Authors · NYT Hardcover Fiction

P.D. James

Charting May 25, 1980 → Mar 18, 2012 · 124 weeks with chart power

Peak Power: 7.89%; week of Apr 15, 1990
Career Power: 810; share-weeks
Weeks at #1: 4; weeks as the top author

Peak Year: 140; May 1989 – May 1990
Peak Five Years: 264; May 1985 – May 1990
Top-five weeks: 50; weeks ranked 1–5
Longevity: 124; weeks with chart power
Dominance: 14.53%; week of Feb 18, 1990
Comebacks: 6; November 1986, February 1990, March 1995, January 1998, May 2001, January 2012

Comebacks (thresholds from `config/scoring.json`)
Kind	Trough began	Returned	Trough weeks	Longest absence	Prior peak	Return share
After absence	Nov 23, 1980	Nov 16, 1986	312	310	4.26%	2.09%
After absence	May 3, 1987	Feb 18, 1990	146	143	6.82%	3.00%
After absence	Jul 29, 1990	Mar 5, 1995	240	136	7.89%	3.33%
After absence	Jun 25, 1995	Jan 11, 1998	133	129	7.89%	3.17%
After absence	May 17, 1998	May 27, 2001	158	154	7.89%	2.77%
After absence	Aug 12, 2001	Jan 15, 2012	541	153	7.89%	3.47%

Ranked by weekly Power Share, part of the ChartReign Power model — not the list's own positions (config version 4, Sep 22, 2026). How it works →

Exponentially smoothed share of the week's total power (the primary metric).

Titles on the NYT Hardcover Fiction

11 books · 810 share-weeks of Career Power

Power contributed is what each book earned this author: their weekly Power Share, split across their books (a featured credit takes its reduced share). Book Power is the book's own figure, the same for every author on it. Bar length compares books within this list.

Title	Peak	Weeks	On chart	Power contributedPower	Book Power
Devices and Desires	#1February 1990	16	January 1990 – May 1990	140.4	140.4
A Taste for Death	#4November 1986	16	November 1986 – February 1987	123.4	123.0
Death Comes to Pemberley	#3January 2012	13	December 2011 – March 2012	106.4	105.9
A Certain Justice	#3January 1998	14	December 1997 – March 1998	100.7	99.9
Original Sin	#4February 1995	11	February 1995 – April 1995	85.7	84.3
Innocent Blood	#3June 1980	16	May 1980 – September 1980	80.8	80.8
Death in Holy Orders	#7April 2001	10	April 2001 – July 2001	56.5	56.5
The Lighthouse	#5December 2005	7	December 2005 – January 2006	34.8	34.8
The Children of Men	#4March 1993	7	March 1993 – April 1993	33.3	33.2
The Murder Room	#9December 2003	8	December 2003 – January 2004	25.0	24.7
The Private Patient	#3December 2008	6	December 2008 – January 2009	23.6	23.6