Abergavenny will play host to a best-selling author this October when local shop, Book-ish, teams up with The Angel Hotel for a fascinating talk in the heart in Abergavenny.

Peter James, the number one Sunday Times bestselling author, will be in town to discuss his latest thriller, Dead in Three Two One.

The writer has won more than 40 awards for his work, including the Crime Writers’ Associations Diamond Dagger and achieved 21 Sunday Times number ones. He’s also the WHSmith Best Crime Author of All Time.

Now, as part of his Roy Grace thrillers, James’ latest book will be on sale to the public on October 20th making his stop in Abergavenny among the first after the release date.

The series of novels have also been adapted for the small screen as part of the ITV Drama, Grace, starring John Simm as the troubled Brighton Copper. This time, he’s pushed to the limit coordinating Brighton’s massive security operation amid whispers of a potential terror attack at the city’s Pride event. And as Roy and his wife Cleo prepare for a night of celebration at the Royal Courteney, they have no idea that they are stepping into a deadly trap

All of Peter’s novels are fuelled by extensive research before the pen hits the page. In fact, for his previous thriller, The Hawk is Dead, he was granted unprecedented access to Buckingham Palace and also sat with a train driver from London to Brighton.

For Dead in Three Two One, he worked a full day as a concierge in one of Brighton’s most iconic seafront hotels. The bonus? A £5 tip for all his hard work!

Peter is a supporter of many of charities reflecting his concerns and interests, including as Co-Patron of the Sussex Police Charitable Trust, which supports Sussex Police officers, staff, special constables, pensioners and dependant family members in their hour of need; as a patron of the RSPCA, the Samaritans, as an ambassador for The Reading Agency and as an ambassador for the National Year of Reading, among many others.

He began his writing career in film, starting out by cleaning Orson Welles’ London home for ten shillings an hour, and going on to work as a producer and/or writer on over 25 features, including the BAFTA-nominated A Merchant of Venice starring Al Pacino and Jeremy Irons, as well as creating television shows for Channel 4 and ITV.

The author was also recently awarded an OBE for his services to literature and charity, having been revealed as the late Queen Elizabeth II’s favourite crime writer.

His books have sold over 23 million copies worldwide and they have been translated into 38 different languages.

The talk lasts 90 minutes, running between 7.30pm and 9pm on Friday October 23 and tickets are priced at £15.

For those wanting a signed copy of the book as well as a ticket to the talk, tickets will cost £29 via the book.ish website.

Make sure you sign up to the Abergavenny Chronicle online to read all your favourite articles and get the latest news from the area. Use the code TOMOSOAKLEY to get £10 off your annual subscription!