About this title: When successful criminal attorney Venetia Aldrige defends Gary Ashe against charges that he murdered his aunt, she has no idea that her actions will be the harbinger of her own death. Commander Adam Dalgliesh heads up the investigation into Aldrige's murder, and as more bodies pile up, he's forced to look deep into the darkness of the human soul ...
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Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Date Published: 1997-11-25
ISBN-13:9780375401091ISBN:0375401091
Description: Very Good. Hardcovers are in like new to new condition except where noted in description. They may have been read and have slight wear to the edges of the dust jacket. They may have a price tag on the dust jacket. They may have a previous owners name or label inside. They may have a remainder mark on the bottom edge. * read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Knopf Publishing Group
Date Published: 1997
ISBN-13:9780375401091ISBN:0375401091
Description: Good in very good dust jacket. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. 400 p. Adam Dalgliesh Mysteries (Hardcover). Audience: General/trade. no dust cover, hardback in good condition, name inside cover, pages intact and good condition read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Knopf Publishing Group
Date Published: 1997
ISBN-13:9780375401091ISBN:0375401091
Description: Very Good in Very Good jacket. Describes a book that doesn't look quite brand new. May show some small signs of wear or minor spine creasing. Our ultimate goal is to provide you with a satisfying customer experience. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Date Published: 1997
ISBN-13:9780375401091ISBN:0375401091
Description: Fine. No dust jacket. CLEAN AND TIGHT LARGER SIZED HARDBACK WITH NO DUST COVER-NO DEFECTS NOTED. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. 400 p. Adam Dalgliesh Mysteries (Hardcover). Audience: General/trade. CLEAN AND TIGHT LARGER SIZED HARDBACK WITH NO DUST COVER-NO DEFECTS NOTED. F-James, P D, 1997, Alfred A. Knopf. Dalgliesh, Adam (Fictitious character); Detective and mystery stories; England; Fiction; Mystery & Detective; Police; Police Procedural; Traditional British read more
Description: New. 0375401091 Trade Paperback cover has very little shelf wear. NO spine seams. NO remainder mark. Pages are clean with NO markings, NO creases and NO dog-ears. Trade Paperback. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Knopf
Date Published: 1997
ISBN-13:9780375401091ISBN:0375401091
Description: Fair. 1st edition-fine / fine-has ex owner name on fef; 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed! Free Delivery Confirmation! Ships same or next business day! read more
By Faith,
Winchester and Limassol, 05, The United Kingdom
"I've long been a fan of PD James and especially Adam Dalgliesh and his assistants (Kate and Piers)and oh what joy to read another! These murder mysteries are quintessentially 'very English'. PD James' descriptive passages are wonderful. I found myself savouring her words, and dwelling long on the intricacies of the plot(s). The novel opens with a somewhat chilling start whereby a distinguished barrister (Venetia Aldridge) QC gets her client off a particularly horrendous murder charge. The unusual thing is the reader knows within the first paragragh that she will herself be murdered within four weeks. There follows a veritable list of characters who may have a motive for the pending demise of this Queen's Councillor. Again PD James has an uncanny perception for characterisation, and I often found myself lost in the depth of the cast that she fills the first 100 or so pages with.
What I like about this author and what puts her on a different plane from say the likes of Patricia Cornwell and Kathy Reichs is; her books are good old fashioned police detective works. Yes, there is some mention of 'forensics and the like', but, instead of - 'murder is committed, clues and samples taken at site of death back to path lab and hey presto! case solved without the detectives doing any detection work.' For me, these tales are far too formulaic - a bit like CSI where the plastic cast have no character whatsoever and you can guess before the words are out of their mouth just what is going to come next. I love the older style of murder mysteries and in PD James' hands they are an art form in themselves. As for her prose- well it is so often quite beautiful that you have to reread it over again and again. A great book and I look forward to reading more of her work."
"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.
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