Video: A bestselling crime writer was pulled from the sea yesterday.

Peter James was hauled from out of the water off Shoreham Harbour in a white van shortly after 6pm.

However, luckily for author the incident was part of a stunt to promote his new book Dead Man’s Grip set in Brighton and Hove.

Mr James, who lives near Lewes, played the part of a dead body that is recovered in the same way in the novel, which features Sussex Police detective Roy Grace.

The “great and the good” of Sussex attended the launch.

The 500 guests included Sussex Police Chief Constable Martin Richards, Deputy Chief Constable Giles York and Chief Superintendent Graham Bartlett.

Guests also included about 100 other police officers, as well as Brighton and Hove City Council officers and Des Lynam.

Mr James said he had been as “nervous as hell” about the stunt.

He said: “I had the whole police dive team to rescue me in case it went wrong."

After witnessing the stund, city police commander Chief Superintendent Graham Bartlett said: “It was a fantastic event. The thing that strikes me about Peter is the depth of research that he puts into his books.

“I have read all of the Roy Grace series and I have yet to find a procedural mistake.”