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Roy Grace #14
Dead If You Don't
Shortly after Kipp Brown and his teenage son, Mungo, arrive at the Amex stadium for their team's biggest-ever football game, Mungo disappears. A short while later Kipp receives a text with a ransom demand and a warning not to go to the police if he and his wife want to see their son alive again. But as a massive, covert manhunt for the boy and his kidnappers begins, Detective Superintendent Roy Grace starts to realize that not all is what it seems.
512 pages, Paperback
First published May 17, 2018
1376 people are currently reading
2552 people want to read
About the author
Peter James
246 books3,689 followersPeter James is a global bestselling author, best known for writing crime and thriller novels, and the creator of the much-loved Detective Superintendent Roy Grace. With a total of 21 Sunday Times No. 1s under his belt, he has achieved global book sales of over 23 million copies to date and has been translated into 38 languages.
Synonymous with plot-twisting page-turners, Peter has garnered an army of loyal fans throughout his storytelling career – which also included stints writing for TV and producing films. He has won over 40 awards for his work, including the WHSmith Best Crime Author of All Time Award, Crime Writers’ Association Diamond Dagger and a BAFTA nomination for The Merchant of Venice starring Al Pacino and Jeremy Irons for which he was an Executive Producer. Many of Peter’s novels have been adapted for film, TV and stage.
Synonymous with plot-twisting page-turners, Peter has garnered an army of loyal fans throughout his storytelling career – which also included stints writing for TV and producing films. He has won over 40 awards for his work, including the WHSmith Best Crime Author of All Time Award, Crime Writers’ Association Diamond Dagger and a BAFTA nomination for The Merchant of Venice starring Al Pacino and Jeremy Irons for which he was an Executive Producer. Many of Peter’s novels have been adapted for film, TV and stage.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 531 reviews
May 11, 2018
Book 14 in the Roy Grace series.
Kipp Brown and his teenage son, Mungo, arrive at the Amex Stadium for their teams biggest ever football game. Mungo disappears. A short while later Kipp recieves a text with a ransom demand and a warning not to go to the police if he wants to see his son alive again.
Roy Grace is watching the football at the Amex Stadium with his son, Bruno. His colleague DI Glen Branson is watching the crowds on CCTV in the control room. Kipp Brown recieves a text telling him his son is in danger. Kipp is a successful businessman but he's also a compulsive gambler. There is a few threads dangling in this storyline but as usual in this series, Roy Grace and his team manage to tie them together. There is plenty of action, lots of twists, and loads of tension. The pace is set fast from the start. I love this series and I look forward every year for the new book to come out.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Pan McMillan and the author Peter James for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Kipp Brown and his teenage son, Mungo, arrive at the Amex Stadium for their teams biggest ever football game. Mungo disappears. A short while later Kipp recieves a text with a ransom demand and a warning not to go to the police if he wants to see his son alive again.
Roy Grace is watching the football at the Amex Stadium with his son, Bruno. His colleague DI Glen Branson is watching the crowds on CCTV in the control room. Kipp Brown recieves a text telling him his son is in danger. Kipp is a successful businessman but he's also a compulsive gambler. There is a few threads dangling in this storyline but as usual in this series, Roy Grace and his team manage to tie them together. There is plenty of action, lots of twists, and loads of tension. The pace is set fast from the start. I love this series and I look forward every year for the new book to come out.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Pan McMillan and the author Peter James for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
June 26, 2018
If you could only see how bad my dark circles are today—I literally stayed up almost all night to finish Peter James's
Dead If You Don't
and now I need about five iced coffees to hold me over for the rest of the day. Talk about a gripping, fast-paced thriller! Alright, where do I start? We are quickly introduced to an array of characters, all different and multifaceted, but first we meet Kipp Brown. Kipp Brown is a successful entrepreneur who makes millions and loses them just as quickly. He is known at the casinos and racetracks for his wild spending and flaunting; risking everything for his gambling addiction. Kipp and his son, Mungo, decide to spend the day together at Amex Stadium; unbeknownst to them that there was a bomb threat on the venue earlier that day.
The bomb threat called upon Amex Stadium strictly noted that £250,000 will be required to prevent destruction at the stadium. Adrian Morris, proprietor of Amex Stadium, has chosen not to fall victim to these blackmailers—allowing for potential panic to ensue. While the game is playing, the blackmailers end up changing route and kidnap Kipp's son, placing the new ransom on Mungo's life. Sussex Police have now been called to the scene of the crime, with special instructions of including Detective Superintendent Roy Grace to lead the investigation. As Roy Grace begins to investigate this kidnapping, it becomes apparent that this case goes much deeper than just a spur of the moment ransom. Who's involved and how deep does this investigation need to go?
I can't divulge any more information without spoiling the rest of the story and how it unfolds. Dead If You Don't is fast-paced and surprisingly refreshing for a detective series. I really thought I've read it all, but this case really takes crime-fiction to a whole new level. You don't need to read the Roy Grace series in order to enjoy Dead If You Don't , which is also great because now I'm a new fan of the series. One major development with Dead If You Don't that differs from other police procedural thrillers is that the story is really playing with a full deck of characters and the emotional ties to the story keep you sucked in. I've read so many crime-fiction novels that give us a police story without focusing on the victims, which is highly against my idea of what makes a good story. With Dead If You Don't , we see the emotional reactions play out, and we are allowed to make a decision on how we feel about everybody. That is very refreshing for me and it gives me hope that this oversaturated genre still has a place in my heart.
If you enjoyed A Blood thing by James Hankins, or literally almost anything by TR Ragan, I think that Dead If You Don't will be a read you'll enjoy. Thank you Wunderkind PR for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
The bomb threat called upon Amex Stadium strictly noted that £250,000 will be required to prevent destruction at the stadium. Adrian Morris, proprietor of Amex Stadium, has chosen not to fall victim to these blackmailers—allowing for potential panic to ensue. While the game is playing, the blackmailers end up changing route and kidnap Kipp's son, placing the new ransom on Mungo's life. Sussex Police have now been called to the scene of the crime, with special instructions of including Detective Superintendent Roy Grace to lead the investigation. As Roy Grace begins to investigate this kidnapping, it becomes apparent that this case goes much deeper than just a spur of the moment ransom. Who's involved and how deep does this investigation need to go?
I can't divulge any more information without spoiling the rest of the story and how it unfolds. Dead If You Don't is fast-paced and surprisingly refreshing for a detective series. I really thought I've read it all, but this case really takes crime-fiction to a whole new level. You don't need to read the Roy Grace series in order to enjoy Dead If You Don't , which is also great because now I'm a new fan of the series. One major development with Dead If You Don't that differs from other police procedural thrillers is that the story is really playing with a full deck of characters and the emotional ties to the story keep you sucked in. I've read so many crime-fiction novels that give us a police story without focusing on the victims, which is highly against my idea of what makes a good story. With Dead If You Don't , we see the emotional reactions play out, and we are allowed to make a decision on how we feel about everybody. That is very refreshing for me and it gives me hope that this oversaturated genre still has a place in my heart.
If you enjoyed A Blood thing by James Hankins, or literally almost anything by TR Ragan, I think that Dead If You Don't will be a read you'll enjoy. Thank you Wunderkind PR for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
May 23, 2018
Another great book in the DSI Roy Grace series. This is a really taut, tight thriller as Grace and his team race to save a young kidnapped boy. There were so many twists and turns in here and at one point several plot points I wasn't sure where they were going. However it all pulled together neatly towards the end.
What starts with a kidnap ends up with 8 people dead, several bombs and hoaxes, tortured criminals and drug smuggling! There's a lot going on and all over the space of a weekend. It's easy to read the book in the same short space of time as the book is set. It's hard to put it down, especially when thinking about the kidnapped young boy.
Absolutely loved it and looking forward to the next
Free arc from netgalley
What starts with a kidnap ends up with 8 people dead, several bombs and hoaxes, tortured criminals and drug smuggling! There's a lot going on and all over the space of a weekend. It's easy to read the book in the same short space of time as the book is set. It's hard to put it down, especially when thinking about the kidnapped young boy.
Absolutely loved it and looking forward to the next
Free arc from netgalley
June 3, 2018
After really enjoying the previous Roy Grace novel, I eagerly waited for this. A good crime novel but lacking the personal touch of Roy Grace and his life. I felt this one really focused more on the Armenians and Kipp than anyone else. Some decent twists and turns but nothing I havent seen before. It unfolded well, but just wish I'd been exposed more to the main character.
June 14, 2018
Peter James seems to be losing his edge with the Roy Grace series.
There was a lot happening in this novel but the plotlines were not properly developed as the story jumped from one thing to another leaving many of the subplots incomplete or unfinished.
The interactions between the main characters have also become too predictable. An example in Dead if You Don't is Roy Grace's adversarial relationship with Cassian Pewe which was gratuitous and at times, ridiculous.
Dead if You Don't started promisingly but drifted on a downward spiral culminating in a predictable and uninspiring end.
Once again there are some teasers here and there hinting that Roy's new found son Bruno has some major personality issues which will no doubt be revealed and developed in future episodes.
I wonder if the rush for the author to meet publication deadlines led to some of the rather clumsy writing, an example of which appears on page 207 "How crap death so often was for people". Really?? The short chapter style that is so familiar in James Patterson's novels was also used in Dead if You Don't and I feel it was overdone.
I have read every novel in the series and I'm afraid that Dead if You Don't is a disappointment.
I won't quite give up on Roy Grace though and will probably be back for the next instalment - hopefully an improvement on this one!
There was a lot happening in this novel but the plotlines were not properly developed as the story jumped from one thing to another leaving many of the subplots incomplete or unfinished.
The interactions between the main characters have also become too predictable. An example in Dead if You Don't is Roy Grace's adversarial relationship with Cassian Pewe which was gratuitous and at times, ridiculous.
Dead if You Don't started promisingly but drifted on a downward spiral culminating in a predictable and uninspiring end.
Once again there are some teasers here and there hinting that Roy's new found son Bruno has some major personality issues which will no doubt be revealed and developed in future episodes.
I wonder if the rush for the author to meet publication deadlines led to some of the rather clumsy writing, an example of which appears on page 207 "How crap death so often was for people". Really?? The short chapter style that is so familiar in James Patterson's novels was also used in Dead if You Don't and I feel it was overdone.
I have read every novel in the series and I'm afraid that Dead if You Don't is a disappointment.
I won't quite give up on Roy Grace though and will probably be back for the next instalment - hopefully an improvement on this one!
July 3, 2018
Thrilling, action-packed, and twisty!
In this compelling fourteenth installment in the Roy Grace series, Dead If You Don't, James has written an adrenaline pumping, police procedural that will have Detective Superintendent Roy Grace and his team investigating a bomb threat, identifying a dismembered body, delving into Brighton's Albanian underworld, and in a race against time to find a missing teen.
The writing is taut and descriptive. The characterization is spot on with a cast of characters that are astute, tenacious, and quirky, and a few evil and wicked villains that are easy to loathe. And the plot keeps you on the edge of your seat with its short, zippy, intense chapters that submerge you, page after page, into a world full of football, explosives, gang violence, abduction, greed, arrogance, gambling, deception, secrets, lies, and murder.
Overall, Dead If You Don't is an intricately woven, meticulous, complex mystery with a nice sense of urgency, palpable fear, good characterization, and great pace that's a wonderful addition to the Roy Grace series and shouldn't be missed.
Thank you to PGC Books and Peter James for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
All my reviews can be found on my blog at https://whatsbetterthanbooks.com
In this compelling fourteenth installment in the Roy Grace series, Dead If You Don't, James has written an adrenaline pumping, police procedural that will have Detective Superintendent Roy Grace and his team investigating a bomb threat, identifying a dismembered body, delving into Brighton's Albanian underworld, and in a race against time to find a missing teen.
The writing is taut and descriptive. The characterization is spot on with a cast of characters that are astute, tenacious, and quirky, and a few evil and wicked villains that are easy to loathe. And the plot keeps you on the edge of your seat with its short, zippy, intense chapters that submerge you, page after page, into a world full of football, explosives, gang violence, abduction, greed, arrogance, gambling, deception, secrets, lies, and murder.
Overall, Dead If You Don't is an intricately woven, meticulous, complex mystery with a nice sense of urgency, palpable fear, good characterization, and great pace that's a wonderful addition to the Roy Grace series and shouldn't be missed.
Thank you to PGC Books and Peter James for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
All my reviews can be found on my blog at https://whatsbetterthanbooks.com
December 16, 2018
This is the 14th book in the Detective Superintendent Roy Grace series by top author Peter James.
I am a big fan of Peter James writing and this series in particular so it was good to read this latest serving of the likeable Roy Grace. This series was set up so well in earlier books and Peter James continues to develop the regular characters and back stories with every additional book.
This one has kidnaps, bombs, killings, bomb hoaxes, drug smuggling and so much more. Amazing there is so much written in one book.
Businessman and compulsive gambler Kipp Brown is having a run of bad luck and is feeling generally pretty low but things are about to get a lot worse. While out at a Saturday afternoon football match with his son Mungo, Kipp is distracted when he bumps into a client. His son disappears and shortly after Kipp gets a message that someone has his child, and to get him back alive, will have to pay. Against the kidnappers advice he decides to contact the police and Detective Superintendent Roy Grace is in the right place to investigate.The case is not what it seems and what appeared to be a standard kidnapping turns out to be a lot more involved and dark.
Top class writing that makes great reading.
I am a big fan of Peter James writing and this series in particular so it was good to read this latest serving of the likeable Roy Grace. This series was set up so well in earlier books and Peter James continues to develop the regular characters and back stories with every additional book.
This one has kidnaps, bombs, killings, bomb hoaxes, drug smuggling and so much more. Amazing there is so much written in one book.
Businessman and compulsive gambler Kipp Brown is having a run of bad luck and is feeling generally pretty low but things are about to get a lot worse. While out at a Saturday afternoon football match with his son Mungo, Kipp is distracted when he bumps into a client. His son disappears and shortly after Kipp gets a message that someone has his child, and to get him back alive, will have to pay. Against the kidnappers advice he decides to contact the police and Detective Superintendent Roy Grace is in the right place to investigate.The case is not what it seems and what appeared to be a standard kidnapping turns out to be a lot more involved and dark.
Top class writing that makes great reading.
December 12, 2018
Pleasantly surprised by this book. I have been an avid reader of all his standalones and all of the Roy Grace series, but the last 2 books in the RG series were a huge let down. But this one was close to some of his best work, quite a decent read. I say decent, and not great or good. But maybe I am too harsh on Mr J, expecting the bar to be higher each time. I was glad to see the back of the Sandy storyline. But definitely happy to see the return of characters such as Roy's sidekick Glenn Branson, although he had not a lot to do in this one, as well as the always inappropriate “old school” Norman Potting.
Overall, Dead If You Don't was an intricately woven, complex mystery with a sense of urgency, genuine fear, and great pace that's a brilliant addition to the Roy Grace series. I wish I had read it earlier now, but had been nervous of ruining my memories of a high performing series by reading a third duff one in a row! Definitely looking forward to book 15 now.
Also quite intrigued to read Absolute Proof, after the taster at the end of the book.
Overall, Dead If You Don't was an intricately woven, complex mystery with a sense of urgency, genuine fear, and great pace that's a brilliant addition to the Roy Grace series. I wish I had read it earlier now, but had been nervous of ruining my memories of a high performing series by reading a third duff one in a row! Definitely looking forward to book 15 now.
Also quite intrigued to read Absolute Proof, after the taster at the end of the book.
April 8, 2024
Een dodelijke gok is het 14e deel uit de Roy Grace reeks. Na een jarenlange stilte en geen nieuwe boeken rond Roy Grace in het Nederlands, kwam met ‘Een dodelijke gok’ eindelijk nog eens een nieuw deel op de markt. Vele fans (waaronder mezelf) waren in de wolken want de sympathieke en gedreven Grace weet telkens de harten te stelen.
Dit 14e deel staat bol van de actie en echt saai wordt het nooit. Het verhaal vangt al meteen aan met een bom in het stadion en een ontvoering. Roy Grace wordt daarop gekatapulteerd in de duistere onderwereld van Brighton en de machtsspelletjes die daar gespeeld worden onder de rijke maffialeden. Als de zoon van de rijke ondernemer Kipp Brown wordt ontvoerd is dit al snel groot nieuws en wordt alles in het werk gesteld om hem op tijd levend terug te vinden. De oplossing van dit hele gebeuren is een beetje voorspelbaar en misschien toch net te makkelijk gevonden. Ik vond dit deel persoonlijk ook veel minder sterk in elkaar zitten dan bepaalde voorgaande delen en ook de aangesneden onderwerpen waren wat minder mijn ding. Elk zijn smaak natuurlijk, maar toch hoop ik stiekem op een sterker 15e deel. Gelukkig staat dat nog voor 2024 gepland en is het dus niet al te lang meer wachten! Voor een dodelijke gok geef ik 3,5 sterren.
https://elinevandm.wordpress.com/2024...
Dit 14e deel staat bol van de actie en echt saai wordt het nooit. Het verhaal vangt al meteen aan met een bom in het stadion en een ontvoering. Roy Grace wordt daarop gekatapulteerd in de duistere onderwereld van Brighton en de machtsspelletjes die daar gespeeld worden onder de rijke maffialeden. Als de zoon van de rijke ondernemer Kipp Brown wordt ontvoerd is dit al snel groot nieuws en wordt alles in het werk gesteld om hem op tijd levend terug te vinden. De oplossing van dit hele gebeuren is een beetje voorspelbaar en misschien toch net te makkelijk gevonden. Ik vond dit deel persoonlijk ook veel minder sterk in elkaar zitten dan bepaalde voorgaande delen en ook de aangesneden onderwerpen waren wat minder mijn ding. Elk zijn smaak natuurlijk, maar toch hoop ik stiekem op een sterker 15e deel. Gelukkig staat dat nog voor 2024 gepland en is het dus niet al te lang meer wachten! Voor een dodelijke gok geef ik 3,5 sterren.
https://elinevandm.wordpress.com/2024...
April 17, 2018
I always eagerly anticipate each Roy Grace book and was very excited to receive this from netgalley. However I felt this one took a while to really grip me and where I usually devour them quickly I didn't this time. I felt there was not much of Roy Grace and personal life in this book and the Armenian gangland aspect weighed down the story. This is the first time in the whole series I have not really enjoyed. If I consider it on a stand alone basis it was a good read but compared to the tense riveting read Peter James usually delivers I felt this fell short. however I still can't wait til the next one!
February 11, 2019
I really enjoyed this. Without doubt, this is my favourite of the series. Now that Grace has moved on from the past (thank heavens), my love of the series has been reborn and this is a corker. Packed with suspense and intrigue, with so much going on. Grace is the boss but he's still hands on, aware that lives are in his hands. 4.5 stars rounded up. Review to follow shortly on For Winter Nights
May 12, 2023
Loved it again very well written, didn’t expect a bombing and kidnapping. Would be interesting to see how they put this onto the tv series. Not much on Roys personal life in this novel but did enjoy seeing Norman Potting who is rarely mentioned
February 14, 2019
I really enjoyed this book. There was so much going on. It all started with a bomb threat at the local football stadium. The unknown perpetrators want a payment in bitcoins or the bomb will explode somewhere in the stadium during an important game. Roy Grace is there with his son Bruno. He sees someone leave an expensive camera on a seat and disappear. When he doesn't return soon Roy check it out, sees a timer and runs out of the stadium with the bomb.
Meanwhile, local businessman Kip Brown is also at the game with his son, Mungo. When he turns to greet a client Mungo disappears. Kip gets a ransom demand and a warning not to contact the police. But he does. Also in play are a dead drug mule, a dismembered corpse found at a landfill and murdered machine operator who discovered the body parts. Later there are murdered Albanian gangsters. Roy's boss ACC Cassian Pewe is out to get him and, right at the end, Bruno says something which greatly disturbs Grace. Bruno may be a little bit 'off' and this may play out in future books. All in all it was quite a convoluted story packed with action and drama that left poor Roy reeling. One of the best books in the series in my opinion.
Meanwhile, local businessman Kip Brown is also at the game with his son, Mungo. When he turns to greet a client Mungo disappears. Kip gets a ransom demand and a warning not to contact the police. But he does. Also in play are a dead drug mule, a dismembered corpse found at a landfill and murdered machine operator who discovered the body parts. Later there are murdered Albanian gangsters. Roy's boss ACC Cassian Pewe is out to get him and, right at the end, Bruno says something which greatly disturbs Grace. Bruno may be a little bit 'off' and this may play out in future books. All in all it was quite a convoluted story packed with action and drama that left poor Roy reeling. One of the best books in the series in my opinion.
April 29, 2018
In the past I've read all the Roy Grace books,but then it got to a point where the soap opera that was Sandy got a bit too much.
I probably missed two books out,and am surprised to find not only do we not have Sandy,but in this book,we barely have any interaction between our characters.
Glenn and Roy don't exchange any banter,Cleo is hardly there,and the long lost son seems only to be mentioned to sew seeds that he's going off the rails at some point.
The story itself was interesting enough,crime bosses,loyalty,cheating,lying,kidnap.... it built tension up well and made you doubt everyone.
It just didn't feel like a Grace story to me.
I probably missed two books out,and am surprised to find not only do we not have Sandy,but in this book,we barely have any interaction between our characters.
Glenn and Roy don't exchange any banter,Cleo is hardly there,and the long lost son seems only to be mentioned to sew seeds that he's going off the rails at some point.
The story itself was interesting enough,crime bosses,loyalty,cheating,lying,kidnap.... it built tension up well and made you doubt everyone.
It just didn't feel like a Grace story to me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 13, 2023
Although this was the 14th book in the Roy Grace series it didn’t matter that I hadn’t read this in order the stories are all different with a few references to previous books. I loved this one it was tense and chilling and very interesting. I’ve read three of these books and will definitely read more. It’s as good as the Ellie Griffiths books which I enjoy.
May 17, 2018
Wel Peter James weet je weer helemaal mee te sleuren en dit verhaal is weer straf maar ik miste sommige personages een beetje ...
March 14, 2018
" A parent's worst nightmare is Grace's deadliest case" That is from the jacket of the book. I must say I agree.
Kip and his son attend Amex's new stadium with state of the art security when something goes terribly wrong. His son Mungo has disappeared and the text that follows says we have Mungo , don't go to the police.
There are so many facets to this book that interweave perfectly with each other, is merely a branch of the story and then it all comes together.
The murder count and the body count keep rising as Roy Grace and his team desperately try and save Mungo.
I loved all the characters, the parents were portrayed perfectly and you honestly thought you were right there with them as they wait frantically for news of their son.
You can feel Mungo's terror as the clock ticks quickly yet slowly and agonizingly .
The Albanians are crucial to the disappearance to the teenager.
The pages turn quickly and yet there is so much to learn and to take in.
Roy Grace is my favourite detective and he is my hero.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read Dead if You Don't.
If you aren't familiar with Roy Grace you are missing out.
Kip and his son attend Amex's new stadium with state of the art security when something goes terribly wrong. His son Mungo has disappeared and the text that follows says we have Mungo , don't go to the police.
There are so many facets to this book that interweave perfectly with each other, is merely a branch of the story and then it all comes together.
The murder count and the body count keep rising as Roy Grace and his team desperately try and save Mungo.
I loved all the characters, the parents were portrayed perfectly and you honestly thought you were right there with them as they wait frantically for news of their son.
You can feel Mungo's terror as the clock ticks quickly yet slowly and agonizingly .
The Albanians are crucial to the disappearance to the teenager.
The pages turn quickly and yet there is so much to learn and to take in.
Roy Grace is my favourite detective and he is my hero.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read Dead if You Don't.
If you aren't familiar with Roy Grace you are missing out.
November 10, 2018
Another fantastic book from Peter James. You get easily attached to the main characters. There were so many intricate stories that led or were connected to the principal story. As usual you take any book from Peter James and you can't put it down. I don't know if there was any significance when he talked about Roy Grace's boy. I can see a plot coming in that direction.
A book which is easy to read and have you engaged from beginning to end.
A book which is easy to read and have you engaged from beginning to end.
June 5, 2018
Dead If You Don't: A Roy Grace Novel 14 (Roy Grace #14)
by Peter James
Bombs, kidnapping, killing, work tension. Albanians. Gambling. About the same mix as usual for this series. Like a tv drama.....
by Peter James
Bombs, kidnapping, killing, work tension. Albanians. Gambling. About the same mix as usual for this series. Like a tv drama.....
May 19, 2018
Kipp Brown is on a pretty grim run of bad luck where gambling is concerned. In fact he is up to his neck in it and well some people never learn to quit. After receiving a call to say there is a bomb in the football ground he owns, that will be detonated if he doesn’t pay up, he still takes a gamble that it won’t happen. Brown and his son Mungo are at the game and so is Roy Grace and his lad Bruno. Now two things happen, Grace does what he does best and saves to-day, while Mungo disappears from the football ground amid all the goings on.
When Brown receives a ransom request and calls in the police, it isn’t long before 2 and 2 are making 5 for Roy Grace and the team but the situation becomes all too real, with the number of dead people adding up quicker than a calculator. Oh my there are some rather cold-blooded killers in the mix where friends are only friends until you have to kill them. Will Brown gamble one more time to get his son back?
This is a story that put me on high alert as soon as I began reading and that is how it remained until the end. Peter James really is a master of perfection with his meticulous eye for detail. That is a very well-known fact and often mentioned but boy can he not only tell a story, he lays out these little tentacles of rippling uneasy, that just sit in your mind because they are festering for future books. The back bone of the stories, the personal lives of the team, especially Grace. I don’t think Grace will be as lucky as Brown. I think nature may have won in Bruno’s case, terrible for Grace but ……………….
No matter how quickly paced these stories are Grace has a calming influence about him that makes you trust everything he says and does. That also goes the other way too. When Grace’s says he will break someone he will put just as much energy into that, no matter how big they are. The dangers are real. This is a cracking addition to the Roy Grace collection. Highly recommended!
When Brown receives a ransom request and calls in the police, it isn’t long before 2 and 2 are making 5 for Roy Grace and the team but the situation becomes all too real, with the number of dead people adding up quicker than a calculator. Oh my there are some rather cold-blooded killers in the mix where friends are only friends until you have to kill them. Will Brown gamble one more time to get his son back?
This is a story that put me on high alert as soon as I began reading and that is how it remained until the end. Peter James really is a master of perfection with his meticulous eye for detail. That is a very well-known fact and often mentioned but boy can he not only tell a story, he lays out these little tentacles of rippling uneasy, that just sit in your mind because they are festering for future books. The back bone of the stories, the personal lives of the team, especially Grace. I don’t think Grace will be as lucky as Brown. I think nature may have won in Bruno’s case, terrible for Grace but ……………….
No matter how quickly paced these stories are Grace has a calming influence about him that makes you trust everything he says and does. That also goes the other way too. When Grace’s says he will break someone he will put just as much energy into that, no matter how big they are. The dangers are real. This is a cracking addition to the Roy Grace collection. Highly recommended!
March 20, 2019
Amaai, echt eentje om niet weg te leggen, een andere Roy Grace dan gewoonlijk, maar zeer spannend!
January 29, 2025
4.5 ⭐️ Another cracker from the wonderful Mr James
April 13, 2018
I would like to thank Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for an advance copy of Dead if You Don't, the fourteenth police procedural to feature Brighton based Superintendent Roy Grace.
It's all go at the Amex Stadium at Brighton and Hove Albion's first premiership game with a bomb threat and the disappearance of teenager Mungo Brown. It soon emerges that Mungo has been kidnapped so Roy and the team swing into action but the deeper they dig the more violent things become.
I thoroughly enjoyed Dead if You Don't which is an absorbing read with plenty of action, tension and some good twists. Initially I found it a bit hard going with a different perspective and character in every chapter as it's tiring trying to keep up and work out who fits in where. Once I got it all sorted out the novel is a rattling good read - I never knew what to expect next and while some of it is violent and gory it's implied rather than detailed so it didn't put me off.
I like the procedural aspects of the novel which give the reader a good sense of modern policing, especially when Roy rips up the guidelines on humanitarian grounds and gets hauled over the coals (frequently) by his boss ACC Cassian Pewe. Their interplay is amusing and Pewe's command of management gobbledygook has to be read to be believed, and hysterical.
Dead if You Don't is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.
It's all go at the Amex Stadium at Brighton and Hove Albion's first premiership game with a bomb threat and the disappearance of teenager Mungo Brown. It soon emerges that Mungo has been kidnapped so Roy and the team swing into action but the deeper they dig the more violent things become.
I thoroughly enjoyed Dead if You Don't which is an absorbing read with plenty of action, tension and some good twists. Initially I found it a bit hard going with a different perspective and character in every chapter as it's tiring trying to keep up and work out who fits in where. Once I got it all sorted out the novel is a rattling good read - I never knew what to expect next and while some of it is violent and gory it's implied rather than detailed so it didn't put me off.
I like the procedural aspects of the novel which give the reader a good sense of modern policing, especially when Roy rips up the guidelines on humanitarian grounds and gets hauled over the coals (frequently) by his boss ACC Cassian Pewe. Their interplay is amusing and Pewe's command of management gobbledygook has to be read to be believed, and hysterical.
Dead if You Don't is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.
October 24, 2018
A solid four stars ... entertaining from start to finish, fantastic page turner and characters, Peter James never fails to disappoint !
July 13, 2018
Well I must admit although I really enjoyed this latest Roy Grace outing I was kind of expecting a little more. If like me you were glad to see the back of the Sandy storyline, I also wonder if (like me) you were also expecting a little more from the thread regarding Roy's son? That little niggle aside this was a pretty decent read. You notice I say decent, and not great or good. I don't know whether that's because I just consistently expect more from Mr J or whether he just isn't up to scratch.
This story is set around a bomb threat at the local Football stadium as well as the kidnapping of the son of local businessman Kipp Brown who was briefly featured in the last book. The storylines were okay and certainly engaging enough but I still felt like there was something missing and I still cannot put my finger on exactly what that was. I love seeing the return of characters I love such as Roy's sidekick Glenn Branson as well as people like the always inappropriate Norman Potting.These consistently good characters and now the additin of Roy's son are certainly what keep me going back to this series.
One of the most exciting threads for me is Roy's son who frankly is one of the best things recently introduced. I think this gives Peter James the scope to take this series in a new direction and I sincerely hope that he will. I don't know if it's just me as the reviews for this book are mostly amazing so it seems I am in the minority. I just feel like there was a little something slightly off and although I cannot qork out what that is this latest release just didn't feel like it was as good as it could have been.
This story is set around a bomb threat at the local Football stadium as well as the kidnapping of the son of local businessman Kipp Brown who was briefly featured in the last book. The storylines were okay and certainly engaging enough but I still felt like there was something missing and I still cannot put my finger on exactly what that was. I love seeing the return of characters I love such as Roy's sidekick Glenn Branson as well as people like the always inappropriate Norman Potting.These consistently good characters and now the additin of Roy's son are certainly what keep me going back to this series.
One of the most exciting threads for me is Roy's son who frankly is one of the best things recently introduced. I think this gives Peter James the scope to take this series in a new direction and I sincerely hope that he will. I don't know if it's just me as the reviews for this book are mostly amazing so it seems I am in the minority. I just feel like there was a little something slightly off and although I cannot qork out what that is this latest release just didn't feel like it was as good as it could have been.
April 27, 2018
First of all, I would like to thank Pan Macmillan and Net Galley for a copy of this book. This is the 14th novel in the Roy Grace series.
Kipp Brown is a successful businessman but also a compulsive gambler. He has gambled all his money away and is broke. He is at the Amex Stadium with his teenage son Mungo to watch Brighton and Hove Albion, when Mungo sees his friend Alexander and he runs off to meet him. Kipp continues to his cooperate box for the game but there is no sign of Mungo when the game starts.
Also at the game is Roy Grace with his son. Even on his day off he can’t help himself. He sees a suspicious looking man with a camera. And when the man abandons the camera he goes to check it out. To discover that it’s actually a bomb, when he realises what it is, he runs it out of the stadium with it.
Kipp is wondering where his son is, when he gets a saying that kidnappers has got his son and they want £250,000 in bitcoin for his release. As Kipp has money problems he contacts the police. Roy grace is heading the team.
I have heard great things about the Roy Grace series. I must confess, before this, I had only read the first one. I really enjoyed this. Loved the action and violence and the overall story. Peter’s writing flows nicely and it’s easy to read. I can’t wait to read the rest in the series.
Kipp Brown is a successful businessman but also a compulsive gambler. He has gambled all his money away and is broke. He is at the Amex Stadium with his teenage son Mungo to watch Brighton and Hove Albion, when Mungo sees his friend Alexander and he runs off to meet him. Kipp continues to his cooperate box for the game but there is no sign of Mungo when the game starts.
Also at the game is Roy Grace with his son. Even on his day off he can’t help himself. He sees a suspicious looking man with a camera. And when the man abandons the camera he goes to check it out. To discover that it’s actually a bomb, when he realises what it is, he runs it out of the stadium with it.
Kipp is wondering where his son is, when he gets a saying that kidnappers has got his son and they want £250,000 in bitcoin for his release. As Kipp has money problems he contacts the police. Roy grace is heading the team.
I have heard great things about the Roy Grace series. I must confess, before this, I had only read the first one. I really enjoyed this. Loved the action and violence and the overall story. Peter’s writing flows nicely and it’s easy to read. I can’t wait to read the rest in the series.
May 13, 2018
This is a fantastic series and I don’t think I’ll ever tire of reading about Roy Grace and his team.
This book is jam packed full of action and I loved it.
There are lots of things happening all at once in this book but all seem to be linked to an Albanian crime gang.
To start there’s a bomb threat at the football stadium where Roy is with his son, Bruno and then a teenager is kidnapped and a ransom text sent to his family.
There’s also bodies being buried at a building site and a death from drug smuggling so all in all it’s all a bit full on in Brighton!
There’s not so much banter in this book between Roy and Branson, but you can always rely on Norman Potting.
This is a great book and I look forward to next years instalment.
Thanks to Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
This book is jam packed full of action and I loved it.
There are lots of things happening all at once in this book but all seem to be linked to an Albanian crime gang.
To start there’s a bomb threat at the football stadium where Roy is with his son, Bruno and then a teenager is kidnapped and a ransom text sent to his family.
There’s also bodies being buried at a building site and a death from drug smuggling so all in all it’s all a bit full on in Brighton!
There’s not so much banter in this book between Roy and Branson, but you can always rely on Norman Potting.
This is a great book and I look forward to next years instalment.
Thanks to Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
May 17, 2018
Loved this book. Focus was less on Grace’s personal life than some have been recently although I think there is a big storyline going to break soon.
Well written and addictive to read. Took about 4 hours to finish it!!
Well written and addictive to read. Took about 4 hours to finish it!!
June 30, 2018
Two nightmares face Detective Superintendent Roy Grace almost immediately in the latest novel in this wonderful series of police procedurals. First is a bomb threat in the Amex Stadium, the new home of the Albion football team in the first game in the Premier Leagues. Roy is attending with his son Bruno and notices an unattended camera in an empty seat a few rows in front of him. Acting intuitively he grabs the instrument with merely seconds left on a timer and rushes out of the arena, tossing it as far as he can. It doesn’t explode, but is meant to reinforce an extortion demand.
The second is the disappearance of a young lad while his father met and spoke with a client at the match. Later, he receives a ransom demand for a quarter of a million pounds. Grace spends the rest of the novel attempting to save the boy, while any number of murders and other mishaps arise under the purview of his High Crimes Unit.
The Roy Grace novels specialize in the meticulous attention to the investigative process in solving crimes, and Dead if You Don’t carries on this tradition. It sometimes seems tedious, but that’s what police procedurals are all about (and give authors the chance to introduce all kinds of red herrings). Perhaps, in this novel, this technique is carried a bit too far, with solutions offered with merely a second or two before it is too late, but we can recommend it nevertheless.
The second is the disappearance of a young lad while his father met and spoke with a client at the match. Later, he receives a ransom demand for a quarter of a million pounds. Grace spends the rest of the novel attempting to save the boy, while any number of murders and other mishaps arise under the purview of his High Crimes Unit.
The Roy Grace novels specialize in the meticulous attention to the investigative process in solving crimes, and Dead if You Don’t carries on this tradition. It sometimes seems tedious, but that’s what police procedurals are all about (and give authors the chance to introduce all kinds of red herrings). Perhaps, in this novel, this technique is carried a bit too far, with solutions offered with merely a second or two before it is too late, but we can recommend it nevertheless.
August 25, 2021
Excellent book highly recommended
Kipp Brown a compulsive gambler he is loosing big time. His son Mungo is missing and he has received a message that someone has his child and Kip will have to pay. he contacts the police and Detective Superintendent Roy Grace is brought in to investigate. Grace finds himself entering criminal underbelly of the city. Worth the read you will enjoy!!!!
Kipp Brown a compulsive gambler he is loosing big time. His son Mungo is missing and he has received a message that someone has his child and Kip will have to pay. he contacts the police and Detective Superintendent Roy Grace is brought in to investigate. Grace finds himself entering criminal underbelly of the city. Worth the read you will enjoy!!!!
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