Peter James Books in Order

Peter James is a British author of crime and thriller novels, best known for the Roy Grace series.

This page lists all Peter James books in order, including his series, standalone novels, short stories and collections, organized primarily by publication order.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Roy Grace Series (Books in Order)

The Roy Grace series follows a Detective Superintendent with the Sussex Police in Brighton as he leads major crime investigations across the region.

Publication Order

  1. Dead Simple (#1), 2005
  2. Looking Good Dead (#2), 2006
  3. Not Dead Enough (#3), 2007
  4. Dead Man’s Footsteps (#4), 2008
  5. Dead Tomorrow (#5), 2009
  6. Dead Like You (#6), 2010
  7. Dead Man’s Grip (#7), 2011
  8. Not Dead Yet (#8), 2012
  9. Dead Man’s Time (#9), 2013
  10. Want You Dead (#10), 2014
  11. In the Nick of Time (#10.5), 2014
  12. You Are Dead (#11), 2015
  13. Love You Dead (#12), 2016
  14. Need You Dead (#13), 2017
  15. Dead If You Don’t (#14), 2019
  16. Dead at First Sight (#15), 2019
  17. Find Them Dead (#16), 2020
  18. Left You Dead (#17), 2021
  19. Wish You Were Dead (#17.5), 2021
  20. Picture You Dead (#18), 2022
  21. Stop Them Dead (#19), 2023
  22. One of Us Is Dead (#20), 2024
  23. The Hawk Is Dead (#21), 2025

Roy Grace Spin-off Novels

Max Flynn Series (Books in Order)

The Max Flynn series follows a British intelligence officer based in London who becomes involved in high-risk espionage operations.

Publication Order

Cold Hill Series (Books in Order)

The Cold Hill series is a set of interconnected storied featuring haunted locations in the Sussex countryside.

Publication Order

  1. The House on Cold Hill, 2015
  2. The Secret of Cold Hill, 2019

Standalone Novels

Novellas and Short Stories

Short Story Collections

Anthologies

Non-Fiction Books

Peter James Biography

Peter James


Peter James is a British author whose work includes crime thrillers, standalone novels, and short stories.
Official website: peterjames.com

Peter James was born in Brighton, in 1948. He started writing at an early age and won a national short-story competition that was hosted by the BBC. He attended Charterhouse School and later Ravensbourne Film School in London, where he studied film and broadcasting.

In 1970, he moved to Canada where he worked as a gopher and then a writer for the Polka Dot Door television show. Before returning to the UK, he worked extensively as a screenwriter and film producer.

His literary breakthrough came with Possession (1988), followed by Dreamer (1989), two standalone novels. The novel Dead Simple, which he published in 2005, introduced Roy Grace, which would become the main character of his primary series. He also wrote additional series and wrote standalone novels across several genres, including suspense, supernatural fiction and spy-themed thrillers.

Peter James is also known for his early involvement in electronic publishing. In 1994, his novel Host was released simultaneously in print and digital format, becoming one of the earliest commercially published electronic novels.

He lives in the United Kingdom, dividing his time between London and Brighton.

Peter James Book Adaptations

  • Host – adapted into the movie Virtual Obsession (1998)
  • Prophecy – adapted into the first episode of the Chiller series (1995)
  • Roy Grace series – adapted into the ITV series Grace (2021 – present)

Peter James Awards and Honors

Awards

  • Charterhouse School Poetry Prize (1967)
  • Esquire Magazine International College Film Festival – The Island (1969)
  • Sitges International Horror Film Festival – Best Foreign Film – Dead of Night (1974)
  • Honorary Fellowship (FHS Emeritus Award), Hypnotherapy Society (1999)
  • Krimi-Blitz – Best Crime Writer of the Year, Germany (2005)
  • Le Prix Polar International – Comme Une Tombe (French edition of Dead Simple) (2006)
  • Le Prix Cœur Noir – Comme Une Tombe (2007)
  • Sounds of Crime Award – Dead Tomorrow (2010)
  • Quick Reads Readers’ Favourite Award – The Perfect Murder (2010)
  • Sounds of Crime Award – Dead Like You (2011)
  • ITV3 Crime Thriller Awards – People’s Bestseller Dagger for Crime Novel of the Year (2011)
  • Barry Award – Dead Man’s Grip (2011)
  • Sussex Police Outstanding Public Service Award (2012)
  • Argus Outstanding Contribution to Sussex Award (2013)
  • Sainsbury’s eBook of the Year Award – Want You Dead (2014)
  • WHSmith Best Crime Author of All Time (2015)
  • Honorary Mastership, Open University (2015)
  • Dead Good Readers Dr Lecter Award for Scariest Villain – You Are Dead (2015)
  • CWA Diamond Dagger Award (2016)
  • Dead Good Readers Tess Gerritsen Award for Best Series – Roy Grace (2016)
  • Lubimyczytac.pl Book of the Year (Horror) – The House on Cold Hill (2017)
  • Rheinbach Glass Dagger Award for Crime Fiction, Germany (2017)
  • Sussex Life Hero Award (2017)
  • Specsavers Honorary Platinum Award for Book Sales Over 5 Million (2018)
  • Brighton & Hove Business Awards – Outstanding Brightonian of the Year (2021)

Nominations and Shortlists

  • Public Awareness of Science Award – Alchemist (2000)
  • BAFTA – The Merchant of Venice (2004)
  • Rose d’Or, Montreux Television Festival – Bedsitcom (2004)
  • Richard & Judy Galaxy British Book Awards – Looking Good Dead (2007)
  • Prix SNCF du Polar – La Mort Leur Va Si Bien (French edition of Looking Good Dead) (2007)
  • Grand Prix de Littérature Policière – La Mort Leur Va Si Bien (2007)
  • Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year – Not Dead Enough (2008)
  • ITV Crime Thriller Author of the Year – Not Dead Enough (2008)
  • Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year – Dead Man’s Footsteps (2009)
  • CWA Dagger in the Library (2009)
  • Galaxy British Book Awards – Popular Fiction Book of the Year – Dead Like You (2010)
  • Wellcome Trust Book Prize – Perfect People (2012)
  • Specsavers National Book Awards – Crime Thriller of the Year – Perfect People (2012)
  • Specsavers National Book Awards – Crime Thriller of the Year – Dead Man’s Time (2013)
  • CAMEO Award – Book to Stage – Not Dead Enough (2017)
  • Specsavers National Book Awards – Audiobook of the Year – Absolute Proof (2018)
  • CrimeFest Audible Sounds of Crime Award – Find Them Dead (2021)

Edited by

Marika

Founder of Mystery Sequels, a reference site focused on listing mystery and thriller books in the correct reading order. I maintain and update the site’s bibliographies as new titles are released, ensuring accuracy and consistency across author and series pages.

Readers Also Like

Last verified:

11 Comments

  1. I follow you ,so good that I read Dead Simple first of the Grace series to Picture you Dead wonderful compelling reading best modern crime writer in my opinion

Comments are closed.