But for the Grace cover art

But for the Grace

A DC Smith Investigation Series, Book 2

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But for the Grace

By: Peter Grainger
Narrated by: Gildart Jackson
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About this listen

"We are living in the departure lounge," said Ralph Greenwood, "and flights leave with monotonous regularity." So when another resident of the Rosemary House care home is found dead in her chair one Saturday evening in December, no one is very surprised - not until the results of a routine post-mortem reveal something extraordinary. Sergeant DC Smith and his team have to tread carefully as they investigate what took place, and Smith himself has to confront some difficult memories. Others, meanwhile, seem intent on getting him to leave the force altogether, while, despite his best efforts, his social life also becomes a little more complicated. To top it all, Kings Lake has been waiting weeks for the snow to fall, in a winter that seems as if it will never end.

©2014 Peter Grainger (P)2016 Tantor
Crime Fiction Detective Fiction Mystery Police Procedural Traditional Detectives

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Classical detective story

Superbly written, with relatable characters. Very interesting story lines and great endings. One of my favorite authors whose writing skills I am in awe of.

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2 people found this helpful

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characters

not my type of crime - I like more action but I wanted to go through the series having enjoyed the first audio book
I do like the main characters so stuck to it but I'm hoping the next one isn't as mundane....I'm older & know about dying & pain and planning death....

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1 person found this helpful

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Calm look at an emotive subject, assisted dying!

Thanks to the series' inclusion in the Plus Catalogue, am pleased to find myself back in North East Norfolk, Kings Lake, [roughly based on the town of King's Lynn] with Detective Sargent 'DC' Smith. In book 2, author Peter Granger tackles a sensitive issue that I've not previously encountered in crime fiction, that of assisted dying, as DC puts it "a crime without a criminal". But for the Grace, is calm thought provoking exposition of this emotive subject.
The setting is Rosemary House, a well run, caring, up-market residential, retirement home, a far cry from the reality of most homes for the elderly. DC Smith finds him assigned to investigate the sudden death of a "generous" resident, after her post-mortem reveals she died, not from natural causes but from a lethal dose of drunken heroin. She was one of a close knit group of five, now down to three, all of who have 'Advance Directives' DNR in their medical files. The initial question for the police is, was it murder or assisted dying, both a crime, though the latter shouldn't be?
The investigation that follows revolves around the uncomfortable issues of illness, old age & death, that come to us all; and raises some interesting legal points. Do we prolong life or do we really just prolong death through artificial means? Do we have the right to end a life be it our own or that of another suffering? Not personally a moral issue for me, as approaching my "three score years & ten", I'm an advocate of assisted dying, the right to die at a time of one's own choosing. The law needs to keep pace as one only has to look at the health service, society in general to see the unsustainable mess it's in with the an ever increasing older population & a care system for the majority of elderly, the infirm is not fit for purpose.

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2nd in this series, very good.

I really enjoyed listening to this 2nd in this series. The author, characters and narrator wee very good.

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Thought provoking

I have reached the age where I can relate to the characters in this story. Worth a listen to whatever age you are.

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1 person found this helpful

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Easy going nice story

Not the best book I ever read but a comforting read in the crazy world we live in currently. I simply lijed it.

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Good story, a bit long- winded

Like: good story with unexpected twist and some food for thought.
Long-winded in places.
Not credible: that several very sharp older people who remember everything, esp. the guy who thinks up such cunningly clever strategies, live in a locked ward in a care home. They remember more than I would, of an event a month ago. That totally does not happen in real life.

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If you like Thursday murder club

All the hallmarks of Holmes, Morse or Thursday murder club - DC Smith fits right into this club! Very entertaining

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Didn’t disappoint

Often the second in series lets the author down - but not this time. Thoughtful theme and great characters.

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DC is a real character

As I listen to more of the DC Smith series and stories, his quirky character adds something different to your standard police drama...and keen to listen to more

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