Reading order · 14 books · 1962 to 2008 · Set in London
Adam Dalgliesh Books in Order
Adam Dalgliesh is a Scotland Yard detective and published poet, reserved and humane, who investigates murders in hospitals, publishing houses, churches, law chambers and island retreats. Intelligent, richly written classic crime.
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Series facts
- Books
- 14
- Published
- 1962 to 2008
- First book
- Cover Her Face
- Latest
- The Private Patient (2008)
- Setting
- Set in London
The reading order
Every Adam Dalgliesh book in publication order. Choose a title for its cast and summary.
14 books · Set in London
- 1Cover Her Face1962With Adam DalglieshSally Jupp, a young maid at a country manor, is found strangled in her bedroom the morning after the village fête, and Detective Chief Inspector Adam Dalgliesh investigates.Buy on Amazon
- 2A Mind to Murder1963With Adam DalglieshThe administrator of a psychiatric clinic in London is found dead in the basement.Buy on Amazon
- 3Unnatural Causes1967With Adam DalglieshDalgliesh, on holiday on the Suffolk coast, is drawn in when the body of a crime writer is found drifting in a dinghy, with both hands cut off.Buy on Amazon
- 4Shroud for a Nightingale1971With Adam DalglieshAt a hospital training school for nurses, a student dies during a demonstration, and then another.Buy on Amazon
- 5The Black Tower1975With Adam DalglieshDalgliesh, recovering from illness, visits an old friend at a home for the disabled on the Dorset coast, and finds he has died.Buy on Amazon
- 6Death of an Expert Witness1977With Adam DalglieshA scientist at a forensic laboratory in the Fens is found dead, and his colleagues all had reason to hate him.Buy on Amazon
- 7A Taste for Death1986With Adam DalglieshTwo bodies are found in the vestry of a London church: a homeless man and a government minister.Buy on Amazon
- 8Devices and Desires1989With Adam DalglieshDalgliesh visits the Norfolk coast near a nuclear power station, where a serial killer called the Whistler is at large.Buy on Amazon
- 9Original Sin1994With Adam DalglieshThe managing director of an old publishing house on the Thames is found dead.Buy on Amazon
- 10A Certain Justice1997With Adam DalglieshA leading criminal barrister is found dead in her chambers.Buy on Amazon
- 11Death in Holy Orders2001With Adam DalglieshAt a theological college on the Suffolk coast, a student is found dead, buried under sand.Buy on Amazon
- 12The Murder Room2003With Adam DalglieshA family museum in Hampstead has a room devoted to famous murders, and soon there is a real one.Buy on Amazon
- 13The Lighthouse2005With Adam DalglieshOn an island off the Cornish coast, a retreat for powerful people, a famous novelist is found hanged from the lighthouse.Buy on Amazon
- 14The Private Patient2008With Adam DalglieshA journalist dies after surgery at a private clinic in a Dorset manor house.Buy on Amazon
Do you need to read them in order?
Read in order, starting with Cover Her Face. Each case stands alone.
Who appears in which book
The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.
| Book | Adam Dalgliesh | Kate Miskin | Piers Tarrant | Emma Lavenham | Francis Benton-Smith | John Massingham |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Cover Her Face | LLead | |||||
| 2 A Mind to Murder | LLead | |||||
| 3 Unnatural Causes | LLead | |||||
| 4 Shroud for a Nightingale | LLead | |||||
| 5 The Black Tower | LLead | |||||
| 6 Death of an Expert Witness | LLead | MMajor | ||||
| 7 A Taste for Death | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | |||
| 8 Devices and Desires | LLead | |||||
| 9 Original Sin | LLead | MMajor | ||||
| 10 A Certain Justice | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | |||
| 11 Death in Holy Orders | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ||
| 12 The Murder Room | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ||
| 13 The Lighthouse | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ||
| 14 The Private Patient | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor |
Characters in the Adam Dalgliesh books
7 characters from P.D. James’s chart, with the number of Adam Dalgliesh books each appears in.
| Character | Books | First in this series |
|---|---|---|
| Adam DalglieshScotland Yard detective and poet | 14 | Cover Her Face 1962 |
| Kate MiskinDetective inspector on Dalgliesh’s team | 7 | A Taste for Death 1986 |
| Piers TarrantDetective inspector | 3 | A Certain Justice 1997 |
| Emma LavenhamCambridge academic | 3 | Death in Holy Orders 2001 |
| Francis Benton-SmithDetective sergeant | 3 | The Murder Room 2003 |
| John MassinghamDetective inspector | 2 | Death of an Expert Witness 1977 |
| Daniel AaronDetective inspector | 1 | Original Sin 1994 |
Crossovers with P.D. James’s other series
- Cordelia Gray: Adam Dalgliesh also appears in 1 of its books