Acclaimed British writer Peter James has been awarded the Tess Gerritsen Award for Best Series last weekend at Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, in Harrogate, for his bestselling Roy Grace series. This prestigious prize is awarded every year to a writer with a career marked by excellence and success. Novels eligible are those crime novels published in paperback any time during the previous year. Voting is by the public with decisions of a jury-panel also taken into account.

Peter James’ 12th Roy Grace novel LOVE YOU DEAD was published in May and remained in the Top 10 Hardback bestseller list for 7 weeks and his ghost story THE HOUSE ON COLD HILL was published in paperback last month and spent 3 weeks in the Paperback Top 10. His first non-fiction book, DEATH COMES KNOCKING: POLICING ROY GRACE’S BRIGHTON written with Graham Bartlett was published on 15th June and will be in the Sunday Times paperback non-fiction chart at No. 7 this weekend. This means that within the same month, Peter has been in the Top 10 bestseller charts for hardback fiction, paperback fiction and paperback non-fiction – a stunning achievement.

Peter James has been twice Chair of the Crime Writers’ Association and has won many literary awards: as popular internationally as in the UK, he is published in more than 3 dozen languages. Last year he was voted by WH Smith readers as The Best Crime Author of All Time. He is currently writing three more Roy Grace novels and two standalones for Macmillan.

Praise for Peter James:

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

'Exceptional, knock-your-socks-off.' – Washington Post

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

Find out more about Peter James at B lake Friedmann's, Pan Macmillan's and Peter’s websites and follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

The world class, award winning Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, now in its 14th year, celebrates the very best in crime fiction at the Old Swan Hotel in Harrogate from the 21st to the 24th of July. The Festival is a prominent date in the literary calendar and has achieved international acclaim for the programming, organisation and atmosphere.

Peter James, author of the Roy Grace series and the Festival’s Programming Chair for this year, has commented: ‘There’s something about crime fiction that makes it truly international. As well as reaching readers in all corners of the world, the writers themselves are often rooted in their homelands, opening up new vistas, street corners and backdrops, always writing themes that are universal, and increasingly so today in our shrinking world in which villains have no boundaries. 2016’s Festival will have a truly international flavour […] There will be the Giants of the Genre we’ve come to expect from a Festival as brilliant as Harrogate, and we’ll be exploring that enticing world of the page turner. Page turners have that magical ability to transport you elsewhere. To keep you hooked, desperate for the next chapter, a little bereft when it’s all over, because you want more. A bit like the Festival really… Prepare to be gripped!’

Peter will discuss the role of real life cases with his friend and advisor, former Chief Superintendent Graham Bartlett, at the panel ‘You Couldn’t Make It Up. Or Could You?’ on Friday at 10.00. He will also participate in the panel ‘Set a Scientist to Catch a Killer’ on Friday at 3.30.

But Peter is not the only Blake Friedmann author who is attending the Festival this year: Deon Meyer will join the conversation on South African’s crime scene at the ‘Murder Out of Africa’ panel on Saturday at 2pm, and Ann Granger will take part in the panel ‘The Golden Age’ on Friday at 2pm. Bestselling authors Paul Finch and Paul Gitsham will also attend the Festival.

Our agents Carole Blake, Julian Friedmann, Isobel Dixon, Juliet Pickering and Tom Witcomb will all be present at the Festival.