Book Review: Denial by Peter James

I really enjoyed this book! It contains one of those weird and creepy characters that sends shivers down your spine and yet you need to keep reading about him to find out what he’s up to.

Denial is about the son of a has-been actress and his devotion to her. When she dies Thomas blames the psychiatrist she was consulting and pursues Dr Michael Tennant to ensure he pays heavily for his part in his mother’s death. Michael has fallen in love with Amanda, who has recently entered his life and in doing so, she’s helping him come to terms with the loss of his wife from a few years before.  When Amanda fails to respond to Michael’s emails and phone calls one day, Michael’s not sure if the romance is developing too quickly for her or if something has happened.  Meanwhile, Thomas is planning his revenge and it involves Michael’s worst nightmares.

Denial also introduces bright spark, Detective Glen Branson from the Brighton Police, who later appears as DS Roy Grace’s sidekick in the Roy Grace series. Denial is as good as any in the Roy Grace series and there’s no doubt this would not disappoint any of Peter James’ fans. It is well paced throughout, laced with mystery and intrigue and the characters are well defined and believable. There is a very erotic scene which blends in nicely with the development of the story and is very well handled.

As always, the dialogue is real and flows with the story and the atmosphere that Peter James creates had me thinking about events even when I wasn’t reading. As it becomes even more tense in the final quarter, you can feel the desperation that Thomas, Michael and Detective Branson go through as their storylines run in parallel to each other and they race towards the dénouement.

The sign of a good book for me is one I can’t put down and have to keep reading until I’ve finished it – but then I’m also disappointed as I want it to keep going. This is one of those books for me.

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