The Hawk is Dead is a gripping read from start to finish and one I could not put down.

The setting is different for Roy, Glen and the rest of the team as Roy has been dispatched to none other than Buckingham Palace after a derailment of the Royal Train with the Queen aboard which is quickly followed by an assassination of a trusted aide.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Royal aspect with the King and Queen, learning about the royal aritifacts and the workings of the Palace which is a character unto itself in the book.

Roy is calm, nervous but convinced something is not right at the Palace and he puts his heart and soul into solving the case.

Peter James leads the reader down a path of intrigue, betrayal, mystery , murder and so much more.

This is one of my favourite Roy Grace books until book 22) and I have read them all.

Once you start reading there will be no stopping.

Thanks to NetGalley and Pan MacMillan for the privilege of reading and reviewing The Hawk is Dead.

Roy Grace #21

Peter James in this latest mystery takes us deep into Buckingham Palace where Roy Grace never thought his latest murder investigation would take him.

The story in a few words:

Queen Camilla aboard the Royal Train is headed to a charity event when disaster strikes and the train derails. Minutes later an aide is shot dead by a sniper… everyone jumped to the assumption her Majesty was the intended target but debonair Inspector Grace was not on the wave link and finds himself alone with his suspicions…….is he right?.....

My thoughts:

The book can be read on its own but you will appreciate the characters more if you have read the others. Although I have read many books in this series, not all were read in sequence and I never felt lost.

In his investigation Grace takes us on a tour of the Palace and describes its opulence décor and history behind some paintings and “objet d’art” While meeting the monarchy and the various roles of the staff James gives us all the fluff that goes which such an encounter. Really it was a bit much. IMO, this took over the crime and who was behind. Having said this, it still a fun read once the investigation took wings and getting to the arrests and finding out the whodunit is and the why. Definitely a lot more procedural in this one.

I do question: would an attempt on the Queen’s life be handle by the local police or handed over to a squad expert in terrorism?

In a few words:

The plot is well paced and engaging, the characters are well drawn and the setting is vividly described. A good story I enjoyed passing time with.

The Hawk Is Dead is book 21 in the Roy Grace series which you may be familiar with through the ITV/Britbox series Grace. The books are very readable as a standalone novel but you will appreciate the characters more if you have read the others. There are a few references to past characters in this one which may be spoilers if you choose to go back to the earlier books later.

This one feels a little different to the past Roy Grace books. The monarchy aspect will not be for everyone either and at times it felt like a bit much. I know that the Queen is a huge fan of the series, but it felt more like a fluff piece on the royals at times over a real mystery. Maybe missing some of the more gritty feeling of past books as we spend a fair amount of time touring Buckingham Palace and the various roles of staff to the royals over the crime and investigation.

Although I guessed early who was involved, it did have lots of red herrings that made me think I may be wrong. It was still a fun read getting to the arrests and finding out who was involved and why. The Roy Grace books are definitely more procedural, following him through the case vs showing the crimes and limited gore. It started off strong with a derailment of the Royal Train and shots fired towards the Queen and her entourage and it has a great secondary story within the staff at the Palace and what lead to the shooting but the pacing was much slower after that. Maybe it is just my disinterest in the Royals that made it feel off?

Roy has to fight for the case as others feel it was an attempt on the Queen’s life while the evidence doesn’t quite stack up. But really, this case would likely be handed over to a terrorism squad pretty quickly and not some detective from Brighton. Especially once it is clear that there are deeper issues at play in Buckingham Palace. I would have loved to see more of the interactions between the criminals, even if they were just flashbacks as they planned the assassination, the problems that came after and their exit.

Brisk, intriguing, and perfectly paced!⁣
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𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐀𝐖𝐊 𝐈𝐒 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐃 is a suspenseful thriller that transports readers back to England, where Detective Superintendent Roy Grace and his team now find themselves investigating a shocking murder within the walls of Buckingham Palace when a senior member of the Royal Household winds up dead during a failed assassination attempt on the Queen.⁣
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The writing is twisty and intense. The characters are stubborn, multilayered, and resolute. And the plot is a darkly compelling blend of secrets, surprises, deduction, political intrigue, manipulation, palace drama, and murder.⁣
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Overall, 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐀𝐖𝐊 𝐈𝐒 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐃 is a propulsive, satisfying, highly entertaining addition to the Roy Grace series by James, which is undoubtedly another utterly gripping page-turner in this must-read series.