Devices and Desires (1989)

Not one of her best, but intriguing considering the fact that the back story is about a nuclear power plant and they are much in the news these days. ( )

Devices and Desires is a P. D. James Adam Dalgliesh novel from the late 80s, with the usual timelessly genteel and grammatical cast of suspects. The Whistler is a serial killer plying his trade on a Norfolk peninsula dominated by an enormous nuclear power station. The remote setting and the lovingly crafted characters make this a memorable book, but I felt it was over-long and that Dalgliesh himself was essentially superfluous. Four stars.

Read my full review at http://pastoffences.wordpress.com/2012/07/27/p-d-james-devices-and-desires/ ( )

Devices and Desires is a P. D. James Adam Dalgliesh novel from the late 80s, with the usual timelessly genteel and grammatical cast of suspects. The Whistler is a serial killer plying his trade on a Norfolk peninsula dominated by an enormous nuclear power station. The remote setting and the lovingly crafted characters make this a memorable book, but I felt it was over-long and that Dalgliesh himself was essentially superfluous. Four stars.

Read my full review at http://pastoffences.wordpress.com/2012/07/27/p-d-james-devices-and-desires/ ( )

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. ( )

I hadn't read an Adam Dalgliesh novel in ten years when I started this. I feared I would find it more sobering than entertaining and I was right. P. D. James writes mysteries that have all the qualities of a serious realist novel: grim detail, much of it psychological, little humor, no conscious parody or camp. She is a very facile writer: characters, places, situations, motivations are described in detail in the classic realist manner. She is adequate at mystery and better at suspense. She has here two horrific scenes of violence that are hard to forget. She has one fault I can't stand. Everybody in the book talks like an Eton graduate. When a frigging tramp started talking like everyone, I nearly threw the book against the wall. ( )