All of Peter James’s Roy Grace Books in Order
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Peter James's Roy Grace mystery series was recently adapted for television by Endeavour writer Russell Lewis. Now, many are discovering the series for the first time – or starting all over and reading it anew with actual characters in mind.
In the UK, the first four seasons aired on ITV. In the US, they found a home on BritBox. As of September 2024, we know that a fifth season has been commissioned, with production in early/mid 2024. We would expect it to air at some point in late 2024 or early 2025, though no official announcement has been made at time of writing.
Whether you're new to the series or starting over from a point where you left off previously, this post will help you figure out where you are and continue on in order.
What are the Roy Grace Novels About?
Roy Grace is a Brighton-based detective whose outlook has been coloured by the disappearance of his beloved wife Sandy. He has a good heart and a strong drive to help others, but he's a damaged man.
Along with the usual police procedures, Grace is open to a variety of unorthodox techniques. If it helps him catch a criminal, he won't hesitate to turn to mediums and clairvoyants.
All of Peter James's Roy Grace Books in Order
As of September 2024, there are 20 novels in the Roy Grace series. You can buy them separately (links below each title) or get the first 10 in an ebook bundle HERE.
Book 1 | Dead Simple
Michael Harrison's friends decided it would be funny to bury him alive as a stag night prank. Unfortunately, they were killed in a car accident before they could retrieve him, leaving the man buried in an unknown location just days before his wedding. DS Roy Grace sets out to help his beautiful, distraught fiancee.
Get it: Kindle | Amazon Paperback | Audiobook | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
Book 2 | Looking Good Dead
Tom Bryce tries to do the right thing and return an item left on the train seat beside him. Unfortunately, he becomes witness to a murder while attempting to return it – and then his own family is threatened. He bravely contacts the police anyway, and the murderers make good on their threats. DS Roy Grace will have to solve the case.
Get it: Kindle | Amazon Paperback | Audiobook | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
Book 3 | Not Dead Enough
DS Roy Grace is sure Brian Bishop murdered his socialite wife. The only problem? He was sixty miles away, asleep in bed at the time of the murder. Has someone stolen Bishop's identity, or is he just a very clever killer?
Get it: Kindle | Amazon Paperback | Audiobook | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
Book 4 | Dead Man's Footsteps
In the aftermath of 9/11, a failed Brighton businessman sees an opportunity to shed his debts, disappear, and reinvent himself in another country.
Six years later, skeletal remains of a woman's body are found in a storm drain, leading DS Roy Grace on an international investigation as he races to save the life of a woman being pursued in Brighton.
Get it: Kindle | Amazon Paperback | Audiobook | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
Book 5 | Dead Tomorrow
When a missing teenager is dredged up off the Sussex coast, missing a number of vital organs, it leads DS Roy Grace to a gang of child traffickers operating from Eastern Europe.
Get it: Kindle | Amazon Paperback | Audiobook | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
Book 6 | Dead Like You
After a wild New Year's Eve celebration, a woman is raped while returning to her room. A week later, the same thing happens to another woman. In both cases, the attacker takes their shoes.
DS Roy Grace quickly connects these cases to a similar set of unsolved crimes back in the 1990s. Could it be a copycat? Or is the “Shoe Man” back in business?
Get it: Kindle | Amazon Paperback | Audiobook | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
Book 7 | Dead Man's Grip
After being involved in a fatal traffic accident, Carly Chase receives word that the drivers of the other two vehicles have been tortured and murdered. DS Roy Grace has warned her that she could be next.
Though advised to change her identity and go into hiding, Carly feels the killer would find her regardless of her actions – so if the police can't find the killer, she'll have to take matters into her own hands.
Get it: Kindle | Amazon Paperback | Audiobook | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
Book 8 | Not Dead Yet
When a major Hollywood movie begins filming in Brighton, it has the potential to mean big things for the local area. Unfortunately, star Gaia is being pursued by a stalker – and DS Roy Grace is tasked with finding the stalker before something goes terribly wrong.
Get it: Kindle | Amazon Paperback | Audiobook | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
Book 9 | Dead Man's Time
At a secluded Brighton mansion, a robber makes off with millions of pounds in valuables, leaving the elderly occupant dying. DS Roy Grace is on the case, and he learns there's one priceless and sentimental item the family cherished above all else – and they're willing to do anything to get it back.
DS Grace will set off on a trail that leads him from the shady antiques scene in Brighton to Europe and New York as he pursues the killer.
Get it: Kindle | Amazon Paperback | Audiobook | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
Book 10 | Want You Dead
When Red Westwood meets Bryce Laurent through an online dating agency, the sparks fly immediately. It all seems great until secrets from his past begin to emerge. Virtually everything she knew about him was a lie, and love quickly turns to terror.
With the help of the police, she's able to remove him from her life – but he's obsessed and determined to destroy her and everything she ever loved.
Get it: Kindle | Amazon Paperback | Audiobook | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
Book 11 | You Are Dead
The last call Jamie Ball had with his fiancee saw her driving into an underground car park, then screaming before the call cut out. Although police responded quickly, she was gone before they arrived, leaving only her car and mobile phone behind.
Later that day, workmen dig up a long-dead woman in an entirely different part of the city. Though the cases initially seem unrelated, it doesn't take DS Roy Grace long to put the pieces together.
Get it: Kindle | Amazon Paperback | Audiobook | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
Book 12 | Love You Dead
As a child, Jodie Bentley's only two wishes were to be rich and to be attractive. A plastic surgeon helped her with the attractive part, so now she's working on marrying a rich man. The only hard part is getting rid of him once you've caught him.
DS Roy Grace suspects there's a black widow operating in his city, but he may have underestimated just how dangerous she is.
Get it: Kindle | Amazon Paperback | Audiobook | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
Book 13 | Need You Dead
Desperate to escape a bad marriage, Lorna Belling falls for another man she hopes will rescue her. Unfortunately, things don't work out according to plan.
When a woman's body is found in a Brighton bath, DS Roy Grace is called to the scene. Though it initially seems pretty straightforward, a sudden turn of events reveals the case to be much more sinister and complicated than he could have imagined.
Get it: Kindle | Amazon Paperback | Audiobook | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
Book 14 | Dead if You Don't
Successful businessman Kip Brown is having a run of bad luck. When he takes his teenage son to a football match, he takes his eye off him for just moments, only to have him stolen away. Though the kidnappers tell him not to contact police, he reluctantly does so anyway – and DS Roy Grace is brought in to investigate.
Get it: Kindle | Amazon Paperback | Audiobook | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
Book 15 | Dead at First Sight
In two different cities in two different countries, two men wait for women they believe to be their soulmates. Unfortunately, the women never arrived and the men soon learn they've been conned.
In Brighton, DS Roy Grace is brought in to investigate a suicide that isn't quite what it seems. He'll soon find himself neck-deep in a global web if internet scammers willing to murder anyone who might expose them.
Get it: Kindle | Amazon Paperback | Audiobook | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
Book 16 | Find Them Dead
Meg Magellan's daughter is off on a gap year in South America, and she welcomes a stint on jury duty as a distraction. Unfortunately, she's assigned to the trial of a drug lord – and just a few days into the trial, she gets a call saying she needs to ensure a not guilty verdict if she ever wants to see her daughter again.
As Grace investigates a nearby murder, he soon realises the man on trial is pure evil, and he'll stop at nothing to ensure his own freedom. Will he be able to stop the man before anyone else gets hurt?
Get it: Kindle | Amazon Paperback | Audiobook | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
Book 17 | Left You Dead
Niall and Eden Paternoster always spend their Sundays the same way. They take a long drive, visit a country house, then stop by a local supermarket on the way home. This time, however, Niall waits in the car park and his wife never returns. No one has heard from her. She's gone without a trace.
It's not long before Niall is arrested on suspicion of Eden's murder – but it doesn't take DS Roy Grace long to figure out it's not what it seems.
Get it: Kindle | Amazon Paperback | Audiobook | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
Book 17B (Novella) | Wish You Were Dead
DS Roy Grace's family holiday in France turns into a nightmare when their rental home falls short of expectations – but a disappointing vacation becomes deadly when an old enemy resurfaces.
A criminal Grace once imprisoned has been released, and he's out for revenge. Having hacked the family's emails, he knows exactly where they are—isolated and vulnerable in a foreign country.
As the line between hunter and hunted blurs, Grace must protect his family from a threat that has followed them across borders. Can he outsmart a determined criminal on unfamiliar ground, or will his past finally catch up with him?
Get it: Kindle | Amazon Paperback | Audiobook | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
Book 18 | Picture You Dead
For years, Harry and Freya dreamed of finding a valuable hidden treasure at a car boot sale. They didn't think it likely, of course, but they could hope.
And then it happened. Unfortunately, the painting they find – possibly a long-lost masterpiece – puts a target on their backs.
DS Grace finds himself thrown into the deep end of the fine art world. Though it all seems respectable at first, he quickly realises it's no different from any other criminal sub-culture, just a bit posher.
Get it: Kindle | Amazon Paperback | Audiobook | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
Book 19 | Stop Them Dead
In the dead of night, a farmer's confrontation with intruders ends in tragedy. But this is no ordinary break-in. DS Roy Grace arrives at the scene, his instincts screaming that this brutal murder is just the beginning. As he digs deeper, Grace uncovers a chilling truth: a new black market has emerged, one more lucrative and deadly than the drug trade.
At the heart of this criminal enterprise are ruthless gangs operating with military precision. Their commodity? Something so shocking, it defies belief—a trade that makes drugs seem tame by comparison.
As bodies pile up and the stakes skyrocket, Grace finds himself in a race against time. He's not just fighting criminals; he's up against a network willing to eliminate anyone who threatens their operation.
Get it: Kindle | Amazon Paperback | Audiobook | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
Sandy's Story | They Thought I Was Dead
In this novel, Peter James unveils the mysterious story of Sandy Grace, wife of the renowned DS Roy Grace.
Sandy, a woman with a complex past and an uncertain future, vanishes without a trace, sparking a nationwide search. Despite Roy Grace's reputation as a top detective, even he can't uncover her whereabouts. As the investigation unfolds, questions multiply. What drove Sandy to abandon her life? Where did she go? Is she still alive?
For the first time, Sandy's own voice reveals the truth behind her dramatic disappearance. This novel promises to captivate both long-time fans of the Roy Grace series and newcomers alike, offering a pulse-pounding account of a woman on the run and the secrets that forced her into hiding.
Get it: Kindle | Amazon Paperback | Audiobook | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
Book 20 | One of Us is Dead
James Taylor arrives late to a funeral, forced to stand at the back of a crowded church. As the service unfolds, his eyes lock onto a figure six rows ahead—a man who bears an uncanny resemblance to his old schoolfriend, Rufus Rorke.
But it's impossible. Taylor knows this because two years ago, he stood at a different pulpit, delivering Rufus's eulogy.
Meanwhile, across Brighton, Detective Superintendent Roy Grace grapples with a series of suspicious deaths that haunt his waking hours. As he digs deeper, a chilling question emerges: could these seemingly unrelated cases be connected to the man Taylor swears he saw—the man who should be dead?
Get it: Kindle | Amazon Hardcover | Audiobook | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
Walk Around Roy Grace's Brighton
If you're used to mysteries set in cosy English villages, gritty London, or the distinguished university cities of Oxford and Cambridge, Brighton may seem a very different sort of setting. It's a quirky coastal town about 50 miles south of London, and though it's quite distinctly British, it has a dash of San Francisco about it (or perhaps we should say San Francisco has a touch of Brighton).
Brighton is a lively town with a thriving cultural scene that's much bigger than the city's size might suggest. You'll find loads of street art, and a vegetarian will have no trouble at all finding tons of food options (though in fairness, the UK is pretty veg-friendly as a whole).
Independent businesses thrive in Brighton, and it's considered by many to be the LGB+ capital of Britain. It was also home to the world's first Body Shop location, opened back in 1976. It can be noisy and a bit wild, but it's also unique and full of quirks.
Brighton isn't everyone's cup of tea, but it's certainly unique – and by getting a taste of the city, you'll enhance your reading of the Roy Grace series.
Below, we've embedded a Google StreetView frame where you can virtually “walk” the city. It works best on desktop, but it does still work on tablets and phones. Just drag your cursor across the scene in the direction you wish to turn, or click the arrows to move in the designated direction.
Will There Be More Roy Grace Novels?
Author Peter James is still alive and well at 76, and according to a recent UK Crime Book Club post, he hosted a literary lunch in September 2024 and mentioned he's contracted for at least another 5 Roy Grace books. Though I try not to get too excited until they're actually on the bookshop shelves, it's definitely promising news.
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