Dead Man's Grip by Peter James (Pan Macmillan)
Dead Man's Grip refers to the rigor mortis that sets in and stiffens a corpse’s muscles so that they end up being incredibly difficult to manipulate.  Creepy, huh? 

Peter James doesn’t reveal this until the first dead body in the book is discovered in a sunken car, gripping the steering wheel rather tightly.

As per his previous novels, James does what he does best: Dead Man’s Grip is a crime thriller that has more action and death than a Guy Ritchie movie.

Imagine a car accident so foul that even the paramedics are cringing, a woman whose alcohol reading shows she is way past the limit, a truck driver who is practically asleep at the wheel and a white van that disappeared after hitting a cyclist. 

The victim, a student at Brighton University, is the grandson of a Mafia Mob boss. 

And of course, this is where it gets interesting.  When the white van driver turns up drowned and the truck driver hanging and gutted like a fish, Roy Grace knows that he has a case of murder on his hands.

But if you thought that is all Peter James leaves you with, you are highly mistaken. 

This master storyteller manages to weave together past and present of our favourite detective. The reader is shown snippets from Roy Grace’s past; a past now promising to haunt him in his future, and with shocking developments that are sure to shake you to the core...

It wasn’t the cookie-cutter pacey plot that had me glued; it was the complete and utter brutality James brings to the page with just a hint of expletives and great characters.  He manages to capture grief and survival in each of these characters, the way they react, develop and ultimately survive  and does so masterfully.

Another great read from the King of Crime and bestselling author, this is a must read. Be sure to pick a copy up!

Keen on reading this book? Buy your copy now.

Read this book yet? Tell us what you thought of the book in the comment box below.

Sign up for women24's book club newsletter and stand a chance to win our top ten books from kalahari.com.