The Hawk Is Dead cover art

The Hawk Is Dead

Roy Grace Returns In This Royally Pulse-Pounding Crime Thriller From The Multimillion-Copy Bestselling Author

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The Hawk Is Dead

By: Peter James
Narrated by: Daniel Weyman
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About this listen

Read by Daniel Weyman (The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power) and featuring an author's note read by Peter James

'What a fool I've been not to have read Peter James until The Hawk Is Dead! A great story' – James Patterson, bestselling author of the Alex Cross series

Roy Grace never dreamed a murder investigation would take him deep into Buckingham Palace . . .


Her Majesty, Queen Camilla, is aboard the Royal Train heading to a charity event in Sussex when disaster strikes – the train is derailed.

A tragic accident or a planned attack?

When, minutes later, a trusted aide is shot dead by a sniper, the police have their answer.

Despite all the evidence, Roy Grace is not convinced The Queen was the intended target. But he finds himself alone in his suspicions.

Fighting against the scepticism of his colleagues and the Palace itself, Grace pursues his own investigation. But when there is a second murder, the stakes rise even higher, and Grace is at risk of being embroiled in a very public catastrophe – and in mortal danger.

Failure at this level is not an option. But time is running out before a killer in the Palace will strike again . . .

Roy Grace is back with his most difficult case yet in the gripping new instalment from number one bestselling author Peter James.

You can listen to Peter James discussing the Roy Grace series with Her Majesty Queen Camilla on The Queen's Reading Room podcast.

*****

23 million books sold.

Now a major ITV/BritBox show starring John Simm as Roy Grace.

Creator of Her Majesty Queen Camilla’s favourite fictional detective.

‘A great story’ – James Patterson, bestselling author of the Alex Cross series

'Fast-paced and gripping, I couldn’t put it down!' – Alexandra Potter, bestselling author of the Confessions of a Forty-Something series

'Classic Peter James' – Rachel Abbott, bestselling author of the DCI Tom Douglas series

'A right royal page-turner' – Angela Rippon, award-winning broadcaster


'Peter James is one of the best British crime writers and therefore one of the best in the world' – Lee Child, bestselling author of the Jack Reacher series

'Peter James is one of the best crime writers in the business' – Karin Slaughter, bestselling author of the Will Trent series


'One of the world’s most popular detective series' – The Guardian

Crime Thrillers Mystery Police Procedurals Suspense Thriller & Suspense Royalty Crime Murder

Critic reviews

What a fool I’ve been not to have read Peter James until The Hawk is Dead. A great story (James Patterson, bestselling author of the Alex Cross series)
I’ve never read a detective novel before but what better place to start than this thumping new thriller from Peter James . . . Fast-paced and gripping, I couldn’t put it down! (Alexandra Potter, bestselling author of Confessions of a Forty-Something)
The Hawk Is Dead is classic Peter James, combining the trademark intricate plotting of his acclaimed Roy Grace series with a fascinating, behind-the-scenes exploration of life within the royal household (Rachel Abbott, bestselling author of the Tom Douglas series)
Roy Grace swaps Brighton for Buck House to unravel a conspiracy of murder, revenge and betrayal. It all makes for a right royal page-turner (Angela Rippon, award-winning broadcaster)
Endlessly fascinating, riveting and wildly entertaining! For the Anglophiles among us, a must-read (Tess Gerritsen, bestselling author of the Rizzoli & Isles series)
The Hawk Is Dead is classic Peter James, combining the trademark intricate plotting of his acclaimed Roy Grace series with a fascinating, behind-the-scenes exploration of life within the royal household. (Rachel Abbott, author of Whatever It Takes)
A majestic treat!
An utterly compelling thriller, this is James at his masterful best - one of the best writers around
Packed with detail about the workings of the modern monarchy, the plot thunders along, underlining just how consummate a crime novelist James is
One of the world's most popular detective series
All stars
Most relevant
I always eagerly anticipate the next Roy Grace book. This one has disappointed me however. I knew from the beginning that it was not for me but I was determined to finish.
I am a supporter of the Monarchy but this was too much. In fact the deference and titles were quite off putting.

I rushed through it so it would be over

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If tale is to be very detailed, it needs to be correct.
There was never an Acto mower, they were made by ATCO.
If Royalty are to be involved, they should at least be addressed correctly. The Queen is Ma’am, to rhyme with jaam not rhyming with farm. A simple Google search would have put you right.
My pedantry aside, it’s a good yarn well told, with real characters well voiced by the reader.

Detail

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Nothing to dislike. Brilliant as always. I loved the involvement of Buckingham Palace and the historical background references. I found myself emotionally drawn into wanting Grace to solve it quickly as the story became real as the book progressed loved it. Peter James never lets he down and always delivers a thumping good tale

Exciting and riveting

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a good inside as to where life is taking us God help us not to submit to greed.

really well researched

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Not sure was going to enjoy this when I realised it included the royal family - not because of the royal family, but because normally a fictitious character leaves more to your imagination. BUT I soon got over the “real people issue” and think it’s one of his best

As ever the narration is exceptionally good

As brilliant as ever

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