Dead Simple – Peter James
I enjoy a good mystery/thriller story and Peter James does not disappoint. This is the first in a new series by Peter James (I would have to say that the link is the word “Dead” since his second one is called “Looking Good Dead“) and his characters are, in many ways, a breath of fresh air.
The lead detective, DI Roy Grace is all too human. This is an experienced detective who is competent at his work – with flashes of brilliance – and knows how to see when someone lies. And this is something I may use myself. When we lie, we tend to look in the direction of our creative mind. When we tell the truth, we look in the opposite direction. Early on in interviews Grace will ask “What did you have for lunch?” and see which way the suspect looks. From then on he is aware that when the suspect (or witness) is lying, they will look the other way. This is a genius quirk, in my opinion, it’s something we can all visualise and try out. Have fun, won’t you 
Of course, no detective can be whole without some tragedy in their life – Grace’s is that his wife disappeared from the face of the earth some years previously and he can’t let her go even though it’s likely that she’s dead. The author gives us a real sense that the couple were indeed happy and that this blights Grace’s life horribly. We care. Well, I do.
The story is very simple but filled with the twists that we want – a man has a prank played on him at his stag do. He is buried in a coffin and told his friends will return in a couple of hours. Unfortunately, his friends are all killed in a road accident. Can the police find the missing man before it’s too late? Very simple tale, expertly told. I recommend this book to fans of the genre.
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