Phyllis Dorothy James, Baroness James of Holland Park, OBE, FRSA, FRSL aka P.D. James is my absolute favorite mystery writer. I even have a reproduction of her official portrait that is hanging in the National Portrait Gallery in London framed above my desk (see above). [portrait]
Born in 1920, James did not take to writing until her 30s. Even after the publication of several novels, she continued working as a civil servant in many different government departments including the BBC, the NHS, and the Criminal Department of Home Affairs.
James’s mysteries are filled with beautiful writing, intriguing character psychologies, and intricate puzzles. The stories unfold slowly with each layer giving us more insight into the lives of the people that inhabit their world.
Some info about her books:
- The Adam Dalgliesh mysteries are police procedurals. Much of her government/bureaucratic experience is relived in these novels. Adam is also a celebrated poet.
- Cordelia Gray is a young, private detective who takes over her boss’s detective agency when he dies.
- Her two non-series books are definitely worth reading. Innocent Blood is the closest thing to a thriller that James has written. The Children of Men, a near-future sci-fi novel, was made into a feature film in 2006.
Click to visit P.D. James's website at Random House.
Adam Dalgliesh Mysteries
1. Cover Her Face (1962)
2. A Mind to Murder (1963)
3. Unnatural Causes (1967)
4. Shroud for a Nightingale (1971)
5. The Black Tower (1975)
6. Death of an Expert Witness (1977)
7. A Taste for Death (1986)
8. Devices and Desires (1989)
9. Original Sin (1994)
10. A Certain Justice (1997)
11. Death in Holy Orders (2001)
12. The Murder Room (2003)
13. The Lighthouse (2005)
14. The Private Patient (2008)
Cordelia Gray Mysteries
1. An Unsuitable Job for a Woman (1972)
2. The Skull Beneath the Skin (1982)
Non-Series
- Innocent Blood (1980)
- The Children of Men (1992)
Non-Fiction
- The Maul and the Pear Tree: The Ratcliffe Highway Murders, 1811, with Thomas A. Critchley (1971)
- Time to be in Earnest (2000) Autobiography/Memoir
- Talking About Detective Fiction (2009) Literary Criticism
Publishers:
- Faber and Faber Ltd, London.
- Alfred A. Knopf Inc, Random House, New York.
