Peter J. James (born 22 August 1948) is a British writer of
crime
In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definiti ...
. He was born in
Brighton
Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...
, the son of
Cornelia James, the former glovemaker to
Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
.
Education and early career
James was educated at
Charterhouse and went on to
Ravensbourne Film School. For a brief period of time whilst at film school, James worked as
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American director, actor, writer, producer, and magician who is remembered for his innovative work in film, radio, and theatre. He is among the greatest and most influential film ...
's house cleaner. Subsequently, he spent several years in North America, working as a screenwriter and film producer, beginning in Canada in 1970 working first as a
gofer, then writer, on the children's television series ''
Polka Dot Door''.
Personal life
His interests include
criminology
Criminology (from Latin , 'accusation', and Ancient Greek , ''-logia'', from λόγος ''logos'', 'word, reason') is the interdisciplinary study of crime and deviant behaviour. Criminology is a multidisciplinary field in both the behaviou ...
, religion, science and the
paranormal
Paranormal events are purported phenomena described in popular culture, folk, and other non-scientific bodies of knowledge, whose existence within these contexts is described as being beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding. Not ...
, as well as food and wine. He has written many restaurant columns. He is also a self-confessed "petrol head," having owned many fast cars over the years, including four Aston Martins,
AMG and
Brabus Mercedes, a
Bentley Continental GT
The Bentley Continental GT is a grand touring car manufactured and marketed by the British company Bentley Motors since 2003. A two-door coupé or convertible, and has four seats, it was the first new Bentley released after the company's acqui ...
Speed and two classic
Jaguar E-Type
The Jaguar E-Type, or the Jaguar XK-E for the North American market, is a British FMR layout, front mid-engined sports car that was manufactured by Jaguar Cars, Jaguar Cars Ltd from 1961 to 1974. Its sleek appearance, advanced technologies, ...
s. He holds an international racing licence, and has in the past competed in the
Britcar series in both a
Honda Accord
The , also known as the in Japan and China for certain generations, is a series of automobiles manufactured by Honda since 1976, best known for its four-door sedan variant, which has been one of the best-selling cars in the United States sinc ...
and a former
British Touring Car Championship
The British Touring Car Championship (BTCC), officially known as the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship for sponsorship reasons, is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom, currently organised and administered by ...
SEAT Toledo. His 1965
BMW 1800 Ti, with his co-driver Steve Soper, came 10th overall in the St Mary's Trophy in the Goodwood Revival in 2013. James currently races a 1962 C1 Corvette and a 1964 Mini Cooper S. He has donated two police cars to
Sussex Police, which bear his name, and a police car to
States of Jersey Police.
He is married to Lara James (m. 2015).
His first, 19-year marriage was to Georgina Wilkin, from 1979 until 1998.
In January 1999, James was diagnosed with
type 2 diabetes
Type 2 diabetes (T2D), formerly known as adult-onset diabetes, is a form of diabetes mellitus that is characterized by high blood sugar, insulin resistance, and relative lack of insulin. Common symptoms include increased thirst, frequent ...
.
[
]
Work
Literature
James has written 36 novels, including the a crime thriller
Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, crime novel, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives or fiction that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professiona ...
series featuring Brighton-based Detective Superintendent Roy Grace, which have sold 21 million copies worldwide and have given him 21 consecutive UK ''Sunday Times
''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...
'' number ones, as well as number ones in Germany, France, Russia and Canada, and he is also a New York Times best-seller. James's books have been translated into 38 languages. In the UK and the US, they are published by Macmillan Publishers
Macmillan Publishers (occasionally known as the Macmillan Group; formally Macmillan Publishers Ltd in the United Kingdom and Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC in the United States) is a British publishing company traditionally considered to be on ...
. In 1993 Penguin Books
Penguin Books Limited is a Germany, German-owned English publishing, publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers the Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the ...
published his novel ''Host'' on two floppy discs (in addition to conventional print formats). It has been called the world's first electronic novel and a copy of it is in the Science Museum
A science museum is a museum devoted primarily to science. Older science museums tended to concentrate on static displays of objects related to natural history, paleontology, geology, Industry (manufacturing), industry and Outline of industrial ...
. James has written supernatural thrillers, spy fiction, science-based thrillers, a children's novel, and the novella ''The Perfect Murder'', which was 15 weeks at number one on iBooks and 45 weeks in their top 10, was adapted by Shaun McKenna into a stage play which had a smash hit tour in 2014 and returned to stage in 2016. Subsequent stage adaptations of his novels, all also by Shaun McKenna, include ''Dead Simple'', ''Not Dead Enough'' and ''The House on Cold Hill'' have also had sell-out national tours. Looking Good Dead & Wish You Were dead have grossed over £17m at the UK box office and have been successful in many countries abroad. His seventh stage play, Picture You Dead starts on national tour in February 2025.
GRACE - the ITV dramatisation of the Roy Grace novels, starring John Simm, is currently filming Season 5, and is available in the US, Canada and many places internationally on Britbox.
James was two-times chairman of the Crime Writers' Association, and was the programming chair for the Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in 2016, part of the Harrogate International Festivals portfolio.
He hosts The Author's Studio, a free online learning facility for all budding authors, on his YouTube channel.
In 2017, James wrote the foreword for the UK edition of '' The Crime Book'', with American crime author Cathy Scott
Cathleen Scott (born ) is a ''Los Angeles Times'' and ''New York Times'' bestselling American true crime author and investigative journalist who penned the biographies and true crime books '' The Killing of Tupac Shakur'' and '' The Murder of B ...
writing the foreword for the US edition. The nonfiction book, a volume in the ''Big Ideas Simply Explained'' series, was released by Dorling Kindersley
Dorling Kindersley Limited (branded as DK) is a British multinational publishing company specialising in illustrated reference books for adults and children in 63 languages.
It is part of Penguin Random House, a subsidiary of German media cong ...
(Penguin Random House
Penguin Random House Limited is a British-American multinational corporation, multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate publishing company formed on July 1, 2013, with the merger of Penguin Books and Random House. Penguin Books was or ...
) in April 2017 in the UK and May 2017 in the US.
Her Majesty Queen Camilla said of his Roy Grace novels: “I’ve started at the very beginning, So the nice thing about his books is that, although there is a pretty terrifying story that goes on, you’ve always got the thread of Grace and what’s happening in his life, and there are lots of twists and turns, and it just keeps you on your toes."
Film
James has been involved in 26 films in writer and/or producing roles. His 1993 novel ''Host'' was adapted into the 1998 television movie '' Virtual Obsession''. Other films on which he is credited include: '' Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things'', '' The Neptune Factor'', '' Blue Blood'', '' Malachi's Cove'', ''The Blockhouse
''The Blockhouse'' is a 1973 drama film directed by Clive Rees (director), Clive Rees and starring Peter Sellers and Charles Aznavour. It is based on the 1955 novel ''Le Blockhaus'' by Jean-Paul Clébert. It was filmed entirely in Guernsey in t ...
'' starring Peter Sellers
Peter Sellers (born Richard Henry Sellers; 8 September 1925 – 24 July 1980) was an English actor and comedian. He first came to prominence performing in the BBC Radio comedy series ''The Goon Show''. Sellers featured on a number of hit comi ...
, '' Spanish Fly'' starring Terry-Thomas
Terry-Thomas (born Thomas Terry Hoar Stevens; 10 July 1911 – 8 January 1990) was an English character actor and comedian who became internationally known through his films during the 1950s and 1960s. He often portrayed disreputable members ...
and Leslie Phillips
Leslie Samuel Phillips (20 April 1924 – 7 November 2022) was an English actor. He achieved prominence in the 1950s, playing smooth, upper-class comic roles utilising his "Ding dong" and "Hello" catchphrases. He appeared in the '' Carry On'' ...
, '' A Different Loyalty'' starring Sharon Stone
Sharon Vonne Stone (born March 10, 1958) is an American actress and film producer. Known for primarily playing femmes fatales and women of mystery on film and television, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1990s. She is the ...
, '' The Bridge of San Luis Rey'' starring Robert De Niro
Robert Anthony De Niro ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor, director, and film producer. He is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of List of awards and ...
, and '' The Statement'' starring Michael Caine
Sir Michael Caine (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite, 14 March 1933) is a retired English actor. Known for his distinct Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films over Michael Caine filmography, a career that spanned eight decades an ...
.
In 2005 ''The Merchant of Venice
''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan taken out on behalf of his dear friend, Bassanio, and provided by a ...
'', directed by Michael Radford and for which James was executive producer, had a royal premiere in the presence of Prince Charles
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms.
Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...
and received a BAFTA Award
The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs or BAFTA Awards, is an annual film award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to f ...
nomination. In 2006 the film also won the Silver Ribbon for Best Production Design (''Migliore Scenografia'') from the Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists.
Television
His 1992 novel ''Prophecy'' was adapted into the first episode of the 1995 ''Chiller
A chiller is a machine that removes heat from a liquid coolant via a vapor-compression refrigeration, vapor-compression, adsorption refrigeration, or absorption refrigerator, absorption refrigeration cycles. This liquid can then be circulated th ...
'' TV series. Since 2021, his Roy Grace series has been adapted into the ITV series ''Grace
Grace may refer to:
Places United States
* Grace, Idaho, a city
* Grace (CTA station), Chicago Transit Authority's Howard Line, Illinois
* Little Goose Creek (Kentucky), location of Grace post office
* Grace, Carroll County, Missouri, an uni ...
'', starring John Simm.
Other work
James is patron of the Sussex Police Charitable Trust, patron of Brighton & Hove Samaritans
Samaritans (; ; ; ), are an ethnoreligious group originating from the Hebrews and Israelites of the ancient Near East. They are indigenous to Samaria, a historical region of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah that ...
, patron of the Brighton Greyhound Owners Association Retired Greyhound Trust, patron of Brighton and Hove Independent Mediation Service, patron of Relate in Sussex, patron of Terrys Cross House, patron of Little Green Pig, national co-patron of Neighbourhood Watch
A neighborhood watch or neighbourhood watch (see American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, spelling differences), also called a crime watch or neighbourhood crime watch, is an organized group of civilians devoted to crime a ...
, co-patron of Sussex Crimestoppers, honorary patron for the South Mid Sussex Community First Responders, vice-president of The Old Police Cells Museum in Brighton. He is an ambassador for the University of Brighton
The University of Brighton is a public university based in Brighton on the south coast of England. Its roots can be traced back to 1858 when the Brighton School of Art was opened in the Royal Pavilion. It achieved university status in 1992.
T ...
, and a Martlets Hospice Champion (which he also supports through his annual Peter James Golf Classic). He supports Action Medical Research. He also supports and works with The Reading Agency, a charity with a mission to give everyone an equal chance in life by helping people become confident and enthusiastic readers.
Awards
*1967 Charterhouse school poetry prize
*1969 Esquire Magazine International College Film Festival, ''The Island''
*1974 Sitges International Horror Film Festival, Best Foreign Film for ''Dead of Night''
*1999 Honorary Fellowship, FHS Emeritus award by the Hypnotherapy Society
*2000 Public Awareness of Science Award, runner up, ''Alchemist''
*2004 BAFTA nomination for ''The Merchant of Venice''
*2004 Rose D'Or nomination at the Montreux Television Festival, '' Bedsitcom''
*2005 Krimi-Blitz, Best Crime Writer of the Year in Germany
*2006 Le Prix Polar International, ''Comme Une Tombe'' (French translation of ''Dead Simple'')
*2007 Le Prix Cœur Noir at the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines festival, ''Comme Une Tombe'' (French translation of ''Dead Simple'')
*2007 Richard & Judy Galaxy British Book Awards – Crime Thriller of the Year, shortlisted, ''Looking Good Dead''
*2007 Prix SNCF du Polar, shortlisted, ''La Mort Leur Va Si Bien'' (French translation of ''Looking Good Dead'')
*2007 Le Grand Prix de littérature policère, shortlisted, ''La Mort Leur Va Si Bien'' (French translation of ''Looking Good Dead'')
*2008 Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award, shortlisted, ''Not Dead Enough''
*2008 ITV Crime Thriller Author of the Year, shortlisted, ''Not Dead Enough''
*2009 Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award, shortlisted, ''Dead Man's Footsteps''
*2009 CWA Dagger in the Library, shortlisted
*2009 Honorary Doctorate of Letters at the University of Brighton
*2010 Sounds of Crime Award, best abridged and unabridged novel, ''Dead Tomorrow''
*2010 Galaxy British Book Awards – Sainsbury Popular Fiction Book of the Year shortlisted, ''Dead Like You''
*2010 Quick Reads Readers' Favourite Award, ''The Perfect Murder''
*2011 Sounds of Crime Award, best abridged and unabridged novel, ''Dead Like You''
*2011 ITV3 Crime Thriller Awards Winner, People's Bestseller Dagger for Crime Novel of the Year
*2011 Barry Award, winner, ''Dead Man's Grip''
*2012 Wellcome Trust Book Prize, shortlisted, ''Perfect People''
*2012 Sussex Police, Outstanding Public Service Award
*2012 Specsavers National Book Awards, Crime Thriller of the Year, shortlisted, ''Perfect People''
*2013 Argus Outstanding Contribution to Sussex Award
*2013 Specsavers National Book Awards, Crime Thriller of the Year 2013 – shortlisted – Dead Man's Time
*2014 Sainsbury's eBook of the Year Award – Winner – Want You Dead
*2015 WHSmith. The Best Crime Author of all Time – Winner
*2015 Honorary Mastership of the Open University
*2015 Dagger in the Library UK Crime Writers' Association award for an author's body of work in British libraries (UK) shortlisted
*2015 Dead Good Readers Dr Lecter Award for Scariest Villain – Winner – You Are Dead
*2016 CWA Diamond Dagger Award Recipient
*2016 Dead Good Readers Tess Gerritsen Award for Best Series – Winner – Roy Grace
*2017 CAMEO Award – Book To Stage Category – shortlist – Not Dead Enough
*2017 Poland – Lubimyczytac.pl Book Of The Year award, Horror Category – Winner – The House On Cold Hill
*2017 Germany – Rheinbach Glass Dagger Award for Crime Fiction – Winner
*2017 Sussex Life Hero at the Celebration of Sussex Life – Winner
*2018 Specsavers Honorary Platinum Award for book sales over 5 million
*2018 Specsavers National Book Awards – Audiobook Of The Year – Shortlist – Absolute Proof
*2021 Specsavers Crimefest - Audible Sounds of Crime Award nominee - Find them Dead
*2021 Brighton & Hove Business Awards - Outstanding Brightonian of the Year Award
Bibliography
Roy Grace novels
*''Dead Simple'' (2005)
*''Looking Good Dead'' (2006)
*''Not Dead Enough'' (2007)
*''Dead Man's Footsteps'' (2008)
*''Dead Tomorrow'' (2009)
*''Dead Like You'' (2010)
*''Dead Man's Grip'' (2011)
*''Not Dead Yet'' (2012)
*''Dead Man's Time'' (2013)
*''Want You Dead'' (2014)
*''You Are Dead'' (2015)
*''Love You Dead'' (2016)
*''Need You Dead'' (2017)
*''Dead If You Don't'' (2018)
*''Dead At First Sight'' (2019)
*''Find Them Dead''Biggles
James Charles Bigglesworth, nicknamed "Biggles", is a fictional pilot and adventurer, the Title role#Title character, title character and Protagonist, hero of the ''Biggles'' series of adventure books, written for young readers by W. E. Johns ...
: The Untold Story'' (1986)
*''Possession'' (1988)
*''Dreamer'' (1989)
*''Sweet Heart'' (1991)
*''Twilight'' (1991)
*''Prophecy'' (1992)
*''Host'' (1993)
*''Alchemist
Alchemy (from the Arabic word , ) is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practised in China, India, the Muslim world, and Europe. In its Western form, alchemy is first ...
'' (1996)
*''Getting Wired'' (1996)
*''The Truth'' (1997)
*''Denial'' (1998)
*''Faith'' (2000)
*''The Perfect Murder'' (2010) (novella)
*''Perfect People'' (2011)
*''A Twist of the Knife'' (2014) (short story collection)
*''The House on Cold Hill ''(2015)
*''Absolute Proof ''(2018)
*''The Secret of Cold Hill'' (2019)
*''I Follow You'' (2020)
Non-fiction
*''Death Comes Knocking – Policing Roy Grace's Brighton ''(2016)
*''Babes in the Wood ''(2020)
See also
References
External links
Peter James
Personal website
Review of Dead Man's Grip in Shots Mag Ezine May 2011Interview with Peter James in Shots Mag Ezine October 2010Peter James on TheCrimeHouse.com
Interview published 21 June 2010
The Deckchair Interview
Interview with James by Sarah Hutchings dated 25 May 2007
Peter James
website about the novel ''Dreamer''
Crime writer Peter James
Interview with James in the ''Sussex Express''
Interview with James on ReviewingTheEvidence.com
*
BBC raw Quick Reads – The Perfect Murder by Peter JamesABC Talks To: Crime author Peter James
Interview with James by the American Book Center in Amsterdam
by Patrick Anderson in ''The Washington Post'' 19 December 2010
{{DEFAULTSORT:James, Peter
1948 births
Living people
20th-century English novelists
21st-century English novelists
English crime fiction writers
Alumni of Ravensbourne University London
Barry Award winners
Cartier Diamond Dagger winners
English children's writers
English film producers
English male novelists
English male screenwriters
English mystery writers
English people of Jewish descent
English spy fiction writers
English thriller writers
People educated at Charterhouse School
Writers from Brighton
20th-century English male writers
21st-century English male writers