Title: Love You Dead

Author: Peter James

Type: Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 340

Rating: 9/10

This is the second Peter James book that I’ve read, the first one being The House On Cold Hill, and I have to say that I highly enjoyed both of them. Whilst the first two were sent to me for free from a publicist, I’m pretty sure I’ll end up going through the rest of his work, even if I have to slowly collect them when I see them at charity shops.

Here, Detective Superintendent Roy Grace sets out to capture the culprits of a number of different crimes, all of which end up coming together towards the end. Perhaps most interestingly of all is the main villain, a scheming woman with a passion for snakes and other dangerous animals. She has a habit of marrying rich old men and then promptly finding herself as a widow - you should know the type, it’s been overused throughout the years, but James uses it to good effect.

The characterisation is pretty good, the story line is interesting enough, and overall it’s a very competent crime thriller, but you’d expect nothing less from Peter James - after all, he’s made a career out of it. It’s not quite good enough to blow the reader’s mind, but it is still a great read that keeps you turning through the pages, aided by the fact that the chapters are so short.

One other thing that’s worth mentioning is the research that James puts in - he knows a lot about the police force, and he also pays a lot of attention to whatever subject matters he comes across. In this case, he covers snakes and poisons, as well as the effects of those poisons, and it’s clear that he’s put a lot of work in to make sure that it feels believable. And he does a good job of talking about modern trends and technologies, too - it doesn’t feel forced or artificial, and that’s a good thing.

Peter James

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