Who Was Peter May? Inside the Life, Books and Death of the 'Lewis Trilogy' Author
- 🔑 Scottish novelist Peter May, best known for the Lewis Trilogy, died on Friday, September 25, 2026, at his home in the south of France at age 74. His widow, author Janice Hally, publicly announced the news on Monday, September 28, 2026, saying she had ’no words’ to express the loss.
- May wrote roughly 30 novels over his career, including the Lewis Trilogy — The Blackhouse, The Lewis Man and The Chessmen — set on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides, plus the Enzo Files series following a forensic scientist working cold cases in France.
- Wikipedia’s author page credits May with selling more than 12 million books worldwide, though some news reports cited a figure closer to 15 million; his honors include the 2013 Barry Award for The Blackhouse and France’s 2011 Cezam Prix Littéraire Inter CE.
- No cause of death has been publicly disclosed by his family, publisher or any news outlet as of Tuesday, September 29, 2026; this piece does not speculate on the circumstances of his death beyond what has been officially confirmed.
- May’s final novel, Island of the Dead, is set on a fictional island in the Hebrides and is scheduled for publication on January 14, 2027, according to a post from the author’s own account; he reportedly delivered the finished manuscript in July 2026.
- The name is shared with a different, unrelated public figure: Peter May the former England Test cricket captain, who led the national side between 1955 and 1961 and died in 1994 — a distinct person with no connection to the novelist’s career or recent death.
Peter May was a Scottish crime novelist best known for the “Lewis Trilogy,” who died at age 74 at his home in the south of France on Friday, September 25, 2026. His widow, novelist Janice Hally, publicly announced the news on Monday, September 28, 2026. The name is also shared by a former England Test cricket captain who died in 1994 — a different, unrelated person who has nothing to do with this week’s news.
Who was Peter May?
Peter May was a Scottish novelist, journalist and former television writer and producer, born in Glasgow on December 20, 1951. He started out as a journalist, winning Scotland’s Young Journalist of the Year award in 1973, then moved into British television before turning to novels full-time. Over roughly three decades he wrote around 30 books, many translated into other languages, and he lived for years in the south of France, where he continued writing until his death.
Is this the Peter May who played cricket for England?
No — that’s a different person entirely. The earlier Peter May (1929–1994) captained England’s Test cricket team between 1955 and 1961, winning 20 of his 41 matches in charge, and was later inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. He died more than three decades ago, and has no connection to the novelist or to this week’s news.
How did Peter May die, and has a cause been given?
No cause of death has been made public. His widow announced only that he had died at their home in the south of France on Friday, September 25, 2026, at age 74, saying she had “no words” to express the loss. His longtime publisher, in a separate tribute, called him “irreplaceable,” praising his “kindness, generosity and largeness of spirit.” Neither statement, nor any other source available as of Tuesday, September 29, 2026, gives a cause of death, and none should be assumed.
What books was Peter May best known for?
May was best known for the “Lewis Trilogy,” a set of three crime novels — The Blackhouse, The Lewis Man and The Chessmen — set on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides. The Blackhouse, published in 2011, went on to win the U.S. Barry Award for Best Crime Novel in 2013, plus a French readers’ prize. He also wrote the seven-book “Enzo Files” series, following a Scottish forensic scientist solving cold cases in France, along with a run of standalone thrillers.
| Book | Year |
|---|---|
| The Blackhouse | 2011 |
| The Lewis Man | 2012 |
| The Chessmen | 2013 |
Did Peter May win any major awards?
Across his career, May collected honors on both sides of the English Channel. Beyond his 1973 journalism award, he won France’s Prix Intramuros in 2007 for Snakehead and the Cezam Prix Littéraire Inter CE in 2011 for The Blackhouse, which also took the Barry Award in the U.S. in 2013. Entry Island won the Deanston Scottish Crime Book of the Year in 2014, and as recently as 2025 he received France’s Grand Prix de Littérature Policière. Estimates of his total sales vary: his Wikipedia author page puts the figure at more than 12 million books worldwide, while several news reports this week cited a figure closer to 15 million.
Is there a new Peter May book still coming?
Yes — his final novel, Island of the Dead, is still scheduled for publication on January 14, 2027, according to a post from the author’s own account. The book is set on a fictional island in the Hebrides and follows a man who returns after 14 years to confront the circumstances of a death there. May reportedly delivered the finished manuscript to his publisher in July 2026, and had reportedly been expected to tour Scotland and the Isle of Lewis around the book’s release.
What did his family and publisher say?
His widow, Janice Hally, herself a published novelist, announced his death directly rather than through a formal statement, saying only that she had “no words” to express the loss. His publisher followed with a longer tribute describing him as “irreplaceable” and praising his “kindness, generosity and largeness of spirit,” alongside his standing as one of the strongest crime writers of his generation.
The bottom line
Peter May spent more than 50 years working first as a journalist, then a television writer, then one of Scotland’s best-selling crime novelists — building an international readership around the Isle of Lewis and, later, Enzo Macleod’s France. He died at 74 on September 25, 2026, with no cause of death disclosed, and readers can still expect one more new novel from him, Island of the Dead, in January 2027.