I have to admit that this is the first Grace book i have read, i enjoyed it so much that i have gone back to the beginning.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and at times i was just at the edge of my seat. Fast paced action with some good twists.
If you have not read Grace you need too!!

Peter James does it yet again in his 18th outing with Roy Grace! I don’t want to give away any spoilers, however, I’ll just say that this is a very unique novel from any other crime / thriller I have read as it is based in the Art world and concerns painting and forgeries.. I found it extremely interesting and I learned a lot, but at the same time it didn’t loose any of it’s suspense or excitement. This is one of my favourite Roy Grace novel’s to date and I can’t wait for the next one! However, Peter James is so skilled in his character development and writing that even if this is your 1st Roy Grace novel, it won’t affect your experience or enjoyment of the novel.

Please can I say a big thank you to Pan MacMillan for giving me the opportunity to read this novel as an eARC through NetGalley.

Ever since I read one of Peter’s early books I’ve been hooked. Fab writer and keeps you guessing to the end. Highly recommended

This Is the first Peter James book I have not been able to finish - I have tried the audio and written version. I love the interaction with Roy and his family and colleagues but the art background story I just found boring and couldn't relate to. Such a shame but I look forward to the next one

Mixing the corrupt art world, murder and a treasured BBC program this Roy Grace novel has it all. They just get better and better and to add a twist who did send Noah that text message?? Roll on the next one Peter.

#PictureYouDead #NetGalley Another good read in the Roy Grace series. Perfectly capable of being read as a stand-alone but it does make it more interesting to know some of the background on the main characters. Perhaps not as a gritty as some of the previous books but an interesting story line giving an insight to the art world. An enjoyable read and I look forward to more in this series.

Harry and Freya always hope to find a hidden gem at a car boot sale. When Harry buys a painting for its frame, it turns out he could have a missing part of a series by a Master. Soon life spirals out of control and Harry is targeted by a criminal determined to have this painting for himself. DI Grace investigates a body outside an art dealers house and the 2 investigations turn out to be linked.
Quite a slow burning start, laying out the details and characters, but Peter James never disappoints with another cracker. Great to have Grace back, still grieving his newly found son, Bruno. Already looking forward to the next book!

Honest as soon as I see a Peter James book I cannot control myself and HAVE to read/purchase it!
Storyline is as always on point as is his writing. This is one author I look forward to picking up at the end of a day.
Highly recommended!

Some days, I leave work knowing that there's nothing in the house for dinner when I get home. Not that this is a problem. My journey takes me within 300 yards of no fewer than four large supermarkets.

So, do I add a bit of variety and shop at each one in turn? Do I heck as like. I will inevitably go to the same one each time, for the simple reason that I know full well that the food sold in all of them is much the same. But it will take me longer to find it in a shop that I haven't been in before than in one I'm familiar with. And I simply can't be bothered. Life really is too short.

It's a similar story - pardon the pun - with crime fiction. The market is full of talented authors who have written excellent books. Several of these I have yet to try, and there are plenty more whose works I have read one or two of and would love to read more ... one day. But it's the familarity of Peter James' Roy Grace series, of which I have been a fan for well over a decade now, that means I'm guaranteed to read the next instalment just as soon as it's released. The fact that I thought that the last book in the series, 'Wish You Were Dead' was James' best book for quite some time meant that I requested my ARC of 'Picture You Dead' with renewed excitement.

I wasn't disappointed. This book took me into the world of art, which is a subject about which I know almost less than nothing, but I could see that it had been meticulously researched and explained in a way that even I could understand. The police procedural element is also superbly done, as Detective Superintendent Roy Grace and his colleagues use a combination of the latest technologies and their own expertise and dedication to trace the baddies' every move. Added to this are events from Glenn Branson's and especially Roy's private lives, which serve to make the story more personal and to illustrate just how hard it is to maintain a work-life balance if someone else's life might depend on your work.

Then there are the characters, which include just the sort of people that James portrays so well. We have everyone from the wealthy and ruthless criminal and his henchmen, to the lovable rogue, to the nice, normal Harry and Freya. They really deserve a bit of luck, and initially seem to have got it following the chance purchase of a painting at a car boot sale. But their relative innocence means that they are entirely unprepared for the consequences. Just as I, and probably you would be.

My problem was that there was one key ingredient missing. For me, James' best novels are those that are full of suspense. The ones where you spend practically the whole book fearing for the life of a character, and as a result long to tear through the pages and yet at the same time are almost scared to do so. But - apart from a few short chapters towards the end, which are over all too quickly - you don't really do that here. This novel is fascinating, and an easy and engaging read for that reason. But it's not really a suspense thriller of the sort that this author writes best.

To conclude, then. For me, 'Picture You Dead' is not Peter James' best novel. So if you haven't read any of his books before, I suggest that you read 'Wish You Were Dead' first. Or maybe 'Dead Simple' or 'Looking Good Dead' from earlier in the series, which are also fantastic. But if, like me, you're already a fan of the Roy Grace series and have been looking forward to the next instalment ever since you read the last one, this latest is more than good enough.

My thanks to the author, Macmillan and Netgalley for my digital ARC of this book, which was published on 29th September. I will post my review on Goodreads, Amazon and my personal blog.

Peter James does not disappoint on this latest Roy Grace novel. This time the team is investigating a murder linked to a rare painting that seems to be connected to a number of criminals and after a painting found in a car boot sale is seen on tv things take a dark and dangerous turn. Can Roy and his team find the culprits before anyone else gets hurt and if the painting is not an original where has it gone?

If you’ve ever mooched around a car boot sale hoping to find a treasure that will make you rich, then be careful what you wish for – at least, if you live in Sussex!

Harry and Freya Kipling are an ordinary young couple. He’s a builder who isn’t great with dosh, so they’ve got money worries like many others have. The painting he pays £25 for is ugly, but the frame looks good. Except, when they get it home, it appears that there’s a beautiful landscape beneath the dour portrait.

Cue a Keystone Cops caper (except a significantly nastier one) with art collectors, experts, forgers, smooth-talking fixers and goons shuttling around Sussex at speed. And trying to bring it all under control is Detective Superintendent Roy Grace and his team, who aren’t used to the art world where the serious collectors will stop at nothing to get their mitts on paintings worth an eye-watering amount.

Meanwhile, Grace and Co have their usual personal baggage to deal with. A hallmark of this series has been the way Peter James has threaded ongoing issues through the books. Once or twice this has wobbled precariously, not least with Grace’s disappearing first wife, but generally I’ve admired how James has mostly resisted the temptation to tie things up too neatly – except maybe the too convenient way he bumped off Grace’s strange son Bruno – and how he’s shown realistically the way real life presents people with peaks and troughs over months and even years.

This time out there’s a vague hint about Grace’s creepy nemesis ACC Cassian Pewe, DCI Glenn Branson is still having wobbles with his journalist fiancée and DS Norman Potting’s health issues are mentioned in passing. And there’s a bitter-sweet moment for Grace and Potting when they collect the gallantry medal awarded to Norman’s fiancée Bella, who was killed in action several books back. And allow me a shout-out for Potting, where Grace has peeled back the layers from an old-school, unPC figure of fun to show an old-school, unPC very capable cop.

James is an assiduous researcher and I did enjoy his drip-feeding of information about the art world, particularly how the forgers work. I wasn’t entirely convinced, though, that an episode of Antiques Roadshow would be screened so quickly. And I suspect the ending will be fine for some readers but have others rolling their eyes. I sighed long-sufferingly as I haven’t mastered eye-rolling …

Picture You Dead is a decent read, albeit a slow one. Usually I blitz through James’ books with smoke rising from the pages, but this time once I’d set it down I didn’t find myself picking it up so quickly. But I’m still invested in the series and James, thankfully, seems incapable of producing lame ducks. And he still has plenty of story lines bubbling away nicely.

Police procedural, book 18 of series but I read it as a stand-alone novel. An intricate cat and mouse detective story. Everyone who frequents car boot sales dreams of making a great find. In this book, we dip our toe in the world of fine art filled with art experts and experts scammers. This cautionary tale reminds us that keeping our eye on the simple things in life might just be the road to happiness. Lots of characters and plot twists kept me intrigued but not confused. Deftly done. I’m interested enough to go back to the start and meet these characters from their inception. Recommend

First time reading Peter James and you certainly get value for money with these books. The storyline is very detailed with the story all interlinking and unfolding and keeping you hooked. Would recommend as I will definitely be reading more!

As a long-term fan of the Roy Grace series, I'm pleased to confirm that this, the latest episode didn't disappoint.

Unusually the opening scenes have us at a car boot sale, not discovering a dead body but an ugly painting! This painting however is the key to the entire book which opens up the fascinating world of lost art to Peter James's legions of fans.

As always, there is much to enjoy in the ongoing relationships of Roy Grace, Cleo and the supporting teams. With this long-running series now having reached November 2019, I imagine that Roy Grace's world will inevitably change as he approaches Covid times but even given that, I will look forward to catching up with my favourite series when the time comes.

This was an excellent read by Peter James and as always a most welcome addition to the long running Roy Grace series! P Fowler

Kind of slow, and not as gripping as the earlier novels. I also can't get fully comfortable with the low-key sexism in these books, how the women are always great looking and the men slobs. Also, the use of surnames for men, first names for women. Nah...not for me.

(Review copy for NetGalley)

I can't believe I'm saying this but ... this is the first book by Peter James I have read!!! I know, where have I been all this time given that this is book 18 ... living under a rock obviously!!! Although this is book 18, I think it worked well as a standalone; there is obviously character development and back stories that I've missed but it didn't detract too much from the story as a whole.

The story delves into the world of art dealing and centres around the potential discovery of an extremely rare and sought after painting which, if genuine, is worth a fortune. The plot involves a cold case, murder, forgery, burglary and the Antiques Roadshow!

With all manner of twists and turns, this is a highly entertaining story with great characters and I must give a thank you to Pan Macmillan, Macmillan and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of Picture You Dead.

Absolutely love the Roy Grace series & this one delivers yet again another brilliant storyline.
This one was was definitely quite a complicated plot so needed to concentrate to make sure I didn’t miss anything.
Peter James has mastered the art of coming up with twisty intriguing plots with brilliant unscrupulous characters that bring his stories alive.
This is book 18 in the series & Detective Inspector Roy Grace & his team are working on a cold case.
It involves the murder of a dealer in fine art named Charlie Porteous.
He is a little out of his depth when it comes to fine art.
His next case finds him plunged into it all the same & it would appear deception greed & violence play a big part in the fine art world.
Harry & Freya are a big fan of car boot sales & they have big dreams that one day they might just happen upon something of value.
They did this most weeks & it was something they both enjoyed doing.
Harry had a real good feeling that his dreams would come true of finding that one priceless item, but would he wish he hadn’t when he did ?
Loved this intriguing complex story & the underlying menace that runs through it.
I like also that we have a little more insight in to Roy Grace’s life as we get to know him through each book.
Glenn Branson & Norman Potting, part of his team, are great characters that I love to catch up with too.
You could read this as a stand alone book although I am a fan of knowing the character from the start.
Looking forward as always to see what’s next for Detective Inspector Roy Grace & his team.

A complicated murder for Roy Grace and his team.

In 2015 Charlie Porteous was found shot dead in his car outside his residence. His murderers were never caught.

In 2019 Detective Superintendent Roy Grace, Head of Major Crime for Surrey and Sussex Police is responsible for both current homicide investigations and cold cases. It’s the latter that brings the cold case file regarding the murder of Charlie Porteous to his attention. Little does he know how complicated this cold case will become part of a new case involving murders and forged art.

I enjoyed the storyline. Peter James is a gifted author, and all the characters were well defined. Although it is part of a series featuring Roy Grace and his team, it was easy to read as a standalone.

Rony

Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of the book to review.

A chance purchase at a car boot sale leads to unforeseen consequences for Harry and Freya. Roy Grace is investigating a cold case rooted in the fine art world, and soon, the two connect. This book provides an illuminating look at the world of fine art, especially its darker side. The investigation is complex and informed, and an underlying sense of menace keeps you turning the pages.

I like this story's realistic characters, twisty plot and exciting setting.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.