Her father always told her that only two things really mattered in life: health and the time you had left. So, she was in good shape. She had her health.

  And she had her time.

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  Two important health notes:

  1. You will have read in my story of the tragic death of one of the characters from Malignant Hyperthermia. This is a real condition that very nearly killed the son of a close friend. It is an hereditary problem causing contracture of muscle and disruption to metabolic functions during general anaesthesia. It is undetectable until a family member reacts under anaesthesia. Diagnosis is by muscle biopsy at the MH Investigation Unit in Leeds. Once diagnosed MH susceptible people can have anaesthesia, provided triggering drugs are avoided and correct monitoring is undertaken. MH is potentially fatal if undetected by the anaesthetist. More information can be found at www.bmha.co.uk

  2. One of the characters is diagnosed with Prostate cancer. Information on this disease was kindly given to me by Colin Stokes and John Davies of the Prostate Project, Purbecks House, Grosvenor Road, Godalming, GU7 1NZ, which offers support and awareness. www.prostate-project.org.uk. Tel no: (+44) 01483 419501. The charity supports the local hospitals to improve services and they are now centres of excellence.

  *

  My biggest research debt is to New York detective Pat Lanigan, grand-nephew of Dinny Meehan, leader of the White Hand Gang, who was murdered at his home in Brooklyn on 31 March 1920. It was through Pat sharing his family history and archive material that this book came into being.

  Another huge debt is to the many officers and support staff of Sussex Police, who give me such constant and enthusiastic help and advice. Most of all, thank you to Chief Constable Martin Richards, QPM, for being so very kind and constantly supportive.

  Retired Detective Chief Superintendent David Gaylor of Sussex CID, the inspiration behind Roy Grace, not only helps me constantly to hatch my plots, and to ensure Roy Grace and all his team think and act the way real police officers would, he is also my slave driver, making sure I keep up the relentless writing pace through the seven months or so of the first draft . . . and beyond.

  Chief Superintendent Graham Bartlett, Divisional Commander of Brighton and Hove Police, has also been immensely helpful on this book. Chief Inspector Jason Tingley has been a total star, helping me both creatively and procedurally on many aspects of this story. As also have DCI Nick Sloan, DCI (retired) Trevor Bowles, Sgt Phil Taylor and Ray Packham of the High Tech Crime Unit, and Inspector Andy Kille of Ops 1.

  Huge thanks also to Detective Superintendent John Boshier; Detective Chief Inspector Nick May; Chief Inspector Paul Betts; Senior Support Officer Tony Case; DI William Warner; Inspector Richard Delacour; PC Darren Balkham; DS Simon Bates; Sgt Lorna Dennison-Wilkins and the entire Specialist Search Unit; Scenes of Crime Officers, James Gartrell, Chris Gee, Lucy Steel, Becky Henderson; Sgt Mehdi Fallahi; PC Laura Stanley; PC Jon Anstead; Sgt Gemma Firth; PC Karl Brown.

  Retired Detective Sergeant Simon Muggleton, formerly of the Sussex Police Antiques Unit, gave me invaluable information about Brighton’s historic antiques underworld.

  Thank you to Giles Ellis of the Schofield Watch Company; Richard Robbins; Derek le-Warde; Michael Keehan; Chris Tapsell; David Wiltshire. Hal Mileham; Simon Schneider. Wayne and Vanessa Manley; Steve Reynolds; Danny Reardon; Norman Torrington Geneaology Research; Louise Yeoell; Liberty Taylor.

  Forensic Podiatrist, Haydn Kelly; Forensic archaeologist Lucy Sibun; Alan Setterington, Deputy Governor of HMP Lewes.

  Thanks also to Michael Beard, Editor, the Argus. My terrific researchers: Tara Lester and Nicky Mitchell; Dr Russell Emerson MRCP DM MB ChB; Sarah London; Sherree Fagge, Chief Nurse, The Royal Sussex County Hospital; Rob Kempson; Peter Wingate-Saul; Hans Jürgen Stockerl; Peter Hale MA, MS, FRCS (Gen); Tim Parker; Felix Francis; Graham Sones; Phil Homan; Jeannie Civil; Giles Powell; Bill Shay.

  Tony Parker, Director of Engineering of Shoreham Port; David Miller, Deputy Harbour Master; Chris Jones, Dave Smith and Keith Laker.

  A very special thanks to Alan Prior MD of the Pinnacle Publishing Group, who so very generously let me into many of the secrets of the arcane world of telesales!

  My gratitude as ever to miracle worker Chris Webb of MacService who managed to keep my Mac going after I dropped it, and restore crucial files that had disappeared.

  Very big and special thanks to Anna-Lisa Lindeblad, who has again been my tireless and wonderful ‘unofficial’ editor and commentator throughout the Roy Grace series, and to Sue Ansell who has read and helped me with every single book I have written, and to Martin and Jane Diplock

  I’m blessed with a truly wonderful agent and great friend, Carole Blake. And with my dream publicity team of Tony Mulliken, Sophie Ransom, Claire Richman and Becky Short of Midas PR; and there is simply not enough space to say a proper thank you to everyone on Team James at Macmillan, but I must thank my wonderful editor, Wayne Brookes, and my incredibly patient copy-editor, Susan Opie, as well as my great US team: Andy Martin; my editor, Marc Resnick; my publicists Hector DeJean and Tony Fusco, and all the rest at Team James USA!

  Massive, massive thanks also to my totally brilliant and long-suffering PA, Linda Buckley.

  Helen has, as ever, been unswerving in her support, and putting up with my long nights locked away in my cave. And our three hounds, Phoebe, Oscar and Coco who lie permanently in wait, always ready to remind me that there is a life – and a lot of buried bones – when I care to step away from my desk!

  I have to reserve the biggest thank you of all, as ever, to you, my readers. Your emails, Tweets, Facebook and Blog posts give me such constant encouragement. Keep them coming! And I will keep new Roy Grace books coming, I promise you!

  Peter James

  Sussex, England

  [email protected]

  www.peterjames.com

  www.facebook.com/peterjames.roygrace

  www.twitter.com/peterjamesuk

  Enter Peter James’ Brighton through Blippar

  If you have an Android or Apple smartphone or tablet, go to your app store, search for the Blippar app and download it for free. Once it has installed, open it, and scan the image above to bring it to life, and explore Roy Grace’s city. You’ll unlock secret maps and walks that cover crime scenes, Brighton landmarks, the locations of key events in the life of Roy Grace and some of Peter James’ favourite places.

  If you don’t have a smartphone or tablet, you can still access the maps at:

  www.peterjamesbrighton.com

  By Peter James

  DEAD LETTER DROP

  ATOM BOMB ANGEL

  BILLIONAIRE

  POSSESSION

  DREAMER

  SWEET HEART

  TWILIGHT

  PROPHECY

  ALCHEMIST

  HOST

  THE TRUTH

  DENIAL

  FAITH

  PERFECT PEOPLE

  Children’s Novel

  GETTING WIRED!

  Novella

  THE PERFECT MURDER

  Short Stories Collection

  SHORT SHOCKERS VOLUME ONE

  The Roy Grace Series

  DEAD SIMPLE

  LOOKING GOOD DEAD

  NOT DEAD ENOUGH

  DEAD MAN’S FOOTSTEPS

  DEAD TOMORROW

  DEAD LIKE YOU

  DEAD MAN’S GRIP

  NOT DEAD YET

  DEAD MAN’S TIME

  First published 2013 by Macmillan

  This electronic edition published 2013 by Macmillan

  an imprint of Pan Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited

  Pan Macmillan, 20 New Wharf Road, London N1 9RR

  Basingstoke and Oxford

  Associated companies throughout the world

  www.panmacmillan.com

  ISBN 978-0-230-76065-3

  Copyright © Really Scary Books/Peter James 2013

  The right of Peter James to be identif
ied as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

  Every effort has been made to contact copyright holders of material reproduced in this book. If any have been inadvertently overlooked, the publisher will be pleased to make restitution at the earliest opportunity.

  The Macmillan Group has no responsibility for the information provided by any author websites whose address you obtain from this book (‘author websites’). The inclusion of author website addresses in this book does not constitute an endorsement by or association with us of such sites or the content, products, advertising or other materials presented on such sites.

  You may not copy, store, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

  A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

  Visit www.panmacmillan.com to read more about all our books and to buy them. You will also find features, author interviews and news of any author events, and you can sign up for e-newsletters so that you’re always first to hear about our new releases.

 


 

  Peter James, Dead Man's Time (Ds Roy Grace 9)

 


 

 
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