This is a crime novel which is hard to put down. There are several strands, as described by other reviewers, which are expertly paced in short chapters and which fuse together as the plot unfolds. As ever with James' work there is just the right balance of policing detail with the information being integral to the plot rather than being heavy or detracting from it. Roy Grace is an ordinary character but I feel this reveals clever writing because he is a character you can relate to as he is not a "Supercop" and he has emotions, that are well drawn and easily related to by readers. I did guess some of the twists (not all!) from the "clues" given. I think most avid crime readers would but this takes nothing away from the novel. The very last sentence is a powerful ending - it will be interesting to see where this leads in the next Roy Grace novel.