Brighton is celebrating. A killer is waiting. And Roy Grace is the target . . .
Brighton Pride is the biggest date on the city’s calendar with half a million people lost in the party. But behind the opulent façade of the Royal Courteney Hotel, a nightmare is checking in.
Dritan Dervishi, the cold-blooded consigliere for Albanian mob boss Roel Albazi, has arrived with a beautiful woman on his arm and a lethal secret in his suitcase. He has specifically requested Room 321 – a room with a perfect view of the sea, and a deadly proximity to a target he’s been dreaming of for years.
Detective Superintendent Roy Grace is already pushed to the limit, coordinating the city’s massive security operation amid whispers of a potential terrorist attack. But the threat is more personal than he could ever imagine. Back in a prison cell, his old nemesis Albazi is counting down the seconds to a revenge that will not just take Roy’s life, but erase his entire bloodline.
And as Roy and his wife Cleo prepare for a night of celebration at the Royal Courteney, they have no idea that they are stepping into a deadly trap.
As the relentless countdown nears zero, Roy must outsmart an invisible enemy and protect his loved ones before their time finally runs out . . .
It’s great to be back with Peter James for his 22nd Roy Grace novel, a series I’ve been reading since the third novel. You might think that he’s explored all that Brighton and Hove Major Crime Unit could offer. This one starts with a phone call from a contact at the Royal Courteney Hotel who noticed something ‘off’ about a couple who were checking in. The doorman noticed that the woman had a suitcase far too large for one night and the man didn’t want his bag touched, insisting on carrying it himself. Even stranger, they were offered an upgrade when checking in and didn’t take it. This guest insisted on a specific room number, a perfectly nice room but definitely not the suite they were offered. It’s Pride weekend in Brighton and the hotel will be packed so Grace sends Norman Potting to check things out, but inexplicably and despite not drinking he finds himself feeling woozy and being pulled into a dance in one of the function rooms. Soon he’s being whirled around and as he collapses to the floor he sees the face of the Chief Constable looking down at him before oblivion. What were the couple doing and where do they disappear to? Leaving a completely immaculate room as if they’ve never been there. Grace is baffled and when they receive a call from a waste management company about a severed human leg they wonder if the two might be linked? Grace wants this wrapped up as quickly as possible, his mind immediately drawn to the Grand Hotel further along the seafront and the IRA bomb targeting Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her cabinet who were staying for the Conservative Party’s 1984 conference. On a personal note, his wife Cleo has a book event at the hotel coming up and they’ve planned a stay at the hotel for some much needed alone time. Could this be personal?
They must step up security for Pride but also find out who is missing a leg with a peacock feather tattoo. As always we’re taken into this crime through Roy and his team, but the author also adds other points of view. In this case we know exactly who checked into the Royal Courtney and what happened while they were there. Their perspective really added to the tension because we know their method and motive, whereas Roy is going in blind. Peter James finds ingenious ways to bring the reader information they wouldn’t normally have – one section takes us into the world of the hotel’s maintenance manager whose OCD nature identifies an anomaly on the same floor as the guests. He’s on his final walk through before taking a holiday in Cornwall but must leave a note for this to be checked, then his attention is diverted by a broken pump in the swimming pool’s heating system and diverts back to his workshop knowing this is going to be a long job. Now we’re really on tenterhooks. Could that message have made a difference? Another scene I loved was simply Roy Grace walking his dogs on the remote lane by the cottage late night, contemplating how much he enjoys his life with Cleo and the simple joys of a quiet walk in nature. While Roy enjoys the night sky we know someone is watching. That tension between Roy’s ease and happiness and the motives of the watcher starts to take hold as you read.
There’s an eccentric old lady living in the Royal Courteney permanently and according to her grown up children, squandering their inheritance. They are trying everything to make sure they’re in the will and are considering applying for Enduring Power of Attorney so they can make her financial decisions. After visiting a rather unscrupulous lawyer they decide to make it look like she’s got dementia, by hiding things and doctoring her favourite chocolates with sedatives to prove it. They’ll be holding a private dinner in the smaller function room on the same night as Cleo’s book event, but what’s their part in all this? They are the most deliciously awful people, spoiled and talking about their mother’s money as if it were theirs already. We hear from everybody in the moment, making this feel urgent and immediate from the beginning, even more so as time is ticking and the team are looking at possible links between the mystery hotel guest, a dodgy skip hire company and Albanian gangsters. But will the pieces come together in time? With an action packed final few chapters this really is on form, focused very much on the case and showing how lives often depend on chance and opportunity. The only thing I missed was reading the dressing down Norman Potts must have had from the Chief Constable. This is another great addition to the Roy Grace canon from Peter James.
Meet the Author
Peter James is loved by crime and thriller fans for his fast-paced page-turners full of unexpected plot twists, sinister characters, and accurate portrayal of modern day policing, he has won over 40 awards for his work including the WHSmith Best Crime Author of All Time Award and Crime Writers’ Association Diamond Dagger. In 2024, it was announced that he is the creator of Her Majesty Queen Camilla’s favourite fictional detective.
To date, Peter has written an impressive total of 21 Sunday Times No. 1s, sold over 24 million copies worldwide and been translated into 38 languages. ITV’s primetime adaptation of the Grace novels, starring John Simm, continues to delight audiences with significant ratings growth, and series seven is currently in production. On stage seven of Peter’s Grace novels have been adapted as plays, earning his work the reputation of being the most successful stage franchise since Agatha Christie.
In 2026, Peter was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in His Majesty The King’s Birthday Honours List, in recognition of his services to literature and to charity. Peter is a supporter of many of charities reflecting his concerns and interests, including as Co-Patron of the Sussex Police Charitable Trust; as a Patron of the RSPCA and the Samaritans; and as an ambassador for The Reading Agency and for the National Year of Reading 2026, among many others.
