James honed in on this and his research in Police procedures is so accurately portrayed, in particular gait analysis, and the highly effective use of drone surveillance delivering outstanding results. Peter James is a global bestselling author, best known for writing crime and thriller novels, and the creator of the much-loved Detective Superintendent Roy Grace. With a total of 16 Sunday Times No. 1s under his belt, he has achieved global book sales of over 20 million copies to date and has been translated into 37 languages. Though not the usual killer storyline, a very thought provoking and eye opening plot on topics which are not always brought to the forefront.

Stop Them Dead by Peter James | Waterstones Stop Them Dead by Peter James | Waterstones

Thank you, so much Beauty and Lace and Macmillan, not having read any Peter James books before I was keen to read book 19, and the excitement increased exponentially as the story unfolded and I was introduced to the main character Roy Grace, I happily devoured this book as a stand alone read. Stop Them Dead" by Peter James delivers another thrilling addition to the acclaimed Grace series that will leave you on the edge of your seat. Set in a world where darkness lurks at every turn, this book plunges readers into a heart-pounding race against time. When a seemingly routine confrontation turns deadly for a young farmer, the story takes an ominous twist. Detective Superintendent Roy Grace uncovers a sinister underbelly of crime beyond the initial robbery, revealing a nationwide wave of illegal dog trade controlled by ruthless organized gangs. A new Peter James will always jump straight to the top of my reading list, I love the Grace series and have enjoyed them all; I am always engrossed by the imaginative storylines and the criminal acts that he can dream up. Thus we have the basis for the latest Peter James Roy Grace crime thriller. Tim Ruddle and his wife fed up living in London buy a farm in Sussex.The story is told in the typical Grace style, racing through the revelations and trying to stop anything else happening before its too late. The usual crew of Branson, E-J and Potting are there, along with some new faces who hopefully will feature in future stories. My only reservations are it’s a bit over explained especially at the start and there is some repetition, however, once it gets going this issue fades away. I do have a little titter because as per usual the author gets gait analysis into the plot. - he sure loves that! The style rarely moves away from sounding like a report except where it sounds like a newspaper article. There are (as ever) several layers of plotting all circling puppy farming and the egregious criminality involved. Grace is not only following investigative leads but ensuring the reader understands what trail of evidence is required for any subsequent convictions.

Stop Them Dead – Peter James Stop Them Dead – Peter James

This book centres around the horrific increase during Covid of puppy theft, with often deadly results. Peter himself is a supporter of the RSPCA in the UK and wanted to highlight the ongoing issues with the exorbitant prices paid for puppies, not only purebreds, which attract those criminals wanting to profit at the cost of the animal. His stepdaughter is a kennel maid along with two other young girls. The three are suspicious of Jim's behaviour and one, a Ukrainian, disappears. The main villain is seen infrequently until the final pig slurry fight. The second killer is seen once waking up in bed. I could not put this book down. The subject matter of puppy farming and dog theft is very upsetting but was treated as sensitively as possible and really brings home the horror of this disgusting trade and how innocent people are caught up in it.Other incidents soon come to light of dogs being stolen and also imported illegally and treated badly and Grace knows this is a big case. I love the Roy Grace books and have read every single one. This latest instalment was a great read and had me hooked from the very beginning. We have a couple of storylines running parallel to each other, with the investigation into the murder of a farmer who was trying to prevent his puppies being stolen, the subsequent trail into who was illegally importing puppies from abroad and the sad hospitalisation of a young girl. The storylines were gripping and, whilst it wasn’t really a “whodunnit”, I was kept on edge wondering how it was all going to end. A farmer is killed when confronting intruders who complete the successful robbery of some unusual items. Organised criminal gangs have identified a new market and are willing to do what it takes to make money. Roy Grace is determined to stop it.

Stop Them Dead (Roy Grace) by Peter James | Goodreads Stop Them Dead (Roy Grace) by Peter James | Goodreads

At the scene of a crime, Detective Superintendent Roy Grace soon realises this is no isolated robbery gone wrong but the tip of the iceberg of a nationwide crime wave, in which ruthless organised gangs are making more money from the illegal trade in dogs than drugs. A trade which pits him against some ruthless people who will kill anyone who gets in their way, because where there is greed, there is murder. When a woman linked to the farm they’ve been monitoring is killed in a road accident it soon comes to light that it was not an accident. Tim Ruddle is woken by the noise of vehicles in his yard and when he goes down to investigate he is crushed to death by two vehicles as the thieves make good their escape. Grace and Branson head out to investigate and realise the stolen dogs were worth several thousand pounds. When a young farmer confronts intruders in the middle of the night he has no idea that just minutes later he will be left dying in a pool of blood. What's more chilling is what the perpetrators were willing to kill for. At the scene of the crime, Detective Superintendent Roy Grace soon realises this is no isolated robbery gone wrong but the tip of the iceberg of a nationwide crime wave, in which ruthless organised gangs are making more money from the illegal trade in dogs than drugs.

The Times Sinister and riveting . . . Peter James is one of the best British crime writers, and therefore one of the best in the world These criminal masterminds are ruthless and don't stop at murder when a farmer confronts intruders about to steal five puppies and the parent dogs - and pays with his life... What is more, the writing is excellent, the pace nonstop, the descriptions of Brighton accurate and the minutiae of police procedure is second to none. Crimes are solved through a combination of perseverance and perspiration rather than inspiration- just as is the case in real life.

Stop Them Dead review: Roy Grace at the centre of canine capers Stop Them Dead review: Roy Grace at the centre of canine capers

Discover the darkness that lurks around every corner in the latest instalment of the award-winning Grace series, now a major ITV series. We are treated to some great pieces of detective work by Grace and his team, and it was fun to have all the usual team together for this case – my favourite still must be Norman Potting who was there with his usual drole wit! I also loved the storyline of Bluebell, a young girl whose parents brought her a puppy. This was a sad turn to the case, but interesting watching it unfold.

To add to the drama, Bluebell Fairfax, the young daughter of a local lawyer pesters her parents for a puppy and they buy one from a man in a pub car park. At the scene of the crime, Detective Superintendent Roy Grace soon realises this is no isolated robbery gone wrong but the tip of the iceberg of a nationwide crime wave, in which ruthless organised gangs are making more money from the illegal trade in dogs than drugs. A trade which pits him against some ruthless people who will kill anyone who gets in their way, because where there is greed, there is murder. A farmer is murdered by intruders on his property. In the middle of the night, 4 men come and steal his dogs and the litter of puppies they have had. This leads Roy and the team into the murky depths of the world of puppy farms, illegal trade, dogs being stolen from their owners and so much more. The people involved will do anything to protect themselves, anything. There are highly dramatic - and distressing - scenes involving a life-threatening infectious disease. I learned a lot from reading about that - and again, thanks to Peter James for illustrating why we try to maintain tight quarantine regulations in the UK. In this latest instalment we meet some nefarious, unpleasant and ruthless characters and I’m not going to pretend it’s an easy read for dog lovers. The case goes from bad to worse, danger levels rise and we follow one emotional storyline which drives home the reality of the horrific trade/ importation of dogs. It’s always solidly reliable storytelling, the plot is well thought out and the ending is a good one. There is plenty of tension and some suspenseful moments with some good twists.