Few books about the craft of writing have been written by people so imminently qualified to speak on the subject. If you'd like more insight into her influences and how she approaches writing, we strongly recommend checking out her non-fiction book, Talking About Detective Fiction. James – or Phyllis Dorothy James, Baroness James of Holland Park, as she known in her “real” life – passed away in 2014 at the age of 94, so unless her estate grants rights to a modern author, we won't be seeing any new additions to this series. To help you get started, we've included a list of all the Dalgliesh books in order, along with descriptions to make it easier to figure out which ones you've read.

Acorn TV is currently adapting the series for television ( check out the trailer and details HERE), and the new series will premiere in November 2021. James, now is a great time to get familiar with the series. If you've never read the Adam Dalgliesh mystery novels by P.D. D.In some cases, we earn commissions from affiliate links in our posts. Many of her books were made into TV adaptations and her novel ‘The Children of Men’ was adapted into a feature film in 2006. James was also the ‘Commander of the British Empire’. She was made the Baroness on the Queen’s ‘New Year’s Honors List’ and the ‘Baroness James of Holland Park’ in 1991.

She has been honored with many awards including the ‘Crime Writers’ Association’s gold and silver daggers and the reputable ‘Order of the British Empire’ (OBE) in 1983. The complexity, depth and diversity of her stories are simply brilliant. Her first novel ‘Cover Her Face’ was set in a British country house and was a classic lock room puzzle whereas her novel ‘Innocent Blood’ (1980) was a story about finding the birthmother of an adopted child.

She experimented with all forms of mystery. Her experience with the health services and the crime department reflected in her novels where she gave highly accurate accounts of both the scenarios. James worked to create a high quality of the plot, the setting of the story and her characters were very consistent in nature. She became a full time author in 1979 after her retirement from the government service in the Crime Department.

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