P. D. James, pseudonym of Phyllis Dorothy James White, Baroness James of Holland Park, spent thirty years in British Civil Service. She is best known for her two mystery series. The protagonist of one series, Adam Dalgleish, works for Scotland Yard and is also a poet. Three titles in this series have received the Silver Dagger award--Shroud for a Nightingale, The Black Tower, and A Taste for Death. Other titles in this series include Devices and Desires and Original Sin. James's other series feature Cordelia Gray, a private investigator in London; titles in this series include An Unsuitable Job for a Woman and The Skull Beneath the Skin. P.D. James has received the prestigious Diamond Dagger award for lifetime achievement.