NOT DEAD YET by PETER JAMES

NOT DEAD YET

BY PETER JAMES

THE BLURB:-

For LA producer Larry Brooker, this is the movie that could bring him the fortune that has so long eluded him...

For rock superstar Gaia, desperate to be taken seriously as an actor, this is the role that could get her an Oscar nomination.

For Brighton and Hove, the publicity value of a major Hollywood movie being filmed on location, about the city's greatest love story- between King George and Maria Fitzherbert- is incalculable.

For Detective Superintendent Roy Grace of Sussex CID, it is a nightmare unfolding in front of his eyes.  An obsessed stalker is after Gaia.  One attempt on her life is made days before she leaves her Bel Air home to fly to Brighton. Now, he has been warned, the stalker may be at large in his city, waiting, watching, planning.

THE REALITY:-

I bought this novel after a visit to Brighton to see the restored Royal Pavilion Saloon, although I have to say I also liked the more contemporary and relaxing way in which the Saloon was decorated before.  I absolutely LOVE this weird building (although it does have a sense of loneliness and melancholy about it) and was quite impressed with the new decor, which returned it to its original state as it was on completion in 1823, during the reign of its profligate creator, George IV.  In a side room there was a film showing on a loop, and it was about the tunnel running from the Pavilion to the stables and also the Saloon Bottle- the roof space area above the Saloon- that was once used to house servants and is not now accessible to the public. It was extremely interesting (I think what you don't/aren't allowed to see often is just as much- if not more- interesting as what you can) and it aroused my curiosity. A bit of Googling brought this novel, set in those unvisited areas, into my lap.

And what a read it was! The author has certainly done his research into the life of a Detective Superintendent really well and the character Roy Grace is very believable. He's also researched police procedures and acronyms faultlessly (or so it seems, to a layperson such as myself!) There were, however quite a few characters and events which seemed a bit superfluous to requirements. The return of Grace's wife, Sandy, was not brought to a conclusion and I didn't see the significance of the police informer. I know that the Roy Grace novels are part of a series and I'm assuming more have been written since this 2012 work, so maybe it's all foundation for future books. I also can't, for, the life of me remember who trashed Cleo's car.

I read this novel at a time when I couldn't let it become putdownable as I was on holiday, and tend to get out and about and do touristy things as opposed to slobbing around all day, but it was easy to pick up and reclaim the thread. The chapters were very short so it was easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bedtime... and find that I'd completed six!  I did, however, question the author's use of commas- there were too many and some of them seemed to be in the wrong places. A learning note to self for writing future novels.

With more than one murderer on the loose, in two different glamorous cities with the obligatory criminal underbelly (Brighton and Los Angeles) and an iconic female lead (I think she was based loosely upon Madonna), this story couldn't fail to have a bit of a wow factor, with some very human characters added to a likeable novel.

But, for me, it was the scenes set in the Pavilion that were really gripping, and the sheer thought of (spoiler alert!) the chandelier in the Banqueting Room crashing down was awesome! I didn't guess how the chandelier episode would play out, nor the OTHER Brighton perpetrator and their alter ego... but I'm not spoiling that part for you.

This is a PDF of the trapdoor in the Pavilion, which sits right above a section of the kitchen.  It has a 40 foot drop underneath it and it's where the impressive, breathtaking, crescendo finale is played out.

A superb crime thriller with a well-written climax and quite quick conclusion, this book was everything it should have been and I'd like to give more books in the series a go.