Welcome to another Tuesday celebrating bookish events, from Tuesday/First Chapter/Intros, hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea Every Tuesday, Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea posts the opening paragraph (sometime two) of a book she decided to read based on the opening. Feel free to grab the banner and play along.
This week my opening comes from Death Comes Knocking: Policing Roy Grace’s Brighton by Graham Bartlett with Peter James
Blurb
Fans of Peter James and his bestselling Roy Grace series of crime novels know that his books draw on in-depth research into the lives of Brighton and Hove police and are set in a world every bit as gritty as the real thing. His friend Graham Bartlett was a long-serving detective in the city once described as Britain’s ‘crime capital’. Together, in Death Comes Knocking, they have written a gripping account of the city’s most challenging cases, taking the reader from crime scenes and incident rooms to the morgue, and introducing some of the real-life detectives who inspired Peter James’s characters.
Whether it’s the murder of a dodgy nightclub owner and his family in Sussex’s worst non-terrorist mass murder or the race to find the abductor of a young girl, tracking down the antique trade’s most notorious ‘knocker boys’ or nailing an audacious ring of forgers, hunting for a cold-blooded killer who executed a surfer or catching a pair who kidnapped a businessman, leaving him severely beaten, to die on a hillside, the authors skilfully evoke the dangerous inside story of policing, the personal toll it takes and the dedication of those who risk their lives to keep the public safe. Amazon
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First Chapter ~ First Paragraph ~ Intro
1: Man Down
One of the fascinations of policing is that you never really know what is around the corner. A much-loved and respected public order inspector I knew, Andy Parr – now sadly deceased – achieved his fifteen minutes of fame by theorizing that increases in violence were linked to the lunar cycle. Andy, almost single-handedly, led the fight against the drunken mobs who each weekend, seemed hell-bent on turning the city into a war zone. His research indicated that people became more aggressive and anti-social around the full moon. While not clearly scientific, his theory attracted a good deal of media discussion and hilarity. It was as valid as any explanation for when and why shit happens.
This extract comes from a proof copy
So what do you think? Do you want to know about real life policing in Brighton?
Please leave your thoughts and links in the envelope below!
I do love good British crime novels. This is a new author to me. I like the description of the book plus the opening paragraph. I’m off to see if the library has a copy. Thanks Cleo.
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It’s out this week Margot and features links the Peter James’s Roy Grace series in between the real-life policing of Brighton. I hope you find a copy soon.
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This sounds like a good, gritty reference. I love true crime stories. Enjoy!
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It’s very good takes us through the authors years of policing and touches on his personal life too and there are a good few true crimes!
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This sounds like one that would keep me up past bedtime:) Hope u enjoy it.
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🙂 Fortunately they’re not all murders.
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This really does sound fascinating, Cleo. Nice to actually learn a bit about what does on in the real world of policing, and I’m sure it will offer an interesting perspective on James’ Roy Grace novels. II really hope you’ll enjoy it, especially since you’re a fan of James’ writing.
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I couldn’t resist when I was offered this book and it links characters and crimes from the series to the true crimes – it reminds me a little of the way you compose your posts in fact!
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🙂
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This sounds fascinating! I wonder if my library has a copy…
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It’s going to be published on Thursday so hopefully they’ll have one soon.
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A new series and author for me. Will be looking out for this one.
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The Roy Grace series is one of my favourites of all time.
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Definitely! I do love behind the scenes looks into the world of mystery, and what better probe can we imagine than an exploration of policing? Thanks, Cleo. And thanks for visiting my blog.
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I’m enjoying it enormously. Thanks for returning my call 🙂
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I love British mysteries and crime fiction, but haven’t read this author yet. This book sounds very interesting because I would love to know more about what really goes on behind the scenes. Good choice, and thanks for pointing it out.
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This sounds great. I also like the cover. Thanks for sharing. Hope you enjoy it. 🙂
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I would like to read this one based on what you shared. I like the narrative voice and the blurb.
We often joke in my office that it’s going to be a busy day when we’re expecting a full moon. I’m not sure I believe that’s actually true, but sometimes it feels like it!
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Well, I believe the full moon theory! When I worked at the school (for boys with behavioural problems) we knew well that their behaviour was always worse when there was a full moon, or a high wind. If both happened at the same time, we knew to expect a roof riot at the very least… 😉
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Interesting. I don’t know about the real life aspect. Sometimes it’s easier to read fiction than to hear real life horror stories, so to speak.
-Lauren
http://www.shootingstarsmag.blogspot.com
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Hi Cleo,
I haven’t read a Peter James book for years, so I am only familiar with the very early years of the ‘Roy Grace’ series. In fact, I hadn’t realised just what a prolific author Peter had become and I only recognise a handful of his stand alone novel titles.
I don’t tend to read much in the way on non fiction, however a book which links real policing life, with such a well defined and established character as Roy Grace, would certainly have enough content to capture my interest …. Might well make it on to my TBR shelf 🙂
Yvonne
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I think this is probably fascinating but I’m not sure this one is for me. Maybe if it was an area I knew…sorry!
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Oh I think I’d like to keep reading this!
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