DEAD IN THREE TWO ONE, the 22nd title in Peter James’s international bestselling Roy Grace Series, was published to great fanfare on Tuesday 20th October 2026. It immediately went to No.2 in the UK hardback fiction bestseller chart and has remained in the UK Top Ten despite fierce competition.
Peter visited bookshops up and down the country (covering over 3,000 miles!) to promote DEAD IN THREE TWO ONE – finally landing in Brighton for the official launch at Brighton’s iconic Palace Pier, where the Mayor of Brighton and Hove was in attendance, amongst many others. Peter will appear on BBC Radio 4’s A Good Read, set to air on Monday 9th November at 3pm, and has many podcast appearances to come throughout the end of 2026.
In other news, Season 7 of GRACE (ITV’s popular television adaptation of the Roy Grace series) concluded filming earlier this month and is set to air next year, with an exact date still to be announced.
As noted by Waterstones when flagging October’s Best Books, in DEAD IN THREE TWO ONE ‘Roy Grace’s old nemesis prepares to exact devastating revenge during Brighton Pride in this heart-pounding entry in Peter James’s beloved – not least by Queen Camilla – police procedural series.’
Brighton is celebrating. A killer is waiting. And Roy Grace is the target…
Brighton Pride is the biggest date on the city’s calendar with half a million people lost in the party. But behind the opulent façade of the Royal Courteney Hotel, a nightmare is checking in.
Dritan Dervishi, the cold-blooded consigliere for mob boss Roel Albazi, has arrived with a beautiful woman on his arm and a lethal secret in his suitcase. He has specifically requested Room 321 – a room with a perfect view of the sea, and a deadly proximity to a target he’s been dreaming of for years.
Detective Superintendent Roy Grace is already pushed to the limit, coordinating the city’s massive security operation amid whispers of a potential terrorist attack. But the threat is more personal than he could ever imagine. Back in a prison cell, his old nemesis Albazi is counting down the seconds to a revenge that will not just take Roy’s life, but erase his entire bloodline.
And as Roy and his wife Cleo prepare for a night of celebration at the Royal Courteney, they have no idea that they are stepping into a deadly trap.
As the relentless countdown nears zero, Roy must outsmart an invisible enemy and protect his loved ones before their time finally runs out…
DEAD IN THREE TWO ONE will be out in paperback in Spring 2027. Peter is currently working on the next novel in the Roy Grace series, which will be published by Pan Macmillan in the autumn of 2027.
About Peter James
Peter James is the international bestselling author of many award-winning novels. Peter writes both thriller standalones and the hugely popular Brighton-set Roy Grace series.
Peter’s books have been translated into thirty-eight languages, with worldwide sales of over 24 million copies and his Detective Superintendent Roy Grace series, set in Brighton, has given him 21 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.
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. In May 2025 it was in the top ten of ITVX’s most streamed shows.
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. He appeared on the podcast again in June 2024, where he was named one of Her Majesty’s favourite crime writers and Roy Grace her favourite fictional detective!
In 2026, Peter was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the King’s Birthday Honours List, in recognition of his services to literature and to charity.
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.’ – The 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