The Queen’s Favourite Fictional Detective, Roy Grace, goes behind the scenes at Buckingham Place in Peter James’ THE HAWK IS DEAD

THE HAWK IS DEAD, the exciting new novel by crime writing sensation Peter James, will be published by Pan Macmillan on Tuesday 21st October 2025. In THE HAWK IS DEAD, Queen Camilla will take a leading role alongside her favourite fictional detective, Peter James’ Roy Grace.

Combining Peter’s classic fast-paced thriller with extensive behind-the-scenes research at Buckingham Palace, and  insights from members of The Royal Household, including from the Queen herself, THE HAWK IS DEAD is the not-to-be-missed publishing event of the autumn, and the perfect entry point into the world of Roy Grace for anyone yet to meet him.

Opening with a cinematic derailment of the royal train, THE HAWK IS DEAD takes Roy Grace deep into the heart of Buckingham Palace, when he is called upon to solve a murder and what looks to be a royal assassination attempt.

Queen Camilla, a well-known book-lover and reading champion through her charity The Royal Reading Room, has always been one of the very first people to receive each Grace novel, and is excited to have a starring role, alongside His Majesty King Charles, in Peter’s latest thriller.

Peter James says: ‘It’s a decade since I discovered Queen Camilla is my No.1 fan and we’ve since built up a great rapport. She asked me when I might set a Roy Grace novel in London … and the seed was sown. Where better in London than Buckingham Palace? It has been the most fascinating research I’ve ever done, learning about the inner workings of the Royal Household and the Palace.’

Francesca Pathak says, ‘Peter is much-loved by his legions of fans and has garnered an amazing twenty-one Sunday Times No.1 bestsellers. I’m delighted to publish THE HAWK IS DEAD, which sees Detective Superintendent Roy Grace taken from his home territory of Brighton and dropped into the heart of the establishment in Peter’s most thrilling tale to date. It’s the perfect place to start for anyone who hasn’t yet met Grace, and I can’t wait to introduce him to legions more new readers.’

Isobel Dixon says: ‘Peter James reaches an astonishingly broad range of readers, audiences and viewers worldwide through his much-loved novels, the touring play adaptations and the hugely popular Grace television series, streaming and broadcast in scores of countries. And after 20 years of bestseller-list stardom, Peter James and Roy Grace are about to reach even greater heights with this spectacular 21st title, THE HAWK IS DEAD. The stakes for this royal investigation are very high indeed, but as ever the journey will be a twisty thrill and the outcome supremely satisfying - I can’t wait to see even more readers joining the party at this exciting moment.’

To date, Peter has written an impressive total of 21 Sunday Times No. 1 bestsellers, sold over 23 million copies worldwide, and been translated into 38 languages. The fifth series of ITV’s hit adaptation of the Grace novels, starring John Simm, continues to delight audiences with significant ratings growth, and series six is currently in production. PICTURE YOU DEAD – the seventh play in Peter James’ successful stage franchise – is currently selling-out theatres on a nationwide tour. The latest Roy Grace novel, ONE OF US IS DEAD, was a UK Number One in paperback in April, with the hardback reaching Number Three when it was published last October.

About Peter James

Peter James is a New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author best known for his crime thrillers featuring Detective Superintendent Roy Grace, who Queen Camilla recently named as her favourite fictional detective.

Praised by critics and much-loved by crime and thriller fans for his fast-paced page-turners full of unexpected plot twists, sinister characters, and accurate portrayal of modern-day policing, he has won more than 40 awards for his work, including the WHSmith Best Crime Author of All Time Award and the Crime Writers’ Association Diamond Dagger. His books have sold over 23 million copies worldwide, achieved 21 Sunday Times No.1s, and have been translated into 38 languages.

His Roy Grace novels are currently filming their 6th season for the hit ITV drama, Grace, starring John Simm as the troubled Brighton copper and available to view on ITVX and on Britbox. Seven of his novels have been adapted into hit stage plays, with his most recent, PICTURE YOU DEAD, now on national tour in the UK. His plays have been named as ‘the most successful stage franchise since Agatha Christie’.

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 best crime writers in the business’ – Karin Slaughter

‘Peter James, Britain’s closest equivalent to Stephen King’ – The Sunday Times

‘A master plotter.’ – The Bookseller

‘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 most fiendishly clever crime fiction plotters.’ – The Daily Mail

Visit Peter’s website.

Follow him on BlueSky, X (previously Twitter) and Instagram. 

Diane Abbott and Kathryn Faulke both shortlisted for 2025 Royal Society of Literature Christopher Bland Prize

Two Blake Friedmann authors, Diane Abbott and Kathryn Faulke, have made the shortlist for this year’s Christopher Bland Prize, awarded by the Royal Society of Literature. The £10,000 prize recognises the best debut works, in any form or genre, by a writer over the age of 50, with previous winners including Raynor Winn (THE SALT PATH), Paterson Joseph (THE SECRET DIARIES OF CHARLES IGNATIOUS SANCHO) and last year’s honouree Chidi Ebere (NOW I AM HERE). The judges selecting the shortlist this year were Margaret Busby, Reverend Richard Coles and Jacqueline Wilson.

Diane is recognised for her memoir A WOMAN LIKE ME, a fierce, witty and moving account of her Windrush-generation family, and her journey from becoming the first elected Black female Member of Parliament in the UK, to her current position as Mother of the House. The book was named one of the best politics titles of 2024 by both Waterstones and The Sunday Times, and one of the best biographies of the year by The Guardian. ‘Her memoir is a lesson in brilliance, tenacity, activism & commitment to being a force for good in our country’, wrote RSL President Bernardine Evaristo, ‘buy the book, read about the struggles she's faced (you can imagine!) and be inspired by her incredible resilience and passion for politics’. The book was published in paperback by Penguin in March 2025, and is also available in audiobook, narrated by Diane herself.

Kathryn is shortlisted for EVERY KIND OF PEOPLE: A Journey Into the Heart of Carework, a vivid, poignant and unforgettable memoir recounting the author’s experiences as a careworker in London, celebrating humanity and compassion in the face of hardship. Serialised on BBC Radio 4 as their Book of the Week, Kathryn’s story has touched thousands with its warmth, humour and tenderness. ‘Not just essential reading for anyone curious about the realities of care work in this country; it’s also the work of a natural storyteller, and a book full of empathy, humour, and – yes – care,’ wrote Jon McGregor, author of IF NOBODY SPEAKS OF REMARKABLE THINGS; ‘this book is both beautiful and painful to read; beautiful because of its celebration of the human, but painful because we live in a time where caring is idealised but not rewarded or supported,’ agreed Gwen Adshead (THE DEVIL YOU KNOW). ‘This book is a compassionate invitation to get up close to the human condition and those who attend to it.’

On the announcement of the shortlisting, Kathryn Faulke said: ‘Words cannot begin to express how thrilled I am at learning that EVERY KIND OF PEOPLE has been shortlisted for the prestigious RSL Christopher Bland Prize. I am jumping for joy inside and out that a book about care, the profession I love, has been deemed worthy of such an honour. I have written all my life and to have this happen after all those writing years is just wonderful. I am deeply grateful.’

Also nominated for this year’s award are A BOOKSHOP OF ONE’S OWN by Jane Cholmeley, THE DIARIES OF MR LUCAS by Hugo Greenhalgh, THE PAGES OF THE SEA by Anne Hawk and TREES IN WINTER by Richard Shimell. The winner will be announced in an online event on Monday, 9 June 2025.

Congratulations Diane and Kathryn!

Tomasz Jedrowski pens short story for dating app Hinge’s NO ORDINARY LOVE campaign

Tomasz Jedrowski – the author of bestselling indie and BookTok hit SWIMMING IN THE DARK – has joined forces with dating app Hinge, contributing a brand-new short story for NO ORDINARY LOVE.

The five-part anthology, which launched on Substack on 12 May, promises to ‘celebrate the unexpected twists of real love stories’, and features five writers, including Tomasz, Upasna Barath, Hunter Harris, William Rayfet Hunter and Jen Winston each pairing with a couple who met on Hinge to retell key moments of their love story – alternating between the perspectives of both partners.

‘Inspired by first-person narration in books and movies, NO ORDINARY LOVE offers an intimate look into the mindset of early dating and follows each person’s moments of excitement and self-doubt’, reads the blurb. ‘Developed in collaboration with Dazed Studio, the anthology highlights the thoughts and feelings each couple navigated at the beginning of their relationship, encouraging daters to approach romantic connections with an open mind.’

In Tomasz’s story, Too Good to Let Go, he takes on the story of Juno and Aissata – and how they overcame their fear of long-distance relationships for a truly special connection.

The stories will be published weekly on Substack, before being collated into a limited-edition hardback book, produced by Dazed’s in-house creative and community agency, Dazed Studio, which will be distributed exclusively to select book clubs in June 2025. A foreword to the stories, written by award-winning writer and academic Roxane Gay, is available to read now.

Credit: Roxane Cassehgari

About Tomasz Jedrowski

Tomasz was born in West Germany to Polish parents and studied law at Cambridge. He lives in the countryside in central France.

His debut novel SWIMMING IN THE DARK was published by Bloomsbury in the UK and William Morrow in the USA, and has been translated into eighteen languages. Film/TV rights have been optioned, and an opera adaptation recently received its work-in-progress premiere in Key West, Florida. The novel was a finalist for the Polari First Book Prize (2021).

Praise for SWIMMING IN THE DARK

‘Marvellous, precise, poignant writing; the reader is happy to be overwhelmed. The highest talent at work.’ – Sebastian Barry

‘A lyrical exploration of the conflict between gay love and political conformity. Jedrowski is an authentic new international star.’ – Edmund White

‘Heartbreak – yes, I’m a romantic – is what we get from Tomasz Jedrowski’s exquisite debut novel, SWIMMING IN THE DARK. Set in 1980s Poland, this love story captivates and is so beautifully written I return to it again and again.’ – Guardian

‘Readers will relish the indelible prose, which approaches the mastery of Alan Hollinghurst. Jedrowski’s portrayal of Poland’s tumultuous political transformation over several decades makes this a provocative, eye-opening exploration of the costs of defying as well as complying with social and political conventions.’ – Publishers Weekly

‘A stupendous read: I could not put the book down. I urge you to order this book now. Its eloquence, its understanding of identity, belonging, loneliness and love is second to none. Powerful and uplifting.’ – Lord Michael Cashman, co-founder of Stonewall

Follow Tomasz on Instagram

THE GHOSTS OF ROME by Joseph O’Connor shortlisted for the 2025 Kerry Group Novel of The Year award

THE GHOSTS OF ROME by Joseph O’Connor has been shortlisted for the esteemed 2025 Kerry Group Novel of The Year award.

The prize is the largest monetary prize for fiction available solely to an Irish author, with €20,000 awarded to the winner, and €500 to each of the shortlisted writers. Previous winners include SMALL THINGS LIKE THESE by Claire Keegan, MY NAME IS LEON by Kit de Waal and A GIRL IS A HALF-FORMED THING by Eimear McBride.

The other shortlisted titles for this year’s prize are OUR LONDON LIVES by Christine Dwyer Hickey, HEART, BE AT PEACE by Donal Ryan, LONG ISLAND by Colm Tóibín and TIME OF THE CHILD by Niall Williams. The winner will be announced at the opening ceremony of the Listowel Writers’ Week in County Kerry on Wednesday 28th May.

Ned O’Sullivan, Chairperson of the Board of Listowel Writers’ Week, said, ‘Congratulations to the five shortlisted authors, your novels reflect the richness and diversity of contemporary Irish fiction, and we’re proud to honour your work here in Listowel.’

THE GHOSTS OF ROME is the second in Joseph O’Connor’s riveting Escape Line trilogy and was first published in hardback by Harvill Secker and Europa Editions in January 2025 to great acclaim. It immediately went to Number One in the Irish bestseller chart, and remains in the Irish Original Fiction Top Ten chart now.

The first novel in the trilogy, MY FATHER’S HOUSE, was also an Irish Number One bestseller and has now sold more than 100,000 copies in the English language. It was shortlisted for the 2024 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction and the Eason An Post Irish Novel of the year 2023, and also longlisted for the 2024 Dublin Literary Award. Film rights are optioned and translation rights are also sold in Brazil, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Poland, Spain and Sweden.

About THE GHOSTS OF ROME:

February 1944. Six months since Nazi forces occupied Rome. Inside the beleaguered city, the Contessa Giovanna Landini is a member of the band of Escape Line activists known as ‘The Choir’. Their mission is to smuggle refugees to safety and help Allied soldiers, all under the nose of Gestapo boss Paul Hauptmann.

During a ferocious morning air raid a mysterious parachutist lands in Rome and disappears into the backstreets. Is he an ally or an imposter? His fate will come to put the whole Escape Line at risk.

Meanwhile, Hauptmann’s attention has landed on the Contessa. As his fascination grows, she is pulled into a dangerous game with him – one where the consequences could be lethal.

Joe is currently working on the next novel in the trilogy, to be published in the UK and the US in early 2027.

Photo credit: Urszula Soltys

About Joseph O’Connor

Joseph O’Connor was born in Dublin, where he still lives. THE GHOSTS OF ROME is his eleventh novel: he is also the author of film scripts, radio and stage plays, two collections of short stories, and several bestselling works of non-fiction.

2022 was the 20th anniversary of Joseph O’Connor’s novel STAR OF THE SEA which was an international bestseller, selling more than a million copies in the UK alone and being published in 38 languages. It won France’s Prix Millepages, Italy’s Premio Acerbi, the Irish Post Award for Fiction, the Nielsen Bookscan Golden Book Award, an American Library Association Award, the Hennessy/Sunday Tribune Hall of Fame Award, and the Prix Litteraire Zepter for European Novel of the Year.

His novel GHOST LIGHT was chosen as Dublin’s One City Book novel for 2011. Published in 2019, SHADOWPLAY, has won him extraordinary praise, was shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize, The Dalkey Novel Prize, the Costa Novel Prize, among others, and won him Novel of the Year at the An Post Irish Book Awards. The French edition was shortlisted for the Jean Monnet Prize and the Vintage paperback was a Richard and Judy Winter 2020 pick.

He holds an honorary Doctorate in Literature from University College Dublin and received the Irish PEN Award for Outstanding Contribution to Irish Literature in 2012. He is the Inaugural Frank McCourt Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Limerick.

Praise for THE GHOSTS OF ROME

‘THE GHOSTS OF ROME, Joseph O’Connor’s second novel in his projected trilogy about Rome under Nazi occupation, blazes with the imaginative flair and narrative energy that won its predecessor, MY FATHER’S HOUSE, high acclaim… There’s no slackening of tension, though, in the gripping account of wartime heroism, risk and resourcefulness this book continues. Jeopardy quivers through it… . The ugly stratum of Nazi oppression O’Connor’s novel graphically resurrects is packed with sensuously evoked reminders of Rome's rich past in this haunted and haunting novel.’ – Peter Kemp, The Sunday Times

‘O’Connor’s prose creates an extraordinary picture of Rome under Nazi control; brutal, chaotic, treacherous, decaying, wrecked and crumbling, and yet sometimes still bathed in glorious and unexpected light, literally and metaphorically. THE GHOSTS OF ROME is described as a sequel to MY FATHER’S HOUSE. The term is inadequate. Each can be read without reference to the other, but together they make a whole greater than the parts. An epic of war… O’Connor’s theme is not the world war in its widest sense, nor even the moral discomfort that is Vatican neutrality. Yet THE GHOSTS OF ROME make its own statement about these things. Focusing on people whose response to evil is only to act, he opens us to a humanity too urgent for debate and analysis.’ – Michael Russell, The Irish Times

‘The Choir’s attempts to rescue a grievously wounded Polish airman right under the nose of Gestapo commander Paul Hauptmann, who has been warned of the Fuhrer’s “intense displeasure” at his failure to eradicate the Escape Line, have a nail-bitingly tense “real time” feel to them. BBC interviews from the 1960s with former Choir members and fragments of an unpublished memoir give historical perspective and added pathos to this vivid and moving story, with O’Connor seamlessly combining real characters with imagined ones.’ – Laura Wilson, The Guardian, ‘The best recent crime and thrillers’

‘The power of THE GHOSTS OF ROME comes from the dazzling variety of voices employed, the sense of a world constructed in the multiple dimensions…  O’Connor has often been likened to the great Irish modernists for the lyricism of his voice-driven novels. But THE GHOSTS OF ROME also situates him within a broader European tradition of memory and moral reckoning, one that returns again and again to World War II. O’Connor embraces this legacy while transcending its cliches. His Rome is not merely a setting but a crucible, a city where the sacred and the profane collide, where resilience is forged in the shadow of ruins. By crafting a chorus of voices, he ensures that no single narrative dominates, reflecting the messy, multifaceted truths of history – the way it is lived and how it is constructed in retrospect. What emerges in not just a wartime thriller, though it is that, but a mediation on how we remember, how we resist and how, even in the darkest times, humanity endures.’ – Alex Preston, The New York Times

‘O’Connor has done his research with care, drawing on O’Flaherty’s unpublished letters, diaries and journalism. With his real people in place, the author spins a new tale of derring-do, recounted with the help of imagined interviews conducted many years later… O’Connor paints a lively picture of a city filled with Fascist police and German soldiers, some on furlough from the North, everyone watchful and hungry, the streets filthy, the black-market prices rising every day… THE GHOSTS OF ROME is both a tribute to the imagination and courage of his remarkable team and a riveting thriller.’ – Caroline Moorehead, The Times Literary Supplement

 Visit Joseph O’Connor’s website.

International bestseller Deon Meyer joins Pan Macmillan in six-figure swoop

Credit: Will Punt, Peartree Photography

Deon Meyer, the internationally acclaimed bestselling author of the Benny Griessel novels, has joined Pan Macmillan for the next three instalments in the award-winning series. Alex Saunders, Editorial Director at Pan Macmillan, acquired UK and Commonwealth (excluding Canada, including South Africa) rights from Isobel Dixon for SCORPIO and two further Benny Griessel novels.

Translated from Afrikaans by K.L. Seegers, SCORPIO will be published on the Macmillan imprint in hardback, e-book and audiobook in early 2027, and by Pan Macmillan South Africa in October 2026. The Afrikaans edition will be published by Human & Rousseau in late 2025. Rights have already sold in Germany (Aufbau) and The Netherlands (AW Bruna), and the TV rights are also under option.

In SCORPIO – the 9th instalment in Deon’s bestselling series – as an international security forum convenes in the picturesque town of Stellenbosch, detectives Benny Griessel and Vaughn Cupido must race against time to uncover a plot that could shake international foundations. With the threat of a sinister plot looming over the prestigious gathering of global leaders, the stakes couldn’t be higher.

‘I am absolutely thrilled to be joining the Pan MacMillan family,’ commented Deon. ‘Their passion for and excellence in international publishing – and crime fiction in particular – is legendary, the team’s enthusiasm and energy is contagious, and I couldn't be more excited about this new chapter in my writing career. And, just for the record, Benny is pretty chuffed about his new home too.’

‘We are thrilled to welcome Deon Meyer, an extraordinary storyteller and a master of the crime thriller genre, to Pan Macmillan,’ said Alex Saunders. ‘Deon’s ability to weave compelling thriller narratives with rich character development, as seen in his award-winning and much-loved Benny Griessel series, has captivated readers around the world. We eagerly anticipate this new chapter with Deon and look forward to bringing his wonderful writing to an even larger audience of readers.’

‘Benny Griessel, the flawed but endearing Detective Inspector created by Deon Meyer, holds a special place in the hearts of South African readers,’ added Terry Morris of Pan Macmillan South Africa. ‘As ardent fans of Deon Meyer's writing we are delighted to expand his reach and fanbase.’

Isobel Dixon said: ‘It’s an exciting new season for Deon Meyer and Benny Griessel – along with his partner-in-crime-solving Vaughn Cupido and an ensemble cast of characters beloved around the world. Deon surpasses himself with every book and I know that these enthralling stories will be in excellent hands with the brilliant UK and South African teams at Pan Macmillan.’

LEO, Deon’s most recent novel, was first published in South Africa, in Afrikaans, by Human and Rousseau in October 2023, with the English-language edition (translated by K.L. Seegers) from Hodder and Stoughton, in partnership with Jonathan Ball Publishers, launched in October 2024, followed by Grove Atlantic in the US and Canada on 18 February 2025. LEO also been published in France (Editions Gallimard), the Netherlands (A W Bruna) and Germany (Aufbau). The book was awarded the Adult Fiction Prize and Book of the Year at the SA Book Awards and the ATKV-Woordveertjies Prize for best Afrikaans Thriller, as well as dominating the South African bestseller lists in both its English and Afrikaans editions.

About Deon Meyer

Deon Meyer lives in Stellenbosch. His books are sold in more than 40 countries worldwide, and have been awarded many prizes around the world: the Deutsche Krimi Prize in Germany, the ATKV Prize in South Africa, the Martin Beck Award in Sweden and Le Grand Prix de Littérature Policière and Le Prix Mystère de la Critique in France. COBRA was shortlisted for the 2015 CWA International Dagger, THIRTEEN HOURS was shortlisted for the 2010 CWA International Dagger, and HEART OF THE HUNTER, was longlisted for the 2005 IMPAC Prize and selected as one of Chicago Tribune’s ‘10 best mysteries and thrillers of 2004’. THE DARK FLOOD was longlisted for the 2023 CWA Dagger for Crime Fiction in Translation. His latest novel LEO, a new Benny Griessel thriller, enjoyed ten weeks at the top of the South African bestseller lists, Number One in all categories.

Adaptations of Deon’s novels have recently had great success on screen: in April 2024, HEART OF THE HUNTER topped the global Netflix film charts, becoming the first African film to do so, with over 11 million views in its first two days alone. DEVIL’S PEAK was also adapted for a miniseries by Lookout Point and Expanded Media Productions, premiering on M-Net in South Africa in 2023 before reaching audiences in the USA, New Zealand, Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxembourg. In 2020, TRACKERS, produced by Three River Fiction and Scene 23, aired on Sky Atlantic in the UK and HBO in the USA, as well as Australia and New Zealand, and across the Nordic countries and Europe.

Praise for Deon Meyer

‘He’s up there with the best in the world.’ – Marcel Berlins, The Times

‘I love Deon Meyer novels. It’s global storytelling at its best, with the undeniable hallmarks of gritty realism and deep character building.’ – Michael Connelly

‘Deon Meyer's name on the cover is a guarantee of crime writing at its best.’ – Tess Gerritsen

‘Deon Meyer is one of the giants of crime fiction.’ – El Mundo

‘One of the best crime writers on the planet.’ – Mail on Sunday

Visit Deon’s website

Follow Deon on Twitter