P.D. James author page

P.D. James biography

P.D. James, full name Phyllis Dorothy James, was a British author known for her crime and detective fiction. She published her first novel, Cover Her Face, in 1962, introducing the character Detective Adam Dalgliesh of Scotland Yard. James wrote a series of novels featuring Dalgliesh, including A Mind to Murder (1963), Shroud for a Nightingale (1971), Death of an Expert Witness (1977), and Original Sin (1994).

In addition to the Dalgliesh series, James authored the Cordelia Gray mysteries, beginning with An Unsuitable Job for a Woman (1972). She also wrote standalone novels such as The Children of Men (1992), which was later adapted into a feature film.

James received numerous literary honours, including being named a life peer as Baroness James of Holland Park in 1991. She was awarded the Crime Writers’ Association Diamond Dagger in 1987 for lifetime achievement. Her works have been translated into multiple languages and adapted for television and radio.

Her final Adam Dalgliesh novel, The Private Patient, was published in 2008.