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Title: Death in Holy Orders by Charles Keating, P.D. James ISBN: 0-375-41882-2 Publisher: Bantam Books-Audio Pub. Date: 10 April, 2001 Format: Audio Cassette Volumes: 12 List Price(USD): $49.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.14 (99 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Hey, we all wish we could write like this at 80!
Comment: It's been a while since I picked up one of P.D. James' books. Too long obviously. Another one of the premiere British mystery authors, who writes with class and good grammar. Dagliesh is one of my all time favorite protagonists in any book. He's smart and has interests outside of his job at Scotland Yard. He's respected by his colleagues and subordinates, who look to him for guidance and approval.
In this particular story, Dagliesh returns to a theological college he is familiar with from his childhood, and which holds fond memories for him. Unfortunately, his return is because of a suspicious death, and while he is there, a murder happens in the church with him sleeping nearby. He is compelled to find the tie between the two deaths and the people who are live on the grounds of the theological college are all suspects.
James' writing, her intelligence, the placement of the stories...all contribute to a great story. Once again she proves that our capacities to contribute do not have to decline with age. I can only hope that I will be doing half as well as she when I am that age. Readers who enjoy well-written British mysteries that show intelligence for their audience, will most assuredly enjoy this book.
Karen Sadler
Rating: 5
Summary: Dalgleish Returns!
Comment: It has been some considerable time since P. D. James has written an Adam Dalgleish mystery. The last, I believe, was "A Certain Justice." For some reason I had trouble with that novel. I bought "Death in Holy Orders" when it came out, but let it languish on my shelf for a while before diving in.
When I finally started reading the new novel I realized that I had entirely forgotten what an accomplished writer James really is. Her ability to create vivid and believable plots, settings and characters really is remarkable. Capable of extreme power when she needs to call upon it, James is not a lighthearted writer. But neither is her style oppressive or exhausting.
Commander Adam Dalgleish, her detective, is a character painted with considerable sensitivity. He is an unusual character for a policeman, sober and philosophical. His avocation is writing poetry, at which he has enjoyed considerable success. The death of his wife at an early age, and the nature of his job gives him with a poignancy which perfectly balances the tragic nature of the crimes he investigates.
When a theological student at St. Anselm's College is found buried under a sandfall, his father is not satisfied with the finding of accidental death by the Suffolk police. Adam Dalgleish is asked to look into the crime. He had spent several summers at St. Anselm's and so was familiar with the setting. Although unable to form any conclusion about the boy's death, Dalgleish is struck by many coincidental events and is not totally satisfied. Margaret Munroe, a nurse and attendant at the school, dies of apparently natural causes, but the death prevents Dalgleish from following up some important evidence.
St Anselm's is facing closure as the result of the Episcopalian Church's need to consolidate its theological training. The holdings of the school are quite valuable, and an unusual will makes the disposition of these artifacts is a bone of great contention between Archdeacon Crampton, who represents the diocese and Father Sebastion, who heads St. Anselm's. There are few in the school who have reason to like the Archdeacon. He sent one of the clergymen to prison for sexual misconduct on trumped up charges. A local policeman in retreat at the school suffered disciplinary action when he investigated Crampton's complicity in the death of his first wife. Several students were vehemently antagonistic to the Archdeacon's behavior.
When Archdeacon Crampton is found horribly murdered before the altar of St Anselm's church it comes as no surprise. Dalgleish takes over the case with his regular squad, and quickly determines that the crime must have been committed by one of the school's residents. Sensing a subtle mind at work, the commander is faced with a complex investigation full of contradictory clues and intuitions.
For all the time that P. D. James lovingly puts into the details of setting and characterization, "Death in Holy Orders" is hardly slow paced. I found myself quickly drawn in and it was a great struggle to put down the book the few times I was able. Dalgleish's introspection keeps the plot from becoming shallow, providing a satisfactory experience at many levels. The will be a serious contender for mystery story of the year.
Rating: 5
Summary: Very Good Book
Comment: This novel of P.D.James is really worth reading it.The number of pages can of course be a bit of destracting for someone; the fact is that the first 200 pages could very well have been condensed in 50 pages or so. Nevertheless the setting is nice (some parts though may remind you of The Black Tower) , the characters vivid and well described. The last two parts of the book are superb.The deaths contain more or less a bit of mystery and the several relationships of the characters mentioned in the book are more than imaginable.The taste that remains after reading the very last pages is peculiar but surely pleasant and lingers for days...
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Title: A Certain Justice by P.D. James ISBN: 0345430573 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 31 October, 1998 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: The Murder Room by P.D. JAMES ISBN: 1400041414 Publisher: Knopf Pub. Date: 18 November, 2003 List Price(USD): $25.95 |
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Title: A Taste for Death by P.D. James ISBN: 0345430581 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 28 November, 1998 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Original Sin by P.D. James ISBN: 0446679224 Publisher: Warner Books Pub. Date: 01 May, 2002 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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Title: Devices and Desires by Phyllis White ISBN: 0446359750 Publisher: Warner Books Pub. Date: 01 February, 1991 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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