Two new Peter James thrillers for Pan Macmillan

Pan Macmillan will publish two new standalone novels by Peter James, acquired by former Associate Publisher Wayne Brookes from Isobel Dixon at Blake Friedmann. The first, THEY THOUGHT I WAS DEAD, will be published as a lead hardback in May 2024, with the paperback to follow in October 2024.

This all-new standalone novel will finally reveal the astonishing reasons behind Sandy Grace’s sudden disappearance, first brought to life in the inaugural Roy Grace novel DEAD SIMPLE. For years Peter has teased his readers about her whereabouts, and now for the first time he will tell all about her shocking departure!

Francesca Pathak, who has taken on publishing James after Wayne Brookes’s departure last year, says: ‘As a lifelong fan of Peter’s I am thrilled to be working with him on Sandy’s story. Grace readers around the world have been desperate to learn the details of what exactly happened to Roy Grace’s wife and what her motivations were, and Peter has truly delivered in this incredible standalone novel. It’s the book all Grace fans have been waiting for, and the perfect entry point to the series for any new reader who wants the perfect thriller this Spring.’

Peter James says: ‘Sandy’s story is one I have been excited to write for a long time. So many of my fans have messaged me over the years speculating on what might have happened to her… and as a thriller author there are few things more fun than wrong-footing our readers – in the nicest possible way – and most importantly in a way that will both make them smile and go WOW!’

Isobel Dixon says: ‘In THEY THOUGHT I WAS DEAD Peter expertly delivers both twisty mystery and sensational revelation about the ever-elusive Sandy. A standalone that also deepens and complements the series story, it’s a fantastic bonus for all of Peter’s international fans, ahead of the 20th Roy Grace later in the year – another very big year for Grace in print and on-screen!’

About Peter James

Photo credit: Mark Dixon

Peter James is the international bestselling author of many award-winning novels, repeatedly occupying the Number One slot on the Sunday Times bestseller charts in both hardback and paperback. Peter writes both thriller standalones and the hugely popular Brighton-set GRACE series, now adapted for ITV. Peter took part in the launch podcast of the Queen’s Reading Room in January 2024, having had the Grace series featured on the Royal Reading Room previously.

Peter’s books have been translated into thirty-eight languages, with worldwide sales of over twenty-one million copies and his Detective Superintendent Roy Grace series, set in Brighton, has given him nineteen Sunday Times Number Ones. In 2015 WH Smith customers voted him the Greatest Crime Author of All Time and in 2016 he was awarded the coveted CWA Diamond Dagger, a lifetime  achievement award for sustained excellence. In 2018 he received a Specsavers Honorary Platinum Bestseller Award. Peter James has also written two books based on true crime stories, with former senior detective Graham Bartlett, with a newly expanded edition of BABES IN THE WOOD re-issued in January 2024.

Successful nationwide tours of the stage plays of THE PERFECT MURDER (2014), DEAD SIMPLE (2015), NOT DEAD ENOUGH (2017), THE HOUSE ON COLD HILL (2019), LOOKING GOOD DEAD (2022), and WISH YOU WERE DEAD (2023) have packed theatres in dozens of British cities, and garnered magnificent reviews. Several other Peter James novels are optioned for film and in further development.

Praise for Peter James

‘Peter James is one of the best crime writers in the business’ – Karin Slaughter

‘Probably the closest we’ll get to a British Stephen King’ – The Financial Times

‘Meticulous research gives his prose great authenticity’ – Sunday Express

‘Peter James has penetrated the inner workings of police procedures, and the inner thoughts and attitudes of real detectives, as no English crime writer before him.’ – The Times

‘Peter James is one of the most fiendishly clever crime fiction plotters’ – Daily Mail

‘In my thirty-four years of policing, never have I come across a writer who so accurately depicts “The Job’’ – Detective Investigator Pat Lanigan, Office of the District Attorney, NYPD

‘One of the most consistently readable crime writers.’ – Daily Mail           

‘A master plotter’ – The Bookseller

Visit Peter’s website

Follow Peter on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram.

New bestseller PICTURE YOU DEAD by Peter James – ‘Picture perfect at peak’

Credit: Graham Franks Photography

PICTURE YOU DEAD by Peter James has flown to Number One in the Bookseller’s weekly ‘Bookstat E-Book Top 10’ and to Number Two in the Sunday Times hardback bestseller charts, after only three days on sale. ‘Picture perfect at peak for James’, the Bookseller reported, adding that ‘Peter James’s PICTURE YOU DEAD swiped the Bookstat e-book number one in a photo finish.’

The eighteenth instalment of the bestselling Detective Superintendent Roy Grace series is published by Pan Macmillan, who signed up 5 more series titles from Peter James last year.

PICTURE YOU DEAD was launched with a vigorous and inventive marketing and publicity campaign including a much-anticipated return to the traditional annual Roy Grace launch party – held again on Brighton pier after two years without an in-person celebration, and this time with ITV’s GRACE stars, John Simm and Richie Campbell, among the crowd.

Peter went on a whirlwind book signing tour across Sussex and beyond, visiting multiple independent bookshops, the Jersey Festival of Words, and Capital Crime Festival. He also embarked on an extensive regional radio tour. As well as the trade hardback, two exclusive editions of PICTURE YOU DEAD were also published: one with extra material exclusive to WH Smith, and a special edition for indie bookshops with beautiful sprayed edges.

In PICTURE YOU DEAD, Detective Superintendent Roy Grace finds himself plunged into an unfamiliar world of fine art – and art forgery. Outwardly the fine art scene appears respectable, refined, above reproach. But beneath the veneer, he rapidly finds that greed, deception and violence walk hand-in-hand.

Harry and Freya, an ordinary couple, dreamed for years of finding something priceless buried amongst the tat in a car boot sale. It was a dream they knew in their hearts would never come true – until the day it did… They buy a drab portrait for a few pounds, for its beautiful frame, planning to cut the painting out. Then studying it back at home there seems to be another picture beneath, of a stunning landscape. Could it be a long-lost masterpiece from 1770? If genuine, it could be worth millions. One collector is certain that the painting is genuine. Someone who will use any method he can to get what he wants and will stop at nothing.

And Harry and Freya are about to discover that their dream is turning into their worst nightmare…

Filming of the ITV series based on the Roy Grace novels continues in Brighton, with more of the thrilling stories to be broadcast in 2023. Peter is now writing the nineteenth instalment of the Roy Grace series which Pan Macmillan will publish next year.

Praise for Peter James:

‘Superior plotting and edge-of-the-seat suspense.’ – The Guardian

‘Peter James is one of the best crime writers in the business’ – Karin Slaughter

‘A master plotter who cunningly tunes into contemporary concerns. Peter James cannot fail to thrill.’  – Daily Mail

‘Memorable characters and nail-biting tension.’ –  Kathy Reichs

‘Peter James creates a world we can smell, touch and feel for his Brighton detective Inspector Roy Grace.’ – The Times

‘With echoes of Thomas Harris, the closer analogue is to Jeffrey Deaver’s clock-racing thrillers… James delivers the goods.’ — Kirkus Reviews

‘James just gets better and better and deserves the success he has achieved with this first-class series.’ — Independent on Sunday

About Peter James:

Peter James is the international bestselling author of many award-winning novels, repeatedly occupying the Number One slot on the Sunday Times bestseller charts in both hardback and paperback. Peter writes both thriller standalones and the hugely popular Brighton-set Roy Grace series, now adapted for ITV.

Peter’s books have been translated into thirty-eight languages, with worldwide sales of over twenty-one million copies and his Detective Superintendent Roy Grace series, set in Brighton, has given him 19 consecutive Sunday Times Number Ones. In 2015 WH Smith customers voted him the Greatest Crime Author of All Time and in 2016 he was awarded the coveted CWA Diamond Dagger, a lifetime achievement award for sustained excellence. In 2018 he received a Specsavers Honorary Platinum Bestseller Award. Peter James has also written two books based on true crime stories, with former senior detective Graham Bartlett.

The 16th Roy Grace, FIND THEM DEAD, was a UK Number 1 in both hardback and paperback, spending four consecutive weeks at Number 1 in paperback, and reaching Number 5 in Australia and Canada too. In 2021 Peter James repeated the hardback and paperback Top Ten double with LEFT YOU DEAD and standalone thriller I FOLLOW YOU.

Successful nationwide tours of the stage plays of THE PERFECT MURDER (2014), DEAD SIMPLE (2015,) NOT DEAD ENOUGH (2017) and THE HOUSE ON COLD HILL (2019) have packed theatres in dozens of British cities, and garnered magnificent reviews. The stage play of LOOKING GOOD DEAD toured the UK in 2021, and WISH YOU WERE DEAD will premiere in 2022. Several other Peter James novels are optioned for film and in further development.

Visit Peter’s website

Like him on Facebook, and follow him on Twitter and Instagram

PAN MACMILLAN ACQUIRES SARAH LEE’S DEBUT NOVEL

Gillian Green, Publishing Director for fiction at Pan Macmillan, has acquired World rights to Sarah Lee’s debut novel, AN OCEAN APART, from Senior Agent Kate Burke.

Set in the 1950s, AN OCEAN APART follows the lives of three young Caribbean women who come to England and train to be nurses in the then fledging NHS. The book is partly inspired by the author’s mother who originally came to the UK in the Sixties to become a nurse and the stories she has told the author about her training and experiences as a Windrush nurse.

Gillian Green says: ‘Sarah Lee’s debut – as well as being a wonderful story – is a complete love letter to the NHS and the Windrush Generation of nurses who came from the Caribbean to work for it. We’re so proud to be publishing this lovely slice of important historical fiction at Pan.’

Sarah Lee says: ‘I felt compelled to tell this story as many of the experiences of the characters in AN OCEAN APART resemble those of the proud, strong, caring women I grew up around, including my own mother. These pioneering young people left their homes, families and all that they knew to come to the ‘Mother Country’ and help lay the foundations of the NHS, with many giving over their entire working lives to the service. It is a privilege to be able to bring these little known stories to light.’

Kate Burke says ‘Gillian’s vision and passion for this novel has been evident from the start, and I’m delighted to be working with Sarah and the Pan team on this historical gem.’

Pan Macmillan will publish AN OCEAN APART in a library hardback in August, with the paperback to come in September 2022.

About Sarah Lee

Sarah Lee is a journalist and editor of 25 years, across news and features, and has written for regional and national newspapers as well as commissioned for women’s true life magazines. More recently, she has focused her attention on the world of travel, creating luxury blog, LiveShareTravel.com. She also works with destinations and brands worldwide on storytelling marketing campaigns and conferences through her company, Captivate.

Visit Sarah’s website and follow her on Twitter.

Pan Macmillan acquires five further instalments in Peter James’ bestselling Roy Grace series

Wayne Brookes, Associate Publisher at Pan Macmillan, has acquired world English language rights for five new Roy Grace books by UK number one bestselling author Peter James from Isobel Dixon at Blake Friedmann Literary Agency. The significant deal follows a spectacular year for the crime writer and his most famous creation, which included the premier of an ITV adaptation starring John Simm as Grace.

 The first title in this new five-book deal is scheduled to be published in hardback in May 2023, with one new case for Roy Grace to crack every year up until 2027. This will take the series to a total of 23 full-length novels, plus a shorter Roy Grace story, called WISH YOU WERE DEAD, which was written for the Reading Agency’s 2021 Quick Reads initiative. To date, Peter James has secured an impressive total of 18 Sunday Times No. 1s, sold over 21 million copies worldwide and been translated into 38 languages. He has been published by Pan Macmillan since 2005.

 The seventeenth Roy Grace book, LEFT YOU DEAD, is published on 14th October 2021, and is one of the top ten pre-ordered Super Thursday books on Amazon. 

 Wayne Brookes, Associate Publisher at Pan Macmillan, said: ‘My partnership with Peter James has been one of the most rewarding of my career. Roy Grace and his team are like family to me and knowing that I’ll be sharing in their adventures for five new books is simply wonderful. Peter has gone from strength to strength with 2021 being an exceptional year topped off with Roy Grace finally coming to the small screen. Having this new deal in place feels like a whole new and very exciting chapter is just beginning.’

 Roy Grace hit TV screens around the world for the first time this year when ITV’s much-anticipated adaptation GRACE, written by acclaimed screenwriter and Endeavour creator Russell Lewis, premiered in March. Two episodes have been filmed so far, with a second series consisting of a further three episodes currently in production. The stellar cast includes John Simm, best known for his roles in Life on Mars and Doctor Who, as Roy Grace, and Top Boy actor, Richie Campbell, as Detective Sergeant Glenn Branson. The first episode, based on the first Roy Grace book DEAD SIMPLE, was watched by 8.8 million viewers in the UK and has since aired in countries including the USA, Canada, Japan, Norway and Finland.

 Peter James said: ‘I couldn’t be more delighted to continue working with the brilliant team at Pan Macmillan. Despite its size, it still feels like being part of a warm and welcoming family and these past seventeen years with them have been extremely happy ones. 2021 has also been an incredible year for my good mate Roy – my dream was always a TV adaptation that was faithful, and I couldn’t have asked for anything more from the production team who captured the spirit of the books so perfectly. And that makes me even more excited to start researching and writing new cases for Roy to get to grips with!’

 Isobel Dixon, Managing Director and Head of Books at Blake Friedmann Literary Agency, said: ‘Peter James is a power-house storyteller, who keeps surprising and delighting readers around the world – including his agent and editorial team! We love working with Peter and are thrilled to confirm that there are still many more ingenious plots and surprises in store for Roy Grace, and for us, stories that will transfer with such brilliance to the screen as well.’

The stage play of the second Roy Grace novel, LOOKING GOOD DEAD, starring award-winning author and EastEnders icon Adam Woodyatt and star of the stage and screen Gaynor Faye, is currently touring the UK. The highly-anticipated Gala Night takes place in Brighton on 12th October 2021.

About Peter James

Peter James is the international bestselling author of many award-winning novels, repeatedly occupying the Number One slot on the Sunday Times bestseller charts in both hardback and paperback. Peter writes both thriller standalones and the hugely popular Brighton-set Roy Grace series, now adapted for ITV.

 Peter’s books have been translated into thirty-eight languages, with worldwide sales of over twenty-one million copies and his Detective Superintendent Roy Grace series, set in Brighton, has given him 18 consecutive Sunday Times Number Ones. In 2015 WH Smith customers voted him the Greatest Crime Author of All Time and in 2016 he was awarded the coveted CWA Diamond Dagger, a lifetime achievement award for sustained excellence. In 2018 he received a Specsavers Honorary Platinum Bestseller Award. Peter James has also written two books based on true crime stories, with former senior detective Graham Bartlett.

 The 16th Roy Grace, FIND THEM DEAD, was a UK Number 1 in both hardback and paperback, spending four consecutive weeks at Number 1 in paperback, and reaching Number 5 in Australia and Canada too. In 2021 Peter James repeated the hardback and paperback Top Ten double with LEFT YOU DEAD and standalone thriller I FOLLOW YOU.

 Successful nationwide tours of the stage plays of THE PERFECT MURDER (2014), DEAD SIMPLE (2015,) NOT DEAD ENOUGH (2017) and THE HOUSE ON COLD HILL (2019) have packed theatres in dozens of British cities, and garnered magnificent reviews. The stage play of LOOKING GOOD DEAD is currently touring the UK. Several other Peter James novels are optioned for film and in further development.

Praise for Peter James

‘Superior plotting and edge-of-the-seat suspense.’ – The Guardian

‘Peter James is one of the best crime writers in the business’ – Karin Slaughter

‘A master plotter who cunningly tunes into contemporary concerns. Peter James cannot fail to thrill.’ ­– Daily Mail

‘Memorable characters and nail-biting tension.’ –  Kathy Reichs

 ‘Peter James creates a world we can smell, touch and feel for his Brighton detective Inspector Roy Grace.’ – The Times

‘Probably the closest we’ll get to a British Stephen King’ – The Financial Times

‘With echoes of Thomas Harris, the closer analogue is to Jeffrey Deaver’s clock-racing thrillers. … James delivers the goods.’ — Kirkus Reviews

‘James just gets better and better and deserves the success he has achieved with this first-class series.’ — Independent on Sunday

Visit Peter’s website.

Like him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter and Instagram.

LEFT YOU DEAD BY PETER JAMES JUMPS STRAIGHT TO NUMBER ONE ON THE HARDBACK BESTSELLER CHARTS

Peter James’s seventeenth Detective Superintendent Roy Grace novel, LEFT YOU DEAD, has flown straight to the Number 1 position in the Sunday Times hardback bestseller chart after only three days on sale, giving Peter his eighteenth Number 1 on the British charts this Sunday. The stellar three-day sales also make LEFT YOU DEAD the biggest hardback fiction title launch of the year.

In LEFT YOU DEAD, Niall and Eden Paternoster start their Sunday the same way they always do – with a long drive, a visit to a country house and a quick stop at the local supermarket on the way home. But this Sunday ends differently – because while Niall waits and waits in the car park for Eden to pick up supplies, Eden never returns. She’s not waiting for him at home, and none of their family or friends have heard from her.

Gone without a trace, Niall is arrested on suspicion of her murder. When DS Roy Grace is called in to investigate, it doesn’t take long to realize that nothing is quite as it seems – and this might be his most mysterious case yet.

Later this month, WISH YOU WERE DEAD, a Roy Grace novella written by Peter for The Reading Agency’s Quick Reads scheme will be published by Pan Macmillan. And next month, Peter James fans will be able to get their hands on a paperback of Peter’s standalone thriller, I FOLLOW YOU. 

March saw the much-anticipated release of ITV’s GRACE, based on the first book in the Roy Grace series, DEAD SIMPLE. The series launched in a prime-time Sunday slot to widespread praise from the critics and 8.8 million strong viewing figures. The show was launched in April by Britbox North America with DEAD SIMPLE and LOOKING GOOD DEAD streaming for fans in the US and Canada.

Praise for Peter James:

‘Sinister and riveting… Peter James is one of the best British crime writers, and therefore one of the best in the world.’ — Lee Child

‘Peter James creates a world we can smell, touch and feel for his Brighton detective Inspector Roy Grace.’ – The Times

‘A master plotter who cunningly tunes into contemporary concerns. Peter James cannot fail to thrill.’ ­– Daily Mail

'Peter James is one of the best crime writers in the business.' — Karin Slaughter

About the Author:

Peter James is an international bestselling crime and thriller writer. In 2015 WHSmith customers voted him the Greatest Crime Author of All Time and in 2016 he was awarded the coveted CWA Diamond Dagger, a lifetime achievement award for sustained excellence. In 2018 he received a Specsavers Honorary Platinum Bestseller Award.

Successful nationwide tours of the stage plays of THE PERFECT MURDER (2014), DEAD SIMPLE (2015), NOT DEAD ENOUGH (2017) and THE HOUSE ON COLD HILL (2019) have played to packed theatres in dozens of British cities, and garnered magnificent reviews. The newest Roy Grace theatre production, LOOKING GOOD DEAD, will tour in 2021.

Visit Peter’s website

Like him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter