Peter James wins at Nielsen BookData Bestseller Awards

Photo credit: Isobel Dixon

Already a Nielsen Bestseller Platinum Winner, this year Peter James took home four Silvers from the Nielsen BookData Bestseller Awards – the highest number of awards awarded to a single author this year.

Based on UK sales volumes, the awards honour authors whose books have surpassed sales thresholds – Silver (250,000 sales), Gold (500,000 sales), and Platinum (1,000,000 sales).

This year’s prize-giving ceremony was held in Ham Yard Hotel with awards presented by comedian Shaparak Khorsandi. Nielsen said 199 million print books were bought in the UK in 2023, with a value of £1.83bn, with around seven in every 10 books purchased in print formats.

Peter’s silver winning titles were DEAD AT FIRST SIGHT, DEAD IF YOU DON’T, FIND THEM DEAD, and LEFT YOU DEAD, all published in the UK by Pan Macmillan. As reported in Bookbrunch, Peter joked  ‘I'm glad I've been doing some strength work in the gym’ as he accepted the framed certifications.

Other authors to have their work celebrated by the awards include Elif Shafak, Sally Rooney and Richard Osman. You can view  the full list of winners and prizes here.

Andre Breedt, managing director of Nielsen BookData, said: ‘We are thrilled to be able to host these awards once again in person and celebrate the success of authors and the teams that support them… The Bestseller Awards are unique, recognising the achievement of any author across all genres by the ultimate measurement, book sales.’

Peter received an Honorary Platinum Award in 2018, for selling over five million copies of his Roy Grace series in the UK over ten years.

The latest instalment of the Roy Grace series, STOP THEM DEAD, was published in September 2023 and went straight to Number 5 in the Sunday Times Bestseller chart after just three days on sale.It will be out in paperback on 25 April 2024. Peter’s next novel, THEY THOUGHT I WAS DEAD, will be published as a lead hardback in May 2024 by Pan Macmillan and reveals the astonishing reasons behind Sandy Grace’s sudden disappearance.

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 was featured 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. 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.

FIND THEM DEAD BY PETER JAMES SHORTLISTED FOR CRIMEFEST AUDIBLE SOUNDS OF CRIME AWARD

We are delighted that the sixteenth instalment in the international bestselling Detective Superintendent Roy Grace series by Peter James, FIND THEM DEAD, has been shortlisted for the CrimeFest Audible Sounds of Crime Award as chosen by Audible listeners.

Now in their 14th year, the CrimeFest awards will take place virtually in 2021, and winners will be announced in the first week of June.

FIND THEM DEAD was first published by Pan Macmillan in 2020, soaring straight to Number One in the Sunday Times bestseller lists, where it stayed for 7 consecutive weeks. The audiobook is wonderfully narrated by Daniel Weyman, the actor beloved by audio listeners as the voice of Roy Grace. He has read all of the series books since 2013’s DEAD MAN’S TIME and won Narrator of the Year at the Audio Production Awards in 2016. You can read an interview with Daniel Weyman about recording the Peter James titles here.

Ending his secondment to London’s Met Police, Roy Grace gets a tip-off about a county lines drugs mastermind operating out of Brighton. On his first day back in his old job in Sussex, he is called to a seemingly senseless murder.

Separately, Meg Magellan finally has her life back together, five years after the car crash that killed her husband and their son. Her daughter, Laura, now eighteen, is on her gap year travelling in South America with a friend, and Meg misses her badly. Laura is all she has in the world.

In between jobs, Meg receives a summons for jury service. She’s excited – it might be interesting and will help distract her from constantly worrying about Laura. But when she is selected for the trial of a major Brighton drugs overlord, everything changes.

Gradually, Grace’s investigation draws him increasingly into the sinister sphere of influence of the drug dealer on trial. A man utterly ruthless and evil, prepared to order the death of anyone it takes to enable him to walk free.

Just a few days into jury service, Meg arrives home to find a photograph of Laura, in Ecuador, lying on her kitchen table. Then her phone rings.

A sinister, threatening stranger is on the line. He tells her that if she ever wants to see Laura alive again, it is very simple. At the end of the trial, all she has to do is make sure the jury says just two words.... Not guilty.

Last month 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 7.3 million strong viewing figures. The show will be streamed on Britbox North America this month for fans in the US and Canada.

The seventeenth instalment in the Roy Grace book series, LEFT YOU DEAD, will be published in the UK by Pan Macmillan on 13 May 2021. Peter James has also written a Roy Grace novella, WISH YOU WERE DEAD, for The Reading Agency’s QuickReads scheme, to be published on 27 May 2021. The paperback of the standalone thriller I FOLLOW YOU will be out on 24 June 2021.

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

FIND THEM DEAD SPENDS FOUR CONSECUTIVE WEEKS AT NUMBER ONE IN THE BESTSELLER LISTS

FIND THEM DEAD, Peter James’ sixteenth Detective Superintendent Roy Grace novel has just appeared for the fourth consecutive week at Number 1 in the Sunday Times Paperback bestseller charts, breaking James’ previous personal records. FIND THEM DEAD’s success gave James his seventeenth Number 1 on the British charts last month, after only three days on sale.

In further exciting news for Peter James and his much-loved character, production on the ITV adaptation of the first two Roy Grace novels, DEAD SIMPLE and LOOKING GOOD DEAD, wrapped this week. Grace, adapted for ITV by screenwriter and Endeavour creator, Russell Lewis, with John Simm set to star as the tenacious detective Roy Grace, will air in 2021.   

In FIND THEM DEAD, Roy Grace gets a tip-off about a county lines drugs mastermind operating out of Brighton. On his first day back in his old job in Sussex, he is called to a seemingly senseless murder.

Separately, Meg Magellan finally has her life back together, five years after the car crash that killed her husband and their son. Her daughter, Laura, now 18, is on her gap year travelling in South America with a friend, and Meg misses her badly. Laura is all she has in the world. In between jobs, Meg receives a summons for jury service. She’s excited – it might be interesting and will help distract her from constantly worrying about Laura. But when she is selected for the trial of a major Brighton drugs overlord, everything changes.

Gradually, Grace’s investigation draws him increasingly into the sinister sphere of influence of the drug dealer on trial. A man utterly ruthless and evil, prepared to order the death of anyone it takes to enable him to walk free. Just a few days into jury service, Meg arrives home to find a photograph of Laura, in Ecuador, lying on her kitchen table. Then her phone rings.

A sinister, threatening stranger is on the line. He tells her that if she ever wants to see Laura alive again, it is very simple. At the end of the trial, all she has to do is make sure the jury says just two words… Not guilty.

Peter James’ Roy Grace series has been translated into thirty-seven languages with worldwide sales of over twenty million copies

Read Peter James’ 'Author's Tale' interview with the Independent.

Listen to Peter James’ interviews with the Mail Arts+ and Writer's Routine podcasts.

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

PETER JAMES’ FIND THEM DEAD FLIES STRAIGHT TO NUMBER ONE ON THE PAPERBACK BESTSELLER LISTS

Peter James’ sixteenth Detective Superintendent Roy Grace novel, FIND THEM DEAD, has shot straight to the Number 1 spot in the Sunday Times paperback bestseller chart after only three days on sale. FIND THEM DEAD’s success gave James his seventeenth Number 1 on the British charts this Sunday. FIND THEM DEAD has also been included in the Waterstones Best Paperbacks of 2020 and last month, James’ nerve-shredding standalone thriller, I FOLLOW YOU, spent weeks in the Top Ten of the hardback bestseller lists.

In FIND THEM DEAD, Roy Grace gets a tip-off about a county lines drugs mastermind operating out of Brighton. On his first day back in his old job in Sussex, he is called to a seemingly senseless murder.

Separately, Meg Magellan finally has her life back together, five years after the car crash that killed her husband and their son. Her daughter, Laura, now 18, is on her gap year travelling in South America with a friend, and Meg misses her badly. Laura is all she has in the world. In between jobs, Meg receives a summons for jury service. She’s excited – it might be interesting and will help distract her from constantly worrying about Laura. But when she is selected for the trial of a major Brighton drugs overlord, everything changes.

Gradually, Grace’s investigation draws him increasingly into the sinister sphere of influence of the drug dealer on trial. A man utterly ruthless and evil, prepared to order the death of anyone it takes to enable him to walk free. Just a few days into jury service, Meg arrives home to find a photograph of Laura, in Ecuador, lying on her kitchen table. Then her phone rings.

A sinister, threatening stranger is on the line. He tells her that if she ever wants to see Laura alive again, it is very simple. At the end of the trial, all she has to do is make sure the jury says just two words… Not guilty.

Peter James’ Roy Grace series has been translated into thirty-seven languages with worldwide sales of over twenty million copies

The first two Roy Grace novels, DEAD SIMPLE and LOOKING GOOD DEAD have been adapted for ITV by screenwriter and Endeavour creator, Russell Lewis, with John Simm set to star as the tenacious detective. DEAD SIMPLE filming is complete, with production on LOOKING GOOD DEAD ongoing.

Read Peter James’ 'Author's Tale' interview with the Independent.

Listen to Peter James’ interviews with the Mail Arts+ and Writer's Routine podcasts.

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

FIND THEM DEAD BY PETER JAMES SHORTLISTED FOR CRIME BOOK OF THE YEAR

FIND THEM DEAD by Peter James, the sixteenth novel in the much-loved Detective Superintendent Roy Grace series, has been shortlisted for Crime Book of the Year at the Capital Crime Readers Awards.

In FIND THEM DEAD, ending his secondment to London’s Met Police, Roy Grace returns to his old job in Brighton, and is drawn into the sinister sphere of influence of a drug dealer on trial. Roy Grace begins to unearth a powerful criminal network, but a mother, called to jury service, fears for her daughter’s life …

Crime and thriller fans can place their votes on the Capital Crime website and winners will be announced on Tuesday 13th October 2020.

FIND THEM DEAD shot straight to Number One on the Sunday Times hardback bestseller list in July, and stayed in the Top Ten for 7 weeks. It will be released in paperback on 29 October.  Another striking standalone title, I FOLLOW YOU, was published in hardback, ebook and audio on 1 October his year.

The Roy Grace series starring John Simm as Grace, is currently being filmed in Brighton, with ITV broadcast set for 2021.

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

‘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

'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. His books have been translated into thirty-seven languages, with worldwide sales of over twenty million copies and his Detective Superintendent Roy Grace series, set in Brighton, has given him 16 consecutive Sunday Times Number Ones. 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 PlatinumBestseller 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

Follow Peter on Twitter

Follow Peter on Facebook