In the dead of night, a gang of thieves steal a litter of puppies. The owner is killed as they drive off. Roy Grace and his team investigate the murder and discover that criminals have realised that there is a lucrative trade in dogs. As the team dig deeper into the illegal trade, things hit close to home for Grace.

Book number 19 in the Roy Grace series is a cracker. For me, nothing will ever compare to the first book, Dead Simple, but with Stop Them Dead, author Peter James has come pretty close.

The COVID lock-down saw a boom in people getting dogs and the author has used this as the basis for his current novel. I would never describe theft or murder as simple crimes, but what Peter James has shown in Stop Them Dead is that the crimes committed carry far lower penalties than those involving drugs if convicted and can pay higher dividends, hence the growing number of illegal crimes involving dogs.

Stealing puppies is the opening crime, which leads to devastating consequences. Since this crime alone wouldn't be sufficient to carry a novel, the author has fleshed the story out with other animal-related crimes and tied them all together seamlessly. Alongside the theft of puppies, we have the illegal import of dogs, dogs being snatched to order for breeding, unethical breeders conning the public and dogs being stolen and ransomed back to their owners.

The range of different crimes covered are nothing new, but the way in which they are all brought together is done well and is a timely reminder to people about some of the dubious practises criminals are involved in. We see the myriad of ways in which the unsuspecting and trusting public can be conned.

One of the big story-lines is heartbreaking. Emotions are put through the wringer when a child contracts rabies through contact with a puppy that has been imported illegally. The author does an excellent job showing the impact of a trivial encounter. We hear very little about rabies since it has been eradicated in the UK. This story-line reminds us of how dreadful the disease is and the extremely low survival rate.

A key character throughout the novel is Gecko, who is one of the most repulsive characters I've come across. My skin crawls just thinking about him. Gecko, along with the people he works for, show very clearly that they are not animal lovers; to them, dogs are simply a commodity.

Careful investigation and planning lead to a nail-biting conclusion and I was on the edge of my seat, seriously worried about more than one of the police team. I know that Peter James does meticulous research for all of his novels but he has excelled himself this time.

A young farmer is brutally killed after confronting intruders who are trying to take his valuable puppies in the middle of the night.
Detective Superintendent Roy Grace realises this is no robbery gone wrong but a nationwide crime wave,with organised gangs making more money from illegal dog trading than drugs,and they are willing to kill anyone getting in their way.
Peter James attention to detail and an amazing plot has made for another great read in the series.
The regular characters are so well written it's like catching up with old friends,I love the added humour and the short chapters make for an easy read.
Peter James is one of the best crime writers this country has.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Thanks to Netgalley and Pan Macmillian for the ARC.

Stop Them Dead by Peter James

You know your in for a great treat when Peter James releases another title In the D.S Roy Grace series , and this one is no different , a joy to read.
An isolated farm , a farmer that comes across a gang out to rob him , and a muder. Add In that the robbers are out to steal dogs will add to the horror of it all and pull at your heartstrings.
Grace soon realises that this is not a one off .
Can't wait until this one makes it to the tv series.
Brilliant.

I was so excited to receive an arc of this book from NetGalley and would like to thank the author and publishers for the opportunity. This is a cracker of a book, Grace and all the gang are on top form investigating a puppy smuggling ring. This is very timely, as I know there have been many cases of dog napping reported recently. As always, the story is beautifully woven together from different viewpoints. I honestly think this is one of his best so far, the heartache and humour balance each other out nicely. Peter James is, deservedly, a titan among crime writers and is certainly keeping up the quality.

A new Peter James will always jump straight to the top of my reading list, I love the Grace series and have enjoyed them all; I am always engrossed by the imaginative storylines and the criminal acts that he can dream up.

'Stop Them Dead' tackles a subject that I've never seen in fiction before, I suppose because its so new - this time Grace and his team are involved in the world of illegal puppy farms, and illegal dog importing, where you dont know the history of the puppy but may be told that it is a pedigree.

Starting with a brutal murder at a remote farm in the East Sussex countryside, where 7 valuable puppies are stolen and the farmer left for dead, we quickly move into the murky world of puppy farming, fake paperwork and vaccinations, and keen owners often all too willing to turn a blind eye to dodgy dealings. Grace's own family become involved as their son Noah is keen to get a puppy but Grace soon realises that the breeder they're meeting may not be who he says he is.

This felt a lot more realistic and likely than some of the other Grace novels (which I have loved nevertheless) - but we have all become much more aware of puppy farms and the prices some people are willing to pay for a 'pedigree' . It isnt always an easy read, some of the settings for the puppies are heart-breaking and all too real.

The story is told in the typical Grace style, racing through the revelations and trying to stop anything else happening before its too late. The usual crew of Branson, E-J and Potting are there, along with some new faces who hopefully will feature in future stories.

Definitely a must buy for keen Grace fans like me and for newcomers to the series!

I have loved all of the Roy Grace series and Stop Them Dead was no exception.
After the murder of a young farmer DS Grace and his team are on the hunt for a gang of criminals who are trafficking dogs.
Stop Them Dead returns the reader to Brighton and Hove and the familiar cast of supporting characters. I love the location which the author always brings to life and I've come to know and love the characters. It's a compelling fast paced novel and the short chapters kept me reading. James is excellent at characterisation and plot, which I felt was original and opened my eyes to the trade in stolen and trafficked dogs. An excellent thriller which I would highly recommend.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.
4.5 stars

You know what you’re going to get with a Peter James police procedural. Another instalment featuring a bunch of well drawn characters we have got to know well and empathise with, layer upon layer of often interlocking crimes, an evil perpetrator and the certainty that good will overcome evil in the end.

What is more, the writing is excellent, the pace nonstop, the descriptions of Brighton accurate and the minutiae of police procedure is second to none.

Crimes are solved through a combination of perseverance and perspiration rather than inspiration- just as is the case in real life.

I won’t add spoilers by describing the plot in his latest book, just to say that it’s a shaggy dog story in every meaning of the term - and I really enjoyed it - as is invariably the case with this excellent series.

In his recent books in his popular ,best-selling D.S. Roy Grace series author Peter James has highlighted specific areas of crime. In his latest,Stop Them Dead,it's the evil trade in stolen and trafficked dogs,as lucrative as drugs with much more lenient sentences, and the boom in rural crime.

The story begins with a raid on an isolated farm and a gang of robbers stealing dogs bed by the young farmer. Things go tragically wrong when the farmer tries to stop the thieves, not realising how ruthless they are. Grace investigates and soon realises that far from a bunch of chancers the people committing such crimes are hardened criminals well aware of how much money they can make and that his "local crime" is actually a nationwide problem.

This is classic Grace,from the topical subject matter to the bad jokes and the name checks for what seems like the entire Brighton and Hove police force as the story progresses. This is a very popular series for good reason and regular Roy Grace readers won't be disappointed. There are very bad bad guys,great banter and a series of crimes that affects some of the main characters personally.

When a farmer confronts intruders in the middle of the night, it doesn't end well.

But Roy Grace soon realises that this isn't an isolated incident, but part of a carefully orchestrated crime wave sweeping the country.

And where there's greed, there's murder...

The latest brilliant instalment in this marvellous series