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steller0707's review against another edition
4.0
Another great mystery from a master British mystery writer! Everyone's got a motive.
donkeykong64's review against another edition
4.0
Wonderfully written. Compelling mystery backed by a brooding atmosphere and top notch setting. Going to have to disagree with a lot of the reviews I’m seeing here that the book downplays the possible pedophile priest, it functions not to dismiss the reality of it in real life but rather to provide motives for some and complicated relationships for others based on the man they knew. Frankly, it’s just lazy reading to interpret that priests portrayal in the novel as a personal dismissal of sexual abuse by priests on the part of PD James.
jeo224's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This is the first book by James I have read, although of course I know she is a master. Well plotted, interesting setting (I love books set in East Anglia), good cast of characters. I enjoyed it and will seek out more of her work.
abrswf's review against another edition
2.0
Oh so slow. How a book with this many deaths, plus incest and religious desecration could mostly be so dull and plodding I do not know. I was particularly bothered, though, by the insertion of a pedophile priest character -- because, incredibly, PD James seems only to have included him to express her indignation that such people might actually be prosecuted and imprisoned. According to her, molestation doesn't really hurt anyone as it is harmless touching. I am wondering if I'll be reading any more of her books, though I have been a long time reader. Dalgleish does develop a love interest -- in his veddy veddy British standoffish sort of way -- in this book, so maybe. But James needs to spend some time finding out how traumatizing child abuse is for VICTIMS.
cancermoononhigh's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
jensen1's review against another edition
4.0
It was extremely well written and interesting but felt that it built up for the whole book and then all of a sudden spilled who the murderer was.
thelaurasaurus's review against another edition
2.0
God, this felt old fashioned. Here are the things that annoyed me:
1. The massive amounts of compassion everyone seemed to show for the paedophile priest.
2. The treatment of women as a bit feeble. "We must tell everyone there has been a murder - sit, ladies, sit. You can't possibly take this news standing up like a man."
3. The assumption that if you went to state school you must feel so inferior to those who had their education paid for (and must therefore be much more intelligent than you).
1. The massive amounts of compassion everyone seemed to show for the paedophile priest.
2. The treatment of women as a bit feeble. "We must tell everyone there has been a murder - sit, ladies, sit. You can't possibly take this news standing up like a man."
3. The assumption that if you went to state school you must feel so inferior to those who had their education paid for (and must therefore be much more intelligent than you).
koseto_tliterature's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0