Chief Inspector Armand Gamache
mystery
Series · police procedural
Roy Grace
The Roy Grace series by Peter James has 24 known books (23 published; 1 announced) and is best read in publication order, starting with Dead Simple (2005). The latest book with a fully recorded publication date is The Hawk Is Dead. The next announced book, Dead in Three Two One, is due 22 October 2026.
- Books
- 24 known books (22 novels + 2 novellas)
- Published
- 23
- Announced
- 1
- First published
- 2005
- Status
- ongoing
- Shelved under
- Mystery & Crime
- Last checked
Start here: Dead Simple (2005) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series. Announced future books are marked below.
- Book 1:
Dead Simple
Dead Simple is the book that opens Roy Grace, written by Peter James, published in 2005 at 400 pages. The series continues from here with Looking Good Dead.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dead Simple - Book 2:
Looking Good Dead
Looking Good Dead is the 2nd book in the Roy Grace series, written by Peter James, published in 2006 at 336 pages. It follows Dead Simple and precedes Not Dead Enough in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Looking Good Dead - Book 3:
Not Dead Enough
Not Dead Enough is the 3rd book in the Roy Grace series, written by Peter James, published in 2007 at 611 pages. In the reading order it follows Looking Good Dead and precedes Dead Man's Footsteps.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Not Dead Enough - Book 4:
Dead Man's Footsteps
Dead Man's Footsteps is the 4th book in the Roy Grace series, written by Peter James, published in 2008 at 592 pages. It follows Not Dead Enough and precedes Dead Tomorrow in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dead Man's Footsteps - Book 5:
Dead Tomorrow
Dead Tomorrow is the 5th book in the Roy Grace series, written by Peter James, published in 2009 at 727 pages. In the reading order it follows Dead Man's Footsteps and precedes Dead Like You.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dead Tomorrow - Book 6:
Dead Like You
Dead Like You is the 6th book in the Roy Grace series, written by Peter James, published in 2010 at 664 pages. In the reading order it follows Dead Tomorrow and precedes Dead Man's Grip.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dead Like You - Book 7:
Dead Man's Grip
Dead Man's Grip is the 7th book in the Roy Grace series, written by Peter James, published in 2011 at 406 pages. In the reading order it follows Dead Like You and precedes Not Dead Yet.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dead Man's Grip - Book 8:
Not Dead Yet
Not Dead Yet is the 8th book in the Roy Grace series, written by Peter James, published in 2012 at 646 pages. It follows Dead Man's Grip and precedes Dead Man's Time in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Not Dead Yet - Book 9:
Dead Man's Time
Dead Man's Time is the 9th book in the Roy Grace series, written by Peter James, published in 2013 at 506 pages. In the reading order it follows Not Dead Yet and precedes Want You Dead.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dead Man's Time - Book 10:
Want You Dead
Want You Dead is the 10th book in the Roy Grace series, written by Peter James, published in 2014 at 405 pages. In the reading order it follows Dead Man's Time and precedes You Are Dead.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Want You Dead - Book 11:
You Are Dead
You Are Dead is the 11th book in the Roy Grace series, written by Peter James, published in 2015 at 408 pages. In the reading order it follows Want You Dead and precedes Love You Dead.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of You Are Dead - Book 12:
Love You Dead
Love You Dead is the 12th book in the Roy Grace series, written by Peter James, published in 2016 at 400 pages. In the reading order it follows You Are Dead and precedes Need You Dead.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Love You Dead - Book 13:
Need You Dead
Need You Dead is the 13th book in the Roy Grace series, written by Peter James, published in 2017 at 512 pages. In the reading order it follows Love You Dead and precedes Dead If You Don't.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Need You Dead - Book 14:
Dead If You Don't
Dead If You Don't is the 14th book in the Roy Grace series, written by Peter James, published in 2018 at 419 pages. It follows Need You Dead and precedes Dead at First Sight in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dead If You Don't - Book 15:
Dead at First Sight
Dead at First Sight is the 15th book in the Roy Grace series, written by Peter James, published in 2019 at 400 pages. It follows Dead If You Don't and precedes Find Them Dead in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dead at First Sight - Book 16:
Find Them Dead
Find Them Dead is the 16th book in the Roy Grace series, written by Peter James, published in 2020 at 400 pages. It follows Dead at First Sight and precedes Left You Dead in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Find Them Dead - Book 17:
Left You Dead
Left You Dead is the 17th book in the Roy Grace series, written by Peter James, published in 2021 at 400 pages. In the reading order it follows Find Them Dead and precedes Wish You Were Dead: Quick Reads.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Left You Dead - Book 18:
Wish You Were Dead: Quick Reads
Wish You Were Dead: Quick Reads is a short standalone novella that sits alongside the numbered Roy Grace novels, written by Peter James and published in May 2021, running 128 pages. It's placed in this catalogue's publication order after Left You Dead and before Picture You Dead. It's a Quick Reads-style companion piece outside the series' numbered main sequence.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Wish You Were Dead: Quick Reads - Book 19:
Picture You Dead
Picture You Dead is the 18th book in the Roy Grace series, written by Peter James, published in September 2022. It follows Wish You Were Dead: Quick Reads and precedes Stop Them Dead in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Picture You Dead - Book 20:
Stop Them Dead
Stop Them Dead is the 19th book in the Roy Grace series, written by Peter James, published in September 2023. It follows Picture You Dead and precedes They Thought I Was Dead: Sandy's Story in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Stop Them Dead - Book 21:
They Thought I Was Dead: Sandy's Story
They Thought I Was Dead: Sandy's Story is a companion novella in the Roy Grace series, written by Peter James and published in May 2024. It's placed in this catalogue's publication order after Stop Them Dead and before One of Us Is Dead. It's a Quick Reads-style companion piece outside the series' numbered main sequence.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of They Thought I Was Dead: Sandy's Story - Book 22:
One of Us Is Dead
One of Us Is Dead is the 20th book in the Roy Grace series, written by Peter James, published in September 2024. In the reading order it follows They Thought I Was Dead: Sandy's Story and precedes The Hawk Is Dead.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of One of Us Is Dead - Book 23:
The Hawk Is Dead
The Hawk Is Dead is the 21st book in the Roy Grace series, written by Peter James, published in October 2025. It follows One of Us Is Dead and precedes Dead in Three Two One in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Hawk Is Dead - Book 24:
Dead in Three Two One
Dead in Three Two One is the 22nd book in the Roy Grace series, written by Peter James, published in October 2026. It follows The Hawk Is Dead; the series is ongoing and this is its latest tracked instalment.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dead in Three Two One
About the Roy Grace series
Detective Superintendent Roy Grace runs Major Crime for Sussex Police out of Brighton, a city Peter James renders with the same obsessive, insider detail he brings to procedure itself — James spent years riding along with real CID officers, and it shows in the forensic accuracy of every investigation. Each novel (all titled with some variant of the word "Dead") is a self-contained case, but Grace's personal life runs as a serialised thread underneath: the unexplained 1997 disappearance of his first wife, Sandy, shadows him for the first stretch of the series even as he builds a new life and family with pathologist Cleo Morey, and his loyal, exasperated team — DS Glenn Branson chief among them — recurs book after book.
The appeal is proper, research-heavy British police procedural: real forensic and investigative technique, a fully realised Brighton and Sussex setting, and cases that range from serial killers and organised crime to Grace's own past catching up with him. It's for readers who want their crime fiction grounded and methodical rather than high-concept, with a lead whose family life and career both genuinely move forward across more than twenty books.
Frequently asked questions
How many Roy Grace books are there?
There are 22 numbered Roy Grace novels (including Dead in Three Two One, due 22 October 2026) plus two short novellas (Wish You Were Dead and They Thought I Was Dead: Sandy's Story).
What order should I read the Roy Grace books in?
Publication order, starting with Dead Simple (2005). Roy Grace's personal life and career develop continuously across the series, so reading in order matters more than in many procedural series.
Is there a new Roy Grace book coming?
Yes. Dead in Three Two One, book 22, is scheduled for 22 October 2026 from Pan Macmillan.
Do the Roy Grace novellas need to be read in a specific place?
Wish You Were Dead is set between Left You Dead (book 17) and Picture You Dead (book 18). They Thought I Was Dead: Sandy's Story retells Sandy Grace's disappearance from her own point of view and is best read after you already know Roy's side of that story from the early novels.
Is the Roy Grace series finished?
No, it's ongoing. Peter James has continued publishing a new Roy Grace novel roughly every year, with book 22 confirmed for October 2026.
If you like the Roy Grace series
Reading order last verified .