P.D. James has a knack for getting better with each novel she writes. Though I left this mystery feeling unsatisfied with the ending, I was blown away by how great it is in its entirety. Gorgeous and gritty writing, it's a must-read for any mystery fan. ( )

A well-known barrister is found murdered in chambers. Is the motive greed or revenge? It's revenge this time (it seldom is greed in a P.D. James novel). A good story, well-written, of course. ( )

Quite a good read, but the daughter is irritating as all get out. I don't know how many times I wanted to slap some sense into her. Ending was a bit predictable, but the rest was very interesting. ( )

Dalgliesh and his team solve three murders but justice is not always served even if the murder is solved. Three murder victims are eventually linked through personal mysteries each tries to hide. Who killed the successful criminal lawyer whose brilliant defenses often delayed justice for the criminals she defended? Who placed a judge’s wig on the victim’s head and dumped blood on her after her death? Who killed the law firm’s cleaning woman? And why does a young man, accused of murdering his aunt, and defended by the dead lawyer want to marry the lawyer’s daughter? Great mystery with lots of time spent developing the characters of the victim/s and murderer/s rather than on the personal lives of the detective team. ( )

Another classic murder mystery from P.D. James. I enjoy how James takes the time to flesh out the incidental characters and the dead-ends of the inquiry. Here the victim is, to me, particularly easy to empathize with, human and flawed (so many murder mysteries kill off either villains or saints.) The daughter subplot keeps the tension up. Inspector Kate Miskin (Dalgliesh's second) got on my nerves a bit this time, but that's no huge matter. ( )