Kipp Brown, successful businessman and compulsive gambler, is having the worst run of luck of his life. He’s beginning to lose big style. However, taking his teenage son, Mungo, to their club’s big Saturday afternoon football match should have given him a welcome respite, if only for a few hours. But it’ at the stadium where his nightmare begins.

Within minutes of arriving at the game, Kipp bumps into a client. He takes his eye of Mungo for a few moments, and in that time, the boy is gone. Then he gets the terrifying message that someone has his child, and to get him back alive, Kipp will have to pay.

Defying instruction not to contact the police, Kipp reluctantly does just that, and Detective Superintendent Roy Grace is brought into investigate. At first it seems a straightforward case of kidnap. But rapidly Grace finds himself entering a dark, criminal underbelly of the city, where the rules are different and nothing is what it seems…

Out May 8th, 2018

MY THOUGHTS:

I received this book in exchange for my honest review.

There comes a time when an author needs to face the obvious–the series is done, done well mind you, but done nonetheless.  After thirteen books with this main character, and after placing him in all sorts of situations, I can see why this particular book didn’t focus so much on him but more on the incredible cast of characters involved in this police procedural crime mystery.

Was this book good? Yes, yes it was. It was your typical crime mystery. Most of what’s laid out has been done before, over and over.  After a while, they all tend to blur together. But Peter James does have a flair and unique author’s voice.  He’s enjoyable and easy to read. I just was hoping for a more Bang! Zoom! appeal.

The author who can break this monotonous trend and revamp police procedural crime mysteries will have achieved the ultimate achievement in this genre.  Sure this book has an interesting plot, and amazing well-rounded characters… the procedures are written precisely and perfectly as only Peter James can write, but… it’s all done before.

I suppose in all fairness, one could say this about almost every genre out there, however, if you look at those authors who have achieved the impossible by revamping, recreating the genre they’re writing in, then THAT is indeed a true accomplishment.

If you’re not bored with the same ole… then pick up this book, it’s a fast paced worthy police procedural crime mystery in the Roy Grace series that will entice, entertain and be everything it’s meant to be.

I gave this book: