Series · police procedural
Roy Grace
The Roy Grace series by Peter James has 21 books and is best read in publication order, starting with Dead Simple (2005). The next book, Dead in Three Two One, is due 22 October 2026.
- Books
- 22 novels + 2 novellas
- First published
- 2005
- Status
- ongoing
- Last checked
Start here: Dead Simple (2005) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The order the books were released — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
Dead Simple
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dead Simple - Book 2:
Looking Good Dead
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Looking Good Dead - Book 3:
Not Dead Enough
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Not Dead Enough - Book 4:
Dead Man's Footsteps
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dead Man's Footsteps - Book 5:
Dead Tomorrow
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dead Tomorrow - Book 6:
Dead Like You
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dead Like You - Book 7:
Dead Man's Grip
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dead Man's Grip - Book 8:
Not Dead Yet
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Not Dead Yet - Book 9:
Dead Man's Time
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dead Man's Time - Book 10:
Want You Dead
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Want You Dead - Book 11:
You Are Dead
Alternative text for cover: Cover of You Are Dead - Book 12:
Love You Dead
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Love You Dead - Book 13:
Need You Dead
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Need You Dead - Book 14:
Dead If You Don't
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dead If You Don't - Book 15:
Dead at First Sight
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dead at First Sight - Book 16:
Find Them Dead
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Find Them Dead - Book 17:
Left You Dead
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Left You Dead - Book 18:
Wish You Were Dead: Quick Reads
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Wish You Were Dead: Quick Reads - Book 19:
Picture You Dead
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Picture You Dead - Book 20:
Stop Them Dead
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Stop Them Dead - Book 21:
They Thought I Was Dead: Sandy's Story
Alternative text for cover: Cover of They Thought I Was Dead: Sandy's Story - Book 22:
One of Us Is Dead
Alternative text for cover: Cover of One of Us Is Dead - Book 23:
The Hawk Is Dead
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Hawk Is Dead - Book 24:
Dead in Three Two One
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.
How to read this series
Publication order, starting with Dead Simple (2005), is the way to read Roy Grace — the mystery of Sandy's disappearance, Grace's relationship with Cleo, and his climb up the Sussex Police ranks all build continuously, and several books pay off plot threads seeded many books earlier. There is no meaningful chronological/publication split: the series is written and set in one continuous timeline.
Two short novellas sit alongside the main numbered novels rather than in the count: Wish You Were Dead (a 2021 Quick Reads title, set between books 17 and 18) and They Thought I Was Dead: Sandy's Story (2024, told from Sandy's perspective). Both are optional extras for existing fans rather than starting points — new readers should begin with Dead Simple.
Frequently asked questions
How many Roy Grace books are there?
There are 21 numbered Roy Grace novels plus two short novellas (Wish You Were Dead and They Thought I Was Dead: Sandy's Story). Book 22, Dead in Three Two One, is due 22 October 2026.
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.
Reading order last verified .