Wry humor along with sadness

This book tackles the tough issues of aging, illness, and dying with insightful compassion. We learn more about DC Smith’s personal loss and grief over the death of his wife, and listen as he weighs the pros and cons of beginning a new relationship. He wouldn’t mind some company, but isn’t so sure about intimacy with another person. I enjoyed the slow pace and the humor along the way. It’s a well-written, thought-provoking story. The narrator has a rocky start in the first chapter with an odd choice of voice for Dougie Waters. But that works itself out quickly and, after that, the narration is great.

15 people found this helpful

Charm Largely Gone

I was pleasantly surprised by the first book in this series. I knew nothing about it when I started reading, but was instantly drawn to the melancholy warmth of the main character DC Smith. The plot was complicated enough to keep my interest, but not so complex I was lost. And several of the secondary characters were interesting enough that I was anxious to get to know them better.

Unfortunately, I found But for the Grace, the second book in this series, largely unenjoyable.
Smith's personality no longer comes across as kind, generous and a little out of touch, but almost cruel in some of his comments and actions. I couldn't recognize the DC Smith from the first book in the DC Smith from this. There were subplots that seemed totally disconnected from the primary plot, including the introduction of two women who could be potential romantic interests for Smith, but once introduced he didn't seem to know what to do with them.

I think my biggest issue though was the case he was working on. It did not qualify as a mystery and there was no suspense. It quickly became apparent what had happened and what would probably happen down the road and once you knew that, there really wasn't more story to tell. And Smith seemed to be persecuting and harassing people he thought might be victims rather then helping them.

I do not want to give any spoilers, but when I finished the book all I could think about was what if Smith had not been so slow in realizing what was happening as he interviewed a young woman. What if he had gotten there in time? Then what? What was he prepared to do to the perpetrator/victim? What was the point?

45 people found this helpful

I Like Sergeant DC Smith. He Doesn't Disappoint.

The setting is British. DC Smith is now a Sergeant of Detectives who was once among the top administrators in the police force. Why? Start this series with the previous book, An Accidental Death to find out why. Here we've got a nursing home death and a drawing room murder mystery. You will probably recall the details of But For The Grace maybe for three days after finishing the book. Not to worry, Peter Grainger's written a police procedural entertainment. And it entertained me well. I'll buy the next in the series, Luck and Judgement.

What more can I say? Oh, Gildart Jackson's read is fine. He NEVER intrudes, creating an ensemble cast that is uniquely defined in each character's own voice. Which makes Jackson a very good actor at the least.

17 people found this helpful

Good Read

I would skip many of the reviews if I were you ... Many give away the plot. I would have to say I did guess what happened half way through the book so it’s not a suspenseful story but the narrator and the witty / clever text makes it worth the time.

I can hardly wait to hear what DC Smith gets himself into next.

11 people found this helpful

Not much of a story line

I bought the first in this series because it was on sale and I am always looking for a good series. The first book had a good story and I liked the narrator and characters, so I bought this book. This book was just boring to me and I barely made it all the way through. Maybe the abridged would have been better.

11 people found this helpful

Really, Really good!

D.C. Smith Series

D.C. Smith (Detective Constable), a diffident sort, has in his arsenal a potent force of personality that enables him to pin down an arrogant 'person of interest' like a collected bug. His police team is given to clever dialogue enriched by teasing, running jokes, and irony that often is laugh out loud funny. By the middle of one of these stories, you want them as friends. The writing can be poetically moving, the author being a master in the use of British English, its subtilties in dialogue, its capacity for playful humor. The plots are deep and rich, and are loosely connected through the several books, but can be read out of sequence without diminishment of enjoyment.

This series is the best of English police procedurals, in my view. I highly recommend it.

4 people found this helpful

Great writing and wonderful narration

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Peter Grainger is a wonderful writer, Lots to think about, sensitive to mood and character, and wonderful images.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

No, I don't like to be on the edge of my seat. I like to be taken into the story and into the mind of the detective. And I like a leisurely read.

What does Gildart Jackson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Wonderful delineation of characters, lovely sense of mood and images. His knowledge of when to hurry it along and when to take his time is quite beautiful.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

I don't like tag lines.

Any additional comments?

This book seems to end too many times, Grainger doesn't seem to want to let go of the story when it is over and he hasn't developed the romantic relationships enough to earn his ending.

17 people found this helpful

Thought-provoking story

I felt a bit lukewarm about the first book in this series. But I find this one more compelling. It’s hard to strictly define it—somewhat police procedural, a little bit of whodunnit, it seems mostly (to me) to be a story that intends to challenge deeply conflicted ethical issues around aging and dying.

Sgt DC Smith and his team work a case of an unnatural death in a senior living home. Is it suicide, assisted suicide, murder? And has it happened before? The listener is given a lot of opportunity to consider those possibilities, but the author also uses this book to explore some of the fine lines among these actions, and invites the listener to examine society’s attitudes toward them.

I liked this second book better than the first, and also want to say that the narration is good as well. It is not a fast page-turner, so much as a book that slowly reveals the story As the listener is invited to think about the topic on several levels.

14 people found this helpful

Another excellent mystery

Any additional comments?

Another contained and thoughtful mystery in the D.C. Smith series. These are mysteries on a personal scale, with none of the flash and bombast and prurience of much modern writing. Grainger does not shy away from recognizing the seedy side of human behavior, but he does not center all of the stories around this, instead finding ways to explore what is a crime, who is a criminal, and where the gray areas are. He does this via the main detective Smith and his colleagues, who are each given enough nuance to make them feel real and not like stock police characters. And with Smith at the center, Grainger takes the time to explore what it means to be aging in your profession, to deal with the loss of a spouse, to face up to loneliness, all while trying to unravel events surrounding untimely deaths. This book centers on the suspicious death of a woman in a care home for the elderly, and this setting allows for poignant looks at the end of life and at how we leave this world. Clever and interesting, like the first book in the series, this turns out not to be a stereotypical whodunnit, but a deeper exploration of human behavior (both good and bad). I look forward to the next book in the series and seeing how Smith and his colleagues evolve.

8 people found this helpful

Important concerns not gore

Would you consider the audio edition of But for the Grace to be better than the print version?

I don't read these books, only listen to them.

What other book might you compare But for the Grace to and why?

An Accidental Death, for one, the first in this series. Both books address important issues and concerns of our time. The author is insightful and profound in his analyses.

Which scene was your favorite?

I did enjoy the scene of DS Smith interviewing the granddaughter who was described as a self-assured female character, appreciated by the police interrogating her.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There were several areas in the book which addressed assisted dying that I though were well done.

Any additional comments?

Please, Audible, make sure you acquires the rest of this series.

15 people found this helpful