Peter James’s One of Us Is Dead is the latest in his Superintendent Roy Grace series, which has gained newfound popularity thanks to a recent TV adaptation. In this installment, bodies begin to pile up one by one, the first being nothing more than that of a former associate at a funeral.

The novel opens with a clever and punchy first chapter, followed by a slightly longer, more expository second chapter. In it, James Taylor is startled out of his seat in the back of a church during a funeral when he spots Rufus Rorke, an old acquaintance. This wouldn’t normally be an issue, except Taylor attended Rorke’s funeral a couple of years earlier.

It’s a strong opening, and as usual, James does a solid job fleshing out the details before shifting back to Superintendent Grace, who’s already in the thick of trying to discover why people are dying and how it all connects to Rorke’s mysterious reappearance. The buildup is effective, and while the character work isn’t always in the spotlight, it remains within the bounds expected by fans.

The 2022 dates throughout the book raise an interesting question about what qualifies as a period piece—while close to the present, the world portrayed is not identical to 2024, lending a near-past quality. The choice to set it in the recent past rather than the future only highlights this, though it’s not central to the plot.

At the front of the book, in addition to the dedication, readers will find a series of maps to help follow the action. Following the main text, a helpful glossary provides explanations of police terminology, particularly useful for international readers since terminology varies greatly across countries. A “Chart of Police Ranks” follows for similar reasons, along with a well-organized assortment of acknowledgments and a selection of advertisements and blurbs for James’s other books.

Overall, this is a solid entry in the series. Fans will undoubtedly check it out, though followers of the TV adaptation might notice some of the usual differences from page to screen. With a clever opening and a mystery that continually twists, there’s plenty to unpack as new details emerge. However, it doesn’t work best as an introduction to the characters, though first-time readers will likely still get a sense of the dynamics.