P. D. James 1920-2014

“When I first heard that Humpty Dumpty fell off the wall, I immediately wondered: Did he fall–or was he pushed?”

P. D. James,  the beloved mystery author and creator of Commander Adam Dalgliesh and Cordelia Gray, died Thursday at age 94.  I was fortunate to hear her speak in person (at City Arts and Lectures here in San Francisco) and she spoke with quiet intelligence and was remarkably down to earth and unassuming — and I imagined that she would happily welcome you to sit down in her kitchen to share a cup of tea.