Unnatural Causes (1967)

Very early P.D. James, when she was still young enough to feel the urge to put in a bit of gentle teasing of the older generation of British crime writers. Apart from the Suffolk coastal atmosphere and the the in-jokes of the various writers who are lined up as suspects, this one doesn't have a great deal to recommend it: the characters are still largely caricatures, without much depth to them, and the interaction within the little community where the action takes place is more formulaic than natural. But quite ingenious, all the same. ( )

A book on someone else's shelf. An English gentleman detective solves a crime while on vacation in the early 60's in southern England. I've seen Dagliesh on PBS but my first such novel. A little over written but w some good words and phrases. Great description of coastal England. Maybe one of her earlier works. The Children of Men was so much better ( )

Nice detective story. I sometimes find Dalgliesh a bit annoying, and these stories are slightly old-fashioned, but still, they're a nice read and usually keep you guessing... ( )

Enjoyable ironical horrible chronicle.

I decided to read all of the Adam Daigliesh mysteries in one fell swoop and am glad I did. First, they are classic British mysteries all well-deserving of the respect P.D. James has earned for them and all are a good read. However, what is interesting is to watch the author develop her style from the early ones to the later ones. And, in fact, A Shroud for a Nightingale and The Black Tower (the fourth and fifth in the series) is where she crosses the divide. The later books have much more character development -- both for the players and the detectives -- make Dalgleish more rounded and are generally much more than a good mystery yarn -- they're fine novels that happen to be mysteries. The first three books (Cover Her Face, A Mind to Murder, Unnatural Causes) are just that much more simplistic. But read any or all -- she's a great writer and they are definitely worth the time. ( )