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Dead Simple
 
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Dead Simple (Paperback)

by Peter James (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (118 customer reviews)
RRP: £6.99
Price: £4.19 & eligible for Free UK delivery on orders over £5 with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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Frequently Bought Together

Dead Simple + Looking Good Dead + Not Dead Enough
Price For All Three: £11.56

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  • This item: Dead Simple by Peter James

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    Eligible for FREE UK delivery on orders over £5 with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

  • Looking Good Dead by Peter James

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    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    Eligible for FREE UK delivery on orders over £5 with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

  • Not Dead Enough by Peter James

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Product details

  • Paperback: 400 pages
  • Publisher: Pan Books; New edition edition (20 Jan 2006)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0330434195
  • ISBN-13: 978-0330434195
  • Product Dimensions: 17.3 x 11.2 x 3.3 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (118 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 323 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #16 in  Books > Crime, Thrillers & Mystery > Thrillers
    #20 in  Books > Crime, Thrillers & Mystery > Mystery
    #33 in  Books > Fiction > Genre

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Product Description

Review
"'James has got the gift for turning mind-stretching subjects into novels that are irresistibly readable as well as utterly believable' Robert Goddard" --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description
It was meant to be a harmless stag night prank. A few hours later, four of his best friends are dead and Michael Harrison has disappeared. With only three days to the wedding, Detective Superintendent Grace - a man haunted by the shadow of his own missing wife - is contacted by Michael's beautiful, distraught fiancee, Ashley Harper. Grace discovers that the one man who ought to know Michael Harrison's whereabouts is saying nothing. But then he has a lot to gain - more than anyone realizes. For one man's disaster is another man's fortune..."James has got the gift for turning mind-stretching subjects into novels that are irresistibly readable as well as utterly believable" - Robert Goddard. "A brilliant idea, superbly crafted. A terrific page-turner" - James Herbert. "A page-turner of a book with some terrifying twists...a very satisfying read" - George Baker, Inspector Wexford.

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Dead Simple
77% buy the item featured on this page:
Dead Simple 4.2 out of 5 stars (118)
£4.19
Looking Good Dead
7% buy
Looking Good Dead 3.9 out of 5 stars (54)
£3.73
Dead Man's Footsteps
6% buy
Dead Man's Footsteps 4.6 out of 5 stars (49)
£3.86
Not Dead Enough
5% buy
Not Dead Enough 4.0 out of 5 stars (72)
£3.64
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Customer Reviews

118 Reviews
5 star:
 (76)
4 star:
 (14)
3 star:
 (10)
2 star:
 (7)
1 star:
 (11)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (118 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
42 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Great page turner, americanised style, 13 Mar 2006
This is the first time I've read Peter James and picked it up after hearing it reviewed positively on Simon Mayo's show. It really is a page turner! The chapters are very to fairly short which makes it a great book for people like me who have a 25 minute train commute - you can usually time the finishing of the chapters just right for your stop.

The book involves a stag night prank of burying a mate in a coffin. If if this seems somewhat unlikely, James does get away with explaining the history that leads to this event, making it plausible enough to stick with it. When the perpetrators are killed in a van crash our man is trapped in the coffin with only one person in the world knowing where he is; and that person has most to gain by him staying lost (trust me I give nothing away, we're only up to page 40 or 50 here!). Therein hangs the first of many twists; there are several, yet somehow they are nearly all credible within the confines of this tale. And speaking of confines, some of the coffin scenes really are claustrophobic to read.

The slight downsides then. As has been referenced elsewhere the author I believe has been a scriptwriter in the States and at times there is an americanisation to the story that grates ever so slightly, including the use of american type terminology that wouldn't naturally be used here. Stylistically it has more of an american feel than say a traditional English crime fiction feel about it. I don't say that this is bad, by the way, but just be aware that PD James it ain't (and that may well be a good thing for some of you)! The ending is also a little rushed and slightly patly contrived, but by then you've rattled along with the book at such a pace that you forgive this minor(ish) transgression.

In conclusion then, a page turner it most certainly is. I knocked this off in two days because I couldn't put the blooming thing down. If like me you have a busy life from which you need to be occasionally transported, released into a private world of high drama that goes at a rattling good pace, has plenty of twists and genuine 'oh my god!' moments, then this is the book for you.

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24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Dead Simple, 18 Jan 2007
By F. Clancy (Hertfordshire) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
I bought this book specifically for holiday and am glad i did - although it gripped me very early on and i read it in no time at all. I found the plot very good and didnt guess the "bad guy" at all which for me is quite unusual and very enjoyable. I would defintely recommend it and am now trying to decide which Peter James book to read next!
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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Superb!, 16 Jul 2007
By Angel (Kent) - See all my reviews
Excellent book - gripping from the first chapter - a definite must-read. I could not put the book down and after reading it in a day and a bit, I then went on to order and read the rest of the books he has written - all equally intriguing and gripping in their own way - Looking Good Dead is another superb book!!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Amazed it got published
I live in Brighton and have seen the postered for this. I was expecting it to at least be well written but it isn't. Read more
Published 7 days ago by RB Smith

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book with few niggles
I bought this book because I like crime fiction and I grew up in Brighton! It's interesting to read a book set in a city I know so well... Read more
Published 1 month ago by R. D. Eager

4.0 out of 5 stars Worth a try - a good debut
I wasn't certain I'd like the book - as I'm not too keen on reading the action from the point of view of other protagonists than the police characters, and I especially prefer not... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Ms. E. J. White

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant Start To A Brilliant Series
Dead Simple is one of the best crime stories written in the last decade. Peter James is a mastermind at hooking you in and keeping you there until you're reading the first two... Read more
Published 2 months ago by P. Bean

5.0 out of 5 stars Possibly the best and most gripping book i have ever read, yet!
This has to be the quickest book i have ever read and usually i'm quite a slow reader. I could not put this down, it's so gripping and some of the twists will leave you literally... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Mr. D. J. Sutton

1.0 out of 5 stars Dead Loss
When I realised that the plot revolved around a guy buried alive in a coffin, I should have realised that credibility was going to be an issue. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Sideshow Bob

1.0 out of 5 stars Awful
If you want a lesson in poor writing and awful use of exposition, read this. It's rubbish.
Published 5 months ago by Walter Plinge

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Detective Novel
Admittedly Peter James was a new author on me. It came as a recommendation from Amazon as I have purchased books by Stuart Macbride in the past. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Pete A

5.0 out of 5 stars Love Peter James
This is the first time I have read any books by Peter James and I will get many more. The story line was different and enthralling. Couldn't put it down.
Published 6 months ago by Mrs. Gail Radka

5.0 out of 5 stars Best book I've read in a long while!
This book was passed to me by my Mum who claimed that it was "un-put-downable". I read the book in a matter of hours and must say it is one of the best books I have picked up in a... Read more
Published 6 months ago by K. Gregory

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