Left You Dead: A Realistically Creepy Crime Thriller (Roy Grace Book 17)

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This is one of the few ongoing sagas that still has me gripped, although the previous outing, Find Them Dead, left me feeling rather dissatisfied as the main character seemed to have been sidelined. Niall and Eden Paternoster start their Sunday the same way they always do – with a long drive, a visit to a country house and a quick stop at the local supermarket on the way home.

Other plot points seemed to be mentioned (several times) alluding to some big twist, but again, they went nowhere. This was a real hum-dinger of a mystery and it’s fair to say the storyline had me hooked, trying to work out what happened to Eden, from the moment she got out of the car! Major Crimes in-charge Roy Grace finds something is wrong about the whole scenario and along with his whole team sets about to find the truth. This is a very good series and although each book can be read as a standalone there are plenty of back stories for the regular reader to add to the enjoyment. Having really grown attached to the characters over the years, the emotional impact that Roy and Cleo face in this outing will have repercussions in future books - these sections were so difficult to get though.

And on the personal front there is a punch in the gut moment part way through that has left me not being able to decide whether it’s a genius bit of drama or a dirty great cop-out! All the signature elements that makes this series great is included - I always enjoy Norman Potting's ill timed quips whilst Grace and ACC Cassian Pewe's frosty relationship is also explored. Suffice to say I rarely get teary in books, most certainly not crime fiction, but I’ll admit to some sniffles in this one.

Roy Grace is toiling away as happy as he can be with a supervisor he can’t stand, in the Sussex Police. In a nutshell, it’s a did he/didn’t he set-up, but James, one of the best storytellers around, keeps the clever plot motoring. He drives home hoping to find her there but all is quiet in the house, he rings family and friends but still no luck.

Overall, Left You Dead is addictive, crafty, slightly emotional, and unbelievably already the seventeenth novel in the Roy Grace series and even though this one is a little meatier at just over 500 pages, I still have yet to read a book by James that didn’t captivate, satisfy, and highly entertain me and I’m happy to say this latest one is also no exception. Overall, a highly enjoyable read that I couldn’t put down most of the time - perfect for fans of a good thriller book. I like my detectives complicated and enjoy hearing some of their stories apart from the investigation. Once I was past the names, I was on firmer ground with the 17th book in Peter James’ Detective Superintendent Roy Grace series. Roy Grace’s attention is not wholly on the case as he has some other things going on, offering both heartbreak and potential joy, and yet he’s still the one to connect all the dots.