Find Them Dead by Peter James

I really like the way Peter James writes. This book has a complex plot with many strands - and yet the story maintains the interest throughout and never at any point becomes confusing.
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Find Them Dead is part of a series featuring DI Roy Grace; however, he is not central in this book although his story continues. It opens with a man returning to England with a replica Ferrari motor car, which is loaded with millions of pounds worth of drugs. There is a detailed inspection at customs, a car chase, violent arrest and exposure of a drugs ring operating out of Brighton. Mostly though, the story centres around a high-stakes trial at Hove Crown Court involving a sinister, international drug cartel. A huge portion of the investigation and criminal operations relies on the city's maritime links, tracking illegal drug shipments smuggled into the country via the local Sussex coastline and South Coast ports.

The tension is high as one of the jurors is threatened to return the 'correct' verdict of 'not guilty'. How she deals and copes with this situation is gritty and realistic and at times quite disturbing. The reader is kept guessing all the way through and James covers the potentially boring legal aspects of the trial well. A little disappointed with the ending as not everything seems to be tied up, but there is no doubt that this is a great read written by a master storyteller. Recommended.

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Published by Macmillan on 9 July 2020.
Advance review copy supplied by the publisher.

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