Unnatural Causes

Unnatural Causes by P. D. James

A dingy bearing a corpse is discovered, adrift off the coast of England. The vessel has neither oars nor oarlocks nor a mast. Also absent are the corpse's hands. Hmm. The deceased is identified as Maurice Seton, a middling sort of crime novelist, who lives in a cottage by the sea. It is in a remote area and the residents are few. But almost all congregate to share what they know (or most of it, or very little of it) and to test their alibis. This dress rehearsal—carried out before the inevitable police interviews—takes place at the home of Jane Dalgliesh, the spinster aunt of Adam Dalgliesh, a well-known investigator with New Scotland Yard's Metropolitan Police. And, gosh, Adam just happens to be spending show more his holiday with his aunt.

Dalgliesh wants to stay out of the investigation, but the local police investigator named, of all things, Reckless keeps drawing him in.

An interesting mix of characters, many of them writers: A drama critic for a London newspaper; a past-her-prime author of romance novels who is sheltering a glum niece; a remote literary giant, author of three excellent novels, who's published nothing in more than a decade. The victim was predeceased by his wife, a suicide, and he has a ne'er-do-well half brother. He leaves behind a crotchety, handicapped assistant who has done typing and clerical work for many people in the neighborhood. Affairs come out and grudges are revealed.

But who would cut off Maurice's hands? Where were the hands?

Not a bad mystery, though I thought the crime, as revealed, was awfully complicated and unlikely to come off without a screw-up. show less

I am fairly sure this was never meant to be a cozy mystery - and so why did PD James use a cozy seaside town as the setting? Alas we shall never know.

I am very much enjoying this series, enough so that I purchased book #4 when the Kindle version didn't become available at my library soon enough. This is despite Unnatural Causes wanting me to believe it's possible to distinguish one person's typing from someone else's (on pages produced via an actual typewriter). I learned to type on an actual typewriter with an actual carriage return and I would never have imagined such a thing. My own typing did not look in any way unique, but then, I was not a Scotland Yard detective in the 1960s.

Note: #4 became available at the library within a day show more of my purchase. A good reminder to return books as quickly as possible upon completion. show less

Digital Audiobook read by Penelope Dellaporte

In book three of the mystery series, Superintendent Adam Dalgliesh has a holiday planned. He’ll spend ten blissfully uneventful days with his spinster aunt at her seaside cottage on the Suffolk coast. It’s a well-earned break, and his plans include nothing more taxing that long walks, tea by the fire, and some personal reflection. And then a headless, handless body washes ashore.

I came late to the PD James party, but here I am and I’m ready to enjoy myself. Dalgliesh is a marvelous character – a supremely competent detective, astute, observant, and intelligent, but also sensitive to nuance and willing to reflect on numerous possibilities.

James gives us several possible suspects and show more enough red herrings to keep the reader guessing. There’s also a thrilling scene involving a major storm that puts everyone in danger. I hadn’t identified the culprit before the reveal. A totally satisfying mystery. I’ll continue with this series.

Penelope Dellaporte does a fine job of narrating the audiobook. show less

Adam Dalgliesh looks forward to ten days relaxation at his Aunt Jane's coastal home in Monksmere, Suffolk. When neighbor Maurice Seton's body turns up in a boat with his hands chopped off, many residents become suspects, including his aunt. Her chopper, stolen months earlier, probably severed the hands. Although the case belongs to Inspector Reckless, it ruins Adam's vacation, and Reckless keeps him somewhat in the loop. The book seemed repetitive in places, and the long drawn-out taped confession rehashed too much of the story. While not James' finest effort, it still rates as an enjoyable one. I listened to the audiobook read by Penelope Dellaporta whose accent gave it the classic British cozy feel.

The novel starts beautifully - as a matter of fact, it starts as a mystery novel should start as we find out that fiction and reality have collided. This wonderful symmetry creates a fantastic ambiance in a world where authors and their works coexist in a small village. Unfortunately, whereas there are wonderful moments, such as Dalgliesh's jealousy of Reckless who's in charge of the case or Maurice's careful research for his novels, most of the book seems too complicated and dreadfully contrived - I'm all for some suspended disbelief, but James expects us to believe that fiction will take over reality at all expense. This is particularly true for the ending which is revealed to the reader in the most ludicrous fashion - it was all I show more could do from rolling my eyes.
Nonetheless, James's writing saves the day - her ability to recreate scenes and atmospheres is unparalleled, and it's always a joy to read her stories. Not her best plot, but definitely a gripping story. show less

A body washes ashore, its hands missing. A rather gruesome start and the introduction to a small Suffolk community comprising writers and literary critics. There are no secrets in this bitchy community, or are there? Into this maelstrom walks Adam Dalgliesh, arriving for a holiday with his Aunt Jane.
This is one mystery where I didn’t guess the murderer correctly, the modus operandi of the first murder [yes, plural] is complicated and I didn’t connect the clues. Slightly irritating. Adam Dalgliesh is not the officer in charge which means the story felt at times remote from the detecting; he observes from outside and we are not privy to the thoughts and discoveries of Detective Inspector Reckless [what a great name].
First published in show more 1967, this novel offers a glimpse of pre-computerisation – authors dictating novels to a secretary to type, taking carbon copies etc. The clique of literary characters seemed at times a little clichéd, but perhaps that is the passing of time.
Read more of my book reviews at http://www.sandradanby.com/book-reviews-a-z/ show less

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.