Another bestselling Roy Grace novel with STOP THEM DEAD by Peter James

STOP THEM DEAD, the 19th instalment of Peter James’ Roy Grace series, has flown straight to Number Two in the UK Bestsellers list, after only three days on sale in paperback. STOP THEM DEAD is published by Pan Macmillan in the UK and US.

‘Peter James has a talent for creating memorable villains. Those in STOP THEM DEAD – Detective Superintendent Roy Grace’s 20th outing – are all thieves, black-market breeders and traffickers of dogs. Once again, deep research, vile behaviour and much-needed humour combine to produce ruthlessly efficient entertainment. Pedigree fun.’ – Mark Sanderson, The Times, ‘The best new crime fiction for October 2023’

‘Peter James’s STOP THEM DEAD is the 19th entry in his formidable Roy Grace series; here, the Brighton-based detective is up against brutal black-market gangs.’ – Financial Times, ‘Best New Crime Fiction’

‘DS Roy Grace confronts an alarming illegal trade in dogs which leads to savage murder in this unputdownable addition to James’ acclaimed crime series’ – Waterstones, ‘The Best Books of 2023: Crime & Thriller’

This month also sees the release of THEY THOUGHT I WAS DEAD: Sandy’s Story, the much-anticipated standalone novel that will reveal the astonishing reasons behind Sandy Grace’s disappearance. Announced today, Gemma Whelan will narrate Pan Macmillan’s audiobook edition which will be published on 9th May alongside the hardback, trade paperback and ebook editions.

THEY THOUGHT I WAS DEAD will see Whelan voice Sandy Grace in a story that sheds light on the mystery of why she disappeared. It is set in a parallel timeline to the main Roy Grace series, and reveals why Sandy left Roy, joining her as she travels down an increasingly dark path, as she struggles with addiction and tries to keep one step ahead of her enemies.

Whelan is known for TV appearances such as GAME OF THRONES, GENTLEMAN JACK and THE TOWER. She said: ‘It is such a pleasure to be narrating THEY THOUGHT I WAS DEAD and giving a voice to Sandy Grace. Peter James is a captivating storyteller and I was absolutely gripped by Sandy’s story, from start to finish.’

James said: ‘Gemma Whelan is an extraordinary actor and I can see no one better to bring the story of Sandy’s disappearance to life. She encapsulates Sandy’s voice and feeling so well and I’m sure fans will feel the same.’

Audio editor Laura Marlow said: ‘At Pan Macmillan, we knew fans had waited a long time to hear from Sandy, and that meant finding the perfect voice to tell her story. It has been a pleasure to work with Gemma and hear her incredible talent bring Sandy Grace to life.’

 Four more books in the bestselling Roy Grace series and one more standalone have been signed up by Pan Macmillan.

 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 by screenwriter and ENDEAVOUR creator, Russell Lewis. The opening episode of GRACE, based on the first Roy Grace novel, DEAD SIMPLE, was broadcast in March 2021 with John Simm starring in the lead role as the tenacious detective. It was a TV Pick of the Day across all the major UK newspapers, appeared on ITV 1’s prime Sunday night slot and viewing figures quickly reached more than 8.8 million, with glowing reviews. The fourth series is due to air in Autumn 2024. And the fifth series of GRACE began filming in April 2024.

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 and in 2024 he won four Silver Nielsen Bestseller Awards. Peter James has also written two books based on true crime stories, with former senior detective Graham Bartlett.

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 (2021) and WISH YOU WERE DEAD (2023) have packed theatres in dozens of British cities, and garnered magnificent reviews. His stage shows to date have grossed over £17 million at the box office. Several of his works are optioned for film.

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.

Praise for Peter James

‘If you have never read Peter James’ crime thriller series about the Sussex detective Roy Grace, I would highly recommend you give it a try.’ – Queen Camilla, Press and Journal

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

‘Roy Grace ... is fast becoming one of the more memorable coppers in modern crime fiction ... A first class police procedural.’ – The Times

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

‘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

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

‘In unncertain times, I always tend to fall back on old, familiar favourites, so I’ll be reading Peter James’ Roy Grace series. They are thrillers with enough drama to keep you guessing. Reading a well-crafted mystery gives me a sense of accomplishment – almost as if I’ve solved everything myself!’ – Emma Shacklock, Books Editor, Women & Home Magazine

‘Peter James is one of the best crime writers in the business’ – Lee Child

‘A master plotter.’ – The Bookseller

‘James has been compared with Stephen King, but in many ways he's better’ – Daily Express

‘This compulsive horror story is a tale of the search for immortality . . . I cannot remember when I last read a novel I enjoyed so much’ – Sunday Telegraph

‘A thought-provoking menacer that’s completely technological and genuinely frightening about the power of future communications’ – Time Out

Visit Peter’s website.
Like him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter and Instagram.

Blake Friedmann Best of 2023

We’re delighted to have so many author achievements from 2023 to celebrate! Congratulations to our writers!

‘A Short Trip to Tesco’ by Shani Akilah

Shortlisted for the Writers’ & Artists’ Short Story Competition 2023

THE MILK TART MURDERS by Sally Andrew

Winner of the Adult Fiction category at the 2023 SA Book Awards

Romalyn Ante

Elected as a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature

Graeme Armstrong

Included in the Granta Best of Young British Novelists list

SIX DAYS by Dani Atkins

Winner of the Jackie Collins Romantic Thriller Award at the 2023 Romantic Novel Awards

HONEY AND SPICE by Bolu Babalola

Winner of the BookTok Book Of The Year at the 2023 TikTok Book Awards

Shortlisted for the Début Fiction Book of the Year award at the 2023 British Books Awards

OXBLOOD by Tom Benn

Winner of the 2022 Sunday Times Charlotte Aitken Young Writer of the Year Award

Longlisted for the Gold Dagger at the Crime Writers’ Association Daggers Awards

‘Deeply immersive and evocative of the era… This is a novel to lose yourself in.’ – The Times, ‘100 Best Books for Summer 2023’

CASE STUDY by Graeme Macrae Burnet

Longlisted for the 2023 Dublin Literary Award

TIEPOLO BLUE by James Cahill

Longlisted for the Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award

EDITH HOLLER by Edward Carey

One of Lit Hub’s Most Anticipated Books of 2023

A Broadway Direct ‘2023 Holiday Book Guide for theatre lovers’ pick

‘Edward Carey excels in writing – and drawing! – peculiar characters, and the cast he creates for the macabre and fun EDITH HOLLER is no exception.’ – Melissa Gray, NPR, ‘NPR Best Books of the Year 2023’

‘What I love about Edward Carey’s writing is one he takes you immediately into the past, he has a very unusual imagination that shows itself not only in the beautiful writing but in the beautiful illustrations that he does throughout the novel. Edward Carey’s world is just one I always want to be in and I love all his books.’ – Bill Goldstein, NBC, ‘ Bill Goldstein’s Five Favorite Books of 2023’

UNDERCURRENT by Natasha Carthew

Shortlisted for the 2023 Nero Book Awards

 Anne de Courcy

Awarded the Biographers’ Club Exceptional Contribution Prize

THE LAST PASSENGER by Will Dean

‘If you think the notion of the “high concept” thriller has been fully exsanguinated, think again. In Dean’s new novel, a luxury liner adrift without a crew in the mid-Atlantic has one passenger, Caz Ripley, left on board, dealing with a Mary Celeste-like mystery. Irresistibly compelling fare.’ – The Financial Times, ‘Best Summer Books of 2023: Crime’

‘Perfect… Will Dean’s ingenious plot developments will keep you, like Caz, guessing wildly, and Jenny Funnell’s narration keeps belief suspended until the very end – and indeed beyond it.’ – Christina Hardyment, The Times, ‘The Best Audiobooks for Summer 2023’

‘Welcome to the RMS Atlantica, a ship unlike any other. We wish you fair winds and calm seas.’ – New York Library, ‘Best Books for Adults 2023’

THE MAN WHO LOVED CROCODILE TAMERS by Finuala Dowling

Longlisted for the South African Sunday Times Literary Awards

Janice Galloway

Elected as a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature

RESURRECTION by David Gilman

‘From a murder on the London Underground to a mission that goes badly wrong in the Sahara, Gilman keeps the action flowing furiously in the latest outing for Dan Raglan, a former MI6 officer and soldier in the French Foreign Legion. Raglan’s back-story and twisty political intrigue add an extra layer in this intelligent, satisfying international adventure.’ – The Financial Times, ‘Best Summer Books of 2023: Thrillers’

THE HYACINTH GIRL by Lyndall Gordon

Longlisted for 2023 PEN/Jacqueline Bograd Weld Award for Biography

MY THIRTY-MINUTE BAR MITZVAH by Denis Hirson

Longlisted for the South African Sunday Times Literary Awards

STOP THEM DEAD by Peter James

‘DS Roy Grace confronts an alarming illegal trade in dogs which leads to savage murder in this unputdownable addition to James' acclaimed crime series’ – Waterstones, ‘The Best Books of 2023: Crime & Thriller’

PICTURE YOU DEAD by Peter James

A No.2 Sunday Times bestseller

‘A fun, fast-paced mystery, featuring a villain with an insatiable lust for art history’s forgotten treasures willing to stop at nothing to complete his collection.’ – Sarah Cascone, Art Net, ‘Best Art Books Published in 2023’

Contraflow: Lines of Englishness 1922-2022, ed. by John Greening and Kevin Gardner, including ‘The Only English Kid’ by Hannah Lowe

‘Finally, a treasure trove for poetry lovers. Contraflow: Lines of Englishness 1922-2022 is an anthology of English poetry from the past century. It sounds all too familiar and comfortable. But the editors, John Greening and Kevin Gardner, have cleverly set familiar voices of the past alongside some of today’s best poets, such as Zaffar Kunial and Hannah Lowe. If you tend not to read anything later than Larkin, this is a great way to start bringing yourself up to date.’ – Graeme Richardson, The Times, ‘16 Best Literature and Poetry Books of 2023’

THE WOMAN IN THE CHINESE COLLAR (previously titled MOY: In Search of Nelsa Lowe) by Hannah Lowe

Winner of the 2024 Eccles Centre & Hay Festival Writer’s Award

Zakes Mda

Nominated for the African Genius Awards

THE DARK FLOOD by Deon Meyer

Longlisted for the Dagger for Crime Fiction in Translation at the Crime Writers’ Association Daggers Awards

Nominated for the 2023 Barry Awards in the Best Mystery or Crime Novel category

LEO by Deon Meyer

Overall (All-Language Fiction and Non-Fiction) No 1 Bestseller in South Africa for 10 weeks

MY FATHER’S HOUSE by Joseph O’Connor

An Irish No.1 for 4 weeks in a row and was in the Irish Top Ten for another 12 weeks

Shortlisted for the Eason Novel of the Year Award at the 2023 An Post Irish Book Awards

Shortlisted for the Library Association of Ireland Author of the Year Award at the 2023 An Post Irish Book Awards

One of the most borrowed books from Kerry Library in 2023

‘O’Connor combines suspenseful storytelling with an eye for quirky human detail as he recounts the cat-and-mouse game with the Nazi authorities of the man dubbed “the Scarlet Pimpernel of the Vatican’’ – The Times, ‘100 Best Books for Summer 2023’

‘Joseph O’Connor’s historical novel MY FATHER’S HOUSE manages to be at once a ripping yarn and a profound exploration of moral choices in the worst of times… With lyrical evocation of time and place, scabrous humour and heart-stopping tension, it combines the pleasures of the ideal holiday read with those of a literary masterpiece.’ – Fintan O’Toole, The Irish Times, ‘The Best Books of 2023 so far’

‘MY FATHER’S HOUSE explore[s] the legacy of the past and show how the power and influence of the Catholic Church comes in many guises… [an] exploration of literary style and its possibilities, the art of making it new.’ – Colm Tóibín, The Irish Times, ‘The Best Books of 2023 so far’

‘Striking, immersive’ – Sarah Gilmartin, The Irish Times, ‘The Best Books of 2023 so far’

‘Based on the true story of a group in Vatican City whose daring exploits during World War II saved lives, O’Connor’s narrative charts the buildup and countdown to their mission. The result is a gripping drama featuring the unlikeliest of heroes, whom the reader will root for every step of the way’ – The Washington Post, ‘50 Notable Works of Fiction’

‘O’Connor’s beautifully written novel centers on an Irish priest, Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty, who organized escapes for Jews, resistance fighters and Allied prisoners during the Nazi occupation of Rome. Assisting him were men and women whose much-fictionalized selves are presented here in the compelling voices of actors Barry Barnes, Aoife Duffin, Stephen Hogan and several others.’ – Katherine A. Powers, The Washington Post, ‘The 10 Best Audiobooks of 2023’

‘O’Connor must have danced a jig of delight when he came upon the true story of Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty, the Kerry-born priest stationed in the Vatican during World War II. O’Flaherty was directly responsible for helping around 6,500 people escape the clutches of the Nazis as the forces of darkness surrounded the Holy See. He’s a hero to cheer for, opposed by a proper boo-hiss villain in Obersturmbannführer Paul Hauptmann, and the supporting cast – everyone from The Pope to London wide boys - is equally strong. The master story teller delivers crackling dialogue, tense and thrilling set pieces, and beautiful prose. A bank holiday movie in book form.’ – Pat Carty, Hot Press, ‘The Best Books Of 2023’

‘[Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty’s] powerful story becomes a literary thriller which examines the nature of sacrifice and what it means to be human in the most extreme circumstances.’ – Fiona Audley, Irish Post, ‘Top Irish Reads for Christmas 2023’

‘MY FATHER’S HOUSE by Joseph O’Connor is a fictionalised account of the war years of Monsignor Hugh O’Connor, Vatican cleric and saviour of thousands of Allied prisoners and Jews in Nazi-occupied Rome. He didn’t act alone, and O’Connor gives voice and colour to his many helpers in this lively, evocative and beautiful rendering of the faith and courage of the scholarly but humble Kerry priest.’ – Anne Cunningham, The Anglo-Celt , ‘Some suggestions for books as Christmas gifts’

‘It’s both beautifully written literature and a cracking will-they-won’t-they thriller, as team O’Flaherty embark on a race against time, counting down to Christmas Eve and the next dangerous mission to save Allied soldiers. Gorgeous and brilliant.’ – Jenni Frazer, The Jewish Chronicle, ‘Fiction review of the year’

THE WOMAN ON THE BRIDGE by Sheila O’Flanagan

No.1 Irish bestseller

WHAT EDEN DID NEXT by Sheila O’Flanagan

The third most borrowed book from Kerry Library in 2023

BOBBY MARCH WILL LIVE FOREVER by Alan Parks

Winner of the 2023 Prix Mystère de la critique

MAY GOD FORGIVE by Alan Parks

Shortlisted for the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger at the Crime Writers’ Association Daggers Awards

Longlisted for the 2023 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award

FIFTEEN WILD DECEMBERS by Karen Powell

Shortlisted for the 2023 Nero Book Awards

‘The story of moorland isolation, early deaths and burgeoning creativity is a familiar one, but Powell with Emily as her first-person narrator, gives it a new energy, capturing the vulnerability of the three sisters and their determination to make the most of their talents.’ – Nick Rennison, The Times, ‘The Best Historical Fiction Books of 2023’

‘More people need to discover this. A dazzling work of genius, her writing about the Brontë sisters make you inhabit their world and struggles.’ – Georgina Moore, The Daily Express, ‘Favourite Reads of 2023’

‘It’s a brave novelist who seeks to enter the mind of Emily Brontë, to be a ventriloquist to such strange genius, but this book is a triumph in its psychological acuity and wonderful use of language. (And Emily’s bull mastiff Keeper should now be in any list of best dogs in fiction.)’ – Nick, Sevenoaks Bookshop, ‘Books of the Year’

A LIBRARY TO FLEE by Etienne van Heerden (translated by Henrietta Rose-Innes)

Longlisted for the South African Sunday Times Literary Awards

A HISTORY OF WATER by Edward Wilson-Lee

Shortlisted for the 2023 James Tait Black Biography Prize