Reviews

You Are Dead by Peter James

lyrasbookshelf's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense

3.5

Really enjoyed this thriller. I found the story original and different from ones I've previously read in the genre. What I loved most was the fact that the police team in the book was not the usual bunch of toxic men you see in thrillers and crime novels. Instead, Peter James has written men who display emotional intelligence, who aren't afraid to show their emotions and who don't act like women in their life are nothing more than a ball and chain, except of course their pretty co-workers whom they love to ogle.

A big part of my enjoyment came from the simplicity of the story. It was clear very early who the bad guy was and I loved being able to see the team reach the same knowledge. I also liked the little side plot with Grace's ex-wife, as it definitely left me wanting to continue the series to find out what the deal is.

The only negative for me was the amount of filler and repetitions that bulked up the book unnecessarily. 

logophile_life's review

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

xherdanjackiri's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

babsyb13's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

wendoxford's review against another edition

3.0

I enjoyed this episode of Roy Grace's war on crime in Brighton. Just wish that, even the most basic, research had been done on diabetes. A diabetic would far more likely need insulin not sugar without their medication....This also happened in another of the series...

kingfan30's review

4.0

After the stalker from the last book, we are back now with a serial killer and for a brief moment I thought oh no this is going to be similar to the stalker, but thankfully it was just a brief moment. And what a creepy character our serial killer is. I probably figured it out about half way though, and although I though I knew part of was going on, I wasn’t quite right (don’t want to give to much away here). Yes it may have been a bit far fetched at times, I was still pretty gripped. A nice little guest appearance from Red from the last book too. Now I’m not one who normally cries at books, however I was touched by the funeral, you get to know these characters over the series, and I thought this was nicely done (if nicely is the right word). Thankfully Sandy doesn’t play a huge part in the book, and as someone married to a workaholic I could appreciate Cleo’s frustrations.

trixie_reads's review against another edition

4.0

This was a really good entry in the series. I've read only the first three and then number seven, for some reason, but it didn't really matter. I still really enjoyed it, and found it very hard to put down. The only thing I didn't really think was in character was

Spoiler

Roy leaving Sandy knowing he might have another son. It seemed odd, especially after his thoughts of how destroyed he'd feel if someone told him his baby son was dead. It's not like Cleo doesn't know he had a previous wife. Think of that poor kid, with his mom unresponsive in the hospital! I almost hope his irresponsibility and callousness comes back to bite him in the behind.

kyrsten's review against another edition

4.0

Accidentally came in at number eleven so can firmly say that reading go out of order won’t affect your reading experience with these books.

Despite the terrible titles of the Roy Grace novels it was a very enjoyable detective thriller. I am happily adding the rest of Peter James titles to my ‘want to read’ list.

mahaali's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

yaeli's review against another edition

3.0

*3.5
I really liked it. However, I found it to be a bit slow at times.