Detective Superintendent Roy Grace faces a harrowing personal crossroads as the decade-long mystery of his wife Sandy's disappearance lingers, even as he prepares for a new chapter with his pregnant fiancée, Cleo. His fragile peace shatters when a series of brutal attacks rocks Brighton on New Year's Eve, bearing chilling resemblances to a cold case from 1997. The perpetrator, dubbed "Shoe Man," raped four women before vanishing after murdering his fifth victim. Now, the tell-tale sign of stolen shoes at each new crime scene suggests either a macabre copycat or the dreaded return of the original serial rapist. As the body count rises and the hunt intensifies, Grace is forced to revisit the very past he's tried to escape, delving into a period when Sandy was still in his life. This journey into his own history becomes inextricably linked to the present horror, as Grace and his team race against time to identify and save the next intended victim, all while grappling with the ghosts of his own unresolved past.
Critical Reception
"Praised for its gripping narrative and suspense, "Dead Like You" has been hailed as one of the most engrossing thrillers since 'The Silence of the Lambs' by the Washington Post Book World."
Adaptations
Part of the 'Roy Grace' series which has been adapted into the ITV television show 'Grace'.