DubaiReader

Although I listened to this as an abridged version, it had been well cut and was excellently narrated by William Gaminara, so I was barely aware that it was not the full book. I've never read anything by Peter James before, although I had heard him speak at a literary festival.

The plot itself was well suited to audio, as there was nothing too demanding or complex to concentrate on and I was happy having it playing in the background while I worked in the house.

I wonder whether the 'Simple' of the title might be considered politically incorrect these days, being as it refers to a young man of low intelligence, who finds a walkie talkie, yet fails to comprehend its importance; to him it is just a toy. In reality it holds the clue to the whereabouts of Michael Harrison, who has disappeared while out celebrating his stag night. Mark, his business partner and best man, seems to know more than he is letting on, while the fiance, Ashley Harper, is distraught, with the wedding just a few days away.

Detective Superintendent Grace leads the investigation. He is a likable enough detective, if a bit ineffective at times. His use of a medium towards the end did seem a bit of a cop-out. The fact that his wife had disappeared 10 years ago, though, was a good cliff-hanger for the future of the series.

I am vaguely familiar with Brighton and my Grandmother used to live in Hove, which added interest and I would certainly give the second book a try, preferably in audio format again.