Rabbit’s Lancing facility inspires Peter James thriller

Rabbit Waste Management’s Energy Recovery Facility in Lancing helped inspire a fictional power station in Dead in Three Two One, the latest Roy Grace thriller from bestselling Sussex author Peter James.

Peter James visited the facility in spring 2025 to research how a power station operates and explore a sinister question for his novel: how someone might use such a site to dispose of a body.

Marc Linberry, Managing Director of Rabbit Waste Management, showed Peter around the site, giving him a closer look at the workings of the Energy Recovery Facility. Peter took a particular interest in the shredder, conveyors and incinerator, gathering the practical detail that would help him create a convincing fictional setting for his thriller. The visit gave him the chance to see the machinery first hand and put his research questions directly to Marc.

Although Rabbit is not named in the novel’s plot, the real facility informed the fictional setting, helping Peter bring authentic detail to the story. He publicly thanked Rabbit’s staff at the book’s launch for their assistance with his research.

Marc Linberry said: “It’s not every day a crime writer asks how our plant could help hide the evidence. We enjoyed showing Peter around and answering his questions. It’s been fascinating to see how his research helped shape the fictional setting in the book.”

Rabbit Waste Management is a family-run skip hire and waste management business based in Lancing, West Sussex, operating since 1988. Rabbit’s Energy Recovery Facility takes waste that cannot be recycled and turns it into enough electricity to power around 8,000 local homes.

Dead in Three Two One was published by Pan Macmillan on 22 October 2026 and is available in hardback, ebook and audiobook.