Looking Good Dead by Peter James, his follow-up to the bestselling Dead Simple is out this month in paperback.
The enormity of Peter James’ fiction has a great deal to do with his vivid inventiveness, the high drama of his criminal concoctions and ever-present lashings of suspense. However, somewhat unnervingly, James’ writing is firmly rooted in fact. To garner as much accuracy and authenticity as possible in his portrayal of Detective Superintendent Roy Grace, Peter James took criminal matters into his own hands and sought out the crime on the streets of Brighton, accompanying Sussex CID on the beat and with their investigations.
Here’s what Peter James has to say about his own experiences with real-life crime:
‘I came into crime writing the wrong way around: Most writers start with an idea or a storyline, then create the characters they need. I began with a character. A real-life character, Detective Superintendent Dave Gaylor of Sussex CID, who subsequently became Chief Superintendent. I shadowed him during research for some of my previous novels, and I became fascinated with his work, most of which then was as a Senior Investigating Officer on major crimes, but additionally he was in charge of ‘cold cases’ in Sussex - crimes committed many years back where no one has ever been convicted. Now with the advent of new forensic techniques, especially DNA, old crime scenes and pieces of evidence can reveal dramatic new clues. It is not an idle boast of forensics that if someone has been in a room, just once in their life, no matter how long ago, give a SOCO team enough time and resources and they will be able to prove it.
During the past decade, I have been given very privileged access to many areas of police work. I've been out on patrol, arrested a burglar, spent time with forensics, been behind the scenes at Gatwick Airport, and seen a few crime scene images that are the stuff of nightmares. It is one thing to write crime fiction, it is quite another thing to see crime in all it horrific, putrefying, tragic reality.’
Horrific it may be, but James’ forays into real-life detective work have had a profound effect on his crime writing. Roy Grace’s gruesome discoveries in Dead Simple and his next macabre case in Looking Good Dead are delivered with an unmistakable, slick sense of realism that makes James’ fiction so hard-hitting.
This month, we have an exclusive interview with Peter in which he talks about his favourite books, films, detectives and his ideal fictional dinner party companions! To read the whole thing click here.
To read an exclusive extract from Looking Good Dead click here.
Praise for Looking Good Dead
‘This second novel in the Brighton series confirms [James'] talent for superior plotting and edge-of-the-seat suspense’ The Guardian
‘The narrative builds to a satisfying climax and the sense of place is almost palpable’ Evening Standard
‘Following several strands in short, cliff-hanger sections, the plotting is excellent as tension mounts alarmingly. I was completely gripped, albeit somewhat disturbed by the very unpleasant nature of the crimes. This is excellent stuff, highly recommended.’ LoveReading.co.uk
‘Totally gripping and one of those rare crime books that are as good as they advertise themselves to be’ The Book Place
‘If you like page-turners which are a good distraction from what's going on outside your window, go for Looking Good Dead. I hammered through it in one day and neglected lots of other tasks! James is a cracking good writer who can keep his reader hooked with some very superior story-telling’ ReviewingTheEvidence.com
‘James is a master plotter who cunningly tunes into contemporary concerns and this follow-up to Dead Simple cannot fail to thrill’ Daily Mail
