You can always rely on Peter James to write a good story.

This is the first Roy Grace I have read as I am not normally a crime fan. However, I have enjoyed his other novels in particular Perfect People. Back to Dead If You Don’t this novel started off at a running pace drawing me in sadly this didn’t last and I found my attention wandering. Thankfully I kept on reading and the last part of the novel kept me awake until the early hours last night with the tension.

Kipp Brown is on a pretty grim run of bad luck where gambling is concerned. In fact he is up to his neck in it and well some people never learn to quit. After receiving a call to say there is a bomb in the football ground he owns, that will be detonated if he doesn’t pay up, he still takes a gamble that it won’t happen. Brown and his son Mungo are at the game and so is Roy Grace and his lad Bruno. Now two things happen, Grace does what he does best and saves to-day, while Mungo disappears from the football ground amid all the goings on.
When Brown receives a ransom request and calls in the police, it isn’t long before 2 and 2 are making 5 for Roy Grace and the team but the situation becomes all too real, with the number of dead people adding up quicker than a calculator. Oh my there are some rather cold-blooded killers in the mix where friends are only friends until you have to kill them. Will Brown gamble one more time to get his son back?
This is a story that put me on high alert as soon as I began reading and that is how it remained until the end. Peter James really is a master of perfection with his meticulous eye for detail. That is a very well-known fact and often mentioned but boy can he not only tell a story, he lays out these little tentacles of rippling uneasy, that just sit in your mind because they are festering for future books. The back bone of the stories, the personal lives of the team, especially Grace. I don’t think Grace will be as lucky as Brown. I think nature may have won in Bruno’s case, terrible for Grace but ……………….
No matter how quickly paced these stories are Grace has a calming influence about him that makes you trust everything he says and does. That also goes the other way too. When Grace’s says he will break someone he will put just as much energy into that, no matter how big they are. The dangers are real. This is a cracking addition to the Roy Grace collection. Highly recommended!

Well Roy Grace is back for the fourteenth time in Dead If You Don’t which in short is an action packed police procedural that shouldn’t be missed.

I am a huge fan of this series and always look forward to the next book more or less from the time I close the last page and so it may surprise you to hear I had a moment of disquiet when I realised the opening scenes featured a Kip Brown and his teenaged son, Mungo, going to a big game at the Amex Stadium. OK I got that it was an important match with the locals Brighton and Hove Albion against Manchester City no less but I’m no fan of football and out of all crime fiction storylines, bombs rank bottom of the pile. The Head of Security had been warned that a bomb was going to be left in the Amex stadium unless a payment in bitcoin was made before kick-off. Oh dear, was this going to be the one novel in this series I didn’t enjoy because of my dislike of the combination of football and bombs? No, of course it wasn’t because Dead If You Don’t isn’t just about bombs and football, that was just setting the scene for something far more complex.

We have big businessmen, near bankruptcy a bunch of criminals to keep everything spicy and Roy Grace at the match with his son Bruno. Glenn Branson is with security at the stadium keeping an eye out for the promised bomb and then it all kicks off aside from the football!

As always Peter James keeps things real with his thorough research with the police giving this series a real air of authenticity whilst still ensuring that the storytelling isn’t overwhelmed with procedures and policies. I love the team, Norman Potting is still his un-PC self although more subdued than he was at his most annoying. Glenn has also overcome many of his personal problems and is reaching for the next rung on the career ladder but there is little time for the personalities to go wild in this book because Roy Grace is busy co-ordinating a missing boy, a bomb scare, a dead drugs mule and a dismembered body. Quite a lot to take on in a weekend! Dead If You Don’t is almost wall-to-wall action so although we get snippets about Roy’s wife Cleo and his sons Bruno and Noah they are very much in the background, unlike some of the previous books.
This is a scary ride of a book indeed, nearly as scary as Norman Potting’s erratic driving as they race to a potential scene of a crime. It’s a measure of the skill of the writing that I felt I was alongside poor Roy Grace as he urged Norman to go faster than a snail’s pace only to nearly be swung into the path of a van when he complied.

I’m not going to say any more – this was just as good as all the previous books in the series, if anything it felt more action packed with the switch of focus from the police and their families to the criminals and their nastiness and seeming complete lack of morality. And the ending is fantastic – a little bit of a moral to round the whole shebang off!

I'd like to say thank you to Pan Macmillan for allowing me to read a copy of Dead If You Don't before publication today. This unbiased review is my thanks to them and the talented author Peter James. Roll on episode 15!
First Published UK: 17 May 2018
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
No of Pages: 400
Genre: Crime Fiction - Crime Series
Amazon UK
Amazon US
Roy Grace Series in order
Dead Simple
Looking Good Dead
Not Dead Enough
Dead Man’s Footsteps
Dead Tomorrow
Dead Like You
Dead Man’s Grip
Not Dead Yet
Dead Man’s Time
Want You Dead
You Are Dead
Love You Dead
Need You Dead

This is the 14th book in the Roy Grace series and it is yet another brilliant read. I have read all of the Roy Grace series and they just keep getting better and better.

This book brings back Kipp Brown, who was a suspect in the last book. However this time his son has been kidnapped and he needs the police to help find him before it’s too late.

As always there are lots of twists and turns in the story as well as lots of scrapes for Roy Grace. As well as a kidnap there is also a potential bomb at a football match, Albanian mafia crimes and a crocodile in a basement !!

If you haven’t read any of the Roy Grace books you really should, I can’t recommend them enough. Although this can be read as a stand-alone I think the book is better if read as part of the series as there is so much back story that would be missing.

A definite 5 star from me. Already looking to the next Roy Grace adventure.

Well I must admit although I really enjoyed this latest Roy Grace outing I was kind of expecting a little more. If like me you were glad to see the back of the Sandy storyline, I also wonder if (like me) you were also expecting a little more from the thread regarding Roy's son? That little niggle aside this was a pretty decent read. You notice I say decent, and not great or good. I don't know whether that's because I just consistently expect more from Mr J or whether he just isn't up to scratch.

This story is set around a bomb threat at the local Football stadium as well as the kidnapping of the son of local businessman Kipp Brown who was briefly featured in the last book. The storylines were okay and certainly engaging enough but I still felt like there was something missing and I still cannot put my finger on exactly what that was. I love seeing the return of characters I love such as Roy's sidekick Glenn Branson as well as people like the always inappropriate Norman Potting.These consistently good characters and now the additin of Roy's son are certainly what keep me going back to this series.

One of the most exciting threads for me is Roy's son who frankly is one of the best things recently introduced. I think this gives Peter James the scope to take this series in a new direction and I sincerely hope that he will. I don't know if it's just me as the reviews for this book are mostly amazing so it seems I am in the minority. I just feel like there was a little something slightly off and although I cannot qork out what that is this latest release just didn't feel like it was as good as it could have been.

I really enjoyed reading this book, the story flowed fluently, got into it straight away and read it in a day, full of twists and turns with lots going on, a very good book

This is the 14th Roy Grace police procedural and I am delighted to say that the writing is still fresh and exciting.

Lots of things going on to start with, a bomb threat at a premier league football stadium, a kidnapping of a teenager, body disposal at a construction contractor and an interesting Allbanian with a very scary pet called Thatcher!
I still can’t abide Grace’s boss Cassian Pewe and thankfully we don’t see much of him, there is not a lot of some of the other characters either – Cleo and Branson but that in no way detracted from the story.

It was fast paced and nigh on impossible for me to put down

Thanks to net galley, PanMacmillan and Peter James for the opportunity to preview another great Roy Grace adventure.

I've read all of this author's previous books, but, this absolutely stands alone as an exciting, well written drama.

Book 14 is as good as the previous ones, with less focus on the private life of Roy Grace and more on the story of bomb threats in Brighton, a kidnapping and more. It's great that Roy is now settled in his private life and I was immensely relieved to have the missing wife storyline tied up in the previous book, although, I suspect, with his son, Bruno, there is trouble brewing!

It's great to be reunited with some excellent characters from previous books, Cleo, Bruno and of course, Norman Potting and Glenn Branson.

A really good read from start to finish.

Here's to more!

Yet another completely gripping case for Roy Grave to tackle - as well as tackling a suspected bomb inside a packed Premier League football stadium!
Peter James has once again made the story unputdownable....do not begin reading if you have anything else that needs doing as you will be glued!

This is a fantastic series and I don’t think I’ll ever tire of reading about Roy Grace and his team.
This book is jam packed full of action and I loved it.
There are lots of things happening all at once in this book but all seem to be linked to an Albanian crime gang.
To start there’s a bomb threat at the football stadium where Roy is with his son, Bruno and then a teenager is kidnapped and a ransom text sent to his family.
There’s also bodies being buried at a building site and a death from drug smuggling so all in all it’s all a bit full on in Brighton!
There’s not so much banter in this book between Roy and Branson, but you can always rely on Norman Potting.
This is a great book and I look forward to next years instalment.
Thanks to Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Brilliant. I am a big Roy Grace fan and this book did not disappoint. I really enjoyed all of it. The kidnapping of Mungo and the Albanian gang had me gripped from the start. Tying Roy and Cleos home life in as well makes the book seem even more real. I have read all the Roy Grace books. It is a series I highly recommend. I read and reread the books. I will definitely be rereading this one as well. The characters seem so real and their lives are interesting which means I want to find out more about them.

It's a good few years since I stumbled across the first in Peter James brilliant 'Dead' series Dead Simple, in my local bookshop. I was hooked on the series for a long while however got to the point where I couldn't keep up with the regular instalments being published due to the way my reading habits had changed - my fault entirely and definitely no reflection on the quality of the author's work. When I saw 'Dead If You Don't' available for request on Netgalley I decided it was time to dive back into the murky world of Brighton's crime scene.
Straightaway I was whisked into Peter James' flowing writing style. He is so easy to read and despite there being an ongoing back story to the series I didn't feel as if I was missing anything too major in reading this latest novel as a standalone. The regular characters are still there with their individual personalities still coming through strongly especially the wonderfully politically incorrect Norman Potting with his inappropriate brand of humour and sometimes cringe-worthy remarks, and the quirky Home Office Pathologist Frazer Theobold who is described as the slowest and most pedantic man in the job. Roy Grace's ongoing relationship with his boss Cassian Pewe continues to be an issue which many readers will be able to relate to as no matter how much Grace goes above and beyond the call of duty he only seems to garner criticism and threats of suspension from the senior officer.
We have lots of threads of story in the first half of the book: a young girl in search of a better life in foreign lands; a bomb threat at Brighton's biggest football stadium and the kidnap of a teenager at the same location which seems too much of a coincidence to not be connected; a successful local businessman with a gambling problem and a streak of bad luck which seems neverending; the Mr Big of the Albanian community in the area with a penchant for torturing anyone who upsets him. How all these things could possibly be linked seems pretty incredible early on in the book but bit by bit the author cleverly weaves the threads of the plot tighter and tighter until you are left thinking how you could possibly have missed the clues which were staring you in the face all along. The sense of time running out is palpable as the book draws to a close and I felt myself edging closer to the edge of my seat as I read - the description of Potting's erratic driving adds to the adrenalin fuelled events which come to a very satisfying conclusion which I felt brought together all the loose ends and tied them off very neatly.
Peter James continues to be one of the UK's top crime writers in my opinion. His ability to write a series which is as good in book 14 as it was in the book 1 is worthy of the highest praise, and I am excited to hear that he has signed up to provide us with further cases from the Brighton and Hove crime team - I can't wait!!!

There is so much going on in this book, the storyline is amazing and I read it in record time, devouring every word. I think this book is the best in the series.

Book 14 in the Roy Grace series.

Kipp Brown and his teenage son, Mungo, arrive at the Amex Stadium for their teams biggest ever football game. Mungo disappears. A short while later Kipp recieves a text with a ransom demand and a warning not to go to the police if he wants to see his son alive again.

Roy Grace is watching the football at the Amex Stadium with his son, Bruno. His colleague DI Glen Branson is watching the crowds on CCTV in the control room. Kipp Brown recieves a text telling him his son is in danger. Kipp is a successful businessman but he's also a compulsive gambler. There is a few threads dangling in this storyline but as usual in this series, Roy Grace and his team manage to tie them together. There is plenty of action, lots of twists, and loads of tension. The pace is set fast from the start. I love this series and I look forward every year for the new book to come out.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Pan MacMillan and the author Peter James for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First of all I would like to thank Net Galley and Pan Macmillan for the chance to read this book. After discovering Peter James about 2 years ago, I read through the whole Roy Grace series and I have really been looking forward to the latest book "Dead If You Don't" and it certainly didn't disappoint. It was really fast paced and gripping. A real return to form!! The book revolves around the Albanian criminal underworld with different storylines and lots of twists and turns.. I have no hesitation in recommending this book.

A thoroughly,good read. Good to catch up with a great mix of diverse characters. Fast moving story with twists and turns,look forward to more of the same.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the Publishers, Pan MacMillan for this review copy given in exchange for an honest review.

This book is Number 14 in the Roy Grace series. To understand parts of the story you need to have read the other books in the series, but it can also be read as a standalone book. For information, the book (and the majority of the series) is based in the Brighton area.

This book begins with Kipp Brown. He’s a very successful and wealthy businessman, but he’s also a compulsive gambler who is on a major losing streak. You would think things couldn’t get any worse, but when Kipp takes his son Mungo to a football match at Brighton & Hove Albion’s new stadium, Mungo disappears. Kipp receives a ransom demand of £250,000 to get his son back alive. Meanwhile, the new stadium is also under a threat of its own when a terrorist claims to have left a bomb. Right in the middle of all the action if Detective Superintendent Roy Grace, who is also at the football match with his son. Investigating both cases, Roy finds himself pulled into a dark criminal gang who will stop at nothing.

I love the Roy Grace series of books and have read every single one of them, so was excited to be given the opportunity to review the latest instalment. It begins with all these little stories of different people. They are not connected to each other, but you just know sooner or later all these stories are going to come together. Kipp Brown is a compulsive gambler who is on the verge of losing everything. Part of me wants to tut, raise my eyebrows and call him a silly man for risking everything, but as the book goes on I began to feel sorry for him and you realise he’s not really a bad man, just a desperate one. I also loved the storyline of the bomb at the stadium, although scary to think of how easy it was to get one in there despite there being so much security to get past.

It’s absolutely wonderful to have Roy Grace back and is like welcoming back an old friend! The book also has all the usual characters from the previous books, including Norman Potting who I have to admit is my favourite. The storyline started well and carried on going strongly right to the end. I’m obviously not going to go too deeply into the plot for fear of spoilers but I loved the way that this instalment featured mainly on the action and featured only a little of Roy’s personal life, unlike the last couple of books. Don’t get me wrong – I love Roy and obviously his personal life has been a major part of the so many of the books but it is fantastic when the action is forefront as it is so cleverly written. The plot was well researched and well described and it was nail-bitingly filled with suspense and tension!

I completely and utterly loved it. It is Roy Grace and, of course, Peter James at his best. It had me hooked from page one to the very end. Highly, highly recommended! Roll on Roy for book number 15!

Even after 14 novels, tales of Roy Grace and his team do not get boring. Clever, gripping and compulsive I look forward to them every year. And Dead If You Don't is another great read.

A bomb threat to the Amex Stadium interrupts what should be a father/son bonding day at the footie for Grace and his son Bruno. But even when the threat is contained Roy isn't let off. In the chaos of crowds teenager Mungo Brown goes missing. His father Kipp, is well known in Brighton as a successful businessman so would seem the perfect foil for a ransom demand....but what no one knows is he's a compulsive gambler and is broke....theres no money for the kidnappers. Grace takes the investigation and soon realises this isn't any straightforward kidnapping as it takes him right into the underbelly of the cities organized crime.

Unlike previous novels this is a straightforward police procedural - there is far less about Graces personal life than previously as he's in a pretty good place with Cleo and his children. Whilst I did miss that a little I think it was good to tie up the missing wife story arc.....although with Bruno I'm expecting (and looking forward to) a whole new arc in future novels! What I loved is there were no massive leaps in logic that solved the case, just good investigation and the occasional bit of luck. Something which I think is probably true in real life. Also the camaraderie in the team, even with a few new editions is as constant as ever. My only criticism is that Cassian Pewe has to be taken down soon. I haven't disliked a character this much in a long time, it's not a stretch to say I prefer the murderers to him. But apart from that this is another sure fire
and well deserved best seller from one the kings of crime fiction.

I was super excited to be allowed to read an advance copy of the new Roy Grace novel by Peter James, I have read all the previous books and enjoyed each one and this one was no exception. Now Roy has resolved the mystery of his missing first wife he can go back to what he does best which is protect the residents of Brighton, if all policeman we're as dedicated as Roy Grace the world would be a safer place. The story has bombs a kidnapping of a young man called Mungo and Albanian crime lords, all of which Roy has to protect and save. As with all the other books there is an under lying story that will slowly unfold with in the future books and that's with his Son Bruno, a very strange young man, that I would be very unhappy with having him living under my roof. Roll on next year for the next installment.

A great story, a modern approach to what is the modern crime scene with the combined faux terrorist plot and kidnapping to push the police force to its limit of courage and bravery