Best-selling Scottish author Peter May has died at the age of 74, his wife announced. May, who sold more than 15 million copies of his work worldwide and had 40 years of experience in journalism, writing and television, passed away at his home in the south of France.
Career and Early Life
He began his career as a journalist in his native Glasgow, before publishing his first novel at the age of 26. After his first book was made into a BBC series, he started working in television as a scriptwriter and producer.
May later returned to fiction with a series of China-set thrillers, followed by the French-set Enzo Files. Both series featured characters that reflected his growing interest in forensic science, according to his publisher, Jon Riley.
International Fame and Final Novel
His publisher said it was the publication of the Lewis-set thriller The Blackhouse in 2011 that brought international fame and bestselling success, resulting in The Lewis Trilogy. May also ventured into music, releasing a CD in 2025 called Towards the Light.
His final novel, Island of the Dead, is to be published posthumously in January 2027. Although he had announced his retirement, which he was looking forward to sharing with his wife, the writer Janice Hally, May found there was one more novel in him and delivered the manuscript in July this year.
Tributes and Legacy
Riley described May as one of the most popular and loved writers of crime fiction of his generation, with books selling around 15 million copies worldwide. He added that May was preparing for a farewell tour of Scotland and Lewis to coincide with the January 2027 publication.
His French publisher Editions du Rouergue wrote that May was a man of raw sensitivity, profoundly empathetic, considerate, and endlessly kind. May, who lived in the Lot area of southwest France and became a French citizen, was one of the country's most popular foreign crime writers.
