P. D. James books in order
English crime writer
- Lived
- 1920–2014
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Books
- 32
- Series
- 2
P. D. James published 27 novels, 3 short story collections and 2 other books, beginning with Unnatural Causes (1962). The 2 series include Adam Dalgliesh (17 books, starting with Cover Her Face) and Cordelia Gray (3 books, starting with An Unsuitable Job for a Woman). The best-known is Cover Her Face (1962).
Updated September 2026
Adam Dalgliesh books in order (17)Series page
Reading order: 1 Cover Her Face (1962) · 2 A Mind to Murder (1963) · 3 Unnatural Causes (1962) · 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) · … all 17 below
- 1.
Cover Her Face (Dec 1962)
- 2.
A Mind to Murder (1963)
- 3.
Unnatural Causes (1962)
- 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 (Oct 1989)
- 9.
Original Sin (Nov 1994)
- 10.
A Certain Justice (Oct 1997)
- 11.
Death in Holy Orders (2001)
- 12.
The Murder Room (2003)
- 13.
The Lighthouse (2005)
- 14.
The Private Patient (2008)
Crime Times Three (1979)
Murder in Triplicate (1980)
Deadly Pleasures (1996)
Where to start with P. D. James
Start here
Cover Her Face
P. D. James's most-read book and the first of the 17 Adam Dalgliesh books.
Standalone novels in order
The Maul and the Pear Tree (1971)
Innocent Blood (1980)
The Children of Men (1992)
Time To Be In Earnest (1999)
A Suitable Job for a Woman (2009)
Talking About Detective Fiction (2009)
Death Comes to Pemberley (2011)
Short story collections in order
Murder in the Dark (1994)
The Mistletoe Murder (2016)
Sleep No More (2017)
Other books in order
A Taste for Death Part 1 of 2 (1986)
Threebies (2003)
Film and TV adaptations
- An Unsuitable Job for a Woman (1982)Film · from An Unsuitable Job for a Woman
- Children of Men (2006)Film · from The Children of Men
- Death Comes to PemberleyTV · from Death Comes to Pemberley
About P. D. James
Phyllis Dorothy James White, Baroness James of Holland Park, known professionally as P. D. James, was an English novelist and life peer. Her rise to fame came with her series of detective novels featuring the police commander and poet, Adam Dalgliesh.
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
P. D. James FAQ
- How many books has P. D. James written?
- P. D. James published 27 novels, 3 short story collections and 2 other books that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read P. D. James's books in?
- Read each series in its own order: start Adam Dalgliesh with Cover Her Face and Cordelia Gray with An Unsuitable Job for a Woman. The other books stand alone and can be read in any order.
- What is P. D. James's last book?
- The Mistletoe Murder (2016).
- What is P. D. James's most famous book?
- Cover Her Face (1962) is P. D. James's most widely read book.
- Are P. D. James's books connected?
- 20 books belong to 2 series (Adam Dalgliesh and Cordelia Gray); the other 12 books stand alone.
- Which P. D. James books have been adapted?
- 3 books have been adapted for film or TV, including An Unsuitable Job for a Woman (film, 1982), The Children of Men (as Children of Men, film, 2006) and Death Comes to Pemberley (TV).
Authors like P. D. James
Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.