P D James dies

Author P D James has died at the age of 94.

The crime writer passed away at her home in Oxford this morning (27th November).

In a statement released through Faber, her family said: "It is with great sadness that the family of author P D James, Baroness James of Holland Park OBE, FRSL, FRSA, announce that she died peacefully at her home in Oxford on the morning of 27 November 2014, aged 94, a much-loved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. The family have requested privacy at this time."

James' first novel, Cover her Face, was published in 1962, and featured her most famous creation, criminal investigator Adam Dalgliesh. She went on to write 14 Dalgliesh novels, as well as several other fiction and non-fiction titles, including dystopian novel The Children of Men, which was turned into a major Hollywood film.

Her most recent book was Death Comes to Pemberley (Faber), published in 2011, and later adapted for television. Through BookScan, she has sold 2,458,646 books, for a value £18.4m.

She was made a life peer in 1991, and served as president of the Society of Authors from 1997 to 2013.