this great book and see..

As an avid reader of the Roy Grace books, I was ecstatic to have the latest one to read during the lockdown.
Find Them Dead picks up at the end of the previous book, with Roy on secondment to the Met before returning to his beloved Brighton. A number of stories are cleverly interwoven with Roy’s life and we catch up with some familiar faces from the previous books.
I started the book last night and couldn’t put it down. Peter writes brilliantly, always leaving you wanting more at the end of a chapter.
I already can’t wait for the next book! Thank you NetGalley

spoiler alert ** 3.5 stars


Quite a tense courtroom thriller,where someone is being blackmailed into swaying the jury into a not guilty verdict.
That someone is the foreperson,and as the evidence comes out,they have a harder and harder job.
The tension is racked up by the blackmailed threatening her daughter (currently travelling the world) breaking into her house and clearly watching her every move.
We know the guy in the dock is guilty,but will he get away with it?

As a side note,it felt,there was a murder,a bit of Grace and Branson and more conflict with Pews.
I think I've said this before,it's a Roy Grace book,lacking a lot of Roy Grace.
I'd really like some progress with Bruno too.

I really enjoy Peter James writing and as always look forward to the next one.

Peter James is really the best out there at detective writing.
I first discovered the Roy Grace series last year and have read all them throughout 2019 and 2020. When I heard that Peter James was releasing a new DCI Grace, I could not wait to get my hands on a copy and knew that I would need to pencil a day out for reading it. A huge thank you to the publishers for keeping me happy during lockdown.
Wow what a book. I think this is my favourite DCI Grace story to date. I love the style of writing that Peter James uses. It is through his writing that I feel I know Roy, Cleo and all the other characters.
As usually is the case with his books, the short, yet ending on a cliffhanger chapters, keep you thinking "just one more chapter". I was up while late in the night reading this book as I could just not put it down.
I have such a fascination with jury and the courts and love any book that is about jury service and the legal process.
This book is highly recommended, as with all of this series.
Thank you

Can you believe this is book 16, they just keep getting better and better, this is must read! Roy Grace books will be read and re-read over and over for me!