Ok for a brainless read while on holiday. I was a bit fed up with the whole victim's family takes revenge for crime bit as PJ has done that storyline before and not that long ago in the series. The missing wife storyline mostly took a back seat and I for one was fine with that as it makes my eyes roll. ( )

And the thrills continue with Dead Man’s Time, the 9th book in Peter James’ series featuring DS Roy Grace. Picking up immediately after the last book, an on-going threat to Roy’s family continued to develop as also does another mystery that has been part of the series from the first book. Roy and his crew are working on a particularly heinous crime where an elderly woman was beaten and tortured as her house was robbed of valuable antiques.

Having just become a father, Roy is battling fatigue and guilt at not being able to help Cleo more with their newborn son, Noah. He also feels a responsibility to solve this crime that is growing ever more intricate and eventually has him heading to New York for a few days. Unknown to him an old enemy sees his absence as an ideal time to strike at Cleo and the baby. The action, as always in this series, is fast and furious, the various plots weave throughout the book but eventually come together to give the reader a satisfactory conclusion.

Having read the last two books almost back-to-back, it is now time to give this series a rest but I will be back to read on as this is a series that I can rely upon to provide plenty of twists and turns that keep me engaged. ( )

Måste erkänna att jag gillar Roy Grace och övriga karaktärer i Peter James böcker. Bra intrig och hyfsad spänning. ( )

This book starts with a short prologue set in 1920's New York City. A very young brother and sister are spared after their mother is shot and their father kidnapped. Their father was associated with an Irish gang and it's likely he's been killed. The children are taken to back to Ireland by their aunt, but before they board the ship, someone gives the young boy his father’s pocket watch and a series of numbers. He vows to return one day and find his father.

Fast forward about 85 years and DS Roy Grace is investigating the home invasion murder of an older woman. It's not hard to guess that she's the young girl from the prologue. Her brother, now in his 90s doesn't care about the millions of dollars of antiques that have been stolen. They've also stolen his father's watch, their priceless family heirloom, and the only thing they have to remind them of their former life. He's rich and powerful and plans to get it back even it means lying to Grace to keep him from finding the murderer first. In addition to investigating the murder, Roy is trying to cope with becoming a new father. He can't sleep and his relationship with his girlfriend, Cleo, has become more difficult. He's also unaware that a nasty criminal named Amis Smallbone is preparing to harm Cleo and the baby.

The plotting is tight and the tension is well done. There are several red herrings that makes it an interesting story for any crime fan. DS Roy Grace and his team are great characters and the story of what happened to the watch and what it means was quite intriguing. It's a real page turner and I can't wait to see what happens in the next book. ( )

Somehow I missed this one when it came out. I have loved this series since I first read Book 1 featuring Roy Grace. Roy is portrayed as a detective with integrity and respect for his profession and compassion for the victim. He keeps working until the case is solved all the while trying to balance his personal life. I don't think I have ever given a book in this series less than 4.5 to 5 stars. This one only received 4...and I thought about 3.5. It had too much going on at the same time and some of the antique information was unnecessary and drug out what was otherwise a good story. Still love Roy and will certainly continue the series. ( )