Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dead Simple | 2005 | Peter James | Buy |
| 2 | Looking Good Dead | 2006 | Peter James | Buy |
| 3 | Not Dead Enough | 2007 | Peter James | Buy |
| 4 | Dead Man’s Footsteps | 2008 | Peter James | Buy |
| 5 | Dead Tomorrow | 2009 | Peter James | Buy |
| 6 | Dead Like You | 2010 | Peter James | Buy |
| 7 | Dead Man’s Grip | 2011 | Peter James | Buy |
| 8 | Not Dead Yet | 2012 | Peter James | Buy |
| 9 | Dead Man’s Time | 2013 | Peter James | Buy |
| 10 | Want You Dead | 2014 | Peter James | Buy |
| 11 | You Are Dead | 2015 | Peter James | Buy |
| 12 | Love You Dead | 2016 | Peter James | Buy |
| 13 | Need You Dead | 2017 | Peter James | Buy |
| 14 | Dead If You Don’t | 2018 | Peter James | Buy |
| 15 | Dead at First Sight | 2019 | Peter James | Buy |
| 16 | Find Them Dead | 2020 | Peter James | Buy |
| 17 | Left You Dead | 2021 | Peter James | Buy |
| 18 | Picture You Dead | 2022 | Peter James | Buy |
| 19 | Stop Them Dead | 2023 | Peter James | Buy |
| 20 | They Thought I Was Dead: Sandy’s Story | 2024 | Peter James | Buy |
| 21 | One of Us Is Dead | 2024 | Peter James | Buy |
| 22 | The Hawk is Dead | 2025 | Peter James | Buy |
The Roy Grace series follows Detective Superintendent Roy Grace of the Sussex CID as he investigates murders in and around Brighton, England. Peter James launched the series with Dead Simple in 2005, and it has since grown to over 20 novels with new entries arriving nearly every year.
Each book centers on a new case. Dead Simple opens with a stag night prank that goes horribly wrong, setting the tone for the kind of twisty, dark plotting that defines the series. Later books tackle everything from identity theft killings and hit-and-run deaths to crimes involving the dark web. James often bases his plots on real criminal cases and consults with serving police officers to keep the procedural details authentic.
Running alongside the investigations is Roy Grace’s personal story. His first wife, Sandy, disappeared years before the series begins, and the question of what happened to her hangs over the early books. As the series progresses, Grace builds a new life while never fully escaping the past. This balance of standalone cases and continuing character arcs makes the series accessible to new readers while giving long-time fans reasons to keep coming back.