The attempted assassination of the Queen written by Peter James.

The Hidden Truth About Peter James' Latest Royal Thriller In THE HAWK IS DEAD (Pan Macmillan, On sale: October 21, 2025), Peter James challenges Roy Grace with the biggest, and most daunting, case of his career—solving what at first appears to be an assassination attempt on The Queen. The story begins on November 20, 2023, with Queen Camilla traveling on the Royal Train to the resort city of Brighton for a scheduled visit to the first of two hospices. What should have been a proud moment for the locals spirals into disaster when the train is derailed just north of the city inside a railway tunnel. Moments after The Queen and her entourage make it out to daylight, cell service, and the promise of safety, they are startled by a sharp cracking sound and a grisly shock—a head exploding, literally, spattering blood, bone, and brain all over The Queen’s clothing. The victim is Sir Peregrine Greaves, Her Majesty’s trusted Private Secretary. Was poor Perry the intended target? Or was, as everyone else believes, the sniper’s bullet really meant for Queen Camilla?