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Colorado Gold MYSTERY AWARD-WINNING author, Daphne Suspense Finalist. Sequel to Bestseller, His Hand In the Storm.

SOME STORMS RAGE INSIDE AND OUT

Gray is standing in the spot where he killed his only son when he hears the news—THE STITCHER is back after a fifteen-year absence. And the victim—lips sutured shut with medical nylon—disappears within minutes of being found at a nearby Body Farm.

Something is brewing in the quaint and peaceful coastal town of Halfmoon Bay—edged between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains near Vancouver. The town of Gray’s youth and where it all began—where he had a hand in his son’s death.

With a black hole forming inside him and his family threatened, Gray must catch the Stitcher—before a flood drowns the town, before his wife takes what matters most, before his guarded secret is unleashed.

From the prize-winning author of the acclaimed Bestseller, His Hand In the Storm, comes a psychological, page-turning mystery with all the elements one needs on a rainy night: an enigmatic killer, a noble yet haunted detective, and an evocative setting among the crashing Pacific waves and towering mountains of British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast.

200 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 14, 2019

1037 people are currently reading
544 people want to read

About the author

Ritu Sethi

3 books52 followers


Ritu needs coffee, beaches, and murder mysteries to survive – not necessarily in that order. She won the Colorado Gold Award for the first in the Chief Inspector Gray James Murder Mystery Series, His Hand In the Storm. The book was also a Daphne du Maurier Suspense finalist.

She has spent many years in Montreal and Vancouver – and decided to set her Gray James novels in those two cities. She is an avid mystery reader (especially of classic psychological mysteries). When she couldn't find a protagonist like Gray James – a combination of Dalgliesh, Poirot, and Bond -- she created him. And the Gray James Novels were born.

She’s fulfilling her lifelong desire of becoming a mystery writer. Many thanks to all the readers who are making that possible.

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5 stars
266 (37%)
4 stars
241 (33%)
3 stars
158 (22%)
2 stars
34 (4%)
1 star
16 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
Profile Image for Linda Strong.
3,878 reviews1,710 followers
February 6, 2019
4.5 Stars


KILL ME WHY? is the sequel to HIS HAND IN THE STORM which features Chief Investigator Gray James.

It's been 15 years, but the Stitcher is back. This serial killer is known to leave his victims with their lips sewn shut with nylon sutures. He has left his victim at a Body Farm... but the body has since disappeared before any law official saw it. The woman who runs the Body Farm is as puzzled as James .. and angry that the Sheriff did not believe her.

Unfortunately for James, this happens in the small town where he lived as a young man ... where he had a hand in his own son's death.

There will be more bodies with evidence of the Stitcher, but they too will disappear ....

When threats are launched at his family, Gray finds himself caught in the tail end of a hurricane .. a house full of suspects ... and dead bodies.

I highly recommend reading these books in order. Gray James has a history that he is still trying to come to grips with. There are some hints in this book ... but not near enough to explain what lies behind the man.

This is a well written mystery with peculiar, and sometimes deadly characters. Especially the last half of the book is action-packed and full of surprises. The biggest surprise is a twist that comes out of nowhere.

Many thanks to the author / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
3,216 reviews69 followers
February 3, 2019
I would like to thank Netgalley and SFWA for a review copy of Kill Me Why?, the second novel to feature DCI Gray James of the Vancouver police.

Gray is spending the Christmas holidays at his father’s home in Halfmoon Bay on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast when he is asked to unofficially visit a crime scene, and what a scene. Dr Emmy Kaur runs a body farm and claims that there was a dead body lying on one of her sites which disappeared while she went to report it. Her description of the corpse reminds Gray of The Stitcher who murdered fifteen years ago and was never caught.

I thoroughly enjoyed Kill Me Why? which is an exciting read with so much going on. It is not a long novel but it certainly packs a punch with plenty of action and emotion. I have not read Ms Sethi’s work before so I wasn’t sure what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised and will definitely read more. The novel opens with Gray driving to a crime scene at the request of his friend Dr John Seymour. This is intriguing as neither he nor the reader have any information about what he’s going to find. It is a great hook which draws the reader in and doesn’t let go. I must admit that my heart sank when the next chapter was the voice of the killer, not my favourite, but fortunately it is not a continuing theme throughout the novel and I assume is only there to set the scene. After that it seems like non stop action as more bodies are seen then disappear and Gray puts his life on the line. This latter I thought was particularly well done as I lived every excruciating minute with him.

I loved the atmosphere created in the novel. It is winter so rain and storms abound but they almost become a character in their own right. I could feel the danger they present and their menace.

Gray James is an odd kind of protagonist. Three years ago his son died in an accident (the author promises full details in the next novel) and he feels responsible. It cost him his marriage and his emotions. I found his angst a bit wearing, not that I don’t empathise, more that it’s a bit excessive in a crime novel. He did grow on me as the novel progressed and I got used to his idiosyncrasies.

There is much to like in Kill Me Why? so I have no hesitation in recommending it as a good read.
Profile Image for Cathy Geha.
4,351 reviews119 followers
February 12, 2019
Kill Me Why? by Ritu Sethi
Chief Inspector Gray James Detective Mystery #2

Dead bodies? Yes
A murderer to find? Definitely
Weird things going on in town? Without a doubt
Characters I could relate to? Not many
Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Do I want to read more in this series? Of course!

After reading book one in the series I was eager to find out just what would happen in Gray James life. His estranged wife and an unknown toddler daughter appeared on his doorstep at the end of book one and I wondered how that would work out. So, this book begins and there is a body found at a body farm and...the body disappears. There is one thing about the body that brings back a case from fifteen years ago that Gray was on the task force for. He needs to catch The Stitcher...NOW. There are more bodies with lips stitched closed...that disappear. There is a group of people in town wanting to oust the body farm. There is a caretaker of the body farm that is...different...but intriguing. Gray’s father makes an appearance. Seymour, the pathologist, is there for the Christmas holidays and a big part of the story. There is smuggling and romance and psychos and sickos and eventually Gray does suss out who did what to whom BUT again, the story ends with a big reveal that leads me to wondering when the next book will be out because...I really wonder how Gray will get out of the mess he may find himself in!

Thank you to the author who bequeathed me a copy of this book through NetGalley – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars
63 reviews3 followers
February 4, 2019
Kill me Why

Although I started this series book 2 (my mistake) I'm excited the read book 1. Kill me Why kept me glued to page after page was an event. Very well written.
Profile Image for River.
189 reviews7 followers
March 4, 2019
Keeps you on the edge of your seat!

I loved this story! I was left wondering just who had done it until the very end. I loved the character of James Gray and really want to know what happens next! The one thing I struggled with was having not read book one. If you haven’t yet, I definitely recommend reading it first.
Profile Image for Grace Koshida.
759 reviews15 followers
February 21, 2019
Chief Inspector Gray James has returned to Halfmoon Bay, British Columbia for the first time in three years. Still traumatized by the drowning death of his son Craig, he accompanies his friend, forensic scientist John Seymour to a nearby body farm used for research. The research head, Dr. Emmy Kaur claims to have found a male victim with his lips sutured shut with medical nylon but that the body disappeared within minutes of her going to report the crime. Has the killer known as the Stitcher returned after a 15-year absence?

Gray is stunned when his former Montreal team member Vivienne is found on a boat on the coast with two men. She is working undercover as the boat's engineer to try and stop an international art smuggling ring. When the male victim is identified as a freelance art critic, the two cases become linked. Now as a fierce storm approaches, Gray must confront his tragic past and protect his estranged wife Sita and baby daughter Noelle from a crazed killer and help Vivienne find a priceless painting.

I received an eARC via Netgalley with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

Profile Image for Marissa.
3,587 reviews47 followers
February 23, 2019
Goodreads Kindle Copy Win

An absent fifteen year killer has return as Inspector James returns to his hometown where he had a hand in his own son died.

He is thrown into the case as the body disappears and his world starts to crumble around him as his wife threatens to leave him. Can he figure out what is going on before the town becomes flooded?

A fast paced gripping story that leaves you with another question in the end.
Profile Image for Bev.
3,273 reviews98 followers
February 7, 2019
This story is book 2 in a series. Detective Gray James has a secret he needs to keep hid about his son. In the mean time, The Stitcher has returned after being gone over 10 years. A victim is found near the Body Farm with the lips stitched shut with medical thread. Something is brewing in the quaint and peaceful coastal town of Halfmoon Bay. Can Detective James catch The Stitcher before his wife leaves taking everything that matters to him and the flood hits the town? You will have to read the book to see how all this goes down. I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of this book from BookSends ARC.
19 reviews5 followers
January 20, 2019
I enjoyed this book. It was a real "cat and mouse"type of read. The main character 's name fit his grey personality. I would have given it a 5 star rating, but I do not enjoy " cliffhangers ". In this case, I was ready for the answer to the "big question" of who dun it, and the story ends.
644 reviews
July 7, 2019
2.5* What started off as an unusual story with quirky characters and an uncommon setting, (without giving away spoilers, it’s where Dr. Emmy Kaur works and lives) turned into a plodding read.

The characters were varied, but not particularly engaging and all the relationships were flawed. If DCI Gray James was to be believable and appealing to the reader, he should have been easier to read. Which woman, if any, did he love? It seemed he was playing one woman off against each other, not a likable quality in a hero.

Which brings me to the women! Not one of them, other than Emmy in flashes and Detective Vivienne, was in the least bit likable. Don’t even get me started on Farrah – a trashy character, perfunctorily described. Sita, whom Sethi describes alternately as Gray’s wife, estranged wife and ex-wife, was the hardest to a) like; b) understand. Was Gray supposed to be pursuing her or the other way around? It seemed the author had no clue herself but wanted the reader to care. In the end it didn’t matter as none of the relationships mattered or were resolved. I still didn’t know what Gray’s internal state was at the end after a long time meandering around in his mind.

The reason I am bringing these characters up is that Sethi wanted the relationships to matter. She devoted pages upon pages to the convoluted connections. I wasn’t sure if the outcome was supposed to be a cliff-hanger, or the author thought she had wrapped up the ends. In my case, it was neither a cliff-hanger in that it doesn’t motivate me to buy the next book, nor is it resolved.

Gray’s grieving about Craig was a long nightmare that served as a distraction into the mystery. It didn’t serve to a) help the reader understand Gray; or b) like Gray more; or c) to create an interesting side plot.

The mystery and setting were lacklustre. I skipped paragraphs to get to the end of each chapter and to the end of the novel. There is only so many times you can read about cars hurtling along on a stormy day on twisting mountainous roads that end on a cliff into the sea on one side. There are only so many ways to describe being soaked through by variously the storm, the sea or both. However, the reader is subjected to chapters of these weather, setting and roading challenges that all run into one another to form an extended, water-logged read.

The plot was hard to follow, full of jumps and starts, and didn’t end satisfactorily. It was really all over the place, and left the protagonist, Grey, less likable than he had been in the beginning. Odd indeed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books for a free copy in exchange for an honest review. # Kill MeWhy #NetGalley. This book review also appears in
https://thereadersvault.blogspot.com/...
https://www.netgalley.com/book/157790...
Profile Image for Bridget.
2,789 reviews132 followers
August 25, 2019
An extremely unusual but fascinating read with a raft of interesting, nuanced characters. This dark mystery really lured me in and the second half of the book in particular was packed full of action and many surprises with a twist that comes out of nowhere. Ritu Sethi created a wonderful atmosphere for the story, complete with winter storms and lashing rain. The main protagonist was DCI Gray James, working for Vancouver police, who was a man trying to accept his own history. There were some hints in this book but not enough to explain what lies behind his drive and personality.

Kill Me Why? was the second instalment of a series and I am away to read the first book - His Hand In the Storm.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the author via NetGalley at my own request. This review is my own unbiased opinion.
Profile Image for Suzan.
1,655 reviews18 followers
August 13, 2020
What I liked about this book. I really liked the area the story takes place in Vancouver Canada. The starting of the story had me really interested. I had not read other books in this series yet and maybe that is part of my problem with the characters. I had a hard time with the characters they came across as one dimensional to me and uninteresting. I also kept thinking I had read this book before but I knew I had not. It is very similar to other stories I have read just a different setting. So that all said I would recommend this book and have you give it a try for yourself.
665 reviews6 followers
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December 25, 2019
Smuggling and murder

Quite a good story . Lots of typos . Gray James is back in British Columbia for Christmas with his father , estranged wife and newly discovered daughter . A body is found , however it disappears before anything can be investigated . It is a difficult time for James as it reminds him of the loss of his son . Very puzzling .
78 reviews
April 7, 2019
Decent Mystery

Not as suspenseful as it could have been and not enough info on the art smuggling to make it such an intricate part of the ending. Not as good as the first book way to much of the detectives personal life and cliff hanger at the end was way too farfetched, just used to make reader want to read next book way to obvious a marketing tool.
667 reviews26 followers
May 26, 2019
I really enjoyed this book. It is full of excitement that doesn't seem to end. I love how the author has kept my attention throughout this book. I love the unusual characters and want to know more about them all. The plot is wonderful and forever being changed. I will need to read more of this series and more of this author's books!
Profile Image for Max Higgins.
Author 3 books1 follower
July 17, 2020
Pretty much like book 1 of Gray series. A lot of talk about the bone yard to fill in story. If Gray is back with his wife you’d never know it the way she treats him. She left him and then came back without notice expecting him to accept everything as is no questions asked, etc. Back and forth with so many characters lost track of who was whom. Otherwise, not to bad.
Profile Image for Rita.
163 reviews
March 15, 2021
I loved the first book when I read it last year. This one seemed disjointed, forced, lacking cohesion. Many interactions did not seem natural. I struggled to the end because I wanted to know who the killer was and when I'd peeked ahead halfway through it didn't make sense. I'm curious about the resolution of book 3, but not enough to read it.
983 reviews1 follower
August 19, 2021
A scientist calls to report an extra corpse at a body farm (we don't call it that!) but the new body is gone by the time the police get there. It appears that someone who commited murder 15 years ago is now killing again but whisking away the bodies as soon as they are found.
Needs editing. ("The cave was usually above ground"-huh?)
8 reviews1 follower
August 6, 2023
Lots of action but lacking

The plot is just too messy with too much going on. Too many stereotypes of pros so no one really feels real. Personally I don't like books (even if they are a series) where so much that is critical to the plot was in a previous book and the current book is left hanging for.the next one.
121 reviews
March 12, 2019
Unusual

Complicated plot with interesting characters. Murders, disappearing bodies, and a possible serial killer. The ending is a surprise and the story is completed in two others of the series.
Profile Image for David Pearce.
Author 10 books48 followers
September 12, 2019
Fast paced with a lot going on, conflicts and histories between characters galore. Personally, I would have liked it to be a little more focused on one or two conflicts, but that's just me. Enjoyable and fun.
Profile Image for gwen graves.
1,227 reviews3 followers
August 15, 2020
Really twisted story

Wow the end was a real mind blowing finish. I like the characters and they certainly where flawed, which a lot of stories the hero is close to perfect. Not this story.
Profile Image for Diana Scoville.
39 reviews2 followers
January 22, 2021
Gripping, unstoppable...

Absolutely cannot wait for book three in the Gray James series to become available. Awesome author/ novels. Thank you, Ritu, for sharing your amazing talent with us readers.
61 reviews2 followers
March 15, 2019
Thriller!

A fast read. Had to read to see the next twist and turn. I only partially guessed the ending, so that's awesome!
Profile Image for Diane Robinette.
28 reviews
May 4, 2019
Kill me why

This book was very confusing throughout. I kept thinking it would get better but even to the end I did not understand who killed who
643 reviews11 followers
May 6, 2019
Not bad not good

I had really hard time getting into this one. It just did seem all that interesting . I didn't know going in that it was part of a series so be aware of that.
162 reviews
October 3, 2019
Wonderful Book! GREAT READ!

One of those that you Can't put down until the end!
Anxiously awaiting the next BOOK AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! PLEASE!
23 reviews
October 13, 2019
.

Gray James is my obsession. Can't wait for next book in this series. Great can't put down read for mystery lovers.
4 reviews
April 19, 2020
Exciting and convoluted

The plot is tricky and the characters believable. A.m.interesting setting pills you in. easy read for fans of crime fiction.
Profile Image for Linda K. Cole.
70 reviews
May 1, 2020
Great book

Enjoyed this book. Plenty of twists and turns. Don't. Know who the guilty party is until the very end. Can't wait to read her next book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews

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