P.D. James's debut novel, the first Adam Dalgliesh mystery is a thrilling work of crime fiction set in the English countryside, from the bestselling author of Death Comes to Pemberley and Children of Men.

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
'The murder mystery queen.' SUN

PERFECT FOR FANS OF VAL MCDERMID, RUTH RENDELL AND ELLY GRIFFITHS
__________________________________________________________________________________
Adam Dalgliesh. I've heard of him - ruthless, unorthodox, and working always against time.

When the body of Sally Jupp is discovered in her bedroom - the door bolted from the inside - the occupants of Martingale House are sure that the blame for this unthinkable crime will fall on an unknown intruder. But each of the household is hiding a secret that could shed light on the murder.

And there's only one man who can sift through the layers of deceit and pretence to unmask the truth: Detective Chief Inspector Adam Dalgleish.
__________________________________________________________________________________

'A classic country-house whodunit . . . Very well written, with proper detection and a surprise ending.' Punch

'Absolutely loved this book! . . . Incredibly well written and I honestly had no idea who the guilty party was. Brilliant! I look forward to reading all the rest.' 5* reader review

'A page turning read, with engaging characters and many twists and turns as the story unfolded. I can't wait to get to the next book - highly recommended!' 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