About this title: When distinguished criminal lawyer Venetia Aldridge defends a young man for the brutal murder of his mother, she views the case as simply another opportunity to demonstrate her brilliance in the courtroom. But within weeks of the trial Aldridge is found dead at her desk, a bloodstained barrister's wig on her head. And as Commander Adam Dalgliesh of Scotland Yard attempts to make sense of events, the murders continue, inexorably spiraling into fresh complexities of horror. "Gripping." "-The Wall Street Journal" "A compelling tale of pride, deceit, and revenge." "-St. Louis Post ...
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Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780345425324ISBN:0345425324
Description: Good. A copy that has been read, but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact, and the cover is intact (including dustcover, if applicable). The spine may show signs of wear. Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include "from the library of" labels. ******PLEASE NOTE****** Orders placed after Dec. 7 cannot be guaranteed delivery before Christmas unless you select EXPEDITED shipping! Thank you & Happy Holidays! read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780345425324ISBN:0345425324
Description: A wonderful copy with some minor edgewear to the cover. Pencil writing to inside front and back cover. -, Trade PaperBack, Very Good / read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780345425324ISBN:0345425324
Description: Good. Used item may show library stamps, stickers and marks. Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
Description: Good. 2003-Paperback----Used-Good-Hall Street Books proudly ships from Brooklyn, NY. All orders are processed and shipped within 24 hours, M-F. 100% money back No-Worry guarantee with expedited delivery and delivery confirmation available. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Date Published: 2003-11-04
ISBN-13:9780345425324ISBN:0345425324
Description: Very Good. Book has wear from storage and use, there is a crease to the front cover; otherwise the book is in very good condition. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Date Published: 11/4/2003
ISBN-13:9780345425324ISBN:0345425324
Description: New. Paperback. Enjoyable reading copy for your personal pleasure. This copy is nearly flawless! Cover has barely noticeable shelf wear. You are buying a Book in NEW condition with very light shelf wear to include very light edge and corner wear. Buy it Now! ! ! As always, thank you for buying this book from International Book Source, YOUR ONE source FOR ALL your BOOK related NEEDS. Please remember to CHOOSE carefully how QUICKLY you would like to RECEIVE this material FAST, or standard (on ... read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Date Published: 2003-11-01
ISBN-13:9780345425324ISBN:0345425324
Description: NEW. Softcover. From an inventory that is 100% brand-new, 100% direct from the publishers' distribution channel. We carry NO pre-owned, NO remaindered. We pack in CARDBOARD to ensure the pristine quality is maintained. (Bubble-wrap alone is NOT sufficient to protect from USPS equipment. ) Guaranteed brand-NEW, protected with CARDBOARD, your satisfaction is guaranteed. BKLUVID: 9780345425324. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780345425324ISBN:0345425324
Description: Good. Slight wear, mildew or coloring. May have minimal highlights or markings on some pages. Ships within 24 business hours from SC. Satisfaction Guaranteed! read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780345425324ISBN:0345425324
Description: Good. A good reading copy in clean condition. All pages are intact, and the cover is intact (including dust cover, if available). The spine may show signs of wear. Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include "From the library of" labels. All items will be shipped by the close of the next business day. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780345425324ISBN:0345425324
Description: Good. Used Condition-GOOD can be a well cared for Book that is in great condition to a Book that may show some signs of wear. GOOD Books sometimes are permanently marked; have some spine or page creases; exibit signs of aging or an ExLibrary copy. ** Sometimes grease pencil or permanent marking on cover. May contain limited notes and or highlighting. 100% Satisfaction guaranteed on all purchases. ** SHIPS FROM USA-Domestic Delivery takes 5-14 days ** read more
Description: New. Hardcover edition...pages are all mint and clean...dustjacket is in excellent condition as is the binding...fast shipping same or next business day! read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Ballantine Books, New York
Date Published: 1998
ISBN-13:9780345425324ISBN:0345425324
Description: Very Good. No Jacket. Very Good. No Dust Jacket Octavo. Brick red covers, brick red and peach spine. Nice clean copy with minor wear. 431 pages. Octavo. read more
"again, formulaic with enough character and details to make them lovely murder mystery readings just before bedtime:) also to balance my academic studying of the rest of the day!"
"As befits a lady of letters, PD James presents another unblemished story to readers worldwide who hunger for her uncanny perceptions and dense wisdom. Bravo. Rarely am I embedded so deeply in the lives of imagined characters.
I must quote her: "He could have been a good teacher, given the chance, but the small barbarians could smell out a natual victim in their juvenile jungle, and the Frog's life was a patiently borne hell of noisy insurrection and calculated cruelty."
And not hers, unidentified, but worth a note: "What matters it what went before or after? Now with myself I will begin and end."
So many times in this reading did I savor the words, linger over the plot complications, wonder at the thinking of the figures. The murder mystery is an art form in the exceptional hands of PD James."
"My grandson, Graham, likes PD James so when I saw this hardcover book for only 25 cents, I purchased it. Last night I was reading from 3 - 4 in the morning. I was reading the novel as I went to sleep and woke later thinking of it, so read till I was done. I will happpily read more of her mysteries, partly because of the intrique, partly because of the English setting, and mostly because of the good story line. The language is formal, almost stilted at times, and that too becomes a plus as it makes the English "feel" even more pronounced.
The author does a wonderful job in the book's beginning of giving reasons many of the characters have for the murder of Venetia Aldridge, and it is fun to follow the detectives as they vacillate from one possible suspect to another. The Garry Ashe character is a demon, a horror, and leaves the reader fearful whenever he is in charge.
Several interesting questions are raised: Why do attorneys take pride in defending a suspect, when knowing that he is guilty? How far should the clergy's rights go in keeping vital information to themselves? How responsible is one's childhood experience in making him tha adult he becomes? Why do some prosper even though they have miserable childhoods and tohers do not?
So many of the characters seem to have more weak points thab positive ones.
"jun 24: listening to this as an audio book. interesting so far. like the writing style.
jul 2: p.d. james has got me hooked. i'm a big elizabeth george fan, but i'll have to read more of these. lots of characters in this. nice buildup to the murder. now everyone's a suspect, but you know everyone can't have done it - it will be interesting seeing the team figure it out.
jul 26: hmmmmm.....not sure about the ending. i won't spoil it, but i guess i expected a neatly wrapped here-is-what-happened like you get with most mysteries, but that didn't happen. this also turned out to be two mysteries in one. not sure how i felt about that either. at the end, i didn't like octavia. i assume we were supposed to feel sorry for her, but i couldn't. and the whole thing with mrs. carpenter - man, talk about obsessed.
so overall, it's a good quick read (i listened to it though). if you like mysteries and detectives set in england, you should like this."
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