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Editorial Review:
It's a tricky proposition, changing horses midstream. And with Looking Good Dead, Peter James continues to do just that. The author’s reputation as a purveyor of subtly chilling horror and fantasy had been carefully built up over many years, and James had few British peers in this field. But that is not quite the compliment it sounds, for the horror field is in one of its frequent slumps at present, and apart from a few American giants such as Stephen King, some highly talented figures have languished, in some cases even forfeiting their publishers. It's possible that Peter James saw the way the wind was blowing, and decided to move on from his hitherto lucrative horror work, returning to the crime arena (in which he’d worked before) with the adroit Dead Simple, the inaugural book in the series featuring Detective Superintendent Roy Grace. If DS Grace was cut from a familiar cloth (copper struggling with psychological problems), the plotting was innovative and fresh.
And so it’s proved to be once again with Looking Good Dead. Tom Bryce picks up a CD which has been left behind on a train seat, but when he attempts to track down the owner, he finds himself the only witness to a savage killing. Reporting the crime to the police has disastrous consequences for Bryce, and the lives of both he and his wife are threatened--by a notification on the Internet, no less. When DS Roy Grace becomes involved, he finds himself up against a malign group of very well organised criminals.
As in Peter James’ previous outing for Roy Grace, the plotting here is the thing. James addresses the crime genre as if he had never been away, and although Grace is, to be frank, not strikingly different from any other literary coppers, few people will complain when James’ storytelling acumen is as authoritative as it is here. --Barry Forshaw
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
good, but not dead good Compared to 'Dead Simple', the first Roy Grace book, 'Looking Good Dead' is not quite as gripping in my opinion, until the pace picks up half way through. Still well worth reading though, if only to keep up with Grace's personal life - the sub plot behind the main story.
Easy to read, with lots of short chapters (like scenes from a film almost). I look forward to the next book 'Not Dead Enough'.
PETER JAMES IS GREAT THIS WAS REALLY REALLY GOOD AND SCARY A MAN FINDS A CD LEFT ON A TRAIN HE GOES HOME AND PUTS IT IN HIS COMPUTER OH HOW HE WISHES HE HAD'NT. I HAD TO LOCK THE DOORS WHEN I READ THIS BOOK ALONE IN MY HOUSE AND THEN I WAS REALLY BOTHERED BY OPENING E MAILS FROM ANY ONE I DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS A REAL EYE OPENER FOR ME.
Couldn't put it down!! A great 'do-as-they-say-and-protect-my-family-OR-do-what-is-right-and-inform-the-police' storyline. I wondered if it was going to be a bit 'waffly' with it being over 500 pages but it wasn't and I absolutely flew through it. The murders were shocking enough to satisfy the gruesome but realistic enough to be scary and believable. How anonymous the Internet can be...and how your computer can both access information yet also have it's hard drive destroyed in seconds. There is also a subplot... more info
Looking Good Dead - Peter James I don't think I would have minded this one as much if I'd churned through it in a few days, but for some reason I laboured with it and it took me weeks. Because it's crap. Written with the prole on holiday in mind, tries hard to be edgy and stylish, but the violence and sex don't go far enough and his attempts at humour are pitiful. Clumsy itv drama style plot (in fact that's probably what it is) and pathetic cliched characters that you hope all get murdered, you'd root for the baddies but they're rubbish... more info
