Pre-Production: Considering format and content

I posted this quote from Peter James in a previous post:
“The reason the books have been successful is that they get away from the typical plodding police procedural, that Agatha Christie kind of thing where you start with the body in the library,” said James. “My books are thrillers although they have police procedure in them. British television just didn’t seem to get it.”

I want to take this on board as consideration for how to adapt this series because the author's intentions with the television adaptations is why they haven't yet been made for TV. Perhaps I have to view this a thriller series rather than a crime drama to get a real grasp of what the author would want. I think my vision concerns style first and foremost so content and format wise, this could be a good place to start.

I have been considering the opening. I think a lot of crime drama's focus on the protagonist detective and revolve around them. What I think Peter James does is use Roy Grace as the thread throughout the books that keeps the story together but he dips in and out of other people's points of view. In a way Roy Grace is the centre of the investigation (apart from the crime) because is the Detective Superintendent and leads the major crime investigations. I would like to get these other points of views across because it really is the USP of the books. He goes in the POV's of other police, the victims, the criminals. This amount of detail is why I think one book (i.e one crime) would be a whole series. Much like the Killing.

I have noticed that a lot crime shows start with the murder. The first book "Dead Simple" starts with the instigator of the crimes and investigation but appears to be just a prank at first. When I starting reading this I found it quite hard to get into and it took me a while to get beyond a few chapters. However visually it would be little dialogue and can be rounded up in minutes. My concern is that I don't want to start off the same as other crime dramas do.

I have considered beginning with Roy Grace. Going about his daily routines before a Major Crime comes in and he has to get into action. While this would highlight more the nature of his job and police jobs and procedures I would worry that it would bring the focus too much around Grace but at the same time perhaps as a TV show, it would need that. It also wouldn't be a very BANG opening to a series.