The Roy Grace novels by Peter James never disappoint, but Stop Them Dead is an absolute standout! It deals with the abhorrent subject of the illegal puppy trade and, because it is set in England, there is also the matter of the illegal importation of unvaccinated dogs from Europe.
The many strands that come together to make this story include murder, theft, fraud, animal cruelty and, frighteningly, the potential danger to the British population from imported diseases.
Of course, the horror that is puppy farming happens in Australia as well. Our country also has strict quarantine requirements that are there to keep out insidious and even life threatening infections. A few years ago a Hollywood actress who famously smuggled her dogs into Australia had failed to understand the seriousness of quarantine laws. Stop Them Dead is a perfect example of the possible consequences of breaking them.
Roy Grace’s private life is as interesting as ever and in this story his beloved wife, Cleo, coincidentally assists with the case Roy and the team are investigating. The sub-plots are peopled with absolutely spot on characterisations, and there are the usual light touches of humour as well as a steadily building, suspense-filled, nail biting race against time. I have been reading recently about the poaching and mistreatment of endangered African animals and now this book which is about the theft and equally heartbreaking mistreatment of domestic animals in England (as in many other parts of the world). There seems to be no limit to the depths to which some human beings will descend.
At the end of each book Peter James always lists comprehensively the experts in their fields who have assisted in his research. The air of authenticity this adds to the stories makes them super enjoyable and hard to beat. In my opinion this is Peter James’s finest book ever! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Published by Pan Macmillan
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