

When we lie, we tend to look in the direction of our creative mind. This is an experienced detective who is competent at his work - with flashes of brilliance - and knows how to see when someone lies. 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. I enjoy a good mystery/thriller story and Peter James does not disappoint.

I can't wait to continue with this series! Read more Now I know why it kept catching my eye each time I walked past. This book had been sitting on my to-be-read shelf for a long, long time. The adrenaline junkie portion of my reader's brain could gorge on all the twists and turns while the more introspective and thoughtful portion of my brain could savor James's characterizations. The juxtaposition of a thriller-type plot and a nuanced character study is what makes Dead Simple so much fun to read. He had a memory that bordered on photographic, he loved puzzles, and he was physically strong." Now that he's been on the force for a few years, Grace realizes that "in this modern, politically correct world, you could be a law enforcement officer at the peak of your career one moment and a political pawn the next." It's that realization that can make showing up at work in the morning a bit grim. As a young boy "Grace had been addicted to cop shows on television, to books about detectives and cops of every kind- from Sherlock Holmes to Ed McBain. Peter James has also created a fascinating main character in Roy Grace. and to hope that Detective Superintendent Roy Grace can put it all together in time to save Michael Harrison's life. The fun for readers is to savor each page, to tease out the clues, to deduce what's going on. One simple prank- a riddle- which he then wraps up in a larger mystery and finally tosses into an enigma with even greater implications.

Peter James does a Churchill with this same idea. What a fun book to read! The outcome of the prank itself is bad enough, and most writers would take that one idea, run with it, and have a good book.
