[Albion] Peter James’ “bomb at the Amex” fiction in Argus today

[London Irish]

Strikes me as one of the most spectacularly tasteless things I’ve seen about the Albion in a while. No wonder the Argus decided not to promote it on its front page, bet they had mixed feelings about it

 

[hart's shirt]

Sussex Police have confirmed that it was just Palace Ultras trying out some new pyros for next season.

They've confiscated them along with a selection of knives and knuckledusters.

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

I stopped reading at 'Peter James'

 

[Papa Lazarou]

What is this about? Has Peter James included a terrorist bomb at the Amex in his latest book?

 

[Petee]

Don't see the problem here. He writes crime fiction (not real) and bases his stories in Brighton.

It's nothing against the club, it's just a popular venue in the Brighton area and he decided to use terrorism/bombing as a storyline. Once again, it's not real.

 

[Napper]

Strikes me as one of the most spectacularly tasteless things I’ve seen about the Albion in a while. No wonder the Argus decided not to promote it on its front page, bet they had mixed feelings about it

don't be so sensitive

 

[shaolinpunk]

The blurb about the book:

Roy Grace, creation of the CWA Diamond Dagger award winning author Peter James, faces his most complex case yet in Dead If You Don't.

Kipp Brown, successful businessman and compulsive gambler, is having the worst run of luck of his life. He’s beginning to lose, big style. However, taking his teenage son, Mungo, to their club’s Saturday afternoon football match should have given him a welcome respite, if only for a few hours. But it’s at the stadium where his nightmare begins.

Within minutes of arriving at the game, Kipp bumps into a client. He takes his eye off Mungo for a few moments, and in that time, the boy disappears. Then he gets the terrifying message that someone has his child, and to get him back alive, Kipp will have to pay.

Defying instruction not to contact the police, Kipp reluctantly does just that, and Detective Superintendent Roy Grace is brought in to investigate. At first it seems a straightforward case of kidnap. But rapidly Grace finds himself entering a dark, criminal underbelly of the city, where the rules are different and nothing is what it seems...

Shocking stuff... who calls their kid Mungo ffs

 

[Bozza]

I've not read any of his books, although I suspect they are the sort of thing I'd enjoy.

However: "But rapidly Grace finds himself entering a dark, criminal underbelly of the city, where the rules are different and nothing is what it seems." - hasn't Roy Grace been knocking about Brighton solving all sorts of heinous crimes for some time now? I would have thought he'd be well acquainted with the criminal underbelly of the city by now.

 

[phoenix]

The blurb about the book:



Shocking stuff... who calls their kid Mungo ffs

Gerry, did!

 

[The Large One]

What is this about? Has Peter James included a terrorist bomb at the Amex in his latest book?

The latest book (out tomorrow) is set at the Amex, on the first day of the season against Man City.

 

[The Large One]

I've not read any of his books, although I suspect they are the sort of thing I'd enjoy.

However: "But rapidly Grace finds himself entering a dark, criminal underbelly of the city, where the rules are different and nothing is what it seems." - hasn't Roy Grace been knocking about Brighton solving all sorts of heinous crimes for some time now? I would have thought he'd be well acquainted with the criminal underbelly of the city by now.

Or 'Brighton & Hove City Council' - as the rest of us would call it.

Talking of blurb...

 

[The Kid Frankie]

I've not read any of his books, although I suspect they are the sort of thing I'd enjoy.

However: "But rapidly Grace finds himself entering a dark, criminal underbelly of the city, where the rules are different and nothing is what it seems." - hasn't Roy Grace been knocking about Brighton solving all sorts of heinous crimes for some time now? I would have thought he'd be well acquainted with the criminal underbelly of the city by now.

The first book put me off the rest. The plot was actually really good (stag do bury the stag alive in the woods and then all get killed in a van crash so no one knows this poor geezer is 6 feet under) but the ending felt really rushed and turned the whole book to complete gash.

 

[perseus]

I stopped reading at 'Peter James'

He would make a real event sound boring with his insipid writing. Dead.

I tried to read one for the dead body being lifted by a dredger out of Shoreham. But the description was naff. I've heard better descriptions from trawler crews.

 

[Falmer Flutter ©]

The first book put me off the rest. The plot was actually really good (stag do bury the stag alive in the woods and then all get killed in a van crash so no one knows this poor geezer is 6 feet under) but the ending felt really rushed and turned the whole book to complete gash.

Yep, his talents can't match his ideas. Only read a couple of his books, but pretty much gave up when one story (can't remember which one because his stupid "Dead" titles make them all sound the same) was resolved by a completely out of the blue and random anonymous member of the public phoning the police about something suspicious. Think there was then a par explaining that despite all the detective work that goes on, the majority of crimes are solved by tip-offs. Threw the book across the room in disgust.

 

[jcdenton08]

I like Peter. He's a nice guy and loves the town. He's writing fiction set in Brighton about murders, rapes and everything else under the sun. You're an awful lot more likely to die from that cigarette you smoke or from incorrect posture posting nonsense at a keyboard, writing nonsense on forums, thereby shortening your physical activity aged 80 than in a bomb blast in this country.

 

[jcdenton08]

If I had a criticism of Peter's work, it would be that he often gets confused with geography in the town. One minute Roy Grace is taking his morning jog along the seafront, the next he is 'passing New England Street' and ends up on Madeira Drive.

My Mum used to work in the magistrate court and he frequently visited for research purposes. She was already a fan of his and he was very patient with my Mum's fangirl behaviour. I happened to meet the guy on a production of the play version of one of his novels, for which I was Stage Manager, when it came home to Brighton and happened to mention my Mum. He remembered how she was and even asked how our cat was doing.

I know being a nice bloke doesn't make you a good author, but already enjoying his novels and meeting the bloke in person at the Theatre Royal aftershow and finding him charming was a pleasant surprise.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Yep, his talents can't match his ideas. Only read a couple of his books, but pretty much gave up when one story (can't remember which one because his stupid "Dead" titles make them all sound the same) was resolved by a completely out of the blue and random anonymous member of the public phoning the police about something suspicious. Think there was then a par explaining that despite all the detective work that goes on, the majority of crimes are solved by tip-offs. Threw the book across the room in disgust.

There is also a sub plot of Roy Grace's first wife disappearing and his new love.


I've read several of his books, and there does tend to be a samey feel about the way they're solved. I really didn't feel like getting the 'latest' one after that as you knew what was going to happen, even thought it is supposed to be a crime mystery thriller.

 

[Easy 10]

If I had a criticism of Peter's work, it would be that he often gets confused with geography in the town. One minute Roy Grace is taking his morning jog along the seafront, the next he is 'passing New England Street' and ends up on Madeira Drive.

This is one of the things I always find curious about his books - they're so parochial. He constantly references towns and street names throughout Brighton and Hove, so you always have a good idea geographically exactly where everything is. Which is fine for the likes of us, but all that would mean absolutely NOTHING to anyone who doesn't know Brighton and Hove. Unless they bought an A to Z.

Some herbert reading one of his books in Sheffield would probably wonder why the hell he's always being told various road names in Brighton.

 

[mikeyjh]

If I had a criticism of Peter's work, it would be that he often gets confused with geography in the town. One minute Roy Grace is taking his morning jog along the seafront, the next he is 'passing New England Street' and ends up on Madeira Drive.

I enjoy the fact one can recognise locations but he reminds me of Dame Sally Markham sometimes - Describing Grace as driving east down Edward st, turning left on to George St, heading up St James St is his filler version of 'yahoooooooooooo'.......

 

[jcdenton08]

This is one of the things I always find curious about his books - they're so parochial. He constantly references towns and street names throughout Brighton and Hove, so you always have a good idea geographically exactly where everything is. Which is fine for the likes of us, but all that would mean absolutely NOTHING to anyone who doesn't know Brighton and Hove. Unless they bought an A to Z.

Some herbert reading one of his books in Sheffield would probably wonder why the hell he's always being told various road names in Brighton.

Based on the brief chats I had with Peter, I can say he truly does love Brighton. The Grace series are sort of a love-letter to the city. That's why it's such a pity these basic bits of research failure (easily done on Google Maps at home) could so easily be avoided.

I don't criticise him though for potentially alienating some 'herberts' - he has sold over 19m copies worldwide, so I don't think mass appeal is an issue. He could say Grace ran from Big Swollen Ones Hill to Fannyhair Lane and it wouldn't make the difference to anyone except Brightonians... it's still terribly frustrating though