The plot in this 5th installment is more of a conventional police-procedural than in the previous novel. Although, not particularly original in itself it is by far not your ordinary run of the mill bad cop/good cop story we find in most story of this genre. We may think that after so many books the vitality and freshness may have started to dwindle but I had no fear that Mr. James would deliver another blockbuster and he did.
In a few words:
When a dredger uncovers the body of a young man on the sea bed, Roy Grace is called in to investigate a crime that offers no clues other than an empty body cavity, leaving him totally baffled to find out what had happened. But when similar corpses are later uncovered it became clear to the investigators that they were dealing with murders of young people and the harvesting of their organs for sale.
“Dead Tomorrow”, ties the desperation of a mother with a daughter suffering acute liver disease to the vulnerable street kids and the burgeoning trade in human organs.
More thoughts:
In every good story we have a leading man, Detective Superintendent Roy Grace, is not the stereotype characters we find in many novels. Roy has no alcoholism, misogyny and psychological disorders rather he is stable, reliable, sensitive and hard working. He is a hell of a cop. We will also find that all the supporting characters are so very human: from victims, to the pressured, to the investigators. In interweaving plot we learn of their personal lives, the nitty-gritty portrayal of teenagers and their emotions.
This is a most realistic portrayed plot I have read in a long time. It plays out more as a chase than an intricate layering of clues and red herrings. Its 500 or so pages move like the breeze even with the many details the tempo never bogs down. Mr. James created another world for us to temporarily become part of and for us to actually care what happens to his characters. What holds together this long novel is a strong narrative….
I certainly got my money’s worth
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