‘Want You Dead’ by Peter James

My Review (5 stars out of 5)

Detective Superintendent Roy Grace looks forward to his wedding to Cleo, followed by a well-deserved honeymoon. But an obsessive psychopath has plans of his own, beginning with the murder of a doctor. The killer’s ex-girlfriend also finds herself in danger when a series of bizarre events threaten to unravel her attempts to move on with her life. Meanwhile, Grace’s wife Sandy is back in Brighton and is all set to upset the bridal applecart with a dramatic entrance at the church…

Book 10 in the Roy Grace series begins with estranged lover Bryce Laurent initiating a string of terrifying events in a bid to destroy his ex-girlfriend’s life. At first, Grace thinks the apparent suicide of a despondent GP is just that – suicide, but a niggling doubt about the dead man’s explanatory note won’t allow him to close the case. The saga of missing wife Sandy also continues, while Roy Grace gets on with his life unaware of her plans.

As always, the story is a good one, though the killer’s incessant rants about how he intends to take revenge on his girlfriend began to get a little tedious. The return of one of Roy’s old rivals also adds spice to the tale, as Roy finds his decisions fall once more under the spotlight. Although the short chapters help the pacing, I did think the villain of the piece played a bit of a second fiddle to the goings-on with the wedding preparations, which slowed things down a little too much at times.

An exciting tale that’ll keep fans of Roy Grace happy.

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