I was feeling in the mood to read a murder mystery, so I picked up A Taste for Death. Then I enjoyed it so much I picked up The Murder Room as well. I must have read these before, but so long ago that I had no recollection of the plots.
   I did have a recollection of James' standard of writing, which is streets better than most murder mystery novels. Dalgleish is a well established detective in the genre and I enjoy reading about how his steely but gentlemanly resolve sees him through to the end, earning admiration from his juniors en route, even if he has to chastise them occasionally.
  One thing I did notice is a similarity between the plots of the books, not least in the use of a child as one of the main characters. But I'm saying no more. You can read these for yourself - in fact, I recommend it.