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git_r_read's review against another edition
4.0
This one didn't have as much Adam Dalgliesh as I'd have liked. I enjoy the ones where he works with his team more.
robynryle's review against another edition
3.0
I found this too crowded with characters which was maybe an attempt to convey a sense of place and community. But some of the characters seemed too much like types, and it was a bit gruesome for me, both in the sense of describing how characters died, and in actually describing the death of characters whom you've become attached to, rather than killing them off-scene.
fastasashark's review against another edition
3.0
This is the first P.D. James book I've ever read and given what I'd heard about her in the past I was actually pleasantly surprised. Well pleasantly surprised but then simultaneously had my expectations met with some cringeworthy stuff. She had a reputation for being pretty conservative and I think that definitely came out in her writing, but in other ways she surprised me.
The book itself is a pretty enjoyable old school British detective mystery that takes place on a dreary headland in Norfolk. I think one of my favourite aspects of the book was the setting itself since I have a thing for that kind of grey gothic atmosphere on the English countryside. And as a writer I have to say James is incredibly descriptive and a very talented writer, so that it's easy to visualise everything. There was something really immersive and nostalgic about the way she described everything. I also kept joking throughout that she's great for improving my vocabulary because I kept having to look words up as I was reading.
That said her conservative side definitely does shine through. While I enjoyed her writing I also found it pretty unintentionally funny since she's kind of snooty in the way that only the British can be. She also seems a bit at odds with herself in the way she depicts her women characters. Sometimes they're depicted as erratic and silly basically "by nature" meanwhile at other times she comments on how men tend to rigidly dychotimise women's behaviours, motives, roles, lifestyles etc. And of course her random, paranoid red scare moments. Her depiction of a communist threat is almost cartoonish.
Beyond that there was this mournful kind of nostalgic feel to her writing. Just reading a bit about her life, while reading this book it feels like she's mourning an England that's all but dead and gone or maybe never truly existed in the way the conservative imagination remembers it. But there's definitely that tension between modernisation, urbanisation etc and a more traditional, rural life.
In the end I thought it was an enjoyable mystery, with great descriptive writing and setting. Would recommend for British detective mystery lovers.
The book itself is a pretty enjoyable old school British detective mystery that takes place on a dreary headland in Norfolk. I think one of my favourite aspects of the book was the setting itself since I have a thing for that kind of grey gothic atmosphere on the English countryside. And as a writer I have to say James is incredibly descriptive and a very talented writer, so that it's easy to visualise everything. There was something really immersive and nostalgic about the way she described everything. I also kept joking throughout that she's great for improving my vocabulary because I kept having to look words up as I was reading.
That said her conservative side definitely does shine through. While I enjoyed her writing I also found it pretty unintentionally funny since she's kind of snooty in the way that only the British can be. She also seems a bit at odds with herself in the way she depicts her women characters. Sometimes they're depicted as erratic and silly basically "by nature" meanwhile at other times she comments on how men tend to rigidly dychotimise women's behaviours, motives, roles, lifestyles etc. And of course her random, paranoid red scare moments. Her depiction of a communist threat is almost cartoonish.
Beyond that there was this mournful kind of nostalgic feel to her writing. Just reading a bit about her life, while reading this book it feels like she's mourning an England that's all but dead and gone or maybe never truly existed in the way the conservative imagination remembers it. But there's definitely that tension between modernisation, urbanisation etc and a more traditional, rural life.
In the end I thought it was an enjoyable mystery, with great descriptive writing and setting. Would recommend for British detective mystery lovers.
caecilia's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
firstlife's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
caroparr's review
3.0
I re-read this for the Norfolk setting, but if it had not been for that, I'm not sure I would have persisted. I've always admired James, but this book was humorless, and a few plot twists came out of left field. Not unenjoyable, but not one of her best. Meanwhile, the flat landscape, the sea, the sweeping shore, the fens - wonderful.
mbondlamberty's review against another edition
4.0
In the midst of a P.D. James binge this is not one of her best though definitely gives it a thriller aspect more than mystery at times. Was enjoyable to see other sides of Dalgliesh's life though the focus on nuclear was a bit unnecessary I felt.
nhoff's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0