A satisfying read. Cordelia Gray is a young - very young - private investigator launched into an untimely solo career by the suicide of her boss, Bernie Pryde. Her first case is to unpick the circumstances behind a young ex-student's suicide. Or is it suicide? There's more death and destruction before the book's over, but despite this, the book is laced with humour. I like James' precise use of language and her exploration of motive. As one reviewer says, it's 'a why-dunnit rather than a who-dunnit' and all the better for it. ( )

The novel is quite short, without any unnecessary descriptions and details. I liked the main heroine: she seems witty, cold-blooded but not cold-hearted, compassionate but at the same time not too impressionable.

The mystery itself was not mysterious enough for me. And the problem was not in the novel itself. From the very beginning, I started noticing some similarities to [b:The Cuckoo's Calling|16160797|The Cuckoo's Calling (Cormoran Strike, #1)|Robert Galbraith|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1540217136l/16160797._SY75_.jpg|22002305] by [a:Robert Galbraith|383606|Robert Galbraith|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]. The office seemed similar, the way of investigating the crime and even the murderer is the member of the family and also the one who asks the detective to investigate it. So I suspected Mark's father from the very beginning. ( )

Un bel giallo classico di una regina del giallo intramontabile. ( )

Leisurely but exceptionally engrossing story of Cordelia Gray, who proves the books title wrong in so many ways. It isn't so much the case itself, although it is interesting enough, but it is the way Ms. Gray uses her own unconventional upbringing, superior intelligence, and lessons learned from her deceased mentor to figure out the truth behind the suicide of a student who left Cambridge to become a gardener, while interacting with an intriguing cast of complex, well-drawn characters. It goes without saying that James could write circles around most people, and she certainly did here. I'm hooked and can't want to see what the admirable Ms. Gray is up to next. (The audiobook is very well read and highly recommended.) ( )

When I first read this in about 1975 I was blown away by Cordelia, and the way James characterized a female detective. I still love it. ( )