Book Description
When the quiet Little Vestry of St. Matthew's Church becomes the blood-soaked scene of a double murder, Scotland Yard Commander Adam Dalgliesh faces an intriguing conundrum: How did an upper-crust Minister come to lie, slit throat to slit throat, next to a neighborhood derelict of the lowest order? Challenged with the investigation of a crime that appears to have endless motives, Dalgliesh explores the sinister web spun around a half-burnt diary and a violet-eyed widow who is pregnant and full of malice--all the while hoping to fill the gap of logic that joined these two disparate men in bright red death. . . .


From the Paperback edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

Life Is A Mystery Worth Solving
Here is one of the best mysteries I have had the pleasure to read.Though I still have a few remaining works of Ms. James on my list, this book has a resonance that few authors manage to achieve.The characters and the themes blend to create a work that is greater than the sum of its parts.At its heart, this is the story of a man who after achieving everything for which he has sought finds himself curiously unsatisfied with both life and the rewards of his efforts.Accordingly, solving the mystery not only means finding out who did the deed, but why our victim was distraught and unsatisfied despite tremendous achievements.Readers of this author will immediately recognize that her protagonist struggles with related issues and the pages of this book are devoted to the creation of several like-minded characters who each add their perspective to what is in reality an attempt to solve the mystery of life itself; where can one find true happiness and satisfaction?

I believe that the special quality of this book is found in its characters; I should think that the mix is so broad that any reader can find at least one with whom to identify.It does no harm to the mystery to remark that though the victims could not be further apart in terms of social standing and achievement, the author teaches that we are all ultimately equals in death.The author also manages to keep multiple story threads open and believable--this is far more difficult a task than it sounds.Until I encountered P.D. James, I found mysteries to be much like old episodes of Star Trek--if the character who transports to the surface is not one of the regular cast you instantly know that the character has but moments to live.Likewise, too many mystery novelists betray the story early in the book or else they create characters that are incapable of stirring the emotions of the reader--flaws thankfully avoided by P.D. James.

The best fiction encourages one to think about one's own life; it encourages and suggests how we may better ourselves and the world in which we live.This book leaves its reader a better person for having encountered the story; if not, it is not the reader who is without excuse.

Highly Recommended.

Solemn but good
A police procedural set in London in the seventies (I think-UK publication date is 1986- typewriters and illegal abortions and no DNA) involving the solemn and saintly Adam Dalgliesh.
PD James offs her victims quite soon but after that can be slow going until you get involved in the whodunnit. If you're new to PD James I'd recommend persevering thought the first 20 pages and then you'll be hooked. You'll be in for a long ride at 460 pages.
My usual blasphemous criticisms of her ladyship. There's so much description of architecture it gets like reading Pevsner at times. For example "Between the windows, mounted on incongruous corbels which looked more Gothic than neo-classical were stone caryatids, whose flowing lines reinforced by the typically Soanian pilasters ..... "
She has a tin ear for dialog. The educated upper classes address each other in long formal speeches. The lower classes say "I reckon" a lot and have apostrophes to show that they leave off the g's in their present participles. There's almost no humor (except slightly in the first sentwnce).

A Taste for Revenge
"A Taste For Death" can perhaps be considered the first of the more modern novels in the Adam Dalgliesh series.It is in this novel that readers see the special murder investigation squad form and that readers are introduced to Kate Miskin.As always, James has crafted an intriguing mystery, filled with a wide cast of characters and twists that throw the reader off the case.

When two men are found dead in the vestry of a declining church, it seems a straigtforward case of murder-suicide.Yet one of the men was Sir Paul Berowne, a baronet and a political figure, causing the police to bring in Adam Dalgliesh and his investigating team.The straightforward case of murder-suicide is too tidy for Dalgliesh, and he must prove it to be murder, with little cooperation from anyone connected with Sir Paul Berowne.

Dalgliesh and his team must wade through stories shaded with every degree of self-preservation and deception in order to uncover the truth.But learning the identity of the murderer is not enough without one shred of evidence to connect that person to the crime.Dalgliesh and his team are thoroughly worried that their first case might end in failure.Add to that the three mysterious deaths that Sir Paul may have been involved with, and the detectives have a more complicated case than they could have imagined.

As always, James has written a first-class mystery complete with the requisite twists and turns.It seems as if every character had a perfect motive to want Sir Paul dead which makes it hard for the reader to uncover the real offender.Her novels are always a joy to read, not only for the mystery, but for the detail she lovingly gives to people and places, and for the development of characters readers will encounter time and again, or for only a short chapter or two.

Good, but not great
I didn't enjoy this P.D. James mystery as much as I have enjoyed other books by her, such as The Murder Room or The Lighthouse. Originally published in 1986, A Taste For Death has only recently come out in this Vintage series. This is the novel in which the Special Crimes Squad performs, and introduces Inspector Kate Miskin.

Two men have been murdered in the vestry of St. Matthew's church, and found by a parishioner. One is a highly regarded Member of Parliament, Sir Paul Berowne, and the other is a local tramp, Harry Mack. Its quite obvious that the murderer is someone acquainted with Berowne, and Commander Dalgliesh spnds most of the novel tracking down leads in that direction. The suspects in the murder case are many, and most are relatives of Berowne's that have a motive for killing him: his mother, Lady Ursula; his widow, Barbara; his daughter, Sarah; his widow's lover; his daughter's boyfriend; his widow's brother; the housekeeper. Also connected are the recent deaths of to servants who worked for the Berownes- one by suicide, the other death by drowning in the Thames.

Absolutely no attention has been paid to the tramp who was also murdered- in the second half of the book he ceases to exist; this what what bothered me most about the plot, which was tedious at best. So while the double-murder plot is intriguing, its highly unnecessary. I often felt that James's prose was wandering, unfocused. James spends too much time focusing on the personal lives of Dalgliesh, Kate Miskin, and the other officers who work on the case, and less on what really matters- the solving of the case.

The tyranny of success
Adam Dalgliesh has not written any poetry for four years.Miss Wharton and Darren, a stray school boy, are a pair.They go to St. Matthew's twice a week.It is a Romanesque church in Paddington.On a particular visit they find two dead men.They go in search of Father Barnes, the rector. One of the dead men is a tramp, Harry Mack, and the other is Paul Berowne, a baronet.Kate Miskin and Adam, among others, are members of a special sensitive murder squad and are called upon to do the investigation.Berowne had known Dalgliesh and known about his fondness for architecture.

Berowne's daughter, Sarah, is mixed up with a revolutionary Marxist group.A cousin of Lady Berowne, Stephen Lampart, is her lover.Berowne had a mistress.It seems to Kate Miskin that they are up against a killer who has the intelligence to think and plan.Adam contends that no one joins the murder squad who hasn't a taste for death. When Dalgliesh visiting friends watches a tea ritual, he notes mentally that each person has his own contrivances to keep reality at bay.Berowne's wife, a beautiful woman, was his brother's fiancee.After his brother's death, Paul Berownesucceeded to the title and five months latermarried the fiancee, Barbara.

Exploitation is at the heart of successful detection.Kate and the third member of the team, Massingham, go out to interview a Mrs. Minns.The interview of the cleaning woman yields a surprising number of clues.A re-interview of Berowne's mistress provides more. The story covers class-frictions, the need for privacy of public figures, the role of religion and its lack in modern day England, and many other themes.The visual arts are dealt with too.To my way of thinking this is the best P.D. James mystery. ... Read more

Book Description
Just recovered from a grave illness, Commander Adam Dalgliesh is called to the bedside of an elderly priest. When Dalgliesh arrives, Father Baddeley is dead. Is it merely his own brush with mortality that causes Dalgliesh to sense the shadow of death about to fall once more?

"Splendid, macabre," wrote the London Sunday Telegraph. "The Black Tower is a masterpiece," the London Sunday Times concurred.

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Customer Reviews (22)

She has done a lot better
Unlike some authors (Jonathan Kellerman, Maeve Binchy, Steve Martini) who write some terrific books and then go downhill, PD James's books get better and better with time. It's her early works I can't stand. It's not just me, either. Some of her early novels were entirely rewritten for television to get people to watch. I once contacted PBS to see if I had missed some of her books that seemed so good on Mystery! They actually told me this. This book was about in the middle of her long career, but it just never captured my interest. Look at her settings--hospitals, nursing homes, monastaries, hardly the locales for a hotbed of action to keep you on the edge of your seat. This book is set at a home for the disabled with progressive diseases out in the middle of nowhere. Dalgliesh is working alone, in fact recovering from mono and pneumonia and goes there to visit an elderly priest who turns up dead of a heart attack. There isn't much to suggest crimes have in fact been committed and Dalgliesh's sudden deduction of what is going on at the end is not even remotely believable. The only interesting thing anyone does in this book is drop dead occasionally. It's not a police procedural. When I compare it to something like Death in Holy Orders, there's no reason to read this book. It isn't awful (and some of James's other books are really awful) but she has much better ones in her repertoire.

Perfectly crafted
This book begins in a gloomy mood and in a setting that seems hardly designed to hold a reader's attention: a nursing home. But the writing is so good that I stuck with it, and it all comes to a thrilling finale. Then I did something I rarely do: reread the book. This time I was completely bowled over by the quality of the writing. This is one of the most perfectly crafted books I have ever read. As such, I would rate it with such works as The Great Gatsby, Jude the Obscure, and Appointment in Samarra. What a surprise from a mystery novel.

BLEAK AND SOMBER TALE
Adam Dalgleish is back in this well written, though ultimately depressing and bleak thriller.Recuperating from a near-death illness, Adam is summoned to a small village by an old friend, a priest named Father Michael.However, when he gets there, his old friend has died of a heart attack, and Adam finds himself involved with a hospice for the young disabled, i.e., terminally ill patients.James serves up a host of pathetic, sad creatures and as usual, a cast of mostly unlikeable characters.Dalgliesh serves more as an observer than a detective, since he is having his own crisis of whether to retire or not, but he nonetheless manages to investigate a series of deaths that may or may not be murder.
James continues her mastery of atmospheric tension and the culprit's identity is expertly hidden until the end.

All that's missing is Bobby Ewing in the Shower
First I should admit that I'm not a PD James fan.In fact this is the first of her books that I've read.It may be that the darkness of this book gives me the wrong impression as to how she writes.It does remind me of Agatha Christie's type of stories but it may also be because the singular character of Commander Adam Dalgleish is going through a dark time related to a recent illness.

The story itself is nothing special, though it may have been in 1975, but now it's kind of dated.It may also be because I find her style to be a little slow or ponderous and I'm used to the writings of Ian Rankin and James Lee Burke.No I don't think that there needs to be a shooting or car chase every other page, but it would be nice to read about something other than a description of the scenary.

To be fair about it I am planning on reading one of her later stories in the series, and to catch up on the character by watching some of the episodes on PBS.Just one man's opinion.

A Gothic Feel to a Modern Mystery with Psychological Overtones
The Black Tower is a mystery novel that successfully explores despair.Adam Dalgliesh finds himself recovering from a debilitating atypical mononucleosis that had been inaccurately diagnosed as being fatal.While thought he was about to die, Dalgliesh takes a look at his life as detective . . . and decides there has to be something more.

Determined to resign from the force, his intention is interrupted by a request to visit for help from an old family friend, Father Baddeley.

Wondering what sort of evil Father Baddeley cannot handle on his own, Dalgliesh is shocked to find that his friend had died of natural causes shortly after Dalgliesh sent a note accepting the invitation.Baddeley's will leaves his money to Toynton Grange, a facility specializing in the progressively disabled, which really needs the money . . . and his books to Adam.Dalgliesh is surprised to find that the father's desk has been forced and that the latest part of his journal has disappeared.Adam decides to look around for some hint as to what the problem might have been that caused Father Baddeley to consult him.

Dalgliesh's instincts are aroused when he discovers that a patient, Victor Holroyd, had also died . . . but under strange circumstances just before Father Baddeley did.

Dalgliesh decides to use the excuse of packing up his books to hang around and see what he can learn.His black mood is continued by his interactions with the austere staff at Toynton Grange and the disabled people.Although Adam puts a brave face on his contacts with these disabled people, even they know that he's terribly disgusted by their deformities.

Having spent more time there, Dalgliesh learns a depressing story about the Victorian folly, the Black Tower, that exists near the grange.

As all of this bleakness serves to further depress Dalgliesh, he finds himself unable to understand what Father Baddeley was concerned about.

Meanwhile, other unexpected deaths occur.Dalgliesh seems even more at a loss than ever . . . until a clear spot opens up in his depression . . . and he's able to start thinking like a police investigator again.That leads to an exciting, memorable finish to the novel . . . one of P.D. James' best.

My main complaint about this novel is that Baroness James stretches the bleakness a little too far and a little too long for my taste.She got the mood across so well . . . that I found myself getting depressed reading the book.

The mystery itself isn't terribly mysterious, but it's adequate to carry the rest of the story.The mystery is well told, though, because the reader is given lots of insights into what's really going on to serve as a contrast to Dalgliesh's haze.Otherwise, this would have been a most boring and unrewarding novel.


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Book Description
Headstrong and beautiful, the young housemaid Sally Jupp is put rudely in her place, strangled in her bed behind a bolted door. Coolly brilliant policeman Adam Dalgliesh of Scotland Yard must find her killer among a houseful of suspects, most of whom had very good reason to wish her ill.

Cover Her Face is P. D. James's electric debut novel, an ingeniously plotted mystery that immediately placed her among the masters of suspense.

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Customer Reviews (16)

The start of a wonderful saga
This is the first book in the series that has made PD James the first name in British mysteries.It sets the tone for the books that will follow and you will be eager to see Adam Dalgliesh develop into Scotland Yard's ace detective.So I would recommend that you start your adventures with Adam here at the beginning.

The Butler Didn't Do It
The supreme joy of reading is to discover a new author with the talent to not only to transport you to an undiscovered world but with the skill and imagination necessary to teach one new lessons about the real world and one's place in it.Having so discovered P.D. James' talent, I have commenced to read her work from start to finish.

Nothing betrays an author's intent and goals so much as the difference between the first novel and the latest novel.Some are trapped in themes and characters that never diverge from their initially successful iterations.Others reach a plateau; their masterpieces are regrettably followed by the mediocre results of the now-powerful author's ability to disregard the pleas of editors.Having recently read "A Certain Justice" I knew that I had to see where James began.

"Cover Her Face" is as British as anything I have read.A distrust of new ways, respect for tradition, a rewarding of virtues and punishment of vices.The mystery develops nicely with an immediate great house full of suspects.The characters are finely drawn, believable and the author has the confidence to leave the reader to follow the characters without providing every internal thought.To say more is to risk spoiling the mystery.Suffice it to say that this book lays a firm foundation for the good Inspector Dalgliesh and reaches a conclusion that as with all good mysteries does not betray itself untimely but which makes perfect sense in the end.

Tension at Table
The distinguished Adam Dalgliesh stories begin with Cover Her Face. Few will find this their favorite book in the series.I decided to read Cover Her Face again to provide perspective on P.D. James's latest, The Lighthouse.From that retrospective look, I came away even more impressed with The Lighthouse.

But I do recommend that you read Cover Her Face.Although it isn't going to be a favorite of yours, it will be good reading.

The book's main weakness is that the detailed development of the place and characters doesn't quite have rich enough material to work with.

The plot itself has some marvelous twists and turns that build around the character of a most unusual murder victim, Sally Jupp, a marginally acceptable servant in a wealthy home.The other interesting aspect of the story relates to several interesting variations on the locked room mystery subgenre.

In later stories in the series, Baroness James let her imagination run freer . . . with superb results.

Mystery for the Drawing Room
This was the first book I've read by P.D. James, and it reminded me of the great Agatha Christie mysteries I used to read melded with characters suited to Oscar Wilde or Noel Coward. She has a unique story telling technique that takes you into the hearts and minds of the suspects before revealing the killer in the final pages, but it's done with a razor sharp wit, and dry social commentary that had me laughing out loud at times.

Uncover this book!
This is P.D. James' first published book and our first introduction to Inspector Dalgleish.It is easy to see why this book was considered a bold entry into a tough field of really terrific British crime fiction.One of the hallmarks of the writing of P.D. James is her insistence on describing every scene in excruciating detail, but then again, those details enable her to build the story to a conclusion that surprises, but we should have seen all along.This is a fairly unusual story about the murder of an enigmatic housemaid and about the depths of people we assume we know ...and it plays out nicely.Although it was written in 1962, it has a definite timeless quality to it, like so many of the books by P.D. James and Ruth Rendell.For all of their detailed narrative, they never seem to mire you in a period of time unless it is intentional and noteworthy. ... Read more

Book Description
Dr. Lorrimer appeared to be the picture of a bloodless, coldly efficient scientist. Only when his brutally slain body is discovered and his secret past dissected does the image begin to change. Once again, Chief Inspector Adam Dalgliesh learns that there is more to human beings than meets the eye -- and more to solving a murder than the obvious clues. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Near Perfect
This is my third James novel. The present work was written over 30 years ago by a James in her prime. It is short and compact; and, it has a nicely balanced structure with good characters. It is written with straightforward and simple prose and it is a compelling read that is hard to put down. In short, it is what one can describe as a masterpiece as are some of her other early novels.

The book opens with the literary hook: a murder in a field in the countryside.But it quickly switches to a second murder in a science laboratory.

The novel has an interesting set of characters, and as in other James novels, there are half dozen suspects with various financial and emotional motivations to be involved with the killings. The mystery unfolds slowly, and the reader is given a few clues just ahead of the Dalgliesh. By the way, Dalgliesh does not play a dominant role in the book.

Readers will not be disappointed, and the book demonstrates the fame and ability of James as a crime writer. Most will want to keep the book and set it aside to read again in the future. Also, the book demonstrates again that more is not always better than less. In the elaborate 550 page slow moving story told in The Murder Room, the author has a 95 page introduction and no crime until around page 130. We wait as Dalgliesh does not enter the investigation until almost page 200. Thankfully, all of that type of writing is missing here. The story is well underway and the reader is fully engaged by page 10. James tells a well balanced and a compelling tale in half the space.

This is a masterpiece.

A Touchstone British Murder Mystery
Perfect.In this sixth of her Adam Dalgliesh mysteries, the author has achieved a flawless blend of the requisite elements.Dalgliesh is now a fully developed character and is given a sidekick that provides a fine complement to Dalgliesh's naturally dark character.I would also note without any spoilers that a grasp of Dalglish's background adds greatly to the enjoyment of the work.Our author is now able to avoid providing excessive and distracting detail regarding her protagonist as well as provide themes and plot lines that resonate with the Inspector's experience.Suffice it also to say that there is a strong and unifying theme running throughout the book that neatly ties everything up in an edifying and powerful manner.As befits first-rate fiction (of any genre), the book provides a worthwhile lesson in the nature of the human condition.

In short, a Forensic Biologist is whacked over the head with a mallet in his own police laboratory.Thus, the investigation of other murders must be put on hold while the police sort out their own business.The setting is well-matched to the events, the characters are diverse and excellently drawn, the plot moves nicely--but what sets this book apart are the constant red herrings.Upon encountering what appears to be a significant clue, you have not yet finished congratulating yourself on solving the mystery before your speculation is revealed to be flawed.

What makes this a masterwork is that the diversions and complications appear entirely natural.Nothing is out of place and the book is seamless in its relentless march to the ultimate revelation, the tragedy of which is developed in much greater detail than in prior works.

Thus far, my favorite P.D. James mystery.Highly recommended.

Haiku Review - 4 1/2 stars
scientist murdered
many suspects, one killer
thrilling to the end

Lacked A Punch
I find P.D. James' stories adapt better to television than they do novels. She is a fine writer and I admire the heck out of her ability to render a story's setting as important (and usually moreso) than any of the characters who inhabit the spaces of her creations. However, in this novel, as in the three others I've read, I felt slightly bored because it was as if the settings, being so lovingly, artfully described, overpowered the events and cried out for adaptation to the screen, and simply failed when confined to the single dimension of the flat page. James is a better screen writer than a novelist. She tells a fine story and tells it with imagination, but I can't help but confess, I find her books a little slow moving and dull. Here I wanted to find out more about the crime lab and its experiments. I also wanted to follow the life of the young girl who is the featured character at the very start, but alas, she drifts into the background soon after the opening pages, and we don't encounter her again except as a prop at the very end. I think Death of an Expert Witness needed a few more sub-plots and deviations from the main story. It was too little mystery and too much verbiage. Sorry...

Who can resist Adam Dalgleish?
This is an old P.D. James that I had somehow missed when I read her continuously in the mid-1990s.Although I love the James character Cordelia Gray, who appears in all of the "Unsuitable Job for a Woman"-type mysteries, my favorite James character is Inspector Dalgliesh. Since BBC/PBS did a series of "Mystery" episodes years ago based on the Dalgliesh character, I have him firmly fixed in my mind as the troubled Inspector (aren't they all?) who is also a brilliant poet and lover of all things fine in life.This book is a Dalgliesh book, not his best (that would be "A Taste for Death" or perhaps "Shroud for a Nightingale"), but even the worst Dalgliesh (I can't think of one) would be better than the best of most other people.This one takes place at a forensic laboratory where criminal and other evidence is processed and gives us a bit of a glimpse into how the Brits do Crime Scene Investigation (CSI).These are country people, not slick American city types, and that's OK.The countryside hides lots of interesting characters who have all sorts of motivations.Keep in mind that this was first published in 1986 and the world has changed rather tremendously since then! ... Read more

Book Description
An original novel of extraordinary power, Innocent Blood is the story of 18-year-old Philippa Palfrey, adopted as a child, who is plunged into a dangerous and terrifying world when she discovers the shocking truth about her natural parents — and learns that her birth mother is about to be released from prison. Innocent Blood is considered by many to be one of P.D. James' finest novels. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (23)

Promising but dull
I am sorry to be so blunt.

My early assumption was that the story had an intriguing ring: London, end of the 70s.A young lady, Philippa, knowing that she had been adopted, sets out to look for her biological parents.Her adoptive parents, with whom she never quite had a close relationship, are unhappy about this choice but nothing can stop Philippa.What she eventually finds out is shocking but, seemingly unperturbed, she sets out to try and establish a contact to learn more abour her early childhood.Meanwhile, somebody else is looking into the past and, unbeknownst to anybody, is waiting for the right time to strike out, to quench the thirst of vendetta over the murder of his young daughter years ago.

Although the linguistic is definitely high class, the narrative is just too tediously overly-descriptive, resulting in total failure to engage me fully as a good thriller should do.I often found myself skimming through some parts, trying to get to the core of the chapter.Additionally, none of the main characters, Philippa in primis, were particularly likeable one way or the other, no matter how tragic or sad their backgrounds.This too, contributed to a certain degree of dislike for the whole tale.

I know and respect Mrs. P.D. James' reputation as a writer, but this book just was not for me.

The Tie That Binds
P.D. James is best known for her detective Adam Dalgliesh and the mysteries that he has masterly solved in a dozen novels."Innocent Blood", while a departure from her usual fare, still exhibits some of James' trademarks and is overall an intriguing and slightly disturbing crime novel.The thought with which the plotlines and characters twine together showcases the author's ability to craft ingenious crimes and plumb the psychological depths of her characters.

"Innocent Blood" is the tale of Philippa Palfrey, who has just turned eighteen and is eager to find out who her birth parents were so that she can in turn discover who she is.Adopted when she was eight, Philippa can remember hardly anything of her previous life, and has filled in the gaps with wild romantic fantasies that are brought to a crashing halt when she learns the truth about her background.For she is the daughter of a rapist and a murderer - her biological father died in prison, while her mother is soon due to be released.Philippa denies the advice of her adopted family and searches out her birth mother, blindly putting aside the fact that her mother murdered a twelve-year-old girl, and the two wind up sharing a flat in London for a few weeks in the summer.But Philippa's plans of reconciling with her mother are thrown into jeopardy by someone unknown to her; for the father of the murdered girl has spent the past ten years planning how to enact his vigilante vengeance and stalks the mother and daughter so he can carry out his plan.Yet when Philippa learns a truth even more disconcerting about her mother and her adoption, everyone's plans for the future are threatened.

"Innocent Blood" is not as easy a read as others of James' works.It begins slowly, and the main characters are far from likeable.Philippa has spent the past ten years living in the lap of luxury, but feels nothing more than grudging sense of entitlement toward her adoptive parents.Maurice, her adoptive father, is a sociology professor, who seems to view his relationship with Philippa as an experiment, until the reader learns the true motive behind his actions.The reader will perhaps be surprised to feel some empathy for Philippa's birth mother, despite the fact that she is a child murderer.But the strongest character in the novel is Norman Scase, the vengeance seeking father, a gentle man who made a promise to his late wife to seek out the murderer of their child and who struggles under the enormity of that promise.As the plotlines of these various characters interconnect, the novel picks up pace and draws to an interesting close, but one that is slightly disturbing and perhaps less fulfilling than other crimes P.D. James has offered in other works.

A psychological and location study
I enjoy P.D. James very much.I'm a fan who respects her talents and absolutely loves her command and use of the English language.I don't want to be the kind of fan that only wants the people they admire to do one thing, "play your greatest hit again".But this one was a toughie for me.I didn't like the main character at all.While I don't have to have a sterotypical heroine to enjoy a book, it makes it much more enjoyable for me if I find at least a couple of things about them I like.There is nothing here to admire or relate to in Phillipa's character.Graham Greene kept running through my head as I read this book.It is much more a psychological study than a mystery.There is tension in the book though, which mounts very slowly, and by that, becomes intense.But there is a tremendous amount of the book devoted to descriptions of places.While these descriptions are vibrant, the number of them detracted from the book for me.There are character studies that, when viewed in the totality of the book, seem pointless.We learn about the women that Phillipa and her mother work with.Then they are gone from the book.Nothing in their appearance relates to the overall story.But, again, the descriptions of them are masterful.I would recommend this book, but only to those who like reading for the enjoyment of language usage.For a moretraditional, but equally compelling "English murder mystery" book, I would recommend many other of James works, but not this one.

Incredibly well-crafted, amazing characters
I could not put this down.P.D. James is so brave, she's willing to create such deep characters, with such problems.She sets the characters up in a hugely dramatic plot and then sets them free.You really do believe that these are real people, living out these twisted circumstances.Add to that her command of the english language.P.D. James is a huge literary talent.It is a shame that since she is writing "genre" fiction, that she doesn't receive the literary accolades that she deserves.

My recommendation: buy this book, set aside a weekend, and dive in.

A satisfying, complex novel
I was very impressed with this book--the first PD James I have read. I picked it up as a vacation book and quickly found myself engrossed in the characters. They are compelling and real, from the daughter aching to learn the truth about her birth parents to the bitter, haunted father of a murdered child. James does an excellent job of drawing us into the quiet desperation of these people's lives. I would put this book into a literary category rather than a mystery. The secondary characters are extremely well nuanced too, from the blind woman who works in the hotel to the man who works in the fruit and veg shop. The reader is left with a mix of emotions at what in a lesser writer's hands would be a simple murder and revenge story. Highly recommended. ... Read more

Amazon.com
The hushed mock-Venetian halls of England's oldest publishing house reek of secrets.Why did senior editor commit suicidein the archives office?And who decided to kill the managing director in the same place -- or was his death a suicide also?Adam Dalgliesh and Kate Miskin will find out, but how many more deaths will there be before all the secrets see the light of day?Book Description
Innocent House is a mock-Venetian palace occupied by Britain’s oldest book publisher, Peverell Press. After a spate of malicious pranks, the ruthless managing director, Gerard Etienne, is found dead, the office mascot, a stuffed snake, jammed in his mouth. Who wanted Etienne dead? Just about everyone on staff -- and several authors, too.

Commander Adam Dalgliesh and his team are confronted with a puzzle of extraordinary ingenuity as they begin to probe the dark, private tragedies of Etienne’s mistress and colleagues. But the mystery at Innocent House may prove too deep, too old, and too evil to stop at just one death....


From the Paperback edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (27)

Too long
I thought the premise was great, an office prankster may have gone too far and committed murder. But the complexity of trying to unravel three possible murders with so many suspects is exhausting. Here is a short list of suspects: Peverell, DeWitt, the Etiennes, Dauntsey, Blackie, Mandy, George, Mr. Bartrum Mrs Bartrum or both, Sister Agnes, and Pitt-Cowley.
I loved the first 300 pages, but lost steam and finally ran out of gas on page 435.

Having said the above, a high point for me was the desription of the chapel at Othona. I guess I never thought of a church which was built in 635.

To Be Judge, Jury & Executioner
Lady James' detective fiction transcends its genre--it is that good.Her over thirty years of experience have taught her how to craft nuanced plots and characters that will live long after the book is finished."Original Sin" is about revenge.To say much more risks the plot, but suffice it to say that this book has something of value to leave with the reader.Lady James uses death to teach us about life.

Dalgliesh is at his typical best and shares top billing with a House on the Thames--not just a house, a palace.The house is home to a publishing dynasty that is coming to an end as the new director, an evil yuppie type, wreaks havoc in the boardroom.Nice setting.Not only does the book treat revenge, there is also a good deal of thematic material dealing withthe satisfaction of various characters with their lives and it is well developed.Our author has much to say about what is truly valuable in life and that is a question far more compelling than who did the murder.

Well written but tedious
This is my 3rd PD James book and I have to say I was quite disappointed.(The other 2 were Murder Room and A Certain Justice.)

I found most of the characters to be not terribly believable and one dimensional.Even Dalgliesh was not well drawn.

And to make it worse, the plot was not believable.

I agree with someone else who said borrow this from the library, don't buy it.

I'm so tired of those damn roses!
This is a good English 'murder most foul' mystery. It has all the characters, all the deadly sins of greed, resntment, the casual using of women, lies, cheating, manipulation, and all the patience of the best. And in that regard it is one of the best.

My own preference is the Elizabeth George novels (brilliant) and of course the Grandmother of them all, Christie. I like especially the double and triple agent series by Deighton and Higgens and of course (perhaps not lately) Ken Follett.

But James is so detailed that you feel sometimes you have fallen asleep in the barber's chair and awakened to find someone has deftly removed your copy of Sports illustrated and replaced it with the section on 'selecting the right colour of mulch' from Better Homes and Gardens. I felt if I heard one more reference to the marble flooring in Innocent House I would revert back to Marvel Comics.

An excellent novel. A bloody terribly long way to get across the Tower Bridge. 4 stars. Larry Scantlebury

Seeking Absolution
As usual, P.D. James has crafted a fine mystery with "Original Sin".Set at Peverell Press, the oldest publishing house in Britain, the novel follows Commander Adam Dalgliesh and his team as they weave their way through suicide, murder, and practical jokes to uncover the truth behind this mystery."Original Sin" is slightly longer than other mysteries in the Dalgliesh series, but it is quick-paced with plenty of twists thrown in to keep the reader off track.

Peverell Press is in trouble - their place of business, Innocent House (a grand reproduction of a Venetian palace) eats up more money in upkeep than the firm makes in business; ever since Gerard Etienne has taken over as director there have been a string of practical jokes that have gone unsolved; and when Gerard Etienne is killed, it is certain that more murders are on their way."Original Sin"fluctuates between different narrators, allowing the reader to enter into the mindset of all of the characters involved - from the senior executives to the lowliest temp.Nearly everyone has a motive for murder as few were fond of the directions that Gerard Etienne had planned for Peverell Press.It is up to Commander Dalgliesh and his investigation team, including Inspector Kate Miskin, who must unravel each fact from each fiction as the stories surrounding the publishing house grow more twisted as the investigation continues.

"Original Sin" is a quick read, the characters are vividly written, and the novel harks back to an earlier era of substance over flash.The conclusion of the novel happens a little too quickly, but the roots for the murders stretch back through history, and questions of morality and justice arise.Ultimately the conclusion comes down the a sense of absolution - a forgiveness (or lack thereof) of past sins and sins that are passed from father to son."Original Sin" is a brilliant examination of justice and morality. ... Read more

Book Description
When the administrative head of the Steen Psychiatric Clinic is found dead with a chisel in her heart, Superintendent Adam Dalgliesh of Scotland Yard is called in to investigate. Dalgliesh must analyze the deep-seated anxieties and thwarted desires of patients and staff alike to determine which of their unresolved conflicts resulted in murder.

With "discernment, depth, and craftsmanship," wrote the Chicago Daily News,A Mind to Murder "is a superbly satisfying mystery."

... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

A Masterpiece
This is my second James novel. I read The Murder Room which was written by James a few years ago and I thought that it was dreadful. It is a 500 page bore or snore. The present work was written over 40 years ago by a James in her prime. It is short and compact; and, it has a nicely balanced structure with good characters. It is written with straightforward and simple prose and it is a compelling read that is hard to put down. In short, it is what one can describe as a masterpiece.

The book opens with the literary hook: a murder in a clinic basement of the Steen Psychiatric Clinic during a busy Friday afternoon in London. On discovery of the murder, the doors of the clinic are sealed, Dalgliesh is called in, and we are off on the hunt for the killer, or killers.

The novel has an interesting set of characters, but not too many characters. It appears that there are just a half dozen suspects with a motivation to be involved with the killing. The mystery unfolds slowly, and the reader is given a few clues just ahead of the Dalgliesh.

Readers will not be disappointed, and the book demonstrates the fame and ability of James as a crime writer. Most will want to keep the book and set it aside to read again in the future. Also, the book demonstrates again that more is not always better than less. In the elaborate 550 page slow moving story told in The Murder Room, the author has a 95 page introduction and no crime until around page 130. We wait as Dalgliesh does not enter the investigation until almost page 200. Thankfully, all of that type of writing is missing here. In a Mind to Murder, the story is well underway and the reader is fully engaged by page 10. James tells a well balanced and a compelling tale in half the space.

Since the book came out in 1963, it has had approximately seven printings by three different publishers including Faber and Faber, and Penguin. It is easy to understand why.

A Very Unique Twist
Having recently read "A Certain Justice" I have set myself to reading all of P.D. James' works."A Mind to Murder" firmly validated my decision to do so.In only her second mystery, Ms. James has the strength to pull a whopper of a twist.In so doing she provides some very strong character development for her Inspector Dalgliesh.He learns something very valuable in this work and will become a stronger detective for it.

A murder mystery set in a mental health facility provides a wealth of opportunities, none of which are wasted in this volume.In reviewing mysteries, one must be cautious not to throw out any spoilers--but what the reviewer can and did note was that Ms. James' writing is exceptional.The characters come to life and the story has something meaningful to say.In a day and age where entertainment is its own reward, it is nice to find an author who is willing to allow the benefits and burdens of moral choice to take center stage.

Dalgliesh Becomes a Memorable Detective
In Cover Her Face, the first book in this distinguished series, Adam Dalgliesh plays second fiddle to an intricate plot.In A Mind to Murder, the book revolves around the questioning mind of A.D. and he begins to come to life as an interesting character.The plot isn't nearly as intricate as in Cover Her Face, but the twists and turns are more entertainingly told.

Even physicians have to follow the administrative rules.When the administrator of the Steen Psychiatric Clinic starts counting the patient numbers, watching the expense accounts and insisting on proper paperwork, even the physicians find themselves annoyed and wanting her gone. But no one wanted her dead.Or did they?The circumstances of the murder seem to point inside the clinic.The method of death is a particularly strange one, seemingly appropriate for a psychiatric clinic.

The story has a certain anachronistic charm as it reflects practices and circumstances that have changed since 1963.The references to LSD as an analytic tool are particularly humorous in light of the drug's later uses (or misuses).

Much Better Than Her First
In some ways I wish I had started PD James with this book instead of 'Cover her Face', since this is a far superior novel. Frankly perhaps some of my enjoyment could of come from the fact that I was now familiar with her technique of unfolding the mystery; The introduction of the characters before the body is discovered, Adam Dalgliesh beginning his investigation, and then back to our suspects as they ponder who among them is the killer. It's classic mystery story telling that for me brings to mind the great Agatha Christie. I also must say that for something that was written in the early sixties, she tackles some subjects that in their day were probably viewed as scandalous, a clinic devoted to the practice of psychiatry for starters.

The Usual Suspects
As always, P.D. James has crafted a superb mystery with "A Mind to Murder".The plot is laid out in her trademark style, vascillating between the introspection of the detective Dalgliesh and the testimony of an array of characters.The story revolves around the murder of Miss Bolam, the administrative officer of the Steen Psychiatric Clinic.

Early on, motives and means are laid out for several characters, and Dalgliesh knows that it had to be an inside job.Miss Bolam was little liked by several employees and seemingly caused rancor everywhere she went.Yet Dalgliesh feels an overwhelming sense of failure as he tracks down various pieces of evidence.The storyline is fairly simple, with enough inconsistencies to throw the reader, and possibly Dalgliesh, off the real murderer's trail.

A worthy addition to the Dalgliesh series, "A Mind to Murder" offers Dalgliesh fans rare insight into his feelings about his deceased wife and son, and the insecurities he feels with moving forward with his life.The characters are well-written as always, and the story is fast-paced.Even though "A Mind to Murder" is an early work, it is not dated in the least, especially for those who love a good mystery.

... Read more

Amazon.com
"At seventy-seven it is time to be in earnest," wrote Samuel Johnson, and bestselling crime writer P.D. James took this maxim as a challenge, setting out to record "one year that otherwise might be lost." The result is a fascinating and reflective account, part diary and part memoir, of one very full year of Baroness James's life, interspersed with her memories and intelligent analysis of "what it was like to be born two years after the end of the First World War and to live for seventy-eight years in this tumultuous century." P.D. James grew up in Cambridge, England, between the wars and worked in the home office of the forensic and criminal justice departments, which sparked her interest in that area, though she did not become a published novelist until 1962 with Cover Her Face. She began to write full-time after her "retirement" in 1979, and along the way became a governor of the BBC before taking a seat in the House of Lords in 1991. Time to Be in Earnest is a lucid and penetrative work by one of the most influential figures currently involved with the arts in Britain. James reveals her vast scope for enjoyment, interest, and simply getting on with life (her husband, Connor White, died at the age of 44 in 1964 after years of mental illness), whether it be spending time with her children and grandchildren, musing on the hideous British architectural mistakes of the 1960s, or giving her view of the controversies continually surrounding the running of the BBC. At an age when many people would be considering slowing down, James seems constantly on the move, recording her day-to-day existence and her past with an alert and judicious eye. "I am sustained by the magnificent irrationality of faith," she states. "I inhabit a different body, but I can reach back over nearly 70 years and recognise her as myself. Then I walked in hope--and I do so still." --Catherine Taylor, Amazon.co.uk Book Description
On the day she turned seventy-seven, internationally acclaimed mystery writer P. D. James embarked on an endeavor unlike any other in her distinguished career: she decided to write a personal memoir in the form of a diary. Over the course of a year she set down not only the events and impressions of her extraordinarily active life, but also the memories, joys, discoveries, and crises of a lifetime. This enchantingly original volume is the result.

Time to Be in Earnest offers an intimate portrait of one of most accomplished women of our time. Here are vivid, revealing accounts of her school days in Cambridge in the 1920s and '30s, her happy marriage and the tragedy of her husband's mental illness, and the thrill of publishing her first novel, Cover Her Face, in 1962. As she recounts the decades of her exceptional life, James holds forth with wit and candor on such diverse subjects as the evolution of the detective novel, her deep love of the English countryside, her views of author tours and television adaptations, and her life-long obsession with Jane Austen. Wise and frank, engaging and graceful, this "fragment of autobiography" will delight and surprise P. D. James's admirers the world over.
Download Description
In 1997, P. D. James decided to undertake a book unlike any she had written before: a personal memoir in the form of a diary. Structured as the diary of a single year, it roams back and forth through time, illuminating James's extraordinary, sometimes painful and sometimes joyful life." "Here, interwoven with reflections on her writing career and the craft of crime novels, are vivid accounts of episodes in her own past - of school days in 1920s and 1930s Cambridge ... of the war and the tragedy of her husband's madness ... of her determined struggle to support a family alone. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

Disappointing
As a long-time fan of PD James, I was eager to read her fragment of an autobiography.Upon finishing it, I regretted reading it.This esteemed author reveals a bit too much about her extremely right-wing politics, her puzzling infatuation with rank and privilege, and her obsessive nature.I didn't count the number of speeches and signings she did in her 78th year, but the number would be staggering.She seems unable to refuse any request to be honored and fawned over.Of course, her obsessive nature is useful in crime fiction, I suppose.And her prose remains the model of clarity.I still love her work and will go on reading it, but I will have to make an effort to separate my negative impression of the woman.

A Time To Be
As a fan of P.D. James' mysteries, reading her 'fragment of autobiography' served as an interesting chance to get to know the woman behind the words."A Time To Be In Earnest" is a diary written for one year of the author's life: since the original intent was publication, there is a formality to it and it does lack the spontaneity of emotions of other diaries.Yet that does not diminish what is written within its pages, for it is a glimpse into the everyday life of a woman, a writer, a grandmother, a public image, etc... as she reflects on the past, present, and what the future may bring.

P.D. James did not begin writing her novels until she was in her thirties - she was already married with two daughters and worked as a public servant.Her diary begins with a note to the reader about the task ahead.The title is taken from a quote by Samuel Johnson that reads, "At seventy-seven it is time to be in earnest" and so during her seventy-seventh year, James keeps this diary as a way to ward off the would-be writers of biographies and to help her remember certain events and moments in the face of oncoming age.Sometimes her entries focus on her early life, giving readers a brief biographical sketch of home and school, while other entries are forays into James' thoughts on current affairs, past crimes, and what it is like to be an author in demand.Also during this year, readers follow the author as she promotes her newly published book ("A Certain Justice") and travels throughout the world, allowing readers to into her insights on the places she visits.

There is no doubt that P.D. James has led an extraordinary life, having experienced love, loss, and the shattering and numbing consequences of war.Her diary is, at times, like sitting down with an old friend (who happens to be a favorite author) and discussing books, history and the affairs of the day.Readers are drawn into her life, just as they are drawn into the characters she creates in her fiction.(An included positive for Jane Austen fans, is a talk that James gave on "Emma" and how it is a detective story, with James laying out the clues that Austen left for readers to find.)James may fancy herself a grandmother who happens to write detective stories, but I for one am glad that she continues to write, well into her eighties.

One of the most unique autobiographies you'll ever read
This has to be one of the most unique autobiographies I've ever read.The premise is brilliant.P.D. James takes one year of her life, at age 77, and as we follow her from activity to relative to meeting to book event, she also takes the time to reflect on the larger picture of her life and the people she has known for most of her life, providing historical details as a stream of conscious memory.Some of her life just isn't that interesting, but trying to manage two children and a marriage to a man who spent most of his adult life in asylums, as well as being made a Peeress of the Realm, and all of the publication minutae are pretty interesting. It is always fun to read the story of a life richly lived by an accomplished person.

One Writer's Life
One reviewer said of this book, ". . . parts about the more technical aspects of book writing and publishing . . . tend to be dry and would hold more appeal to writers and those in the publishing business." These were the parts I liked best, and I'm not a writer. But I am a reader, and I've read and enjoyed most of P. D. James's books and the other books she discusses.

James kept a diary during the year she was seventy-seven. She records what's happening in the present and reflects on aspects of her past. In the present, James is constantly traveling, giving talks, and spending time with friends old and new. She appears to be a very busy person. All this traveling about, though not exactly boring, is not exactly fascinating either. To me, the more interesting parts were about the past and especially her thoughts and opinions on other writers, mainly mystery writers. Ms. James is another big fan of Jane Austen's, and an appendix gives the text of a talk she gave to the Jane Austen Society on mystery in EMMA.

Ms. James's outlook on life is that most things were better in the past (with the big exception of sanitary protection). She appreciates her relatively good health and independence and is grateful for each day, storing up good memories to sustain her as she grows older.

James is too refined to speak ill of anyone and is unwilling to reveal personal details about her life with a mentally ill spouse. She is quite willing to share her opinions on public issues, but she's reluctant to give us the inner P. D. James.

Still, I was more interested in this book than the other one I was reading at the same time, V. S. Naipaul's A HOUSE FOR MR BISWAS.

If you're a mystery fan, you'll probably enjoy James's remarks about other mystery writers of the past.

Don't Have to Be a P.D. James Fan
After an uneven beginning, Time to Be In Earnest, settles down to an earnest and enjoyable memoir (it is in diary form, covering a year: 1997-1998).

P.D. James has a distinct voice, comprised of dignity, reserve, confidence, practicality and intelligence. This voice or persona flows throughout the book. Not a reader of P.D. James' mystery novels, I have no way of knowing if this voice appears in her fiction. It is not a quiescent voice and therefore, not lightly ignored. It does give the reader an image of the author's personality, an image that may or may not be accurate.

P.D. James has an eye for detail, a quality that can bog down many a memoir and almost does in this case. However, there is something lesiurely, even unaggressive, about the wealth of detail, and it is intermingled with reflections on religion, nature, life, entertainment, writing and much more. And if you enjoy well-written pictures of nature, the prose of P.D. James will certainly delight and satisfy.

In fact, there's a bit of everything in this autobiography for everyone. I found the comments about writing and true life detective cases most interesting as well as P.D. James' experiences in WWII. There are references to Chatsworth, the House of Lords, the BBC and more prosaically, P.D. James' cat, the Civil Service and the work on her house.

There is always the suspicion in reading autobiography that it will be like watching other people's home movies: just a tad deary and confusing. This is not the case of Time to Be In Earnest. The smoothness of the writing carries the reader past all unknown faces (and it's fun to "meet" the few known ones). One gets the experience of the author's life as it happens. Many--if not most--memoirs/autobiographies are the analysis of events after they have been lived. This is true of sections of Time to Be In Earnest as well (and the analysis is always interesting) but the process of living alongside someone is what sets this book apart.

It is not a book to rush through. Read it a bit at a time and catch the very English flavor of a very English lady. ... Read more

Amazon.com's Best of 2001
Despite challenges from Ruth Rendell and (more recently) MinetteWalters, P.D. James's position as Britain's Queen of Crime remains largely unassailable. Although a certain reaction has set in to her reputation (andthere are those who claim her poetry-loving copper Adam Dalgliesh doesn'tcorrespond to any of his counterparts in the real world), her detractors canscarcely deny her astonishing literary gifts. More than any other writer, shehas elevated the detective story into the realms of literature, with the psychology of the characters treated in the most complex and authoritative fashion. Her plots, too, are full of intriguing detail and studed with brilliantly observed character studies. Who cares if Dalgliesh belongs more in the pages of a book than poking around a graffiti-scrawled council estate? As a policeman, he is considerably more plausible than Doyle's Holmes, and that's never stopped us loving the Baker Street sleuth. Death in Holy Orders represents something of a challenge from James to her critics, taking on all the contentious elements and rigorously reinvigorating them. She had admitted that she was finding it increasingly difficult to find new plots for Dalgliesh, and the locale here (a theological college on a lonely stretch of the East Anglian coast) turns out to be an inspired choice. We're presented with the enclosed setting so beloved of golden age detective writers, and James is able to incorporate her theological interests seamlessly into the plot (but never in any doctrinaire way; the nonbeliever is never uncomfortable). The body of a student at the college is found on the shore, suffocated by a fall of sand. Dalgliesh is called upon to reexamine the verdict of accidental death (which the student's father would not accept). Having visited the College of St. Anselm in his boyhood, he finds the investigation has a strong nostalgic aspect for him. But that is soon overtaken by the realization that he has encountered the most horrific case of his career, and another visitor to the college dies a horrible death. As an exploration of evil--and as a piece of highly distinctive crime writing--this is James at her nonpareil best. Dalgliesh, too, is rendered with new dimensions of psychological complexity. --Barry Forshaw, Amazon.co.ukBook Description
The setting itself is elemental P. D. James: the bleak coast of East Anglia, where atop a sweep of low cliffs stands the small theological college of St. Anselm’s. On the shore not far away, smothered beneath a fall of sand, lies the body of one of the school’s young ordinands. He is the son of Sir Alred Treves, a hugely successful and flamboyant businessman who is accustomed to getting what he wants—and in this case what he wants is Commander Adam Dalgliesh to investigate his son’s death. Although there seems to be little to investigate, Dalgliesh agrees, largely out of nostal-gia for several happy summers he spent at St. Anselm’s as a boy. No sooner does he arrive, however, than the college is torn apart by a sacrilegious and horrifying murder, and Dalgliesh finds himself ineluctably drawn into the labyrinth of an intricate and violent mystery.

Here P. D. James once more demonstrates her unrivalled skill in building a classic detective story into a fully realized novel, gripping as much for its psychological and emotional richness as for the originality and complexity of its plotting—and, of course, for the horror and suspense at its heart. Filled with unforgettable characters, brilliant in its evocation of the East Anglian scene and the religious background against which the action takes place, Death in Holy Orders again offers proof, if proof were needed, that P. D. James is not only the reigning master of the crime novel but also, simply, one of the finest novelists writing today.


From the Hardcover edition.Download Description
Commander Dalgliesh, P.D. James's great detective, returns after four years. An untimely death brings him to the East Anglian coast where a young man has fallen from a cliff at the small theological college of St. Anselm's. He agrees to investigate, but no sooner does Dalgliesh arrive than he finds himself drawn into the labyrinth of a violent mystery. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (109)

Another Excellent James Novel
Pd James is quite simply a marvel.A Death In Holy Orders is yet another example of her excellent writing skills.I cannot think of another author, especially in the Mystery genre, quite so evocative.The mystery in this book made for a nice puzzle.The characters were numerous, yet well-rounded and complete.The star of this book of course is Adam Dalgleish, smooth as usual.Is the book long... yes it is.However, with P.D. James, the books are meant to be savored, not read in one sitting.

Another 5 star outing!

Bored to death by Death In Holy Orders
I admit I haven't read much P.D. James, and this book certainly won't make me anxious to change that.With good editing, this could have been a reasonably entertaining 200 page novel, instead of a boringBORING 400 pager.No wait ... even cutting it in half wouldn't have made the mystery any more mysterious, or the outcome any more believable, or the characters any more interesting, or the writing any more entertaining.

And what was the need for the incest and pedophile sub-plots?The character of the caretaker might have been reasonably interesting, in an outdated Agatha Christie sort of way, but the incestuous relationship with his sister seemed to have been added in for no reason other than just being distasteful.It certainly had no bearing on the plot.

But even more offensive was the sympathy expressed by virtually every character for the pedophile priest Father John, who everyone seemed to feel was just a sad victim of circumstances instead of a confessed and convicted molestor of young boys entrusted to his care.Not a single character expressed any outrage at Father John's actions, or any sympathy for the boys whose lives he undoubtedly ruined.And the one character who was instrumental in having Father John sent to prison was roundly and soundly despised for it by everyone of the eclesiastical college where the story takes place.The pedophile was seen as a sympathetic character, and the man who sent him to prison was seen as mean-spirited and uncaring.Go figure.And on top of that, the whole pedophile issue had nothing at all to do with the plot.Again, included for no apparent reason except for the additional distaste.

If that's any indication of P.D. James's outlook, then I can certainly do without reading any more of her work.

Beguiling Murders
Ms. James cleverly navigates her readers through personal sins, management quandary, and society turmoil. Scores of secrets materialize in a minute community. With so many confusions introduced, one forgets that a clear motive might be an answer to any mysteries. Very cunning of Ms. James in weaving her tale and I applaud her in compelling me to think too deeply into matters all throughout the book. I do not understand the reasoning behind writing only one chapter for book four but Ms. James must have an experienced writer's artistic and logical answer in doing so. Ms. James' vibrant use of the English language together with her vast vocabulary results in a pleasurable read.

Overlabored and obvious
As a psychological novel, Death in Holy Orders is middling to good.As a mystery, it fails entirely.The culprit of the murder is obvious half-way through, with no attempt to even hide his guilt -- I wondered why on earth I should keep reading.Keep reading I did out of sheer stubborness, but even at the end, when the motive and mechanisms of the crime were all laid out, none of it really was all that convincing.If this is P.D. James at her best, I'd imagine some of her "lesser" works might send me into a coma.

Never ceases to amaze
I've come to the conclusion that P.D. James is one of my favorite mystery writers. I only recently picked up another one of her novels; I immediately went and got this one as well. I have no idea why I had never heard of James before a few weeks ago. James does a fantastic job of portraying her characters psychologically. She is adept at getting into the head and heart of the people she writes about.

A young man at a small theological seminary is found buried in the sand, naked. The woman who discovers him, the housekeeper Margaret Munroe, dies about a week later; everyone assumes that her death was due to a heart attack. Or was it? It turns out that the college, established by Agnes Arburthnot in the mid-19th century, is on the verge of closing down for good. The woman's strange will only allows her direct descendents to inherit; since there are none, the college and everything in it goes to the trustees. In addition, there is a priceless Van Der Weyden paiting which hangs above the altar. All four of the archbishops stand to inherit handsomely. A search for a killer ensues; the case is intensened by the death of an archbishop.

P.D. James keeps her reader guessing until the very end. I highly reccomend this book, or any of the other Adam Dalgliesh mysteries. ... Read more

Amazon.com
"At seventy-seven it is time to be in earnest," wrote Samuel Johnson, and bestselling crime writer P.D. James took this maxim as a challenge, setting out to record "one year that otherwise might be lost." The result is a fascinating and reflective account, part diary and part memoir, of one very full year of Baroness James's life, interspersed with her memories and intelligent analysis of "what it was like to be born two years after the end of the First World War and to live for seventy-eight years in this tumultuous century." P.D. James grew up in Cambridge, England, between the wars and worked in the home office of the forensic and criminal justice departments, which sparked her interest in that area, though she did not become a published novelist until 1962 with Cover Her Face. She began to write full-time after her "retirement" in 1979, and along the way became a governor of the BBC before taking a seat in the House of Lords in 1991. Time to Be in Earnest is a lucid and penetrative work by one of the most influential figures currently involved with the arts in Britain. James reveals her vast scope for enjoyment, interest, and simply getting on with life (her husband, Connor White, died at the age of 44 in 1964 after years of mental illness), whether it be spending time with her children and grandchildren, musing on the hideous British architectural mistakes of the 1960s, or giving her view of the controversies continually surrounding the running of the BBC. At an age when many people would be considering slowing down, James seems constantly on the move, recording her day-to-day existence and her past with an alert and judicious eye. "I am sustained by the magnificent irrationality of faith," she states. "I inhabit a different body, but I can reach back over nearly 70 years and recognise her as myself. Then I walked in hope--and I do so still." --Catherine Taylor, Amazon.co.uk Book Description
On the day she turned seventy-seven, internationally acclaimed mystery writer P. D. James embarked on an endeavor unlike any other in her distinguished career: she decided to write a personal memoir in the form of a diary. Over the course of a year she set down not only the events and impressions of her extraordinarily active life, but also the memories, joys, discoveries, and crises of a lifetime. This enchantingly original volume is the result.

Time to Be in Earnest offers an intimate portrait of one of most accomplished women of our time. Here are vivid, revealing accounts of her school days in Cambridge in the 1920s and '30s, her happy marriage and the tragedy of her husband's mental illness, and the thrill of publishing her first novel, Cover Her Face, in 1962. As she recounts the decades of her exceptional life, James holds forth with wit and candor on such diverse subjects as the evolution of the detective novel, her deep love of the English countryside, her views of author tours and television adaptations, and her life-long obsession with Jane Austen. Wise and frank, engaging and graceful, this "fragment of autobiography" will delight and surprise P. D. James's admirers the world over.
Download Description
In 1997, P. D. James decided to undertake a book unlike any she had written before: a personal memoir in the form of a diary. Structured as the diary of a single year, it roams back and forth through time, illuminating James's extraordinary, sometimes painful and sometimes joyful life." "Here, interwoven with reflections on her writing career and the craft of crime novels, are vivid accounts of episodes in her own past - of school days in 1920s and 1930s Cambridge ... of the war and the tragedy of her husband's madness ... of her determined struggle to support a family alone. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

Disappointing
As a long-time fan of PD James, I was eager to read her fragment of an autobiography.Upon finishing it, I regretted reading it.This esteemed author reveals a bit too much about her extremely right-wing politics, her puzzling infatuation with rank and privilege, and her obsessive nature.I didn't count the number of speeches and signings she did in her 78th year, but the number would be staggering.She seems unable to refuse any request to be honored and fawned over.Of course, her obsessive nature is useful in crime fiction, I suppose.And her prose remains the model of clarity.I still love her work and will go on reading it, but I will have to make an effort to separate my negative impression of the woman.

A Time To Be
As a fan of P.D. James' mysteries, reading her 'fragment of autobiography' served as an interesting chance to get to know the woman behind the words."A Time To Be In Earnest" is a diary written for one year of the author's life: since the original intent was publication, there is a formality to it and it does lack the spontaneity of emotions of other diaries.Yet that does not diminish what is written within its pages, for it is a glimpse into the everyday life of a woman, a writer, a grandmother, a public image, etc... as she reflects on the past, present, and what the future may bring.

P.D. James did not begin writing her novels until she was in her thirties - she was already married with two daughters and worked as a public servant.Her diary begins with a note to the reader about the task ahead.The title is taken from a quote by Samuel Johnson that reads, "At seventy-seven it is time to be in earnest" and so during her seventy-seventh year, James keeps this diary as a way to ward off the would-be writers of biographies and to help her remember certain events and moments in the face of oncoming age.Sometimes her entries focus on her early life, giving readers a brief biographical sketch of home and school, while other entries are forays into James' thoughts on current affairs, past crimes, and what it is like to be an author in demand.Also during this year, readers follow the author as she promotes her newly published book ("A Certain Justice") and travels throughout the world, allowing readers to into her insights on the places she visits.

There is no doubt that P.D. James has led an extraordinary life, having experienced love, loss, and the shattering and numbing consequences of war.Her diary is, at times, like sitting down with an old friend (who happens to be a favorite author) and discussing books, history and the affairs of the day.Readers are drawn into her life, just as they are drawn into the characters she creates in her fiction.(An included positive for Jane Austen fans, is a talk that James gave on "Emma" and how it is a detective story, with James laying out the clues that Austen left for readers to find.)James may fancy herself a grandmother who happens to write detective stories, but I for one am glad that she continues to write, well into her eighties.

One of the most unique autobiographies you'll ever read
This has to be one of the most unique autobiographies I've ever read.The premise is brilliant.P.D. James takes one year of her life, at age 77, and as we follow her from activity to relative to meeting to book event, she also takes the time to reflect on the larger picture of her life and the people she has known for most of her life, providing historical details as a stream of conscious memory.Some of her life just isn't that interesting, but trying to manage two children and a marriage to a man who spent most of his adult life in asylums, as well as being made a Peeress of the Realm, and all of the publication minutae are pretty interesting. It is always fun to read the story of a life richly lived by an accomplished person.

One Writer's Life
One reviewer said of this book, ". . . parts about the more technical aspects of book writing and publishing . . . tend to be dry and would hold more appeal to writers and those in the publishing business." These were the parts I liked best, and I'm not a writer. But I am a reader, and I've read and enjoyed most of P. D. James's books and the other books she discusses.

James kept a diary during the year she was seventy-seven. She records what's happening in the present and reflects on aspects of her past. In the present, James is constantly traveling, giving talks, and spending time with friends old and new. She appears to be a very busy person. All this traveling about, though not exactly boring, is not exactly fascinating either. To me, the more interesting parts were about the past and especially her thoughts and opinions on other writers, mainly mystery writers. Ms. James is another big fan of Jane Austen's, and an appendix gives the text of a talk she gave to the Jane Austen Society on mystery in EMMA.

Ms. James's outlook on life is that most things were better in the past (with the big exception of sanitary protection). She appreciates her relatively good health and independence and is grateful for each day, storing up good memories to sustain her as she grows older.

James is too refined to speak ill of anyone and is unwilling to reveal personal details about her life with a mentally ill spouse. She is quite willing to share her opinions on public issues, but she's reluctant to give us the inner P. D. James.

Still, I was more interested in this book than the other one I was reading at the same time, V. S. Naipaul's A HOUSE FOR MR BISWAS.

If you're a mystery fan, you'll probably enjoy James's remarks about other mystery writers of the past.

Don't Have to Be a P.D. James Fan
After an uneven beginning, Time to Be In Earnest, settles down to an earnest and enjoyable memoir (it is in diary form, covering a year: 1997-1998).

P.D. James has a distinct voice, comprised of dignity, reserve, confidence, practicality and intelligence. This voice or persona flows throughout the book. Not a reader of P.D. James' mystery novels, I have no way of knowing if this voice appears in her fiction. It is not a quiescent voice and therefore, not lightly ignored. It does give the reader an image of the author's personality, an image that may or may not be accurate.

P.D. James has an eye for detail, a quality that can bog down many a memoir and almost does in this case. However, there is something lesiurely, even unaggressive, about the wealth of detail, and it is intermingled with reflections on religion, nature, life, entertainment, writing and much more. And if you enjoy well-written pictures of nature, the prose of P.D. James will certainly delight and satisfy.

In fact, there's a bit of everything in this autobiography for everyone. I found the comments about writing and true life detective cases most interesting as well as P.D. James' experiences in WWII. There are references to Chatsworth, the House of Lords, the BBC and more prosaically, P.D. James' cat, the Civil Service and the work on her house.

There is always the suspicion in reading autobiography that it will be like watching other people's home movies: just a tad deary and confusing. This is not the case of Time to Be In Earnest. The smoothness of the writing carries the reader past all unknown faces (and it's fun to "meet" the few known ones). One gets the experience of the author's life as it happens. Many--if not most--memoirs/autobiographies are the analysis of events after they have been lived. This is true of sections of Time to Be In Earnest as well (and the analysis is always interesting) but the process of living alongside someone is what sets this book apart.

It is not a book to rush through. Read it a bit at a time and catch the very English flavor of a very English lady. ... Read more