Original Sin

THE MULTIMILLION-COPY BESTSELLING ADAM DALGLIESH SERIES FROM THE 'QUEEN OF ENGLISH CRIME' (Guardian) 'A legend.' VAL MCDERMID 'P.D. James took the classic crime novel and turned up the dial.' MICK HERRON ''Classic P. D. James: rich, delicious and satisfying.'' EVENING STANDARD PERFECT FOR FANS OF VAL MCDERMID, RUTH RENDELL AND ELLY GRIFFITHS __________________________________________________________________________________ Where murder is concerned, fiction cannot compete with real life. The Peverell Press is losing money. The two-hundred-year-old independent publisher is still housed in its dramatic mock-Venetian palace on the Thames, but its ruthless new director, Gerard Etienne, wants to move to cheaper offices as part of his plan to save the company. Before he can push through any ambitious changes, though, he is found murdered, his body bizarrely desecrated. Commander Adam Dalgliesh soon finds that the director had a host of dangerous enemies: a discarded mistress, a neglected and humiliated author, rebellious colleagues, disgruntled staff. But did any of them hate Gerard enough to kill him? __________________________________________________________________________________ 'A vintage revenge story.' Daily Mail 'Outstanding . . . These are books to escape into, delighting in the sense that you are in safe hands, no matter how unsafe the subject.' Observer 'Crime novel perfection!' 5* reader review Now a major Channel 5 series __________________________________________________________________________________ READERS LOVE THE ADAM DALGLEISH SERIES: 'Adam Dalgleish is one of the best characters in modern detective fiction.' 5* reader review 'If you are not already an Adam Dalgliesh fan, I urge you to become one . . . James can describe a scene or delineate a character with precision and depth, like no other writer I have read . . . I usually stay up all night to read a P. D. James novel once I start one.' 5* reader review 'I would never give less than 5 stars to any P. D. James book. She is one of a kind, always constant, always wonderful writing, always great characters, and always a good mystery that you cannot put down.' 5* reader review 'P.D. James writes mysteries for ordinary people. Her characters are relatable and her hero is dynamic. But don''t expect cell phones or computers. Her stories are strictly old school, which is what I love about them.' 5* reader review 'Crime writing at its very best!' 5* reader review PRAISE FOR P. D. JAMES: 'P. D. James is the crème de la crème of crime writers. Her books are shrewd puzzles, full of wit and depth.' IAN RANKIN 'Nobody can put the reader in the eye of the storm quite like P. D. James.' SUNDAY EXPRESS 'One of the literary greats. Her sense of place was exquisite, characterisation and plotting unrivalled.' MARI HANNAH 'James manages a depth and intelligence that few in her trade can match.' THE TIMES 'There are very few thriller writers who can compete with P. D. James at her best.' SPECTATOR 'The queen of English crime.' GUARDIAN

P. D. James (1920-2014) was a bestselling and internationally acclaimed crime writer best known for her books starring poet-detective Adam Dalgliesh. She wrote nineteen novels as well as several short story collections and works of non-fiction. Her work has been translated into thirty-six languages, and has sold millions of copies worldwide. Among many international prizes, awards and honours, she received the highest honours in both British and American crime writing: the CWA Diamond Dagger for a lifetime contribution to the genre, and the Mystery Writers of America Grandmaster Award. She was inducted into the Crime Writing Hall of Fame in 2008. Beyond her writing, she worked in the National Health Service and then in the Home Office for over thirty years, first in the Police Department and later in the Criminal Policy Department, and made use of all this experience in her novels. She served as president of the Society of Authors for sixteen years, and was a Fellow of both the Royal Society of Literature and of the Royal Society of Arts. In 1983 she was awarded an OBE, and she was made a life peer in 1991. She died in 2014.