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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder
Moderate: Incest, Pedophilia, Suicide
Minor: Alcoholism, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Abandonment
I keep thinking I might really like a P.D. James book, but then she always does something to annoy me. I just don't find the process of detection, as she writes it, very satisfying, and her writing is often pretty repetitive. I also find the moral code espoused in this book bizarre.
Spoiler
One of the priests was convicted of child molestation, but everyone sympathizes with him and blames the archdeacon who gave evidence against him. On the other hand, someone steals two communion wafers and everyone is outraged. The relative levels of blame here seem very off, to say the least. It's already extremely bizarre that everyone seems fine with child molestation, but the fact that they are not fine with stealing wafers makes it extra bizarre.
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
DNF
This is just not my thing…
But I like the vibe. It’s why I bought this book.
This is just not my thing…
But I like the vibe. It’s why I bought this book.
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I enjoyed this book very much - who doesn't enjoy a good PD James novel? But it wasn't as full of as many of the twists and turns that I expect with her work, hence the three stars...still a great read though!
With surgical precision PD James weaves a murderous tale in the shadows of a small seminary school. The plot is as good as any police procedural and the writing matches up to most fine literature. As the body count grows, the sea is flooded with demented red herrings, but unlike much contemporary fiction James closes her story with well-planned scenes and satisfying splashes of panache.
This is a must read novel/series for fans of the genre and should be considered by a wider reading audience. Death In Holy Orders is proof of that literary crime fiction can be more exhilarating than the popcorn novels available in airport bookshops. Long live the queen.
This is a must read novel/series for fans of the genre and should be considered by a wider reading audience. Death In Holy Orders is proof of that literary crime fiction can be more exhilarating than the popcorn novels available in airport bookshops. Long live the queen.
The book was good... but I found the ending underwhelming. The motive didn't make a ton of sense to me, nor was it clear how the murders were effected. Still I might try another PD James - lighter reading has been a theme of 2017, and I can see that continuing into 2018...
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated