Where it all begins: Sussex House, home of Sussex Police where Detective Superintendent Roy Grace spends his time ‘briefing’, ‘eating’ and on occasion: both at the same time.
Local man Peter James set his ‘Roy Grace’ crime series in and around Brighton & Hove. This is particularly exciting for anyone who knows the area. When I read about exotic places like the ‘Van Allen building’ and ‘Hollingbury ASDA’, I point at my book, with wide eyes whilst my inner voice blurts “I’ve been there! I know where that is!”.
This is a celebration of those often overlooked places.
This is the famous ASDA that Roy Grace stares out at from his office in Sussex House. Note that Roy would be looking at the building’s backside, which is far less beautiful. This is the view he might see when he goes to get an All-Day Breakfast egg, bacon and sausage sandwich.
In “Deadman’s footsteps” Roy parks his Alfa Romeo in the Church street NCP pictured here. I managed to spill paint all over this when someone asked me for directions; I realised later that I’d accidentally sent him the wrong way, Karma.
After parking up at the NCP, Roy heads to Pelham Square on Trafalgar Street, where he bumps into Terry Biglow, the dodgy ‘under-belly-world-criminal’. When I painted this, there was just a lady quietly eating a smoked salmon sandwich, so capturing the sinister undertones was tricky.
I don’t known any other shop in the city that provokes as much shock as the Vegetarian shoe shop on Gardner street. I’ve seen even the most rampant meat eater back away in disgust, that a liberal city like ours would do such a thing with it’s vegetarians. Of course once they realise that the shoes are not made form actual vegetarians, they swiftly move off red faced.
