Dead Man's Footsteps

Roy Grace #4

by Peter James

Amid the tragic unfolding mayhem of the morning of 9/11, failed Brighton businessman and ne'er-do-well Ronnie Wilson sees the chance of a to shed his debts, disappear and reinvent himself in another country. Six years later the discovery of the skeletal remains of a woman's body in a storm drain in Brighton leads Detective Superintendent Roy Grace on an enquiry spanning the globe, and into a desperate race against time to save the life of a woman being hunted down like an animal in the streets and alleys of Brighton.

Genres: Crime, Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Audiobook, Suspense, Detective

581 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Peter 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.

Reviews

[Liz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gotta say, I’ve enjoyed this series up until now but I’m not so sure anymore. There are things going on with the writing in this book that I don’t think I can get past. Pros and Cons below.

Pros

1) Fairly solid in terms of mystery and the pacing, although slightly more predictable than previous books.

2) A very thoughtful and what I can only assume to be accurate (I was not in NYC that day) description of September 11th and the absolute horror and tragedy of the day. Respectful portrayal of victims, NYPD and FDNY.

Cons (are you ready??)

1) For the love of god Mr. James, stop using entire paragraphs to describe women's looks. When a woman is terrified because her sick mother has been kidnapped for ransom, I can assure you that WE DO NOT CARE that “despite her face being drained and all scrunched up in misery, she was an extremely good-looking young woman.” This, followed by four more sentences to describe those looks in detail, followed by another paragraph describing her clothing. And yes, her sick, elderly mother has just been taken by a crazy dude who is threatening to murder her. I can assure you, this is not the only example - nearly every female character is treated to this assessment. Oh, and the 80s called. They want the term “leggy” back.

2) Fuck sake, when a woman smiles at you it doesn’t mean she wants to have sex with you. Nor is she using her special female sexy power to try to manipulate you. Specific examples of this include but are not limited to:

Detective Branson with a female witness: “And she had real come-to-bed eyes. Which he caught twice in fast succession and then did his best to ignore…” Oof. Tough sitch. Trying to ignore those come-to-bed eyes. I get it.

Detective Pewe in his female boss’s office: “Then she looked at him and smiled. A long, almost come-on smile. Instantly, he melted.” Aw. Feels! Like I’m gonna throw up.

Are you sensing a theme here? 'Kay, one more.

3) General skeeviness. On two separate occasions, the same said female boss has male detectives (who are direct reports) in her office and they BOTH fantasize about getting it on with her. On the desk, in one case. Cue the bow-chicka-wakka-chicka music, it's that bad. Clearly she has used her come-on smile too effectively. Detective Pewe even had trouble taming his erection, poor guy!

Although after this review it may seem like it, I’m not usually a stickler on this subject. In fact I’m pretty sure it was in the earlier books too, just to a lesser degree. But this one… it was so laden with out-dated, crudely sexist terminology that I don’t even know why I read to the end. Even the cliffhanger won't be enough to bring me back!

[Sandysbookaday (taking a step back for a while) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I somehow got this book out of order in my series reading list. But no problem, I loved it anyway. In fact I think it is the best of the series so far. It is one of those books that I stayed up all night to read.
Highly recommended.

[Eline Van Der Meulen · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Op sterven na dood is een goed geconstrueerd verhaal dat ik enorm graag en snel uitgelezen heb. Het hield me in de ban, verveelde geen seconde en was goed geschreven. Kortom, weer een topboek van Peter James!"
https://elinevandm.wordpress.com/2021...

[Mike Mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 4th book in the Roy Grace series and I read book 3 a couple of years ago. Of course missing out books 1 and 2🤦‍♂️ Great story starting with a woman’s body found in a storm drain in Brighton. Flashing between the events of 9/11 in the US and a body found in Australia.

In the last book Grace’s mate Glen Branson was living in his flat. Now he has returned to his wife…but may be moving back. I noted in last book review that the story had picked up in last part. But this one romps along nicely from the start. Good news that the tv series ‘Grace’ is on now for another series.

[Baba · Rating 3 out of 5]

Roy Grace book No. 4: With easily the best introduction in the Roy Grace series, Peter James has near perfect conceptualising of 9/11 through the eyes of an Englishman abroad! This is a top drawer Brighton based thriller in the managing to combine 9/11, stamp collecting, murder, cold cases and much more into a compelling mystery thriller. For those unaware, like Colombo, the reader knows who the protagonist(s) are(is), and gets to read the story from multiple second person viewpoints. 7 out of 12.

[Toni Osborne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 4, in the Roy Grace series

It has been a long time between books and I had forgotten how a master Mr. James is at juggling plot threads, this time he treats us with four different events.

This blend of fiction and myth skilfully uses the chaos and tragedy of 9/11 is its early set up and recounts how Ronnie Wilson took the opportunity to fake his own death and leave all his trouble behind to rebuild a new life. On the other side of the pond, the body of a young woman is found in a storm drain in Brighton and Roy is called to investigate. The third tale is of Abby, a very careful young lady scared of making any sort of move…and last we cross to the other side of the world to Australia where a grim discovery if found in the boot of a car.

These four events crisscross each other in alternate chapters while we have a protagonist dealing with the politic of his day to day life. These brilliantly complex plots tend to pussyfoot here and there but eventually everything meshes beautifully into a more tightly woven police procedural. Seasoned buffs can easily see how things develop but will be a treat for the novice. Keeping everything respectful while providing a realistic and exciting storyline is definitely not a problem with Mr. James, he does that in a skillful and expert manner. We have good dialogue, great characterization, climatic scenes and enough suspense to keep going and very well entertained.

[Nerys Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

A woman in hiding, a body in a storm drain, a man believed to have died in the 9/11 disaster and a body found in a submerged car in Australia. Peter James weaves all these stories together to create a fantastic read. The Roy Grace series just gets better and better, Looking forward to reading the next one.

[comfort · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just love this guy, and am a bit in love with Roy Grace as well.

There is not too much about Roy and Cleo's affair in this book, though maybe the seeds of trouble ahead have been sown, which is a bit sad. Hope I am reading too much into a throw-away line.

This is a long, multi-layered story starting with a scared girl caught in a lift, then jumping back to 9/11 and an Englishman caught in the very hub of the disaster. Jumping back to the present day when a skeleton is found in a tunnel- and the turmoil of Graces' thoughts that it might be his long-lost wife.

The storyline does jump back and forth between the two time frames, but you don't get confused (as I have been in other books) as the chapter starts off with the era you are reading about.

Into the mix we have a new DI (an evil bastard called Cassian Pugh)coming into "help" Grace with his cold case load- starting with a new investigation into the disappearance of Graces' wife Sandy- but with bad intentions towards Grace himself.

Then we get another murder (in Australia) and some thieving of rare, expensive stamps.

It is a bit too nicely tied up in the end, BUT with a huge surprise in the last line of the last page.

HAVE to go onto the next book immediately!

[Bettie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dead Man's Footsteps (Roy Grace #4)
9780330545983

December gift from Carey - thanks, you wonderful woman, you.

Dedication: To Dave Gaylor

Some of this story takes place on the days
surrounding the terrible events of 9/11.
With deepest respect to the victims
and all who lost loved ones.

Opening: If Ronnie Wilson had known, as he woke up, that in just a couple of hours he would be dead, he would have planned his day somewhat differently.

•What's with the name Cassian Pewe - strange choice, yet one feels the author is taking liberties with an actual person.

•The Sandy storyline is dragging; taking more of a grip of Grace's thoughts and can only be justified if a closure is in the pipeline.

4* Dead Simple (Roy Grace #1)
4* Looking Good Dead (Roy Grace #2)
4* Not Dead Enough (Roy Grace #3)
4* Dead Man's Footsteps (Roy Grace #4)
TR Dead Tomorrow (Roy Grace #5)

[Eglė Eglė · Rating 4 out of 5]

Be abejonės - tai geriausia serijos knyga. Užkabino jau nuo pirmų puslapių. Patiko, kad veiksmas pasakojamas keliais laiko tarpais ir iš kelių personažų pusių. Rugsėjo 11..kai tai įvyko, buvau ganėtinai maža, bet puikiai atsimenu tą dieną.. Dabar vėl bliaudama pražiūrėjau daug medžiagos apie dieną, palietusius mus visus. Grįžtant prie knygos, iki wau efekto man pritrūko, bet vistiek likau patenkinta. O pabaiga pateikė tokią intrigą, kad net virpu iš vidaus kuo greičiau išsiaiškinti, kodėl?

[Mark Harrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such a good start to this book. Murders in Australia and Brighton, a man caught up in the Twin Towers and a girl relentlessly hunted by a psycho through the streets. Grace has his work cut out and has a rouge officer trying to bring him down. Rather falls away at the end by being predictable and a bit shallow. Could have been a five star but fizzled out. Shame.

[Alayne Emmett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was another great read in this series. It deals with the cataclysmic tragedy of 9/11 without being too over the top. It was tastefully written and didn't dwell too much on that day. This certainly won't be my last read by Peter James.

[Chloe McDougall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fab Peter James book!!
Absolutely loved this story and the twist right at the end with Sandy!

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having watched the TV series Grace this one was my least favourite on telly. The book to me was so much better. It could set the scene with the different narratives across different time zones and places so much better. It takes a while to piece together the now of the story (much about stamps) and the back (mainly surrounding 9/11). I also like how from the last one which focused heavily on Roy and Cleo this was slightly less. I liked it in #3 but would not want every book like it. To top it off the ghost of Sandy is ever-present in this one with some pain colleagues of Grace's to content with. 5 stars

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like 3.5 out of 5. Half stars on here would be helpful at times.

There were plenty of good things that happened in this book, most the notably the detailed account of what it must have been like to be in New York on 9/11 was handled really well. If Peter James wasn't there then he either did his research or really is that good at painting a scene and making it feel real.

The previous books in the series have felt (to me at least) to be very character driven and the crime was just going on as well. This offering is exactly the opposite. We've gotten to know the main characters and while they're still being developed and fleshed out further it's very much the plot that is driving the story forward.

It's not the most straight forward plot either, not only does it just back and forth between different countries but it is also set in different years and follows a few different characters throughout. It took a good while to work out how they were all connected, which isn't a bad thing at all.

The problem is that the crime itself didn't really wow me. Once it became apparent what had happened (before another plot twist turned one assumption on its head) it felt a little bit meh. I wasn't hating it but I wasn't entirely invested and couldn't see how this would further the series.

AND THEN......
1 sentence (the last sentence in the book)

3 words.

It left my jaw hanging.

It had me rushing to Amazon and downloading book 5 as fast as I could.

I had to see where things went from there. The jury is still out on whether this is a good thing or not but that's for the next review. That one sentence stopped me alternating between this and Stuart Mac bride's Logan Macrae series and carry on reading about Roy Grace. Immediately

[Ian Mapp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chosen - Book 4 in a series.

And the best yet. He has done it again, written a police procedural that make you want to race through.

This time, there are at least four seperate stories that all converge into the same investigation.

A woman that could be sandy is found in a storm drain.

Anna is trapped in a lift, having run from someone and living in secret.

A car is found in Australia with a dead woman in the boot.

Ronnie is in America on Sept 11 2001, trying to do a deal to save his business and using the disaster to disappear and reinvent himself.

This gives roy grace an international stage to play on.

So - The woman in the drain is Ronnies first wife, not sandy. The woman terrorised is Ronnies new girlfriend and she has stolen stamps from one of Ronnies villian mates. The woman in the car is ronnies second wife.

Ronnie has been murdering them for the insurance money. After all is settled, Anna does not join Ronnie in Thailand but goes onto Brazil - where rather sillily, she meets a woman called Sandy.

Usual fayre - dead short chapters, good characterisation, excellent plotting and not as far fetched as the others. To top it all, the Sept 11 passages are very well written, evoking the chaos of that day.

Definately the best at this game.

[Amanda McGill · Rating 4 out of 5]

For full review - The Limit of Books Does Not Exist

There was so much happening during this book it was hard to keep track of all of the story lines at the beginning.

1. In present day, Roy Grace is investigating a body found in a storm drain. The body resembles Roy’s wife that disappeared years ago.
2. Also in present day, Abby is trapped in an elevator. Abby is not who she seems to be and looks to be hiding something.
3. A couple in Australia stumble upon a car at the bottom of a lake.
4. On September 11, 2001, Ronnie Wilson is getting ready for a business meeting in one of the twin towers.

For the majority of the novel, I had no idea how these storylines were going to come together. I loved in the end how they were woven together and the connection between the characters.

I really like the main character in the series, Roy Grace, but I’m a bit tired of the disappearance of his wife, Sandy. With every book, there is a big debate if she is dead or alive that never seems to go anywhere.

[Sophie Narey (Bookreview- aholic) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 4th book in the amazing Roy Grace series, I absolutely love this series and all the characters that are in it, the more of the series I read the more addicted I get too it, the more a enjoy finding out more about the characters.

I don't think I could actually love this series more than I do! This novel just makes your mind turn in every direction and keeps you guessing as to what is going to happen next, it is set into different perspectives and different times, nicely sectioned by chapters making it a lot easier to remember which character is being the narrator and also makes it easier if you need to put the book down (if you can) to get to end of the chapter and not be confused when you next pick up the book trying to remember what just happened.

I do think that Peter James is one of my favourite authors and I can't see me disliking any books in the Roy Grace series..... I never want the series to end!

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently learned about this series from readers on Instagram, and I'm so glad I did. Although the book is long, I read it one day because I didn't want to put it down. I didn't love everything about it but the plot is intriguing and kept me reading. I really like Roy's character and want to see him succeed both on the job and in his complicated personal life. A cliff-hanger at the end makes me glad I had already purchased the ebook for the next in the series!

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 4th book in the Roy Grace series by Peter James.
Several stories going on at the same time that come together at the end. My only problem with all the different characters and time frames was keeping a track of who's who.
A good page turner and well worth reading.

[Claude · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t like this book as much as the previous ones because of the different years in the narration. Perhaps I should have read it instead of listening to it. Anyway, having to deal with different time lines is one of my pet peeves.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A complicated and exciting tale taking in Brighton, New York and Melbourne, Australia along the way.
I really enjoy this series and this was another good instalment- but OMG that ending!

[Marty Fried · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a continuation of the series, and is best read after the first three. It's hard enough to follow without knowing the characters already, so you'd probably enjoy it more if you read them first.

I think what made this hard for me to keep up is that several characters had more than one name due to being criminals. So I found it a little hard to keep up, but I still enjoyed it, and usually was able to figure out who the characters were. I occasionally had to cheat a little and search back to help remember.

Toward the end, Roy almost got himself and another officer killed in a car chase. As it was happening, I wanted to tell him to watch out, but I guess he was really concerned about saving someone's life besides his own and his partner's. Actually, his partner was someone he disliked intensely (so did I), so maybe he was subconsciously doing it on purpose, although I doubt that. But not only did he manage to live through it, but the book ended with surprise that forced me to continue on to the next book to see what happens.

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've got a massive soft spot for the Roy Grace series - there's always an added layer of enjoyment when following characters in your own hometown.
For example a throwaway line about a cinema complex down the Marina - yep, been there plenty of times...

It's the way James writes his characters that really hooka me. The series main protagonist Grace feeling guilty when learning of remains of a women's body in a storm drain on a Friday afternoon was the worst possible time - couldn't it have waited until Monday?!?

One of the through lines in the earlier titles is the mystery surrounding Grace's Wife Sanday, who disappeared on his 30th birthday.
Remains like this always brings the pain back for him and gives a greater insight into his personality.

It's not just Brighton that James captures a real lifeness to his novel as the secondary subplot follows chancer Ronnie Wilson in New York on the fateful day of September 11th.

The short chapters are gripping and mystery surrounding the connection helped kept me hooked.

[Helin Puksand · Rating 4 out of 5]

See oli siis nüüd teine Roy Grace'i lugu, mida ma olen lugenud. Alustasin sarja kolmandast osast, see on nüüd neljas. Eelmisele osale oli vihjeid piisavalt, nii et soovitav on sarja lugeda ikka õiges järjekorras. :)
Raamatus on paralleelselt mitu lugu, mis kõik lõpuks kokku jooksevad. Ronnie Wilsonil on 11. septembril 2001 kokkusaamine investoriga New Yorgi Maailma Kaubanduskeskuses. Oma õnneks ta sinna ei jõua, kuid rünnak pakub talle uusi võimalusi. Grace asub aga 2006. aastal uurima tulvaveetorust leitud naise säilmeid. Abby aga üritab end varjata valenime all Brightonis elades, kuid asjad lähevad keeruliseks. Mis neil kolmel lool ühist on, saab teada muidugi raamatust. Jamesi stiil on selline, et raamat kulgeb üsna rahulikult, kuid pinge tõuseb üsna lõpus ja siis saab raamat ootamatult otsa. Lõpp oli küll selline, mida ma ei oleks osanud oodata. :)
Ikka soovitan neile, kes krimkasid armastavad. :)

[Donna ~ The Romance Cover · Rating 4 out of 5]

As you can tell by how quick I am devouring this series I am incredibly addicted. I cannot read these books quick enough and the characters that Peter James brings to the reader are extremely relatable, loveable and are one huge family that devote their lives to protecting the Brighton area. I am glad that the Roy Grace team are consistent and Peter James balances perfectly their professional and personal lives.

I do find that this author suffers a lot with repetition and I am sure that these are for the benefit of readers joining the series in the wrong order, however, the eye lie method, maltesers etc are really beginning to grate on my last nerve, but this is a really, really, minor issue.

The Sandy storyline that runs throughout (at least to the book I am up to) I was at first getting a bit aggravated with, but as the books have progressed I am more and more waiting for this selfish cow to get her just desserts. Don't get me started on Cassian Pugh either. I am not convinced leopards can change their spots either. As more and more about this pathetic excuse of a man come to light, the more I cannot stand him and I just wait for karma to bite his arse too.

Starting book 12 now...but thought I'd better update my goodreads!!

[Lata · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the plot, it was suspenseful and the narration alternating between past and present, with multiple story lines, was intriguing. Many authors don't get it right (e.g Guest List by Lucy Foley, which was badly done). I whooped when the multiple threads came together to a satisfying end. The devastation of the WTC on 9/11 was very well described. The multiple police units across the world, police procedural involved, the internal politics in a police unit, were all interesting. Abby was supposed to evoke sympathy, but I didn't care much about her.
I gave this a 5 * rating. Then I realized this was vaguely similar to John Grisham's The Partner - especially the alternate timeline narration and the ending. 'The Partner' is my top rated book and that was one book where I found the twist at the end, truly mind-blowing. Since this book nowhere matches the brilliance of 'The Partner', the rating of 'dead man....' is down to 4.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series!
This novel is hard to describe in a few words, it's all complicated and messy in a good way. Ronnie disappears, later thought to have died in 9/11. Abby is stuck in an elevator for almost a whole day. A body is found in a drainage sewer. Another body is found in Austalia. What is the connection? This is what makes this story interesting, trying to figure out all of the possible ways that these people all connect. This story was as interesting and intriguing as the last three. I though that reading about police procedures would be kind of boring, but Peter James has the knack of making it interesting. This story also had an interesting plot that involved stamps. Who knew that they could be worth so much money! I like the fact that every character, even the good guys, are flawed. No one is perfect and no one pretends to be perfect. I look forward to reading more Roy Grace novels.

[Tory Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great addition to the Roy Grace series. In this outing Roy is involved with a case that has it's antecedents in the 9/11 tragedy in NYC. There are poignant flashbacks to this event and Roy and his detectives must travel to Australia and New York City to track down the culprits of a series of thefts and murders. At the end of the story, there is a brief hint about Roy's missing wife, Sandy. Can't wait to read the next installment!

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

The next in the successful Roy Grace series, and this one returns to a similar plot style as Dead Simple.
A man chooses September 11th to disappear and we follow two parallel stories from 2001 and 2007. With lots of connecting sub plots and characters and twists and turns as a good crime novel should have.