Elegantly written with well draw characters. A "closed-room" whodunit because of the small number of suspects. The body in the freezer was a novel touch. The story gets busy in the second half of the book with all the developments. The side story about the attack on Annie seems contrived and out-of-place. All in all it's a superior mystery and left me looking forward to the next in the series. ( )

P.D. James is an amazing writer. This book, published in her 88th year, shows no diminution in quality from her previous books, and gives lie to those who question the prowess of senior citizens. And what a pleasure generally to read a murder mystery that rises above the level of eighth grade reading and writing!

This book is a continuation of the Adam Dalgliesh mystery series, although like the others, it stands alone quite well.

Dalgliesh (or AD as he is known to his subordinates) is a Commander in London's Scotland Yard (i.e., the Metropolitan Police Service). He and his team are only called in for “important” or “politically sensitive” murders, although AD denies that - in his own estimation at least - any murder victim is ever unimportant.

AD is a private person with a poetic soul who inspires admiration, awe and respect from his crew, which includes Detective Inspector Kate Miskin and Detective Sergeant Francis Benton-Smith. He endeavors to keep his private and professional lives separate, and is largely successful in doing so. He is aware Miskin has always loved him, but they never discuss it; in fact, he is soon to be married to Emma Lavenham, a lecturer in literature at Cambridge.

But even while meeting with his future father-in-law to inform him he wants to marry Emma, he is called away on a case. Rhoda Gradwyn, just after receiving plastic surgery on a facial scar in a posh private facility located in an old Tudor manor house, has been murdered. As in other mysteries by James, there are only a limited number of suspects, and most of them have a motive.

James adds depth to her mysteries with thought-provoking meditations not often encountered in this genre. For example, before her surgery, as Rhoda gazes out her window, James writes:

"Time had fascinated her from childhood, its apparent power to move at different speeds, the dissolution it wrought on minds and bodies, her sense that each moment, all moments past and those to come, were fused into an illusory present which with every breath became the unalterable, indestructible past.”

Or this, as one of the characters, while in a chapel, gazes at the cross:

"Under this symbol battles had been fought, the great seismic upheavals of State and Church had changed the face of Europe, men and women had been tortured, burnt and murdered. It had been carried with its message of love and forgiveness into the darkest hells of human imagining.”

These are sentiments you don’t ordinarily encounter in mysteries, even cozies, and it is this elevation from the usual tired mystery prose for which James is so valued. Otherwise, she doesn’t toy with her formula, which includes lingering loving descriptions of homes and land; insightful glances into the minds of the characters; and the acute observations of the principals on the eternal verities that confront them with every death.

It is not until the end of the book that James diverges a bit from her usual modus operandi to wrap up series elements with a flourish of optimism and paean to love. One might guess that she fears this could be her last opportunity to do so. In any event, she ends with a contemplation of life and death that reconciles the tragedy of the many criminal acts in the world with the only path she deems to offer redemption:

"Deeds of horror are committed every minute and in the end those we love die. If the screams of all earth’s living creatures were one scream of pain, surely it would shake the stars. But we have love. It may seem a frail defence against the horrors of the world but we must hold fast and believe in it, for it is all we have."

Evaluation: James’ facility with the English language is a joy to read. If her mysteries don’t have that urgency of some that keeps you up all night turning the pages, it is all for the best; she is author best savored in small amounts, so you can turn her phrases over and let the flavor of their sentiments blend in your mind. The whole Metropolitan Police Department team is most likeable, and are people with whom you enjoy spending time.

Listing of Adam Dalgliesh Murder Mystery Series in Order:

Cover Her Face by P.D. James

A Mind to Murder by P.D. James

Unnatural Causes by P.D. James

Shroud for a Nightingale by P. D. James

The Black Tower by P. D. James

Death of an Expert Witness by P. D. James

A Taste for Death by P. D. James

Devices and Desires by P. D. James

Original Sin by P. D. James

A Certain Justice by P. D. James

Death in Holy Orders by P. D. James

The Murder Room by P. D. James

The Lighthouse by P. D. James

The Private Patient by P. D. James ( )

I didn't get on with this book, the first PD James I have read ( )

Reason for Reading: I'm a fan of P.D. James.

Summary: Rhoda Gradwyn goes to an exclusive manor, which houses a plastic surgery and recuperation facility, out in the English countryside to have a large scar on her face removed, one she has had since childhood. The morning after the operation she is found strangled to death in her bed. Being only one of two patients, a nurse, an assistant doctor, a small household staff, and a couple of on property live-ins the suspect list is limited. Adam Dalgliesh is called along with his partner Kate to solve the death of this famous investigative journalist.

Comments: It has been a while since I've settled down with Adam Dalgliesh and what a delight it was! James continues to write the quintessential British mystery, taking place in a house full of people where one them must be the murderer, and she both keeps the old-fashioned air to it while at the same time keeping it modern. There are many times when one really has no awareness of the time period, old stone cottages, an old manor way out in the country, bicycling instead of using the car, with nothing intrinsically modern standing out and yet we know the time is the present as people simply answer their cell phones, go to print something off the computer, speak of DNA, etc.

James takes time to build her story, the first 100 pages or so are about the murder victim's life leading up to her murder. Adam Dalgliesh is a thinking man. He and his officer's ask questions, take statements and at the end of the day get together and piece together what they've got so far over coffee or wine. You won't find the hero running through the woods trying to capture the killer in this book. No, you'll find yourself baffled with the explanations, trying to figure out 'whodunit'. Then a second murder happens and suddenly all your theories are thrown out the window but AD doesn't seem fazed. He picks up the pieces and starts putting them back together.

A very enjoyable mystery. I was shocked in the middle but by the time the reveal came at the end I'd figured it out too, but that didn't lessen my enjoyment. I really enjoy reading gruesome serial killer mysteries but sometimes there is nothing like sitting down with a master mystery writer such as P.D. James and experiencing not just a brilliantly crafted mystery but an intelligent one as well, written with James' wonderful command of the English language. I found myself reading sentences twice just because I like the way they are written. A very good book, but not for those who expect a quick, wild plot. The Private Patient is more for those who like to figure out an intriguing puzzle while getting to know an assortment of eccentric characters. ( )

Interesting premise but it took forever to get the case solved. Too many characters and too much description of their lives. Woman enters a private clinic to have a scar from childhood removed because she was 'no longer in need of it.' Needless to say she's murdered. Listened to audiobook, wouldn't have bothered to finish reading the hard copy. ( )

Excellent

I am a P.D James fan, but I did not enjoy this book. The plot was weak and the characters very dated. The young couple who worked in the kitchen at the private hospital were specially irritating, they might have had these attitudes fifty years ago, but they did not behave as young skilled working class people does nowadays. Very disappointing. ( )

There are signs that this may be the last Adam Dalgliesh mystery: rumours of the squad's demise, and doubts amongst the team are peppered throughout this book. I enjoyed the read but, can see that there is only so far that this series can go; and it may have reached its natural conclusion.
As with most of the stories in the collection, this tale begins with a hundred plus pages building an air of foreboding. The scene is a well to do private clinic set in the countryside and the characters, who seemingly have everything going for them, all carry dark secrets. It is a closed community and so, inevitably, each person knows something of the other characters' hidden past but nobody knows it all. An investigative journalist books in for an operation to remove a scar and the underlying enmities lead to deadly circumstances.
This is so clichéd that, in the hands of a less skilled writer, it would have become poor fare. P D James manages to retain the interest and, although the murderer becomes obvious before the end, James keeps an ace up her sleeve for the last few pages.
The book does exactly what one expects of a good whodunnit; it is an unputdownable read. Thank you Commander Dalgliesh, I have enjoyed following your career. ( )

Strong characters, twisting plot, stone circles, great setting. Very British. July '09 ( )

Good plot twists. Very much typical of its genre. Very english. Class system very obvious. ( )

Hard to get into, disappointed with the ending.

P.D. James does not disappoint. However, it felt like a 'wrapping up loose ends of romance & happily ever after' sort of book & ending; enjoyed it nonetheless & will be sorry if this is her last book. ( )

It's interesting to read so many positive reviews of this book. My feelings on finishing it were that P. D. James, once very much a leader of the serious crime-fiction pack, has long since been overtaken by another generation of writers. I speak as an admirer of her previous books, all of which (I think) I've read. But I found this tale so very slow, dated and, frankly, unbelievable, on far too many levels.

Granted, the classic James elements - an isolated setting, a small handful of characters who may or may not have mysterious past histories, Dalgliesh's philosophical musings - are all present and correct. But this is 2009; as a previous reviewer has pointed out, most English people just don't speak or behave any more in the way they do in this book (nor do they change into 'country tweeds' to drive to Dorset!). There was a gallant attempt to introduce more contemporary elements into the story with the inclusion of Emma's gay friends, but they still didn't remotely convince me as characters rather than as a token bit of 'diversity'.

James's calm, forensic style, in which no-one ever gets particularly upset, hysterical, angry or euphoric (one of her favourite phrases is that things happen 'just as expected') works against her at times: it's hard to see how the murderer could ever have got worked up enough to kill anyone, given that the characters mostly appear to be in excellent control of their emotions. And as for Dalgliesh....I'm afraid to say that, for me, his almost godlike infallibility became a serious irritant. I'd agree with Bookmarque that the Dalgliesh-Emma relationship is so unlikely as to be verging on the creepy.

I too am sorry to be judging so negatively, but I felt the plot was minimal, the denouement rushed and badly-telegraphed (I actually had to go back and read several pages again because the revelation of the murderer's identity was so casually dropped in, almost as an afterthought), and there was simply no sense that the action was rooted in the here and now. P. D. James has had a stellar career as 'Queen of Crime' and I applaud her. But I don't think this book remotely measures up to her earlier work. ( )

A classic piece of high quality English detective fiction. Reflective and thoughtful, with great characters and good writing - this is a really fine example of the genre ( )

Detective Inspector Adam Dagliesh investigates the murder of patient at a prestigious English clinic located in the country. Thoroughly enjoyable, I found myself wishing for the audiobook instead of reading the story. ( )

At least as good as the last P.D. James I read; but not quite as good as the first. I'm told that cocaine addicts are always after the feeling of the first high. Not to be flippant, but I might say the same thing about P.D. James. ( )

I have been an avid fan of P. D. James's Commander Adam Dalgliesh series but her latest offering left me feeling vaguely unsatisfied. The interplay of characters is interesting yet there is a "let's tie up the loose ends and clean up before we close shop" feel to the book. There is a passage in the book describing the team's departure from Chevrell manor at the end of the investigation and I could help thinking how aptly it described the whole tone of the book. If this is to be Commander Dalgliesh's swan song, then I feel the author has not done him or her readers justice. ( )

As much as I love P.D. James’s body of work, I feel that her style is too dated. Fans will now pummel me with stones. It’s true though. She’s officially a “cozy” mystery writer. Her language while creative and sometimes beautiful does not check up with how people speak and think in 2009. It’s really too bad she couldn’t adapt because I think that would shake things up and make them much more interesting. But I guess she chose her path decades ago and it’s one that works for her.

While reading this one I found myself annoyed with Adam almost every time he opened his mouth. Must he always preach in that condescending way? If he has he so little faith in his minions, why doesn’t he hire some that don’t have to be led around like children? After all the years with Kate, he thinks she does a good job, but he doesn’t treat her that way. Her hero-worship and pining are kept in check though, thankfully. And the gooey, overly chaste and proper relationship with Emma is really unpleasant. Again, so dated as to be laughable. The scene where she drives her ex-lover’s car to meet him to tell him of a friend’s rape is a perfect example. He coddles her, is a tentative school-boy afraid to ask her what the hell she wants. She’s such a ninny that she can’t articulate anything in the flood of her emotions. And then he offers to sleep on the couch. The couch. It’s clear they’ve been to bed, why this sudden prudishness? Oy vey.

Also there was a lot less police procedural detail in this one than in the past. Back in the day, we’d get a lot of information about how multiple resources come together under Dalgliesh’s direction to move a case forward to a collar. Forensics, footwork, deduction; it all played a part. These days, things seem to only come from interviews and the end of day wine and cheese wrap up parties Dalgliesh throws for Benton and Miskin. Perhaps James isn’t as familiar with today’s techniques as she was of yesteryears’, but that just means she needs to hire a decent researcher. Surely she can afford one.

I don’t like feeling this way. It came up on me while reading the last one, The Lighthouse. In that one almost nothing happened. The mystery sort of folded in on itself and took very little in the way of investigation to solve. Mostly everyone was either running from place to place in the rain or holed up being deathly ill.

Plot-wise The Private Patient didn’t diverge from the usual course. Rhoda, our none-too-likeable victim is killed and we’re presented with a closed group of suspects in the immediate area. One or two stand out as particularly likely, but I know from past experience it won’t be one of these. The characters are pretty much her stock in trade. Grandstanding. Aloof. Condescending. Uncooperative. Hostile. Secretive. Hidebound. Neurotic. Sheltered. Opinionated. No one is allowed to be easy going, polite, helpful or well-adjusted. It’s kind of funny and I enjoy reading about these backward freaks and the strange ways they cope with James’s reality.

Maybe I wasn’t paying attention, but the ending seemed sloppy to me. The second killing (there is always a second killing) wasn’t wholly explained and it seemed that Dalgliesh was OK with that despite voicing doubts about the killer’s confession. And what a confession it was. Highly melodramatic and blood-soaked.

Ah, Dame James. I love you, but I think had you decided in the 80s to stay current, your work would have been more thrilling and unpredictable and have greater staying power. ( )

P.D. James is nearing 90, and has lost NOTHING with age. Her latest novel is another brilliantly written mystery surrounding a murder in a private clinic for plastic surgery. Numerous suspects and several possible motives keep detective Adam Dalgliesh and his team busy. All of the characters are complex, including the police team, whose personal lives continue to unfold and evolve from book to book and provide subplots. Another winner from the author. ( )

This is P. D. James and an absolutely great thriller. I won't discuss the plot as others have done that but wanted to make one comment about the evolution of her character, Adam Dagliesh. Years ago I saw an interview with P. D. James where she discussed the absence of any active love interest or wife for Adam Dagliesh. She was of the view that it would have interfered with the plot and plot is everything as her readers well know. All of her stories are carefully planned and she did not want the distraction of always having to involve his domestic life. She was not writing love stories.

Given Ms James' age, there is of course speculation that this might be her last book though it may be unwise to underestimate her energy and talent. I did notice however that in this book she marries Adam off to the lovely, highly educated, but immature and much younger Emma. Since Emma was a drama queen and a royal pain in the ass in my view, she might not be a welcome character in a later novel. Perhaps after all, Ms James has rewarded her steadfast character with some personal happiness as she bides him goodbye. And Ms James does not write love stories but gives us taut thrillers which are as close to perfect as they could be. I personally have read every P.D. James book as it came off the press and if this is her last book, I will sorely miss her. ( )

This is a book that should be savoured for a number of reasons. The first is that P.D. James has lost none of her talent for writing a novel that grips and holds you. Also, the book is more than just a little mystery story. There is a whole lot more here than that. It's a book that held me in its thrall right until the end. Of course we have Adam Dalgliesh, and we have his team (Kate and Benton). We also have an intriguing mystery when a private patient in a country clinic is found dead in her room. Adam and his team travel to Dorset to try to solve the murder. The book is complex and the murder is also. And last, but not least, there is a possibility that this may be the last Adam Dalgliesh book. Ms. James has certainly approached this issue throughout the book. I will be sad if that is so, but it is a wonderful way to end a brilliant creation! Ms. James is a wonderful author, and I truly revelled in this book. I put it down with a real sense of sadness, but I think it is a book that should be read more than once. A second and third reading may be in order in order that all the rich nuances can be grasped. I have to say, that although it is only the middle of October, I think this is the most significant book of fiction that I will read in 2008. ( )

Always reliable, P. D. James does not disappoint with her latest Adam Dagleish mystery. What starts out as a routine cosmetic surgery and recuperation in the country goes very wrong very quickly, and our favorite guy is on the job to figure it out. It's a whodunnit that kept me guessing until the end! ( )

Very engaging, excellent attention to detail in story-telling. ( )

Reading the Private Patient is like eating at your grandmother's house. There will be no unexpected foods, the dinner will be so very comforting, your grandmother would have been painstakingly careful to make the ravioli or pie crust or fried chicken or whatever perfectly, and you will enjoy it. However, it will be dated and not exciting. So it is with the Private Patient. I love PD James. She is one of the great names in the mystery genre and Dalgleish has been one of my ideal characters. PD James plots perfectly, perhaps a bit to carefully here, and the supporting characters are lovingly considered, if a bit formulaic. The Private Patient has no surprises and the craft is so very evident. It is so matter of fact that it is a bit dull. However, I stayed up all night to read it, so I can recommend it if you want a comforting, perfectly laid out murder mystery of a classic sort. ( )