YOU ARE DEAD (2015) ****
by Peter James
This paperback edition published by Pan Books, 2015, 517pp
© Really Scared Books/Peter James, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4472-5579-6
Blurb: Faced with his most disturbing case yet, Detective Superintendent Roy Grace tracks a serial killer in You Are Dead, by award-winning crime author Peter James. A series of young women – all beautiful, all with long brown hair – have been stalked and abducted. Each victim is found with a brand on their body, a marking that reads ‘U R Dead’. And some of their remains are from thirty years ago. When Logan Somerville is taken while on the phone to her fiancé, Grace must find a lead, connect the cases and track down the killer before they can strike again . . .
Comment: The eleventh book in Peter James’ Roy Grace series is another gripping read. James’s easy prose and short chapters mean the plot keeps moving and the reader keeps turning the pages. This time we are in the grips of a serial killer targeting women who all have a similar appearance, and his crimes may be linked to similar ones committed 30 years before. James follows the procedural route, but the book is not written as a mystery. The killer is made obvious early on. The tension builds through the race-against-time placed on the police by the abduction of two more women. The investigation leads to an exciting climax in a series of underground tunnels. Alongside the main plot, Grace is coming to terms with a new baby with his new wife as they plan to move home into the country. There are continuing jousts between Grace and his ACC, Cassian Pewe, whilst his colleague and friend Glenn Branson has become romantically involved with a female journalist. All the usual elements are present and correct and this is another winner in a highly entertaining series.
