3.5 stars rounded up.
I've not read any of the Grace series but have watched them on TV. I love them, so I was intrigued to read Sandy's story.
I'm probably in the minority here, but I really didn't love this at all. I didn't know what to expect, but it wasn't the car crash that is Sandy.
Sandy leaves Roy (as we all know, no surprise there). Her life goes from one crisis to another. The dodgy men she meets. Never learning the first time. Heading into disaster after disaster. I know there has to be a good story, but for me, it was disappointing. I felt a lot that happened was over the top. It was certainly a rollercoaster of a ride.
I'm still mulling over the ending. I'm not sure if it was the right decision.
Thanks to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for the ARC in return for an honest review.

I have read all Roy Grace series when I started with Dead Simple which was probably my favourite overall then I went on to read the rest of the series.

I enjoyed this book and it was good to read more about Sandy which we only got smatterings of in the Roy Grace series. It was well written as usual from Peter James and I was involved in the storyline from the beginning until the end.

Thank you to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for this ARC which I can thoroughly recommend.

Sandy Grace, wife of detective Roy Grace, simply disappears one day. There are no clues and at one point suspicion even falls on her husband. As the story unfolds, we discover her reason for disappearing and what happens to her over the next decade.

To date, Dead Simple, the first book in the Roy Grace series, remains my favourite. At the start of the series Roy’s wife, Sandy, is already missing. Over the next decade, and the proceeding books, author Peter James kept his fans wondering about exactly what happened to Sandy. We had possible sightings but nothing concrete until the twelfth book in the series, Love You Dead.

They Thought I Was Dead is Sandy’s story. We find out about her upbringing and early years married to Roy. More importantly, we discover exactly why she disappeared. Sandy was a gambling addict and had run up debts with an unauthorised money lender. Worried about the repercussions and the shame she would bring to Roy she felt the only solution was to disappear.

Sandy was fortunate that she met a rich man with the connections she needed to escape, including changing her identity. What she didn’t realise was that she was exchanging one life-threatening situation for another.

As a long-time fan of the Roy Grace series, I’ve always wondered what happened to Sandy, and why she would leave what appeared to be a happy marriage. They Thought I Was Dead answers those questions and Sandy doesn’t come out of it well. Author Peter James has done a fantastic job writing from Sandy’s perspective, giving her a distinct voice, unfortunately, I found her to be shallow, self-absorbed, ungrateful and weak. Sandy never seemed to be content with what she had, always wanting more.

We are given a glimpse into the personality of Sandy’s son, Bruno. In the Roy Grace series, it is obvious that he isn’t a “normal” child and we discover exactly why. I was hoping for a little more about Bruno, particularly as I was always on edge when he was featured in the Roy Grace books.

Overall, the book gives us answers and what I consider to be a satisfying, and suitable, conclusion.

I just assumed this would be another installment in the series but omg, it's finally Sandys story!!! This is a must read for any fans of the series and finally gives us the story of what happened to Sandy in all the time she was gone. Its well written, Peter James is an amazing author with cleverly plotted out books full or original and interesting characters. It's all of the highest quality storytelling you could imagine. This could easily work as a standalone but it is 100% a must red for fans of the series. And as always with Peter James books, nothing is ever straight forward and simple and it's just impossible to out down

I have to be honest this is the first Peter James book I have read, my friends have read them all so that here goes... I was not disappointed at all, great storyline, characters you could relate to and there are some great funny moments.. won't say as it will spoil it. I am now going to start reading Peters books, brilliant author, thank you Netgalley and publishers

I’ve read all the Roy Grace books so was familiar with Sandy. This book gives us her back story from her point of view rather than from Roy’s. Sandy gets herself into all sorts of trouble with debt, gambling, drugs and the wrong sort of people. People that Roy would be very interested in but Sandy can’t tell him. She is obviously an adrenaline junkie - only really alive when things are getting exciting. Various men take advantage of her in different ways. She makes bad decisions and has to live with the consequences. And all the time, Roy is in the dark as to her whereabouts and circumstances. I enjoyed the book hugely. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC.

This is a must read for fans of DS Roy Grace in the 'Dead' series, the first novel published in 2005. The disappearance of Sandy (Roy's wife) was something that haunted him, despite being a great detective he was unable to fathom where she had gone. It also was something Peter James inserted in to most of the 'Dead' series, whether it was a new line of enquiry, a sighting or a tip-off, the enigma ran and ran. I am not going to be a plot spoiler as we have waited so long to discover what happened. What I can say it is a chronologically linear story and is a compelling read. I am unsure as to whether it would mean much to a reader who had never read a DS Roy Grace novel but to those that have it is catnip.

A very welcome addition for loyal fans of the Roy Grace series, They Thought I Was Dead is a very clever tale of the back story surrounding the disappearance of Grace's wife, Sandy; a disappearance that became a long-running feature of the series, weaving in and out over the years, as both Grace and, by default, the reader, learnt a little of how and where, but never really why.

The title of this story gives us one huge clue, so it's not exactly a secret even to newcomers to the series that Sandy Grace didn't die when she vanished - so what did exactly happen and, more importantly, why? So much has happened to the recurring characters in the intervening years and numerous plot threads have given hints, but here Peter James has very cleverly (extremely cleverly, in fact) been cunning enough to now take those hints one more time, throw them in the air, and drop them in perfect order, as well as create a pretty darn memorable story about what Sandy Grace did that led to her disappearance all those years ago.

I can't pretend to remember each and every Grace novel word for word, having read them more or less as they were published, but I do remember enough to suggest that They Thought I Was Dead works so well as both a standalone novel as well serving the purpose of answering some "Sandy" questions that the reader didn't know they had. Yes, some of the events seemed just a tad implausible at times, considering we're not talking about a career criminal, but run with it and just enjoy the antics.

I was delighted to receive this ARC from NetGalley as Sandy has loomed large in all the books and I needed answers! This is a decent read. Sandy is as frustrating and irritating as I believed and to be honest the only doubt is how a man like Roy Grace could be duped.
Still, this is an important read, for those of you addicted to the Grace series. I just found it slow at times but a good read overall.

Thanks to NetGalley and PanMacmillan for the opportunity to preview.

Followers of Peter James’ “dead” series featuring Detective Roy Grace are very familiar with Sandy, Roy’s wife who suddenly went missing prior to the start of the first book and is presumed dead….until she makes an appearance in book 11 or 12. We find out she is alive and has been living in Germany with her son but we only get snippets of her life’s tale, Now, in book 21 we finally get to hear the story of what happened to her and why, with no warning, she disappeared on Roy’s 30th birthday leaving no explanation effectively condemning him to prolonged anguish as he sought clues of her disappearance, enduring suspicion that he might have disposed of her himself and many years with his life on hold reluctant to abandon hope of her return. I was certainly curious to find out what had happened to her and whether there was any reasonable explanation for her having put our friend Roy through such pain and suffering.
It turns out Sandy has quite the story to tell!
Peter James’s has long demonstrated his skill at creating interesting and unpredictable characters though this is usually reserved for the most villainous of villains. In this book Sandy is the star character whose actions and decisions and thought processes are presented to the reader for close scrutiny……and they are nothing short of chaotic! Perhaps this is because Sandy, who is being treated by a Psychiatrist in the story, demonstrates a lot of psychotic behavior and the Author is trying to creates a real picture of the world inhibited by someone with such illness. Or perhaps it is just that he is portraying her as the villain? Certainly from Roy’s perspective that could be the case. Some would say, the day she disappeared was his lucky break!
Apologies for being cryptic with this review but I do not want to give anything away! I did find it yet another page turner from Peter James and his wonderful gift at story telling. I would recommend this book to most readers even if you have not read any of the series. In fact, this book might be a good place to start!
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for providing access to this pre publication edition.

Loved, loved, loved this.

Raced through it, but also didn't want to end.

Sandy is a character who has 'appeared' in every Roy Grace novel as he dealt with his wife one day being there, the next day vanished. We, as loyal readers have been there as his garden was dug up as he was suspected of her murder, false leads and then finally declaring her dead after 10 years enabling Roy to finally move on and remarry.

We think we know Sandy, we think we'll hate her for what she put Roy through... We know nothing!

I found myself strangly rooting for Sandy as she finds herself in an unimaginable position. Almost understanding why she did what she did and the reason that caused her disappearance. We are then taken on a whirlwind journey of what her life without Roy was... It's dark, it's hard hitting and at times you feel so much sympathy for Sandy and wonder how she manges to keep that sarcastic humour.

This is a must for any Roy Grace fans... Just one comment though... Cassian Pewe, just ew, ew ew! 😉

Thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to review this book this is my honest opinion.

For over a decade, the mystery of what has happened to Sandy Grace after she disappeared has perplexed readers of the Roy Grace books. Now, we finally have the answer - this is the tale of what happened in the hyphen, why Sandy left and what happened to her before she appeared in a German hospital.

I will say that I was very excited to find out what had happened - it's been one of the long-running mysteries of the series and it doesn't disappoint necessarily. However, Sandy is - to put it politely - not exactly the most sympathetic character, and it does occasionally veer into the territory of there being no one to really root for in the story. A solid 4* book for me.

Finally - finally, we have found out what happened to Sandy when she disappeared out of the blue. She has been a recurring theme throughout the series with small hints about what transpired.

Now we know and this is a fascinating and unexpected tale of how she literally fell from grace which can be read as a standalone but will be welcomed by the many fans of this wonderful series of police procedurals.

Been waiting to read Sandys story for a long time now! Finally, the answer to the question on everyone's lips (not least the husband she left behind), what happened to Sandy Grace when she disappeared from Brighton on her husband's thirtieth birthday…. Yes we finally get to know what was going through sandys mind. The kind of book you will find yourself saying urgently, over and over, to friends: 'Have you read it?

Brilliant to hear Sandy’s side of the story. As ever, a great read. Another book in the series I couldn’t put down.

3.5 ⭐

Possible spoilers

Do you know how long I've been waiting for this story?
No, me neither, but it's been YEARS.
The frustration of just not knowing what happened to Sandy, and now we do.
To some extent I wish I didn't. What a thoroughly dislike able character. Selfish, impulsive, seems to think she has a connection with any bloke who looks her in the eye.
Honestly I've nothing positive to say about her, and this story has made me doubt Grace a little.
How could he be such a bad judge of character???
BUT, and it's a big but, never underestimate the satisfaction in having questions answered after so long, about Sandy and Bruno.
A nice addition to the series.

To say I was excited to receive this ARC is an understatement. It jumped to the top of my TBR pile and I finished it in one day.
If like me, you are a fan of the Roy Grace series you're going to love this, the story of Sandy, the brilliant subplot of the wife that disappeared. This book works perfectly well as a stand-alone read too, but if you've read the series while you've no idea of the how, you smugly know what is going to happen and that makes the getting there all the more exquisite.
A truly brilliant read which is an excellent accompaniment to the epic main series.

I just love Peter James and the Roy Grace series so was looking forward to reading this back story of Sandy. I really enjoyed reading about what happened to make her disappear and the hard time she had. I think the moral of the story is the grass isn't always greener on the other side and wish you could turn the clock back. I noticed some lower reviews for this book but if you have read the Roy Grace series it's really good to tie this story in.

4+

“I cant get no satisfaction
‘Cause I try and I try and I try …. etc’

“I certainly do try, but perhaps equally the proverb the grass is always greener applies to me. I’m Sandy Grace, my husband is Detective Roy Grace of the Sussex police force. This is my story, the story of why I disappear from his life, and I’m sure he’ll find the truth of what happens to me hard to equate to the woman he thinks he knows. I find that my life has got somewhat difficult, getting entangled with people I most definitely shouldn’t.” It’s true, Sandy learns she has supped with devils, no wonder she runs and there’s the other odd sordid detail or two that it’s best Roy doesn’t know about. However, escaping the tricky present, for what??? Is she escaping the bad for the infinitely worse?

As a big fan of the Roy Grace series, the story of Sandy has been a recurring theme, and I think this is a book that we hadn’t necessarily realised we needed. However, we so do, with lines drawn and all that and what’s more, it’s a cracking read and engaging from start to finish.

It’s fair to say that Sandy is lively company, she has a dark sense of humour, there’s never a dull moment, but it’s not an easy story although much of it she does bring upon herself. The wheels of her life come off on more than one occasion, but she’s resourceful if nothing else. The true Sandy sure wears a mask when she’s married to Roy. She’s full of envy, dissatisfaction, is a seeker of excitement, well, she gets more than she bargains for. Is she likeable? No, she has many issues which leads her down a very dark path, she’s reckless, and gets herself into mess after mess but she also has a share of luck when she lands on her feet. However, it seems in this reflective novel that she is being honest and comes to many a realisation.

The novel is fast paced, it’s full of twists, it’s very intriguing and colourful to say the least.
It’s gritty and dark principally because there are numerous villains to contend with and some violence. It definitely enters weird territory on occasions. It’s never dull that’s for sure. As well as filling in gaps in Sandy’s subsequent life when she leaves Roy, along with the story of Bruno, her son, takes many an interesting direction.

I thoroughly enjoy this and I love the way it’s written. You don’t have to have read the Roy Grace books as it can easily be read as a standalone.

There are 19 Roy Grace books, there’s a 20th due to be published later this year.

With thanks to NetGalley, and especially to Pan Macmillan for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

For fans of the Roy Grace series, this is a great insight into what happened to his wife Sandy. It can be read as a stand alone thriller too. It could have been a bit shorter, in my opinion, and I really disliked the character of Sandy. I saw her in a completely different light, which just confirmed what a troubled and selfish person she is. It is nothing like the Roy Grace series but definitely worth reading. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.