James doesn’t do a lot of theorising but there is enough, amongst all the action, to make the story interesting and cause the reader stop and think. Apologies to you if you loved the book but there was so much I just couldn't get past with this one and we will have to agree to disagree. It's really hard to believe that Peter James has put his name to this novel. Had he been an unknown author it's more than unlikely that this novel would ever have been published. Only goes to show that even talented writers like Peter James can get it so wrong. Now that is out of the way I am going to confess and say I hated this book. I did manage to read it all but it was a good job it was in the stave format from The Pigeonhole as I could portion out the ridiculousness. I was rather sceptically going along with it all (not because of the Religious aspects to the book but rather the main character, Ross Hunter's actions) and then the author showed a basic misunderstanding of Mitrochondrial DNA - numerous times he mentioned it was only in the female line - no it is passed intact through the female line but it is present in all creatures that have a cell structure. As soon as I hit that road bump I realised that the research done for this book was a little scant.

Absolute Proof – Peter James

An emotional educating thrilling book ( the list of ‘thanks’ at the end has to be seen to be believed ) Dr Bloor is experimenting with monkeys and a keyboard. He believes it is only a matter of time before a monkey will type a readable sentence and prove that everything happens by random chance.As for the end? The useless wife conveniently divorces by text, the baddies die and the evidence is lost.

Peter James – Absolute Proof [REVIEW] - Dane Cobain Peter James – Absolute Proof [REVIEW] - Dane Cobain

The whole question of being able to prove God’s existence was an interesting perspective and stance to take on in this book. I loved seeing how that would unfold. And even though I promised myself only to listen to this book in the car driving, I found that when I got home, I would listen when I was cleaning house, waiting for my gym to open, and making dinner as well. I was interested to see where things were going next in the story and how James was going to gather this story into an ending. Sensational – the best what-if thriller since The Da Vinci Code ' - Lee Child, author of Killing Floor . But even with the negatives, I still thought it was a pretty good read, although I’d have to say that James’ Roy Grace books are better. I also quite like his standalone ghost stories. This was a nice little addition to James’ oeuvre, but I also think that he has a lot of better ones. So yeah, there’s that.As Ross follows co-ordinates around the world, which are supposed to lead him to this proof, a whole host of other characters are introduced – including wealthy evangelist pastor’s, high profile militant atheists, monks in an isolated monastery and an American magician – colliding in a roller coaster ride to the hunt for proof of God’s existence and those who, for whatever reasons, are desperate to stop Ross discovering the truth. On the front of the book, it’s compared to the Da Vinci Code, and it’s pretty easy to see why. It has that same kind of twisty-and-turny vibe that made Dan Brown’s stuff such a success, only Peter James is a better writer. That’s a good thing because the Da Vinci Code has the edge at being the Da Vinci Code, and this just has a few similarities whilst simultaneously setting out to achieve something different. I really enjoyed the structure of the book. I LOVED the short chapters. Because I have two small children, reading time is extremely limited and I really appreciated the short chapters. It made it a lot easier to read than it could have been. And it really could have been! It's a BIG book! Even though the characters and the narrative keep talking about all of the different gods and faiths that are out there, it’s actually more about absolute proof of Jesus. And even then, it could be just some random dude from the same kind of time period. Absolute Proof has its roots in an idea that came to James many years ago, and I got the vibe that he’s put a lot of thought into it, and not just when it comes to the plotting and the characterisation. He’s clearly asked himself a lot of the questions that the novel raises, just so that he can write with a little more conviction. And yet at the same time, it doesn’t feel preachy.

Editions of Absolute Proof by Peter James - Goodreads

I know this is going to sound strange, but I’ve recently been given absolute proof of God’s existence – and I’ve been advised there is a writer, a respected journalist called Ross Hunter, who could help me to get taken seriously.’A thought provoking stand alone novel from top author Peter James that will certainly entertain. This book is different from the Roy Grace novels I have read by this author and is more akin to Dan Brown's Da Vinci code as pointed out by others. If this sounds like your cup of tea then give it a go. I have heard it being compared to the Da Vinci Code. I actually really enjoyed the Da Vinci Code... Not the movie, but the book... And in a lot of ways I can see the comparison. So if you enjoyed The Da Vinci Code and want a similar themed book, this one might be right up your alley. Absolute Proof is a thriller that grips from the outset but it’s also incredibly thought-provoking, asking some of life’s biggest questions about science and faith, setting big pharma and high church on a collision course that could change the world. I was thrilled when Peter asked me to provide the narration for his latest, most compelling book.” H: It was about January 2011 when we met. It was in the East Beach Café in Littlehampton, and we met to talk about the possibility of developing one of Peter's most famous characters, Roy Grace, for TV. Is that right? What would it take to prove the existence of God? And what would be the consequences? Peter James' gripping thriller Absolute Proof follows the journey of investigative reporter, Ross Hunter, who is soon to discover the answers to those very questions.

Peter James and Hugh Bonneville in conversation - Pan Macmillan Peter James and Hugh Bonneville in conversation - Pan Macmillan

To read for enjoyment it is necessary to suspend rational thoughts and disbelief, and just let the story carry you along on this strange and dangerous adventure. A complicated story with many characters, but easy to follow. I liked the extreme characters who were so determined to get what Ross had, even though they all had very different reasons for doing so. I am addicted to Peter James’s, the Roy Grace series, so I was excited to read something completely different from his usual works. This book is based on Peter James getting a phone call in 1989 from a gentleman claiming he had proof of Gods existence. This lead to Peter spending 28 years on a journey of exploration. The end result is this amazing book.In short avoid this book. It has a meandering and unconvincing plot, characters that are simply laughable (even the peripherals such as Ainsley Bloor, Big Tony - yes, REALLY, Harry F Cook and Wesley Wenceslas are all caricatures) and so many holes in the research that it is really a chore to read. Peter James is a UK No. 1 bestselling author, best known for writing crime and thriller novels, and the creator of the much-loved Detective Superintendent Roy Grace. With a total of 13 Sunday Times No. 1s under his belt, he has achieved global book sales of over 19 million copies to date, and has been translated into 38 languages. With his well-honed curious nature, and look out for the next ‘big story’, Ross agrees to meet Dr Harry Cook, where he produces a manuscript he’d scribed from a direct message from God himself, through a medium. Reluctantly, against his better judgement, opinion that Dr Cook is probably no more than a crazy old man, Ross agrees to read the manuscript. Alas, upon finding the body of murdered Dr Cook a matter of days later, Ross is compelled to take up the staff, beginning his treacherous adventure.