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bookwoman1967's review against another edition
1.0
Bleh. I've read other P.D. James that I enjoyed but not this one. I thoroughly disliked all the characters, including the police. The plot was bloated and slow. And there were no real clues for the reader or any indication of how Dalgliesh worked out the mystery.
About the only thing going for ths is description of the environment and that's pretty desolate.
About the only thing going for ths is description of the environment and that's pretty desolate.
book_concierge's review against another edition
3.0
Digital Audiobook read by Penelope Dellaporte
In book three of the mystery series, Superintendent Adam Dalgliesh has a holiday planned. He’ll spend ten blissfully uneventful days with his spinster aunt at her seaside cottage on the Suffolk coast. It’s a well-earned break, and his plans include nothing more taxing that long walks, tea by the fire, and some personal reflection. And then a headless, handless body washes ashore.
I came late to the PD James party, but here I am and I’m ready to enjoy myself. Dalgliesh is a marvelous character – a supremely competent detective, astute, observant, and intelligent, but also sensitive to nuance and willing to reflect on numerous possibilities.
James gives us several possible suspects and enough red herrings to keep the reader guessing. There’s also a thrilling scene involving a major storm that puts everyone in danger. I hadn’t identified the culprit before the reveal. A totally satisfying mystery. I’ll continue with this series.
Penelope Dellaporte does a fine job of narrating the audiobook.
In book three of the mystery series, Superintendent Adam Dalgliesh has a holiday planned. He’ll spend ten blissfully uneventful days with his spinster aunt at her seaside cottage on the Suffolk coast. It’s a well-earned break, and his plans include nothing more taxing that long walks, tea by the fire, and some personal reflection. And then a headless, handless body washes ashore.
I came late to the PD James party, but here I am and I’m ready to enjoy myself. Dalgliesh is a marvelous character – a supremely competent detective, astute, observant, and intelligent, but also sensitive to nuance and willing to reflect on numerous possibilities.
James gives us several possible suspects and enough red herrings to keep the reader guessing. There’s also a thrilling scene involving a major storm that puts everyone in danger. I hadn’t identified the culprit before the reveal. A totally satisfying mystery. I’ll continue with this series.
Penelope Dellaporte does a fine job of narrating the audiobook.
billd's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Unnatural Causes by P.D. James is the 3rd book in the Adam Dalgliesh mystery series. I've read a couple of others our of sequence but it didn't affect my enjoyment of the books. This book, like the others I've read, was so smartly and well - written. It wasn't favorite though.
Dalgliesh is taking a vacation. Once or twice a year he goes to visit his aunt, his only relative, on the Suffolk coast; partly just to decompress from a case he was working on and also, in this case, to sort out his feelings for his girlfriend. Does he or does he not want to marry the lady. Unfortunately, this visit will be interrupted by a dead body.
His aunt, Jane Dalgliesh, lives in an isolated community of writers and artistes. They tend to go their for peace and quiet. But, as I mentioned, this weekend will be disrupted by a body and also by a torrential storm. The body is discovered in a boat which floated to shore. Oddly, the man has had his hands cut off. It turns out the body is one Maurice Seton, a famed mystery writer who lives right next to Dalgliesh's aunt. We see the 'culprit' placing the body in boat at the very beginning so it's not a surprise to we readers. But there are some surprising things that seem to take place that present various suspects. What did the man and woman bury on the shore? Why was Latham suspiciously watching Dalgliesh?
To be fair, this is not Dalgliesh's case. It's that of the local cop, one Inspector Reckless. Dalgliesh is somewhat frustrated that he's not asked to take over but also sort of angry that he's subordinated to the investigation. It seems the corpse may have died of natural causes (surprising, since the title is Unnatural Causes eh?) but why were the hands removed? Where did he die?
It's an interesting story, filled with a cast of suspicious, nosey characters. PD James can spin a yarn. It moves sort of slowly and methodically until Dalgliesh visits London and the storm erupts on the coast. Lots of action then.... But in my mind, the story winds down sort of anti climactically, sort of satisfying but also kind of shoulder shrugging. Maybe because we don't have the benefit of Dalgliesh's team involvement. At any rate, it's still entertaining and it's always good to visit P.D. James' world. (3.5 stars)
Dalgliesh is taking a vacation. Once or twice a year he goes to visit his aunt, his only relative, on the Suffolk coast; partly just to decompress from a case he was working on and also, in this case, to sort out his feelings for his girlfriend. Does he or does he not want to marry the lady. Unfortunately, this visit will be interrupted by a dead body.
His aunt, Jane Dalgliesh, lives in an isolated community of writers and artistes. They tend to go their for peace and quiet. But, as I mentioned, this weekend will be disrupted by a body and also by a torrential storm. The body is discovered in a boat which floated to shore. Oddly, the man has had his hands cut off. It turns out the body is one Maurice Seton, a famed mystery writer who lives right next to Dalgliesh's aunt. We see the 'culprit' placing the body in boat at the very beginning so it's not a surprise to we readers. But there are some surprising things that seem to take place that present various suspects. What did the man and woman bury on the shore? Why was Latham suspiciously watching Dalgliesh?
To be fair, this is not Dalgliesh's case. It's that of the local cop, one Inspector Reckless. Dalgliesh is somewhat frustrated that he's not asked to take over but also sort of angry that he's subordinated to the investigation. It seems the corpse may have died of natural causes (surprising, since the title is Unnatural Causes eh?) but why were the hands removed? Where did he die?
It's an interesting story, filled with a cast of suspicious, nosey characters. PD James can spin a yarn. It moves sort of slowly and methodically until Dalgliesh visits London and the storm erupts on the coast. Lots of action then.... But in my mind, the story winds down sort of anti climactically, sort of satisfying but also kind of shoulder shrugging. Maybe because we don't have the benefit of Dalgliesh's team involvement. At any rate, it's still entertaining and it's always good to visit P.D. James' world. (3.5 stars)
alex_watkins's review against another edition
4.0
Here P.D. James changes up the formula a bit. Dalgliesh is not on the case but on vacation. This one is less police procedural, more atmospheric thriller. Once again I failed to solve the case myself, though I did get one or two things right. The best part of this book and perhaps the most richly developed was the lonely sea cliff town. Full of howling winds, desolate rocky beaches, and dark caves. Reminded me of some kind of more ominous pacific northwest or that island from the Ring. But perhaps much of England is like this? Also there is a bit of the meta in here (James always a woman before her time), as the murderee is a mystery writer. I think more could have been done with this. Overall, one of the better Dalgliesh novels.
pam_simpson06's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
extrememochi's review against another edition
3.0
I listened to this on audiobook.
Like many others have said, it was disappointing that this killer had no evidence towards them that the reader could have deduced. What Dalgliesh figured out himself seems pretty far fetched for anyone to be able to figure out.
The ending honestly confused me and I still don't really understand the killers motive.
Like many others have said, it was disappointing that this killer had no evidence towards them that the reader could have deduced. What Dalgliesh figured out himself seems pretty far fetched for anyone to be able to figure out.
The ending honestly confused me and I still don't really understand the killers motive.
missbryden's review against another edition
3.0
Mixed bag: I liked that this story was more personal to Dalgliesh as he's meant to be on vacation, visiting his aunt, and I like the seaside location. Some points I think I like this Dalgliesh, then other times I don't.
Maybe not the first of its kind, but it's oddly meta: a detective fiction writer writing about a detective fiction writer.
Confusing, kind of rushed ending, after a somewhat leisurely story. Also a funny image, Dalgliesh eating his breakfast on a tray while sitting in the living room with others hearing the confession.
Uncomfortable content: some gory description, the treatment of a disabled character (not any physical abuse, but how narrator and characters treat her), and other bits that get grouped as "of the time".
And again I don't care for the audiobook performer.
Maybe not the first of its kind, but it's oddly meta: a detective fiction writer writing about a detective fiction writer.
Confusing, kind of rushed ending, after a somewhat leisurely story. Also a funny image, Dalgliesh eating his breakfast on a tray while sitting in the living room with others hearing the confession.
Uncomfortable content: some gory description, the treatment of a disabled character (not any physical abuse, but how narrator and characters treat her), and other bits that get grouped as "of the time".
And again I don't care for the audiobook performer.
meganh123's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-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? Yes
3.0
lorrietruck's review against another edition
3.0
Found it quite hard to keep track of a cast of deeply unlikeable characters in this one but still, even on her worst day, PD James is better than most.
bluestarfish's review against another edition
3.0
Certainly an attention-grabbing way of starting the novel. (Also, is it in the rules somewhere that all detective story writers must at some point place a detective story writer in their fiction?) Poor Adam Dalgliesh doesn't get much of a holiday when he goes to visit his aunt.