Peter James (born 22 August 1948 in Brighton) is a British crime writer best known for the Roy Grace novels, a police series set in Brighton that began with “Dead Simple” in 2005 and has been adapted by ITV as “Grace”, starring John Simm. His official site credits him with 21 Sunday Times number ones and more than 24 million copies sold in 38 languages.
James is the son of Cornelia James, who was glovemaker to Queen Elizabeth II. He was educated at Charterhouse and at Ravensbourne Film School, and for a short time while a student he worked as Orson Welles’s house cleaner. He then spent several years in North America as a screenwriter and film producer, starting in Canada in 1970 on the children’s television series “Polka Dot Door”. His later film credits include executive producer of “The Merchant of Venice” (2004).
His first novel, “Dead Letter Drop”, was published in 1981. The books he wrote before the Grace series include spy fiction, supernatural thrillers and science-based thrillers. One of them, “Host” (1993), was issued by Penguin on two floppy discs as well as in print, and has been called the world’s first electronic novel.
The Grace books follow the Brighton-based Detective Superintendent Roy Grace, and alongside each case they carry a continuing thread about what is happening in his own life. A spin-off, “They Thought I Was Dead: Sandy’s Story”, appeared in 2024. Several of the novels have been adapted for the stage by Shaun McKenna, and the television series has been running since 2021.
James has twice chaired the Crime Writers’ Association and received its Diamond Dagger in 2016. In 2015 he won the WHSmith Best Crime Author of All Time award. He was appointed OBE in the 2026 King’s Birthday Honours for services to literature and to charity. Outside writing he races historic cars and is a patron of the Sussex Police Charitable Trust.
His most recent novel is “The Hawk Is Dead” (2025). The next Roy Grace book, “Dead in Three Two One”, is set during Brighton Pride and is due from Macmillan on 20 October 2026.
Publication Order of Roy Grace Books
| Dead Simple | 2005 |
| Looking Good Dead | 2006 |
| Not Dead Enough | 2007 |
| Dead Man’s Footsteps | 2008 |
| Dead Tomorrow | 2009 |
| Dead Like You | 2010 |
| Dead Man’s Grip | 2011 |
| Not Dead Yet | 2012 |
| Dead Man’s Time | 2013 |
| Want You Dead | 2014 |
| You Are Dead | 2015 |
| Love You Dead | 2016 |
| Need You Dead | 2017 |
| Dead If You Don’t | 2018 |
| Dead at First Sight | 2019 |
| Find Them Dead | 2020 |
| Left You Dead | 2021 |
| Wish You Were Dead | 2021 |
| Picture You Dead | 2022 |
| Stop Them Dead | 2023 |
| They Thought I Was Dead: Sandy’s Story | 2024 |
| One of Us Is Dead | 2024 |
| The Hawk Is Dead | 2025 |
| Dead in Three Two One | 2026 |
Publication Order of Cold Hill Books
| The House on Cold Hill | 2015 |
| The Secret of Cold Hill | 2019 |
Publication Order of Standalone Novels
| Dead Letter Drop | 1981 |
| Atom Bomb Angel | 1982 |
| Billionaire | 1983 |
| Travelling Man | 1984 |
| Biggles: The Untold Story | 1986 |
| Possession | 1988 |
| Dreamer | 1989 |
| Sweet Heart | 1990 |
| Twilight | 1991 |
| Prophecy | 1992 |
| Host | 1993 |
| Alchemist | 1996 |
| Getting Wired! | 1996 |
| The Truth | 1997 |
| Denial | 1998 |
| Faith | 2000 |
| Perfect People | 2011 |
| Absolute Proof | 2018 |
| I Follow You | 2020 |
Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas
| The Perfect Murder | 2010 |
Publication Order of Short Story Collections
| A Twist of the Knife | 2014 |
Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books
| Death Comes Knocking: Policing Roy Grace’s Brighton (With: Graham Bartlett) | 2016 |
| Babes in the Wood (With: Graham Bartlett) | 2020 |
Photo: Johan Jönsson (Julle), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped).