Amazon Original Stories acquires ‘thrilling and surprising’ short story from No.1 bestselling crime writer Peter James

Credit: Max Young

This summer Amazon Original Stories will publish a brand-new story from no.1 Sunday Times bestselling crime and thriller writer Peter James, acquired by editor Maisie Lawrence from Isobel Dixon at Blake Friedmann Literary Agency.

Publishing on 1st August, JOHN GREBBLE IS GONE follows the eponymous John Grebble, who wakes up to discover he’s been declared dead. His bank account is frozen, his car repossessed, and his entire existence erased. Someone wants him gone – permanently. Can he discover who would go this far to destroy him before it’s too late?

Peter James says: ‘I love to write short stories – in which I can explore ideas and themes very different to my Roy Grace crime thrillers.  The team at Amazon have been both huge fun and truly inspirational to work with, and I can honestly say that JOHN GREBBLE IS GONE is one of my very favourite stories I have ever written.’

Maisie Lawrence says: ‘I was so excited when Peter James said yes to writing an Amazon Original Story. JOHN GREBBLE IS GONE is an incredibly fast-paced, darkly comic thriller about a man whose entire existence is wiped out overnight and the result is a short that sent shivers up my spine. Peter brings all of his trademark thrilling pace and ability to surprise. It’s wickedly entertaining and I know readers are going to love it.’

Isobel Dixon says: ‘The indefatigable Peter James is a twisty plot powerhouse and it’s such a pleasure to share his bestselling work – series and standalone – with the world in so many formats. Thanks now to Maisie Lawrence for this opportunity for Peter to have some more short-form storytelling fun – providing great entertainment to even more readers worldwide.’

Michael Buchsteiner, Senior Manager at Amazon Books Europe, says: ‘Peter James is one of the UK’s most iconic crime writers, and we’re thrilled to bring his brilliant storytelling to Amazon Original Stories. ‘John Grebble Is Gone’ is a gripping, inventive short that showcases Peter’s extraordinary ability to keep readers on the edge of their seats. We’re proud to connect his work with even more readers across Europe and beyond, and to champion the short story format as a home for bold, compelling fiction.’

Peter’s next full length novel, DEAD IN THREE TWO ONE, will be published on 20th October by Pan Macmillan. It will be the 22nd in Peter’s ever popular Roy Grace series, but as with all the Grace titles, readers can dive in at any stage!

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

Follow Peter on Facebook and Instagram

Peter James awarded an OBE in the King’s Birthday Honours List

Best-selling author Peter James has been awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in His Majesty The King’s 2026 Birthday Honours List, in recognition of his services to literature and to charity.

Best known for his DSI Roy Grace series, now a hit ITV drama, Peter James is the #1 bestselling author of over 40 novels, including 21 Sunday Times Number One bestsellers, which have been translated into 38 languages. He has sold over 23 million copies worldwide. 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 over 40 awards for his work including the WHSmith Best Crime Author of All Time Award and Crime Writers’ Association Diamond Dagger.

ITV’s primetime adaptation of the Grace novels, starring John Simm, continues to delight audiences with significant ratings growth, and series seven is currently in production. On stage, seven of Peter’s Grace novels have been adapted as plays, earning his work the reputation of being the most successful stage franchise since Agatha Christie.

Peter is a supporter of many of charities reflecting his concerns and interests, including as Co-Patron of the Sussex Police Charitable Trust, which supports Sussex Police officers, staff, special constables, pensioners and dependant family members in their hour of need; as a patron of the RSPCA, the Samaritans, as an ambassador for The Reading Agency and as an ambassador for the National Year of Reading 2026, among many others.

Peter James says: ‘I was surprised, delighted beyond words and felt both thrilled and humbled by the news that I was being awarded an OBE. I also shed a tear, wishing my parents were still alive to see this, and knowing how proud they would have been - they were always so supportive.’

Lucy Hale, Managing Director of Pan says: ‘We are absolutely thrilled to see Peter James recognised with an OBE in The King’s Birthday Honours list. Peter is one of the reigning legends of UK crime fiction, and this prestigious honour is a richly deserved testament to his services to literature. For decades, Peter has been a towering fixture on the bestseller lists, capturing the imaginations of millions of readers worldwide. From his phenomenal DSI Roy Grace series, to his tally of more than 40 awards, Peter’s impact on the literary landscape is immeasurable. Everyone at Pan is immensely proud to publish him, and we join his millions of fans in celebrating this fantastic milestone.’

Isobel Dixon, Managing Director of Blake Friedmann Literary Agency says:  ‘At Blake Friedmann, we are delighted that Peter James has been awarded an OBE in the King’s Birthday Honours list, an honour so richly deserved. Working closely with him over many years, the whole team is in awe of his prodigious energy – energy poured not just into his widely acclaimed and internationally bestselling books, but also shared in his support of many charitable causes, and with a passionate focus on bringing more people to reading. We are so proud of his extraordinary achievements and his spirit, generosity and commitment are a true inspiration.’

Peter James has just announced the title of his next Roy Grace novel, DEAD IN THREE TWO ONE, which will be published in hardback by Pan Macmillan in October 2026.

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.’ – 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.

Like him on Facebook and follow him on Instagram.

Edward Wilson-Lee’s ‘sui generis’ Renaissance genius biography THE GRAMMAR OF ANGELS to be published in North America by Pegasus Books

University of Cambridge Scholar and Guggenheim Fellow Edward Wilson-Lee’s biography of prodigy and polymath Pico della Mirandola, THE GRAMMAR OF ANGELS – one of The Daily Telegraph’s best books of 2025 – will be published in North America next year by Pegasus Books. Publisher Jessica Case bought rights from agent Isobel Dixon, and will publish in hardback on 2 February 2027.

THE GRAMMAR OF ANGELS: The Life of a Renaissance Prodigy and his Search for a Philosophy of Everything tells how Pico dedicated his short, brilliant life to finding a philosophy that would settle the most important questions about human existence. This philosophy would, he believed, provide tools by which man could transcend his mortal limitations and join the ranks of the angels. Pico’s tempestuous life at the heart of the Renaissance was a testament to intellectual daring, a celebration of human dignity founded in the willingness to think the unthinkable, peering over the edge of the abyss in search of answers.

THE GRAMMAR OF ANGELS was first published in the UK by William Collins, garnering widespread acclaim, with rights also selling in Italy to Bollati Boringhieri, in Romania to ART, and in Korea to Kachi.

Photo: Raphael Gaillarde

‘We are delighted to have the opportunity to bring Wilson-Lee’s wondrous story of this Renaissance prodigy and polymath to American readers,’ said Jessica Case, Publisher of Pegasus Books. ‘Giovanni Pico della Mirandola’s lust for knowledge and intellectual curiosity is infectious – THE GRAMMAR OF ANGELS is a reminder of the limitless and enduring magic of the human mind and power of language.’

‘I’m hugely excited that Pegasus will be bringing Pico to readers in the US,’ said Edward. ‘The blend of high drama in Renaissance Italy and troubling questions about the abilities of language to push at the boundaries of thought is one that I hope American readers will find both intriguing and strangely familiar.’

Isobel Dixon added: ‘Edward Wilson-Lee has a rare gift for taking readers deep into history, on journeys with fascinating figures, revealing once-famous or forgotten lives in new ways, and casting fresh light on our own contemporary predicaments as he does so. Pico della Mirandola is a perfect subject match and the book itself a marvel. It’s a joy that Jessica Case and Pegasus Books will now bring this story to North American readers.’

About Edward Wilson-Lee

Edward Wilson-Lee is 1596 Fellow in English at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, where he teaches Renaissance Literature. After growing up in the US, Kenya, and Switzerland, he studied in London, New York, Oxford and Cambridge and lived in Zimbabwe, Mexico and the United States in between. He lives in Cambridge with his wife and two sons.

He has been awarded numerous Fellowships to support his work, including from the British Academy and the Leverhulme Foundation, and most recently a Guggenheim Fellowship. His first book was SHAKESPEARE IN SWAHILILAND and THE GRAMMAR OF ANGELS his most recent. THE CATALOGUE OF SHIPWRECKED BOOKS won the PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize and was shortlisted for the James Tait Black Prize for Biography 2019, as was A HISTORY OF WATER in 2023. In addition to English-language publications in the UK and the US, his work has been translated into another 15 languages and he is regularly invited to festivals abroad.

Praise for THE GRAMMAR OF ANGELS

‘In this smart and rangy book, Wilson-Lee, a Cambridge don, paints a glorious portrait of the great 15th-century prince of learning, and teaches you more about magic than you thought you would ever know.’ – ‘The greatest books of 2025’, The Telegraph

‘A deeply fascinating, sui generis book by a brilliant scholar-writer, which uses the life story of a Renaissance prodigy to summon an angel-host of ideas, people and stories, all circling the question of language's ability to transcend the mortal realm’ – Robert Macfarlane

‘In Wilson-Lee’s hands, the most abstruse subjects become not so much transparent as feverishly exciting… such range and ambition is, after all, very Renaissance. It’s very Pico. It is also a joy to read.’ – James McConnochie, Sunday Times

Praise for Edward Wilson-Lee

‘The closest thing documented history can get to magic realism.’ — Simon Schama, Financial Times

‘Autodidact catnip. He’s a gifted chronicler of the odd, the interesting and the esoteric. Think non-fiction Umberto Eco.’ – Ian Sansom, The Spectator

‘Wilson-Lee offers a thrill on almost every page.’ – Irina Dumitrescu, New York Times

‘Wilson-Lee has the rare knack of re-visiting even the most familiar places as if they were being discovered for the first time. His prose is rich, fluent, absorbing. He guides his readers through a kaleidoscope of detail, interrelating various themes with consummate skill.’ – Fernando Cervantes

Alan Parks’ GUNNER shortlisted for the Crime Writers’ Association 2026 Historical Dagger award

We are thrilled to announce that Alan Parks’ barnstorming WW2-set trilogy opener GUNNER has been named on the shortlist for the Historical Dagger award at the 2026 Dagger Award – the Crime Writers' Association’s annual celebration of the very best in crime writing.

The award is given to the best crime novel set at least 50 years in the past, with the winner following in the footsteps of recent honourees Vaseem Khan, Ray Celestin, D.V. Bishop, Jake Lamar and, last year’s winner, A.J. West.

Also shortlisted this year, along with Alan’s GUNNER, are:

• A GRANITE SILENCE by Nina Allan (Quercus/riverrun)

• BARVICK FALLS by Rob McInroy (Tippermuir Books)

• THE DEVIL’S DRAPER by Donna Moore (Fly on the Wall Press)

• THE ART OF A LIE by Laura Shepherd-Robinson (Pan Macmillan/Mantle)

• A CASE OF LIFE AND LIMB by Sally Smith (Bloomsbury Publishing/Raven Books)

The winner will be announced at the prize-giving ceremony at the CWA gala dinner on Thursday 2 July – a date which coincidentally also marks the publication of the second Joseph Gunner novel, DECEPTION! Whisking Joseph Gunner from Blitz-torn Glasgow to the streets of 1941 New York, DECEPTION follows Gunner as he is drawn into a Secret Service conspiracy to lead the Americans into the war – no matter what the cost.

DECEPTION is published in the UK by Baskerville, an imprint of John Murray; Pegasus Books will publish a North American edition on 1 September. Rights to the GUNNER series have also sold in Spain, France, Italy and the Netherlands.

Congratulations Alan!

About GUNNER

‘Great storytelling… I loved it’ – Peter James

‘Great stuff… a vivid sense of place and time and what a main character!’ – Ian Rankin

‘In this superb historical espionage thriller, Parks excels at capturing the brutality of war… Gunner, meanwhile, is a clever, endearing hero whose personal and professional baggage have enough heft to sustain future instalments. This is a winner.’ – starred review, Publishers’ Weekly

March, 1941. Joseph Gunner is back on the streets of Glasgow after being wounded on the front lines in France.

Keeping the pain in his leg at bay with the help of morphine, Gunner, a former detective, is hoping to keep his head down as the Luftwaffe begin bombing Glasgow.

But when he runs into his old boss Drummond, he is persuaded to help examine a body found in the wreckage. When the body turns out to be that of a German, mutilated to disguise his identity, Gunner reluctantly agrees to investigate.

As Gunner begins to hunt for the truth he runs into old flames, bitter enemies, before finding himself embroiled in a high-level conspiracy that reaches far beyond his hometown of Glasgow.

Partly inspired by the true story of Rudolph Hess's secret mission to broker appeasement with Britain during WWII, GUNNER is an atmospheric and addictive new thriller from one of Britain's best-loved writers.

Photo: Euan Robertson

About Alan Parks

Alan Parks is the award-winning and critically acclaimed author of the Harry McCoy series, which has won the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year, the Prix Mystère de la Critique and an Edgar Award. He is also the author of the critically acclaimed Joseph Gunner thrillers, an international crime series set during the Second World War.

Alan worked in the music industry for over twenty years before turning to writing. He now lives and works in Glasgow.

Harry Whitehead’s WHITE ROAD is shortlisted for 2026 Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize

Images © The Book Photographer

We are delighted to announce that Harry Whitehead’s WHITE ROAD has advanced to the shortlist of the prestigious Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize, awarded by The Wilbur & Niso Smith Foundation, following its longlisting last month. The award celebrates the very best in paperback books, across a number of genres, ‘where adventure can be found’, in the spirit of the award’s co-founder, the late international-bestselling author Wilbur Smith.

The shortlist was selected by a panel of 35 dedicated librarians and library staff from across the UK, who described WHITE ROAD as ‘adventure in every sense, with thrilling obstacles, both man-made and natural, for the protagonist to overcome’. You can read an interview with Harry, discussing WHITE ROAD, his research, and the thrill of adventure writing on the Wilbur and Niso Smith Foundation website.

Shortlisted alongside Harry and WHITE ROAD are:

• THE TAROT READER OF VERSAILLES by Anya Bergman (Manilla Press)

• BOUDICCA’S DAUGHTER by Elodie Harper (Head of Zeus)

• ESPERANCE by Adam Oyebanji (Arcadia)

• THE FERTILE EARTH by Ruthvika Rao (Oneworld)

• POOR GIRLS by Clare Whitfield (Head of Zeus)

The winner will be decided by a panel of judges, including Alex Bescoby, Costanza Casati, Joshua Adeyemi, Preet Chandi and Tamsin Collison, as well as a public vote, which will open on Wednesday, 1 July. The Foundation will be running online and in-person events with the nominees throughout the summer, providing readers with an opportunity to get a hold of the books and pick their favourites, before the winner is announced at a reception at Foyles’ flagship Charing Cross Road bookshop on 17 September, with the victor taking home the trophy and a £10,000 prize. Previous winners include Costanza Casati, Francesca de Torres, Emma Styles, Abir Mukherjee and Stef Penney.

WHITE ROAD – the thrilling, unforgettable story of two survivors of a devastating oil rig explosion in the High Arctic, and the mystery behind the catastrophe – was published in September 2025 by indie publisher Claret Press, and audiobook publisher WF Howes, gaining plaudits from Liz Jensen, Mark Cocker and Eve Smith, who named the book one of her favourite reads of 2025 in the Daily Express.

Congratulations Harry!

About WHITE ROAD

‘An intelligent, urgent, white-knuckle ride… a novel that will get you thinking, keep you guessing – and leave you reeling.’ – Liz Jensen

‘A compelling eco-thriller with big themes and an unforgiving icescape that’s a character in itself.’ – Eve Smith

‘A spellbinding adventure story, told with anger, wit and a sense of beauty.’ – Mat Coward, Morning Star

Only one knows the truth. Only one can reveal it. Only one can save them all…

Carrie, a Scottish rescue swimmer out of her depth in the High Arctic. Ross, the owner of an oil rig with a guilty conscience. Amaruq, an Inuvialuit oil-rig worker caught between two worlds.

Stranded on the Arctic ice with a starving polar bear and a half-dead stranger, Carrie’s left with nothing but deadly choices. Ross and Amaruq face their own crossroads. Lives hang on their decisions.

From the cruel Arctic to the corporate backrooms of shady Big Oil, WHITE ROAD is an authentic and gripping eco-thriller of survival, battled out at the edge of everything.

About Harry Whitehead

Harry Whitehead is a novelist and Associate Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Leicester, where he directs the annual free literature festival, Literary Leicester. He has been a Wingate Scholar and an Eccles Centre Fellow in North American Studies at the British Library. Before academia, he lived for several years in the Far East before returning to the UK to work in the film business as an assistant director, location manager and, latterly, a story consultant.

His debut novel, THE CANNIBAL SPIRIT (Penguin Canada) is a work of literary historical fiction set among the First Peoples of Canada at the turn of the twentieth century. The product of some fifteen years of historical and ethnographic research, it was reviewed as ‘powerful, brave, ambitious’ (The Globe and Mail), ‘a thriller with a Joseph Conradian plot’ (The Walrus), ‘a unique work, compelling, complex, thought-provoking and impressive’ (Quill and Quire).

His second novel, WHITE ROAD, a literary thriller set in the High Arctic, was published in September 2025 by Claret Press and WF Howes.

Visit Harry’s website

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