Peter J. James (born 22 August 1948) is a British writer of
crime fiction
Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, ...
. He was born in
Brighton
Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
, the son of
Cornelia James, the former glovemaker to
Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...
.
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 actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...
'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
A gofer, go-fer or gopher is an employee who specializes in the delivery of special items to their superior(s). Examples of these special items include a cup of coffee, a tool, a tailored suit, or a car. Outside of the business world, the term ...
, then writer, on the children's television series ''
Polka Dot Door
Polka is a dance and genre of dance music originating in nineteenth-century Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic. Though associated with Czech culture, polka is popular throughout Europe and the Americas.
History
Etymology
The term ...
''.
Personal life
His interests include
criminology
Criminology (from Latin , "accusation", and Ancient Greek , ''-logia'', from λόγος ''logos'' meaning: "word, reason") is the study of crime and deviant behaviour. Criminology is an interdisciplinary field in both the behavioural and s ...
, 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
Brabus GmbH ( stylized in uppercase) is a German high-performance automotive aftermarket tuning company founded in 1977 in Bottrop (Ruhr area). Brabus specialises in Mercedes-Benz, Maybach and Smart vehicles, although in 2022 it also tuned two ...
Mercedes, a
Bentley Continental GT
The Bentley Continental GT is a grand tourer manufactured and marketed by British automaker Bentley Motors since 2003. It was the first car released by Bentley under Volkswagen AG management, after the company's acquisition in 1998, and the fi ...
Speed and two classic
Jaguar E-Type
The Jaguar E-Type, or the Jaguar XK-E for the North American market, is a British sports car that was manufactured by Jaguar Cars Ltd between 1961 and 1974. Its combination of beauty, high performance, and competitive pricing established the m ...
s. He holds an international racing licence, and has in the past competed in the
Britcar
Britcar is an endurance sports car racing and touring car racing series in the United Kingdom.
It was formed in 1997, as a result of a discussion in a Nürburgring bar between Willie Moore and James Tucker. Folklore has it that James Tucker and ...
series in both a
Honda Accord
The , also known as the in Japan and China for certain generations, is a series of cars 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 since 1989. ...
and a former
British Touring Car Championship
The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom, currently organised and administered by TOCA. It was established in 1958 as the British Saloon Car Championship and was renamed a ...
SEAT Toledo
The SEAT Toledo is a small family car produced by the Spanish manufacturer SEAT, part of Volkswagen Group. The Toledo name was first introduced to the SEAT line up in May 1991 being named after a Spanish city with the same name, with the fourt ...
. His 1965
BMW 1800
As of March 1 ( O.S. February 18), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 12 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 16), ...
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
Sussex Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing in the whole of Sussex. Its jurisdiction covers the ceremonial counties of East Sussex and West Sussex. The force is headquartered in Malling House, Lewes, East Sussex. ...
, which bear his name, and a police car to
States of Jersey Police
The States of Jersey Police (Jèrriais: ''La Police d's Êtats d'Jèrri''; french: Police des États de Jersey) or States Police are a paid police force in the Bailiwick of Jersey. Alongside the unpaid Honorary Police, the States Police make up th ...
.
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, 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 urinatio ...
.
[
]
Work
Literature
James has written 36 novels, including the International best-selling crime thriller
Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, ...
series featuring Brighton-based Detective Superintendent Roy Grace, which have sold 21 million copies worldwide and have given him 19 consecutive UK ''Sunday Times
''The Sunday Times'' is a British 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 News UK, w ...
'' 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 US they are published by Macmillan Publishers
Macmillan Publishers (occasionally known as the Macmillan Group; formally Macmillan Publishers Ltd and Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC) is a British publishing company traditionally considered to be one of the 'Big Five' English language publi ...
. In 1993 Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a British 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 following year.[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 and industrial machinery, etc. Modern trends in ...]
. 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
Shaun Patrick McKenna (born 5 April 1957 in Maidstone, Kent) is an English dramatist, lyricist and screenwriter.
Biography
Shaun McKenna studied at Maidstone Grammar School and the University of Bristol (1975–1978). He was an actor for a fe ...
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. His fifth stage adaptation, ''Looking Good Dead'' starts on a national tour in March 2021. The Roy Grace series is currently being produced by ITV with John Simm playing the role of Roy Grace. His novel ''Perfect People'' is also being filmed as an eight-part mini-series in 2021. James has served two consecutive terms as 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
Harrogate International Festivals (HIF) is a registered charity and one of the UK's longest running arts festivals, having been established in 1966. Based in Harrogate, North Yorkshire.
Festivals include the Harrogate Music Festival, Theakston O ...
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
''The Crime Book (Big Ideas Simply Explained)'' is a non-fiction volume co-authored by American crime writers Cathy Scott, Shanna Hogan, Rebecca Morris, Canadian author and historian Lee Mellor, and United Kingdom author Michael Kerrigan, with ...
'', with American crime author Cathy Scott
Cathleen "Cathy" Scott (born c. 1950) is a '' Los Angeles Times'' bestselling American true crime writer and investigative journalist who penned the biographies and true crime books ''The Killing of Tupac Shakur'' and ''The Murder of Biggie Smal ...
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 c ...
(Penguin Random House
Penguin Random House LLC is an Anglo-American multinational conglomerate publishing company formed on July 1, 2013, from the merger of Penguin Group and Random House.
On April 2, 2020, Bertelsmann announced the completion of its purchase ...
) in April 2017 in the UK and May 2017 in the US.
Film
James has been involved in 26 movies 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
''The Neptune Factor'', also known as ''The Neptune Disaster'', is a 1973 science fiction film directed by Daniel Petrie, featuring underwater cinematography by Paul Herbermann. The film's special effects utilized underwater photography of mini ...
'', '' Blue Blood'', ''Malachi's Cove
''Malachi's Cove'' is a 1974 British-Canadian coming-of-age film, coming-of-age period drama film directed by Henry Herbert, 17th Earl of Pembroke, Henry Herbert and starring Donald Pleasence, Veronica Quilligan and Dai Bradley. It is based on t ...
'', '' The Blockhouse'' 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'', featured on a number of hit comic songs ...
, ''Spanish Fly
The Spanish fly (''Lytta vesicatoria'') is an aposematic emerald-green beetle in the blister beetle family (Meloidae). It is distributed across Eurasia.
The species and others in its family were used in traditional apothecary preparatio ...
'' starring Terry-Thomas
Terry-Thomas (born Thomas Terry Hoar Stevens; 10 July 19118 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 of th ...
and Leslie Phillips
Leslie Samuel Phillips (20 April 1924 – 7 November 2022) was an English actor, director, producer and author. He achieved prominence in the 1950s, playing smooth, upper-class comic roles utilising his "Ding dong" and "Hello" catchphrases. ...
, ''A Different Loyalty
''A Different Loyalty'' is a 2004 drama film inspired by the story of British traitor Kim Philby's love affair and marriage to Eleanor Brewer in Beirut and his eventual defection to the Soviet Union. The story takes place in the 1960s and stars Sh ...
'' starring Sharon Stone
Sharon Vonne Stone (born March 10, 1958) is an American actress. Known for primarily playing femme fatales and women of mystery on film and television, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1990s. She is the recipient of various ...
, ''The Bridge of San Luis Rey
''The Bridge of San Luis Rey'' is American author Thornton Wilder's second novel. It was first published in 1927 to worldwide acclaim. The novel won the Pulitzer Prize in 1928, and was the best-selling work of fiction that year.
Premise
''The Bri ...
'' starring Robert De Niro
Robert Anthony De Niro Jr. ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor. Known for his collaborations with Martin Scorsese, he is considered to be one of the best actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of various accolades ...
, and '' The Statement'' starring Michael Caine
Sir Michael Caine (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite; 14 March 1933) is an English actor. Known for his distinctive Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films in a career spanning seven decades, and is considered a British film ico ...
.
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 provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock.
Although classified as ...
'', directed by Michael Radford
Michael James Radford (born 24 February 1946) is an English film director and screenwriter. He began his career as a documentary director and television comedy writer before transitioning into features in the early 1980s. His best-known credits ...
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. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...
and received a BAFTA Award
The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTA Film Awards is an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to film. The cer ...
nomination. In 2006 the film also won the Silver Ribbon for Best Production Design (''Migliore Scenografia'') from the Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists
The Nastro d'Argento, also known by its translated name Silver Ribbon, is an Italian film award awarded each year since 1946 by the Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists (Italian: ''Sindacato Nazionale Giornalisti Cinematografici Italiani ...
.
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 uninco ...
'', starring John Simm.
Other work
James is patron of the Sussex Police Charitable Trust, patron of Brighton & Hove Samaritans
Samaritans (; ; he, שומרונים, translit=Šōmrōnīm, lit=; ar, السامريون, translit=as-Sāmiriyyūn) are an ethnoreligious group who originate from the ancient Israelites. They are native to the Levant and adhere to Samarit ...
, 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
Neighbourhood Watch in the United Kingdom is the largest voluntary crime prevention movement covering England and Wales with upwards of 2.3 million household members. The charity brings neighbors together to create strong, friendly and active comm ...
, co-patron of Sussex Crimestoppers
Crime Stoppers or Crimestoppers is a community program that helps people to provide anonymous information about criminal activity. Often managed by non-profit groups or the police, it operates separately from the emergency telephone number sy ...
, 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 on four campuses in Brighton and Eastbourne 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 achieve ...
, and a Martlets Hospice Champion (which he also supports through his annual Peter James Golf Classic). He supports Action Medical Research
Action Medical Research, previously The National Fund for Research into Crippling Diseases, is a British medical research charity, founded in 1952, that focusses on funding research to prevent and treat disease and disability in babies and children ...
. He also supports and works with The Reading Agency
The Reading Agency is a charity registered in England and Wales which promotes the benefits of reading among children and adults in UK, working with partners including public libraries, colleges and prisons.
Operations
Sue Wilkinson served as t ...
, 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
''Bedsitcom'' is a British reality television hoax series that was broadcast on Channel 4 in December 2003. Pitched as "somewhere between a sitcom and a reality TV show", the show documented the lives of six young people living in a loft flat ...
''
*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
The British Book Awards or Nibbies are literary awards for the best UK writers and their works, administered by ''The Bookseller''. The awards have had several previous names, owners and sponsors since being launched in 1990, including the National ...
– 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 The Dagger in the Library (Golden Handcuffs in 1992–1994) is an annual award given by the British Crime Writers' Association to a particular "living author who has given the most pleasure to readers". Yearly shortlists are drawn up of the ten auth ...
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''Alchemist
Alchemy (from Arabic: ''al-kīmiyā''; from Ancient Greek: χυμεία, ''khumeía'') is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscience, protoscientific tradition that was historically practiced in Chinese alchemy, C ...
'' (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
20th-century English novelists
21st-century English novelists
English crime fiction writers
English mystery writers
English film producers
English thriller writers
English screenwriters
English male screenwriters
English spy fiction writers
English children's writers
People educated at Charterhouse School
Living people
People from Brighton
English people of Jewish descent
English male novelists
20th-century English male writers
21st-century English male writers
Barry Award winners
Cartier Diamond Dagger winners