Not impressed by new narrator

I love the Roy Grace series by Peter James, but I really am so disappointed by the choice of narrator in this case. I have listened to all the books in this series, maybe the none of the other narrators were available (I have only now realised that there has been more than one - bravo to the previous ones who have done such a good job keeping it consistent for the listener!) but the new voices completely change the character of individuals who we have grown to love.

It is not this narrators fault but he was a poor choice for this series. I almost can't listen to this book. Maybe I will get used to it as I am only an hour in at the moment.

I'm sure the book will be enjoyable to listeners who have not read the previous books, and those who are already into the series will just have to make do with this one in order to find out what happens.

Seriously tempted to buy the paper version so I can read with the "proper" voices. (maybe I have just uncovered the purpose of the new narrator? Does this drive up paper sales?)

11 people found this helpful

Grace Under Pressure

Not dead yet indeed but this series is most certainly not in as rude health as it has been previously. Not Dead Yet just doesn't reach the heights that the better books in this series have managed to scale. There are a number of reasons for this. The story lacks a villain you can really get your teeth into and the process of translating Hollywood onto the South Coast of England doesn't work too well.

On top of that there is the narration. I don't think this series has really found the perfect narrator and I have often found myself wondering just how much more successful it might have been with someone like Steven Pacey at the microphone. It hasn't done too badly as it is of course but I think that it would have been absolutely sensational if that had been nailed from the start.

I really don't think William Gaminara is the worst narrator in the world. The problem is really that he is at his flattest when he renders Grace, Branson and Potting who should be huge characters but are made to sound near anonymous.

Where both story and narrator do both score more highly is in the last couple of hours. The climactic scene of the main storyline I really enjoyed and it gives us some great Roy Grace action. In addition not long after that there is a massive twist that certainly caused me to do a double take that's for sure.

We also get a little bit more of the Sandy storyline but only a little bit. The character back stories do seem fairly glacial in pace but I think that's because the overall series has actually covered a relatively small amount of storyline time for the number of books.

I think this one is worth reading for fans of the series, particularly for a little mystery surrounding the delightful Norman Potting but it certainly won't be near most people's top five Roy Grace novels.

9 people found this helpful

Made me squirm, but not in a good way

I didn't think this was particularly good, but then again I did finish it, so at least I wanted to hear how it ended.



The trouble is, it's so full of crime fiction cliches. And the realism of people's behaviour is sacrificed in favour of the plot, to the point where I really don't care about the characters because I don't believe in them. For example, the main detective's ex-wife seems to have a complete 180-degree change of character, for the sake of setting up some tension that's supposed to make you reach for the next book in the series. But I don't think I'll bother, thank you.



Well-read by Gaminara though - I'll look out for other stories he reads.

3 people found this helpful

Had enough of Grace and this series

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I maybe harsh to judge this so quickly, but I found this book began to to grate, both the storyline and the narration, very quickly. Perhaps i was spoilt with some great listens before I returned to this series, but I found it hard going and eventually gave up.Won't return to this series, there are so many better listens and reads out there.

Would you recommend Not Dead Yet to your friends? Why or why not?

No, boring!

Would you be willing to try another one of William Gaminara’s performances?

See above

Was Not Dead Yet worth the listening time?

It certainly wasn't. I moved onto James Oswald and was rewarded with an excellent narrator and a very good story.

2 people found this helpful

New narrator doesn't help the book

It's good to have Roy Grace back even tho' the book does lack some of the excitement of previous tales. But for me the biggest disappointment is the narration. It's as though Glen Branson is a different character and the mispronunciation of local places is unforgivable! I will look closely to see who is narrating the next instalment and may have to do back to reading the book instead.

5 people found this helpful

Bit disappointing

This was a bit of a tame, boring outing from Roy Grace. I love him, but it seems like P James is getting stuck in a rut with the series.

A rock/film star is coming to Grace's hometown and a stalker threatens her and the production she's starring in.

8 people found this helpful

Another great Roy Grace book.

Well written, well researched, well read. The Roy Grace books are a triumph. I recommend that they be listened to in order. You won’t be disappointed.

1 person found this helpful

Sandy where are you?

I have read all the Inspector Grace books and enjoyed them and this is no exception. I think the storyline is good and develops well. I enjoy the characters and am interested in what they are doing. I thought the narrator was not as good as previous but did not spoil the enjoyment of the book for me. I enjoy the character of DS Branson although calling Grace "Old timer" every two seconds is a little grating. I am totally sick of this business with Sandy the missing or not so missing wife. Apparently Peter James initially was going to solve the mystery of Sandy early on but then extended it as people talking about it. I think the time has come now to sort Sandy out. Please Mr James do the decent thing... whatever you decide to do with her is fine with me but please please do something!!
A thoroughly enjoyable and highly recommended read as always I have just purchased the latest instalment to read.

1 person found this helpful

Fantastic read as usual

Brilliant Author and stories that draw you in. Not usually into crime novels but the way the Peter James writes these books is excellent and enjoyable.

1 person found this helpful

Franchise losing pace?

I have loved loved loved all Peter James books in the Roy Grace series, but this one didn't float my boat as much. It all seemed a bit laboured and predictable. I could almost script some of the dialog, and it seemed more stilted than usual. I also felt that the different threads didn't really gel well together, and had worked out the major plot twist pretty early on - unlike some previous novels. So, hoping this is a temporary blip, and that Roy and the gang return to top form next time round.

1 person found this helpful