One Of Us Is Dead
By Peter James
Review By Louise (Lou)
One Of Us Is Dead is the latest Roy Grace book by Peter James and it’s another fabulous read, from the intriguing title to the masterful plotting inside…
I nicely received this some time after it being organised by one of the Bloody Scotland organisers after watching him give a talk, which you can read about at the end of my book review in a link from a previous publication my review of it.
Peter James also has a UK theatre tour of a play version of Picture You Dead, see more about this in my review from Bloody Scotland too.
First, onto the book in hand, One Of Us Is Dead.
Blurb
Roy Grace is about to find out just how dangerous a dead man can be . . .
When James Taylor arrives late for a funeral, he has to stand at the back of the small church. But, as the service progresses, Taylor notices a man six rows in front of him. At first he thinks he must be mistaken, but the more he looks at the man, the more convinced Taylor becomes that this is his old schoolfriend Rufus Rorke.
Except it couldn’t be him, could it? Because two years ago Taylor attended Rufus Rorke’s funeral. He even delivered Rufus’s eulogy.
On the other side of Brighton, at Police HQ, Detective Superintendent Roy Grace has been alerted to a number of suspicious deaths that he can’t get out of his mind. But how are they linked? And could they possibly be connected to Rufus Rorke?
One Of Us Is Dead is the latest race-against-time instalment of the award-winning Grace series by Peter James, now a major ITV show starring John Simm.
Review
A dead man shouldn’t be dangerous, he’s dead, but this is different…
The mystery is a twisty one and is it a case of mistaken identity or a dopple-ganger or is there more to this than meets the eye when James Taylor, a pilot, attends a funeral and catches sight of someone bearing a rather similar look to his dead school-friend, Rufus Rourke?
These are the questions for DS Grace and his team to answer…
The killer is often a step-ahead, but it’s intriguing to see what the other characters do. We see this roll out from different perspectives, with deaths looking like a coincidence at first, but of course, we know differently, it being a crime fiction novel and all that.
The plot is slick and plays out rather more deviously than it first looks and reels and grips readers in bit by bit, as Peter James plays with the mastermind of the criminal and the reader adeptly and masterful, so those pages keep turning right to the end, with every word read.
This is a long running series I highly recommend, with every case being different from the last, with cleverly crafted plots and characters that make you want to discover more about the nefarious goings on in Brighton and Hove.
Review from Bloody Scotland Peter James with Elly Griffiths
About the Author
Peter James is a UK No.1 bestselling author, best known for his Detective Superintendent Roy Grace series, now a hit ITV drama starring John Simm as the troubled Brighton copper.
Much loved by crime and thriller fans for his fast-paced page-turners full of unexpected plot twists, sinister characters, and accurate portrayal of modern day policing, he has won over 40 awards for his work including the WHSmith Best Crime Author of All Time Award and Crime Writers’ Association Diamond Dagger. In 2024, it was announced that he is the creator of Her Majesty Queen Camilla’s favourite fictional detective.
To date, Peter has written an impressive total of 20 Sunday Times No. 1s, sold over 21 million copies worldwide and been translated into 38 languages. His books are also often adapted for the stage, with his six stage shows grossing over £17 million at the box office – the most recent being Wish You Were Dead.
Bookmarks and Stages by Lou 
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