A review by sara_ann_martin
Unnatural Causes by P.D. James

2.0

I very much enjoyed the quality of the prose but found it difficult to sympathize with any of the characters. Even Dalgliesh and his Aunt–both of whom seem to have more dimension that the other flat, insipid, self absorbed residents of Monksmere Head–were provided with so little context and backstory that I felt very little connection. Aunt Jane seemed to be someone I would like to know better, but James never provides the reader with the chance in this book. And the revelation of the murderer at the conclusion seemed contrived–how convenient that the confession tape was in that bag Dalgliesh grabbed–and gratuitously ugly. And even the best language cannot redeem that sort of letdown at the end of a novel, especially a mystery. I'm not writing James off, but I'm certianly not racing out to get another Adam Dalgliesh novel–he's no Peter Wimsey.