Roy has a lot on his plate. He and his newlywed wife, Cleo, are raising their infant son, Noah. He is told that his first wife, Sandy, is still alive but she is lying in a coma in a Munich hospital. The serial killer, Edward Crisp (from the previous Roy Grace novel, You Are Dead), has survived a collapsing tunnel and is still at large, perhaps living in Lyon, France. There was something different about the tone of the book. Besides the usual crime solving of Roy Grace and his staff that we love, there was an edge to some of the characters in the book, in particular “Bryce” who had a more dark psychological profile to him. It made the plot intriguing but some may feel this may have overshadowed the novel but I think the intensity of that darkness gave another dimension to the book that added authenticity to the getting into the head of this character.

The sequel to this book, Looking Good Dead, was released in 2006 with the line, “They watch, they choose, they kill.” It begins when Tom Bryce attempts to return a lost CD to its owner and ends up being the witness to a horrible murder. Threatened with death if he should talk, Bryce’s wife talks him into making a statement to the team headed by Superintendent Roy Grace. Peter James has kept this series crisp and fresh all through, and book 12 is no exception. There’s a lot going on in Love You Dead, but James, a consummate storyteller, juggles several plot threads adeptly, including a number from previous books. With three killers on the loose, Roy Grace has his hands full with just doing his job. I thought that since this is called the Roy Grace series that Roy Grace would be in the novel more often. However, Roy Grace is not a dominant character until the second half of the novel and very much so at the end. However, his personal story left me wanting to know what has happened to him in the last eleven books, especially since he resolves some of the “ghosts” that he is confronted with in this novel that seem to have haunted him for some time. James became a successful producer of 26 films. The first movie he produced was 1971’s The Corpse Grinders. In addition to Corpse Grinders, Peter James has also produced such movies as Under Milk Wood, Dead of Night, Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things, Spanish Fly, Jericho Mansions, Head in the Clouds, and The Bridge of San Luis Rey. He was the executive producer of 2004’s take on Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. When James’ publisher, Pan Macmillan, came to him to ask him to create a new detective, James says he wanted to make Roy Grace a very separate kind of officer compared to other fictional investigators. He goes on to explain that much of his time was spent trying to determine what it is that detectives really do, and he discovered that their biggest job is to solve puzzles. How intriguing would it be to have a character that has a personal puzzle their own life? Who is Peter James?Single girl, 33, redhead and smouldering, love life that’s crashed and burned. Seeks new flame to rekindle her fire. Fun, friendship and—who knows—more maybe?

Best-selling author Peter James has 30 novels in this genre, including 11 prequels to this novel. Read more about him: In Peter James’ Want You Dead, thirty-year old Red Cameron meets handsome, charming and rich thirty-five year old Bryce Laurent through an online dating agency, and is instantly attracted to him. But as their love blossoms, the truth about his past begins to emerge, and with it his dark side. Everything he has told Red about himself turns out to be a tissue of lies, and her infatuation with him gradually turns to terror.Love You Dead, the twelfth book in the Roy Grace series by crime writer Peter James is a great example of a well-researched police procedural novel. When choosing a novel to read, I typically do not choose a mystery/crime/detective/thriller, although I usually enjoy them once I do. Love You Dead is no exception. For fans of Peter James, my observations will be nothing new; however, for those who are not familiar with his books, I hope this review will point you towards your new favourite detective series. Clive Mantle said: "I'm looking forward to terrifying... I mean entertaining... audiences up and down the length and breadth of Britain with 'Wish You Were Dead'. Full of suspense and drama, there will be many funny moments too during the course of a captivating evening. There's a clue there for starters. Roll up, roll up, all you amateur sleuths. Can't wait to see you all." Within a year, and under police protection, she evicts him from her flat and her life. But far from being over, her nightmare is only just beginning. For Bryce is obsessed and besotted with her. He intends to destroy, by fire, everything and everyone she has ever known and loved—and then her, too. It’s up to Detective Superintendent Roy Grace to stop him before it’s too late… Roy Grace is also different in that he will use anything and everything available to him to solve a case. He will use basics like pathology analysis and forensics, to mediums as far off the beaten path as the paranormal, getting input from mediums and clairvoyants about his work. Grace has his own belief system in ghosts and things that go bump in the night, and he brings that into his cases. James explained that, in his experience, a majority of policemen and policewomen enjoy their work, even though they have to work insane hours, deal with the bureaucracy, and face horrible tragedies, as well as the internal politics of the system. But he also explains that those experiences are the reason that police workers look at the world differently than everyone else.