Friday, August 16, 2024

"Not Dead Yet", by Peter James


Roy Grace book #8

At one point you need to put a series aside, forget it for some time but eventually you cannot resist coming back. I did just that almost 10 years since I read book 1 and from time to time through the years read one more till I reached book # 7 got hooked again and here I am reviewing book #8 2 weeks later.

Rock superstar Gaia is chosen to play the leading role as Maria Fitzherbert in the biggest Hollywood production. The greatest love story between King George 1V and Maria Fitzherbert is to be filmed on location in Brighton and Hove.

An obsessed stalker is after Gaia who may have followed her to the UK it is up to Detective Superintendent Roy Grace to make sure she stays safe. Meanwhile, a torso is discovered on a chicken farm and Roy Grace is soon to be father. The two ongoing plot move beautifully well. To put salt on everything, Grace’s missing wife Sandy is messing around.....oh boy....That part I simply loved, how to add tension to a plot this author has a hack in doing so. All this is neatly entwined to make a coherent and engaging tale full of distractions: twists and turns sure thing to have us turning the pages.

“Not Dead Yet” is an enjoyable read, a suspenseful police procedural hard to put aside. This is definitely a classic crime novel which has everything I look for. The main character is a lady Ga Ga hybrid, an international celebrity with a big ego who will play the role as mistress to the King. Her role may be farfetched but it is well done to captivate us well least it did to me. M. James blurs the fact and fiction a lot in this production but having limited knowledge of Royalty in England, anything goes as long as the plot is captivating. The pace is good and the plot reads well. The characters are excellent players and I loved following the recurring ones through their long saga. Yes I up to read the next on “Dead Man’s Time”.

I think it is important to read this series in order otherwise one may think this latest is a bit silly.

No comments:

Post a Comment