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ajnel's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
DS Roy Grace investigates an apparent cold case that resurfaced with the discovery of skeletal remains in Brighton. The investigation takes a surprising turn when the timeline links back to the terror attack on the US on 9/11. Meanwhile, a young woman finds herself hunted through the streets of Brighton by an apparently angry ex-boyfriend. Roy must race against time to solve the cold case and connect the dots to the present danger. Another well-developed faced-paced thriller by James. The novel however totally moves away from being a whodunnit, which is a bit of a personal bugbear for me.
billeylilley's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
kathadrion's review against another edition
2.0
I fully admit that I read this series out of order. Earlier this year I read books number 11 and 12, and I liked them both a lot even though I hadn't read any other books in the series. This fourth one had been sitting unread on my shelf for years and I had forgotten that it was part of the same series, so it didn't occur to me to read it first. Maybe that's a good thing, because if I'd started with this one I probably wouldn't have read the others.
This book is unbelievably slow. You would think based on the description that it would be a thrilling story, but no.
The story is told from the point of view of many different people. In every new chapter the POV changes, and since the chapters are so short I ended up feeling like nothing was happening and the story was getting nowhere. As soon as something happens to one person, the chapter will invariably end and someone else's POV will take over, and repeat, over and over and over again. Slowly, the story is told through these small bits and pieces, and frankly none of it is interesting.
Also, it feels like the main character, Roy Grace, isn't doing very much of anything in this book? It's mostly about other people. Very strange.
Despite all this, there is still a little bit of a mystery and a feeling of wanting to know how it ends, which is the only reason I gave this book 2 stars (and finished it at all, to be perfectly honest). Luckily, it paid off: the last 30 or so pages were actually really engrossing, and there was even a small twist that I really appreciated. Too bad the journey there was so boring and frustrating.
I will continue on with the series, because I did after all like the two later books that I've read, but I probably won't go back and read any more of the older ones.
This book is unbelievably slow. You would think based on the description that it would be a thrilling story, but no.
The story is told from the point of view of many different people. In every new chapter the POV changes, and since the chapters are so short I ended up feeling like nothing was happening and the story was getting nowhere. As soon as something happens to one person, the chapter will invariably end and someone else's POV will take over, and repeat, over and over and over again. Slowly, the story is told through these small bits and pieces, and frankly none of it is interesting.
Also, it feels like the main character, Roy Grace, isn't doing very much of anything in this book? It's mostly about other people. Very strange.
Despite all this, there is still a little bit of a mystery and a feeling of wanting to know how it ends, which is the only reason I gave this book 2 stars (and finished it at all, to be perfectly honest). Luckily, it paid off: the last 30 or so pages were actually really engrossing, and there was even a small twist that I really appreciated. Too bad the journey there was so boring and frustrating.
I will continue on with the series, because I did after all like the two later books that I've read, but I probably won't go back and read any more of the older ones.
simple_sock's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Really enjoyed bits of this book but bits were confusing.
The ending was great.
Adore the series.
The ending was great.
Adore the series.
patchworkbunny's review against another edition
3.0
It took me ages to get int. I think the main reason for this is it seems to be several unrelated plots at the start. Of course they do come together and I loved the ending. Just keep going til at least page 200 if you feel you're struggling with it.
hedwig2's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
nickeal1's review against another edition
4.0
Really enjoyed 'Dead Mans Footsteps' , couldn't put the book down ! A new take on 9/11 giving more insight on what happened as a consequence. Very cleverly written
louiser's review against another edition
4.0
Not my favorite ending...kind of saw it coming once the plot lines intersected with one another. But I loved the disconnected story lines coming together in such a logical way.
thearieslibrary's review against another edition
I will not be posting my review for this book until SMP addresses their employee’s Islamophobic, racist and queerphobic statements. For more information, check out @readersforaccountability on TikTok and Instagram for information about the SMP boycott.