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Denial
A young editor & a psychiatrist are devastated by the realisation that the man they considered to be mad actually holds the most terrifying truth of all. The man believes that God does exist and what's more he has the proof.
498 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
241 people are currently reading
877 people want to read
About the author
Peter James
243 books3,646 followersPeter James is a global bestselling author, best known for writing crime and thriller novels, and the creator of the much-loved Detective Superintendent Roy Grace. With a total of 21 Sunday Times No. 1s under his belt, he has achieved global book sales of over 23 million copies to date and has been translated into 38 languages.
Synonymous with plot-twisting page-turners, Peter has garnered an army of loyal fans throughout his storytelling career – which also included stints writing for TV and producing films. He has won over 40 awards for his work, including the WHSmith Best Crime Author of All Time Award, Crime Writers’ Association Diamond Dagger and a BAFTA nomination for The Merchant of Venice starring Al Pacino and Jeremy Irons for which he was an Executive Producer. Many of Peter’s novels have been adapted for film, TV and stage.
Synonymous with plot-twisting page-turners, Peter has garnered an army of loyal fans throughout his storytelling career – which also included stints writing for TV and producing films. He has won over 40 awards for his work, including the WHSmith Best Crime Author of All Time Award, Crime Writers’ Association Diamond Dagger and a BAFTA nomination for The Merchant of Venice starring Al Pacino and Jeremy Irons for which he was an Executive Producer. Many of Peter’s novels have been adapted for film, TV and stage.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 123 reviews
February 6, 2022
Audio - 5 Stars
Story - 5 Stars
This was dark and thrilling with a villain that kept the story interesting with his crazy, demented self!
Story - 5 Stars
This was dark and thrilling with a villain that kept the story interesting with his crazy, demented self!
July 15, 2021
As always with Peter James this book was just on the right side of creepy, disturbing and thrilling which meant that even if the more ‘taboo’ sections I kept saying to myself just one more chapter and then you just get on or go to bed but I just found it so hard to put down.
This story was very unusual and not something I have come across previously, I really enjoyed it though and it kept me on the edge of my seat. The ending felt really in line with the whole tone of the story which I loved!
As a massive fan of his Roy Grace series I was pleasantly surprised to see Glenn Branson in this book and I am really hoping he will be in a couple of the other remaining standalone books that I have left to read!
I would definitely recommend, and I am looking forward to reading more of his standalone books in the coming months 📚📚📚
This story was very unusual and not something I have come across previously, I really enjoyed it though and it kept me on the edge of my seat. The ending felt really in line with the whole tone of the story which I loved!
As a massive fan of his Roy Grace series I was pleasantly surprised to see Glenn Branson in this book and I am really hoping he will be in a couple of the other remaining standalone books that I have left to read!
I would definitely recommend, and I am looking forward to reading more of his standalone books in the coming months 📚📚📚
December 19, 2015
This is a fast moving thriller of a read that does keep your interest through to the end. Gloria Lamark is an actress who takes her own life at the start of the read, but whose presence really does dominate the book which is the story of her son Thomas’s search for revenge against all the people who he thinks has betrayed her in the past. Thomas himself is a wonderful villain, deliciously creepy and weird throughout.
The chapters are short sharp and punchy. There is a lot of graphic torture based violence which is very gory at times – think Silence of the Lambs crossed with Psycho and you have a good idea of what you will be getting into with this one.
The writing is OK for the most part, although I was surprised about the number of missing words and in particular the fact that the name of Glen’s wife changed from Grace to Ari and back again. Gloria herself is described as being 59 at the start of the book but we are later told she was 69. I don’t really expect errors like that from an author and publishing house of this stature, especially in a book that was first written pre-e book days when I think editorial standards were definitely higher.
There is one thing that I really did not like about this book and that is the way he portrays the relationship between Thomas and his mother. He brilliantly manages to convey the exact nature of the relationship at the start of the book in just one sentence. Thomas is taking his mother breakfast in bed dressed in his dressing gown and just by telling me that Gloria liked him to be naked under the dressing gown tells me everything I need to know about the relationship. What I don’t need is further graphic scenes of what is in fact child abuse but told in quite a salacious way, particularly the bathtub scene which really left a sour taste in my mouth. It was unnecessary and overshadowed the rest of the read for me.
The chapters are short sharp and punchy. There is a lot of graphic torture based violence which is very gory at times – think Silence of the Lambs crossed with Psycho and you have a good idea of what you will be getting into with this one.
The writing is OK for the most part, although I was surprised about the number of missing words and in particular the fact that the name of Glen’s wife changed from Grace to Ari and back again. Gloria herself is described as being 59 at the start of the book but we are later told she was 69. I don’t really expect errors like that from an author and publishing house of this stature, especially in a book that was first written pre-e book days when I think editorial standards were definitely higher.
There is one thing that I really did not like about this book and that is the way he portrays the relationship between Thomas and his mother. He brilliantly manages to convey the exact nature of the relationship at the start of the book in just one sentence. Thomas is taking his mother breakfast in bed dressed in his dressing gown and just by telling me that Gloria liked him to be naked under the dressing gown tells me everything I need to know about the relationship. What I don’t need is further graphic scenes of what is in fact child abuse but told in quite a salacious way, particularly the bathtub scene which really left a sour taste in my mouth. It was unnecessary and overshadowed the rest of the read for me.
May 16, 2013
Peter James has now offically taken James Herbert's place as my favourite British writer of horror/thriller fiction.
As described, this book was a taught, engaging, gruesomely disturbing story about grief and anger, and in the villain's case, revenge. Having only read one other of his books before - this being 'Alchemist' - I already had high expectations for Peter James, and while 'Alchemist' took about 100 pages before anything really got going, 'Denial' begins straight away on a high note, and is consistently good throughout, even if it does lag a little in the middle section.
The writing was solid, and the story works very well as a page-turning thriller. All things considered, I am very glad for having read this book - it was a fucking farcry from the last thing I suffered through - and that is really what it's all about.
On a more grounded basis, this was superior to many others books of the genre, but having said that, I did still find it a little boring at parts, and there are a few downfalls I should point out.
As I said before, there are moments in this book where the pacing stops up, and James gets a little overly descriptive with his settings, which for me at least, results in my attention switching off a little, and I find myself reading the words but not really taking them in - a little like 'The Bible'.
The pacing also suffers with the constant switch between various characters, and some of them - Detective Glen Branson, especially - seem to be doing nothing of much use until the closing section of the story.
There were a little too many similarities between this and other famous films, such as 'Sunset Boulevard' (with the failed actress's obsession with her diminished fame), 'Psycho' with the creepy, somewhat pitiful hold that the warped mother has over her son, and even 'Silence of the Lambs', with the villain referring to one of his victim's as "it", whilst keep her locked in a pitch-black cellar, and watching her with nightvision goggles. That last paralell was a little too much. But to be honest, all writers - nay, all creative persons in general - have to find their inspiration from somewhere, so these similarities to other major films can be forgiven, as they have been.
The last thing I must criticize is the relationship between Michael Tennent and Amanda Capstick, and the terribly unfitting sex-scene that occurs between them. I found this relationship cheap and lazy, and their love for each other was established not through any emotional journey whatsoever. At just around page 100, they make love in one of the most drawnout sex-scenes I've read. Now I like gratuitous sex just as much as the next person, but I also think there is a time and a place, and in this case, the sex just felt corny and weird and was too large a shift from the otherwise gloomy tone of the novel. But whatever, the sex scene is pretty hot, so it's not that bad.
Anyway, that's my take on Peter James's 'Denial'. It's a great story by a great writer, and while I only rated it three stars, I think many other people would love it, so check it out.
As described, this book was a taught, engaging, gruesomely disturbing story about grief and anger, and in the villain's case, revenge. Having only read one other of his books before - this being 'Alchemist' - I already had high expectations for Peter James, and while 'Alchemist' took about 100 pages before anything really got going, 'Denial' begins straight away on a high note, and is consistently good throughout, even if it does lag a little in the middle section.
The writing was solid, and the story works very well as a page-turning thriller. All things considered, I am very glad for having read this book - it was a fucking farcry from the last thing I suffered through - and that is really what it's all about.
On a more grounded basis, this was superior to many others books of the genre, but having said that, I did still find it a little boring at parts, and there are a few downfalls I should point out.
As I said before, there are moments in this book where the pacing stops up, and James gets a little overly descriptive with his settings, which for me at least, results in my attention switching off a little, and I find myself reading the words but not really taking them in - a little like 'The Bible'.
The pacing also suffers with the constant switch between various characters, and some of them - Detective Glen Branson, especially - seem to be doing nothing of much use until the closing section of the story.
There were a little too many similarities between this and other famous films, such as 'Sunset Boulevard' (with the failed actress's obsession with her diminished fame), 'Psycho' with the creepy, somewhat pitiful hold that the warped mother has over her son, and even 'Silence of the Lambs', with the villain referring to one of his victim's as "it", whilst keep her locked in a pitch-black cellar, and watching her with nightvision goggles. That last paralell was a little too much. But to be honest, all writers - nay, all creative persons in general - have to find their inspiration from somewhere, so these similarities to other major films can be forgiven, as they have been.
The last thing I must criticize is the relationship between Michael Tennent and Amanda Capstick, and the terribly unfitting sex-scene that occurs between them. I found this relationship cheap and lazy, and their love for each other was established not through any emotional journey whatsoever. At just around page 100, they make love in one of the most drawnout sex-scenes I've read. Now I like gratuitous sex just as much as the next person, but I also think there is a time and a place, and in this case, the sex just felt corny and weird and was too large a shift from the otherwise gloomy tone of the novel. But whatever, the sex scene is pretty hot, so it's not that bad.
Anyway, that's my take on Peter James's 'Denial'. It's a great story by a great writer, and while I only rated it three stars, I think many other people would love it, so check it out.
June 3, 2021
Why have I only just discovered this book?? I'm a huge fan of Mr James Roy Grace series. This book is not part of that series, but it does introduce a younger Glen Branson before he met Grace.
As with the Grace series this is a fast paced, brilliantly constructed thriller with short chapters that leave you wanting just one more, until you realise it's hours past your bedtime! It's not for the faint hearted as it features a demented serial killer and there are gruesome and disturbing scenes of torture. It was great to see how Glen Branson started as a DC, knowing how his character developed in the Grace series. Brilliant escapism!
Fab narration by Leighton Pugh.
As with the Grace series this is a fast paced, brilliantly constructed thriller with short chapters that leave you wanting just one more, until you realise it's hours past your bedtime! It's not for the faint hearted as it features a demented serial killer and there are gruesome and disturbing scenes of torture. It was great to see how Glen Branson started as a DC, knowing how his character developed in the Grace series. Brilliant escapism!
Fab narration by Leighton Pugh.
March 9, 2018
I read this on holiday over a few days and I loved this book. This wasn't the normal Roy Grace series story I was used to (I have read all 13 books) - as it was prior to the time with DI Grace. I was skeptical at first, as it was concentrating on DC Glen Branson. I particularly liked Branson though, in the DI Grace series, as he is a cool film-buff, hulking black man, and so I devoured the book eagerly to find out who he developed from. The best thing about this book isn't the investigation of the crimes, but the perpetrator himself who is completely maniacal and insane - but he chooses to believe he is completely sane and everything he does makes a twisted sense. Thomas Lamark is a wonderfully, brilliant and obscure individual and the book centers around him and his motivations behind a bonkers revenge plan that rapidly spirals out of control and crumbles around him when his pawns refuse to follow his precise plan.
April 1, 2015
I have to say, this was the first book by Peter James I'd ever picked up, and it was after reading the first chapter while doing a food shop at Sainsbury's I decided I had to finish it! I really couldn't put it down, and I became so immersed in its universe, that when certain events happened near the end of the book, I felt too many emotions that no other book has achieved for quite a long time! All the characters felt real, and their struggles were well felt throughout. The pacing is well done, and the book is very action-packed, and keeps you on your toes. As the plot unravels, it draws you in completely, and you can't help but sympathise with all the main characters! Overall, I think this is a brilliant book, and I'm now looking forward to the other Peter James book I bought at WHSmith!
August 20, 2020
I must admit, I found this one hard to get into and sometimes rolled my stomach with the relationship between our psychotic serial killer and a certain person. I loved that this book introduces us to Glen Branson, who of course appears in the Roy Grace series. This book was fast moving in parts and then dragged in others and I had no propensity to pick it up, hence why it took so long to listen to. But I love this author and once this book really got going I couldn't put it down.
October 13, 2010
I found Peter James books earlier this year and can't get enough. The Roy Grace series are first class and each one better than the previous, if that's at all possible. I'm now working through the earlier books and must say Denial, as clichéd as it sounds, is unputdownable!!.. I read it in a night with eyes on storks..Try it you'll see what a mean. Totally suspenseful till the very last page.
October 9, 2018
Стандартен трилър, който не успя да ме впечатли особено - вярно, че е писан още в края на 90's, а към момента съм прочел стотици заглавия от жанра, но все пак сюжетът, гравитиращ около психопат, едновременно обсебен и потиснат от личността на властната си майка, е абсолютно клише... Имаше и копиране на "Мълчанието на агнетата" със сцени с очила за нощно виждане (е, авторът уточни чрез героя си откъде е заимствал хрумката, не че нямаше да се сетим, де...), АЛА трите финални страници успяха да ме израдват доволно, та да вдигна оценката от 3 на 3,5.
February 7, 2022
5 stars audio
5++++ stars story!
5++++ stars story!
March 6, 2023
The best pieces of writing in this book are two short quotations from Hippocrates. Has no-one involved in the production of James’s books heard the expression ‘over the top?’ And finally, the endlessly repeated notion on the covers of the paperback that these works are of the quality of Stephen King or Michael Crichton are ridiculous. Maybe I’ve read too many in succession?
September 11, 2019
A brilliant early piece from Peter James; a piece that introduces us to Glenn Branson who is a regular feature in the Roy Grace series. Tense throughout with lashings of violence (which is something I really do enjoy in books, call me morbid maybe)
February 1, 2010
I read this not long after it was first published and then picked it up again recently when I saw it in Asda for a bargainous £1! PJ is one of my favourite authors and this book is no exception.
As usual his villain is completely mental, and at times makes me worry for PJs mental state for coming up with him! Some elements of the story make me cringe (surrounding the relationship with his mother, not to mention one of the sex scenes which descends into something out of an unlikely bodice-ripper), but in the case of the former, it adds a certain something to the character and although it doesn't excuse what he does, it somehow makes him and his actions a little more understandable.
Another interesting element of this book for me was that it introduced Glen Branson, the policeman from PJs later-written Roy Grace series, although it's clear that at this point he was a stand-alone character in this one book, rather than someone to be revisited in a series.
Unfortunately it looks like someone has gone back and rewritten this book to tie in with the character as written in the new series - because once or twice the names change - Glen's wife changes from Ari (as it is in the later books) to another name (can't remember what) it is. This doesn't detract from the fantastic storytelling though, and would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers that have a little bit extra - and that can quite literally, scare you silly!
As usual his villain is completely mental, and at times makes me worry for PJs mental state for coming up with him! Some elements of the story make me cringe (surrounding the relationship with his mother, not to mention one of the sex scenes which descends into something out of an unlikely bodice-ripper), but in the case of the former, it adds a certain something to the character and although it doesn't excuse what he does, it somehow makes him and his actions a little more understandable.
Another interesting element of this book for me was that it introduced Glen Branson, the policeman from PJs later-written Roy Grace series, although it's clear that at this point he was a stand-alone character in this one book, rather than someone to be revisited in a series.
Unfortunately it looks like someone has gone back and rewritten this book to tie in with the character as written in the new series - because once or twice the names change - Glen's wife changes from Ari (as it is in the later books) to another name (can't remember what) it is. This doesn't detract from the fantastic storytelling though, and would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers that have a little bit extra - and that can quite literally, scare you silly!
August 11, 2022
Woah; Psychosis safari. is everybody in this story a fruitcake? ( politically incorrect comment number one)
I picked this up as I've always liked, not loved, Peter James and I have to say, I was a little disappointed that it wasn't a Roy Grace novel, however, I soon got into the story and as long as you take it in the spirit it's written you'll find it a quick and enjoyable read.
The main reason it's only a three star for me, is that the characters are just too unrealistic. If I ever needed therapy I hope I don't get this guy. Probably the most neurotic, love-struck wierdo I've ever come across in a book. You're constantly shouting in your head for him to man up (sorry! Politically incorrect comment number two) and get a grip.
The police officers are seemingly intelligent one minute and thick as pigs pooh the next and don’t get me started on the psychic Nazi, who briefly flits in and out of the story, making you wonder why he's there.(Probably because James couldn't come up with any other link with the killer)
All in all a reasonably satisfactory read with too many flaws to make it good read.
I picked this up as I've always liked, not loved, Peter James and I have to say, I was a little disappointed that it wasn't a Roy Grace novel, however, I soon got into the story and as long as you take it in the spirit it's written you'll find it a quick and enjoyable read.
The main reason it's only a three star for me, is that the characters are just too unrealistic. If I ever needed therapy I hope I don't get this guy. Probably the most neurotic, love-struck wierdo I've ever come across in a book. You're constantly shouting in your head for him to man up (sorry! Politically incorrect comment number two) and get a grip.
The police officers are seemingly intelligent one minute and thick as pigs pooh the next and don’t get me started on the psychic Nazi, who briefly flits in and out of the story, making you wonder why he's there.(Probably because James couldn't come up with any other link with the killer)
All in all a reasonably satisfactory read with too many flaws to make it good read.
March 7, 2015
I made the mistake of reading some other people’s reviews before I started this book and normally when that happens I am swayed into thinking with the consensus but not this time. I did not have any problem with the fact that a person who has known one of the main protagonists of the book for such a short time should lead the search for them. I do not live near my family and it would probably take them weeks to even realise I was missing just because we are not in contact that much. So the fact that someone who was falling in love should be so instrumental in the search was not that surprising to me. I thought that most of the characters were well fleshed out and well written. As is usual with male written crime there was only one non-beautiful female character but at least she wasn’t the villain which is something. I liked this book in general; the villain was scary and the plot was pretty fast paced and I don’t have any complaints.
August 5, 2020
Um. Where to start. 105 chapters of this. 105. Almost 500 pages. At least a third are mind numbingly boring. The descriptions of people getting from one place to the other. As a list of roads. Wtf.
This book has it all. Incest. Murder. Torture. Insanity. A number of cardboard cutout characters. And one of the worst sex scenes I've ever read. Who calls it their 'rock'? And the author needs to know that women never say :' oh it's so big, how will it fit inside me'. Holy shit.
Also appears to have an obsession with large breasts, preferably hanging freely through negligees.
Lots of graphic torture if you're into that kind of thing. Child abuse with graphic sex scenes between a child and his mother. And pretty gratuitous tbh, added nothing to the plot. If that's your bag you'll love it.
Never read any of his before. Never will again. This was honestly just bad.
This book has it all. Incest. Murder. Torture. Insanity. A number of cardboard cutout characters. And one of the worst sex scenes I've ever read. Who calls it their 'rock'? And the author needs to know that women never say :' oh it's so big, how will it fit inside me'. Holy shit.
Also appears to have an obsession with large breasts, preferably hanging freely through negligees.
Lots of graphic torture if you're into that kind of thing. Child abuse with graphic sex scenes between a child and his mother. And pretty gratuitous tbh, added nothing to the plot. If that's your bag you'll love it.
Never read any of his before. Never will again. This was honestly just bad.
August 5, 2011
Is it believable that if a woman went missing, the search for her would be led by a man she'd only just started seeing? And that her family would be asking HIM to keep THEM updated on what was going on? So, her mother wouldn't bother going to the police, or have anything to do with the investigation into her disappearance; instead, the police would be communicating with a man who, let's face it, would probably be the main suspect. Add to that the most cringeworthy sex scene I've read in yonks, and it suddenly becomes clear why I found this is Asda for a quid.
January 17, 2018
It took me a long while to get into this book which says a lot more about me than it does about the book. I had only read the Roy Grace books by Peter James and that was somehow putting me off this one. I also had a lot going on in my life and wasn’t making the time to read. I love reading. Once I remembered that and re-focussed myself I was able to dive into this book. I read the last two thirds of it in under 2 weeks and thoroughly enjoyed it.
January 13, 2013
Really loved this book. My first time with Peter James. Beautifully constructed and clever right to the end. The story is a murder mystery, I felt quite believeable, as well as a bit of a psychological thriller. I also liked that you knew who it was from the beginning and just had to watch the drama as it unfurled.
January 22, 2023
Excellent book!
July 11, 2024
Another great book by Peter James!! Absolutely loved this story and was not expecting anything that happened!
May 27, 2020
I was pleasantly surprised by this book because it’s one of the older Peter James books on my pile and I’ve found them to be kind of hit and miss, with the quality varying widely without really seeming to vary depending upon when he actually wrote the things. Most of his books have some theme or another in them and so perhaps it depends more on what his theme is than on the book itself.
Here, you can probably guess the theme based on the title of the book. The story follows the son of a well-known film star and basically covers the unhealthy way in which he comes to terms with his mother’s death. Pretty unusually, we know that the kid is the bad guy right away, and we see things from his perspective as he goes around carrying out his revenge for society’s perceived wrongs against his mother.
It’s a pretty decent thriller novel to be honest, and while I’m not exactly the biggest reader of thrillers, there was still plenty here to keep me reading. In fact, despite the fact that it’s pretty massive, I flew through it in a couple of days and was left surprised by just how easy it was for me to get through it. Sure, there weren’t a ton of characters that I liked and related to, but the story line alone was enough to get me going.
I think a big part of that was down to the way that the antagonist here was so fully fleshed out, even though he was kind of crazy. I also liked the way that he incorporated fate into his crime spree, in this case by flipping a coin to decide his next move. I kind of want to play with that myself, so perhaps I’ll work it into a story.
I like the idea of a novel that’s based on the character as opposed to the plot in which I start by fleshing out the character and allow fate to guide the plot. Every time my character flipped a coin, I’d flip a coin, and that would decide the action that the character takes and thus the plot. The only problem is that I’m usually a plotter as opposed to a pantser, and so it would be an alien process to me.
All in all then, as you can tell, I enjoyed reading this book and it gave me a lot of food for thought. The enjoyment level was so-so, but I think it punched above its weight when it comes to the ideas that it shared. That for me is more of a testament to James’ ability than anything else, and so far I’ve almost always found him to be worth reading, although I’ll also admit that there are better writers out there.
So would I recommend it, then? Yeah, probably, especially if you like thrillers. You’ll like it!
Here, you can probably guess the theme based on the title of the book. The story follows the son of a well-known film star and basically covers the unhealthy way in which he comes to terms with his mother’s death. Pretty unusually, we know that the kid is the bad guy right away, and we see things from his perspective as he goes around carrying out his revenge for society’s perceived wrongs against his mother.
It’s a pretty decent thriller novel to be honest, and while I’m not exactly the biggest reader of thrillers, there was still plenty here to keep me reading. In fact, despite the fact that it’s pretty massive, I flew through it in a couple of days and was left surprised by just how easy it was for me to get through it. Sure, there weren’t a ton of characters that I liked and related to, but the story line alone was enough to get me going.
I think a big part of that was down to the way that the antagonist here was so fully fleshed out, even though he was kind of crazy. I also liked the way that he incorporated fate into his crime spree, in this case by flipping a coin to decide his next move. I kind of want to play with that myself, so perhaps I’ll work it into a story.
I like the idea of a novel that’s based on the character as opposed to the plot in which I start by fleshing out the character and allow fate to guide the plot. Every time my character flipped a coin, I’d flip a coin, and that would decide the action that the character takes and thus the plot. The only problem is that I’m usually a plotter as opposed to a pantser, and so it would be an alien process to me.
All in all then, as you can tell, I enjoyed reading this book and it gave me a lot of food for thought. The enjoyment level was so-so, but I think it punched above its weight when it comes to the ideas that it shared. That for me is more of a testament to James’ ability than anything else, and so far I’ve almost always found him to be worth reading, although I’ll also admit that there are better writers out there.
So would I recommend it, then? Yeah, probably, especially if you like thrillers. You’ll like it!
February 29, 2024
Now a bit outdated in some senses, but still an effective thriller to pass a few hours with. Some of the descriptions were a bit too grueling for me, but all-in-all I was quite engaged throughout.
December 31, 2020
Didn't enjoy at all wasn't making any sense
December 15, 2024
Luetut kirjat 82/2024: Peter James: Tuskallinen opetus, Docendo 2024 ⭐(⭐). Aloitin 21.10.2024 ehkä äänikirjana. Kääntäjä: Marja Helanen. Lukija: Martti Ranin. Alkuteos: Denial. Ilmestymispäivä: 21.10.2024. kuuntelin loppuun 08.12.2024.
Mukavan häijyn musta #dekkari! Psykoilua Auringonlaskun kadulla... Ja jotain vallan muuta. Kustannusmaailmasta.
Toisaalta hyvin epämiellyttävä mm mahd insestin osalta. Kipeänä kuuntelen näitä kesken jääneitä lukemisia äänikirjoina ennen joulupinoja.
Insestikuvaus oli liikaa, ei sopinut, sovi kirjailijan tyyliin eikä tapaan.
Mutta kuitenkin tuskallinen kosto.
Mukavan häijyn musta #dekkari! Psykoilua Auringonlaskun kadulla... Ja jotain vallan muuta. Kustannusmaailmasta.
Toisaalta hyvin epämiellyttävä mm mahd insestin osalta. Kipeänä kuuntelen näitä kesken jääneitä lukemisia äänikirjoina ennen joulupinoja.
Insestikuvaus oli liikaa, ei sopinut, sovi kirjailijan tyyliin eikä tapaan.
Mutta kuitenkin tuskallinen kosto.
June 7, 2023
I’ve been watching Peter James’ pre-Roy Grace novels get closer to Brighton, closer to crime thrillers and closer to what the Roy Grace series would become as I’ve gone through his writing timelines. With “Denial”, I’m now on the 7th of his novels I’ve read and, based on publication dates, 7 years from the first Ropy Grace novel and Peter James’ future writings are clearly getting closer.
Thomas Lamark is devastated by the death of his mother, former actress Gloria Lamark, and he blames her psychiatrist Dr Michael Tennant for her suicide. Dr. Tennant has personal experience with loss, as his wife had been killed several years previously, leaving him to live alone and expand his career as a high-profile psychiatrist with a budding radio career.
Shortly after the death of Gloria Lamark, people related to her start to go missing or pass away. There is the publisher who rejected Thomas Lamark’s biography of his mother, the young journalist who covered her death, but admitted she had never heard of her. Then Dr. Tennant gets a new patient who seems to know a little too much about his wife’s death and other aspects of his life, especially once his girlfriend goes missing, and a Brighton police detective starts to suspect that the apparent suicide of one of Gloria Lamark’s main rivals at the height of her career isn’t all it seemed.
I had struggled with Peter James’ previous novel, as none of the characters were particularly likeable, which left me without anyone to follow. This time around, whilst neither Dr. Tennant nor Thomas Lamark, the two main protagonists, were particularly decent men, some of the minor characters were able to redeem them. Whilst James is looking to muddy the waters between the men by painting Lamark as a victim and Tennant’s media psychiatry as a potentially bad thing, I didn’t take a liking to either of them.
Fortunately, there were a couple of police officers, especially the one working on Gloria Lamark’s
Rival’s suicide down in Brighton, who offered some redeeming characteristics. Their dedication and diligence and refusal to let things slide, but written in a less obsessive fashion that the others, were a breath of fresh air compared to the cloudy motivations of the main characters. Whilst things seems to be moving a little too smoothly to be entirely believable and a meeting between two detectives was horribly contrived, I found the novel much easier going than some.
The closer Peter James moves towards murder and police thrillers, the better his writing becomes and even if you didn’t know what he would go on to write, it’s clear from this novel where his writing heart lies. Whilst he may have started as a horror writer, his brief moments of grotesque in this novel are fleeting and feel like a nod towards his past rather than a genuine scene in a novel, particularly as one of them did nothing to advance the plot in any way.
“Denial” is one of Peter James’ best pre-Grace novels, possibly because it is one of the closest to what he would go on to write. There are some moments of wasted content where characters seem to be there to fill space of keep the whole thing from being over too quickly, but whilst there is some padding here, as with other novels, he has written worse.
Thomas Lamark is devastated by the death of his mother, former actress Gloria Lamark, and he blames her psychiatrist Dr Michael Tennant for her suicide. Dr. Tennant has personal experience with loss, as his wife had been killed several years previously, leaving him to live alone and expand his career as a high-profile psychiatrist with a budding radio career.
Shortly after the death of Gloria Lamark, people related to her start to go missing or pass away. There is the publisher who rejected Thomas Lamark’s biography of his mother, the young journalist who covered her death, but admitted she had never heard of her. Then Dr. Tennant gets a new patient who seems to know a little too much about his wife’s death and other aspects of his life, especially once his girlfriend goes missing, and a Brighton police detective starts to suspect that the apparent suicide of one of Gloria Lamark’s main rivals at the height of her career isn’t all it seemed.
I had struggled with Peter James’ previous novel, as none of the characters were particularly likeable, which left me without anyone to follow. This time around, whilst neither Dr. Tennant nor Thomas Lamark, the two main protagonists, were particularly decent men, some of the minor characters were able to redeem them. Whilst James is looking to muddy the waters between the men by painting Lamark as a victim and Tennant’s media psychiatry as a potentially bad thing, I didn’t take a liking to either of them.
Fortunately, there were a couple of police officers, especially the one working on Gloria Lamark’s
Rival’s suicide down in Brighton, who offered some redeeming characteristics. Their dedication and diligence and refusal to let things slide, but written in a less obsessive fashion that the others, were a breath of fresh air compared to the cloudy motivations of the main characters. Whilst things seems to be moving a little too smoothly to be entirely believable and a meeting between two detectives was horribly contrived, I found the novel much easier going than some.
The closer Peter James moves towards murder and police thrillers, the better his writing becomes and even if you didn’t know what he would go on to write, it’s clear from this novel where his writing heart lies. Whilst he may have started as a horror writer, his brief moments of grotesque in this novel are fleeting and feel like a nod towards his past rather than a genuine scene in a novel, particularly as one of them did nothing to advance the plot in any way.
“Denial” is one of Peter James’ best pre-Grace novels, possibly because it is one of the closest to what he would go on to write. There are some moments of wasted content where characters seem to be there to fill space of keep the whole thing from being over too quickly, but whilst there is some padding here, as with other novels, he has written worse.
November 26, 2021
Thomas Lamark is devastated by the suicide of his mother. And extremely, extremely angry. He blames her death on her psychiatrist, Dr. Michael Tennent, and sets out to get his revenge.
This got off to an exciting, interesting start as Thomas kidnaps and tortures those he feels had wronged his mother during her lifetime. It was gruesome and captivating. And then proceedings just kind of die in the ass! Thomas kills an actress rival of his mother's, and kidnaps and holds hostage Amanda Capstick, a woman that Michael has recently fallen in love with. The rest of the book is just Michael trying to find out where Amanda is, and a detective trying to prove that this rival actress didn't commit suicide in the way it was staged to look.
It just got really boring. I, the reader, already know where Amanda is. I, the reader, know that Thomas killed the actress and didn't commit suicide. It was really, really dull following around two characters trying to find out information I already knew. That device has never worked for me. The chapters with the detective, Glen Branson, were particularly interminable. The pacing just completely ground to a halt whenever he showed up.
It does have its moments here and there. But at over 400 pages in a tiny font, this was sometimes quite the slog to get through. I skim read various chapters and still didn't miss anything!
This got off to an exciting, interesting start as Thomas kidnaps and tortures those he feels had wronged his mother during her lifetime. It was gruesome and captivating. And then proceedings just kind of die in the ass! Thomas kills an actress rival of his mother's, and kidnaps and holds hostage Amanda Capstick, a woman that Michael has recently fallen in love with. The rest of the book is just Michael trying to find out where Amanda is, and a detective trying to prove that this rival actress didn't commit suicide in the way it was staged to look.
It just got really boring. I, the reader, already know where Amanda is. I, the reader, know that Thomas killed the actress and didn't commit suicide. It was really, really dull following around two characters trying to find out information I already knew. That device has never worked for me. The chapters with the detective, Glen Branson, were particularly interminable. The pacing just completely ground to a halt whenever he showed up.
It does have its moments here and there. But at over 400 pages in a tiny font, this was sometimes quite the slog to get through. I skim read various chapters and still didn't miss anything!
April 9, 2013
Peter James novels are always entertaining even if (as in this one) some elements stretch credulity somewhat. This is one of the thrillers he wrote prior to starting on the Roy Grace series of detective novels. In some ways it reads as a first "dry run" at the Roy Grace series - as you will appreciate if you've read some of those. It's a bit rambling at times and has one or two repeating 'errors' (such as the name of Branson's wife mysteriously alternating between Ari and Grace). But on the whole it's a fun yarn (if you enjoy stories about maniac murderers, that is).
June 5, 2024
Very intense, decidedly dark, chilling & creepy… one I had to continue with even though it was so deeply scary.
Who was going to believe what was going on when the central character, mentally disturbed through his upbringing and by behaviours directed by his Mother became two people? And so many victims of his strange justifications…
Well written with tension throughout
Pleased to see the link with Detective Sergeant Glen Branson from the ‘Dead…’ series…. a friendly capable policeman…who was there as this plot thickened and closed.
Who was going to believe what was going on when the central character, mentally disturbed through his upbringing and by behaviours directed by his Mother became two people? And so many victims of his strange justifications…
Well written with tension throughout
Pleased to see the link with Detective Sergeant Glen Branson from the ‘Dead…’ series…. a friendly capable policeman…who was there as this plot thickened and closed.
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