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christine_sunderland's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent prose, great story, classic James. I love this writer and am learning from her with each phrase.
hopef's review against another edition
1.0
This book was the first one I've read that had me wanting to scrub everything. The fact that the characters were so well written and generally relatable somehow made it worse.
catherine_t's review against another edition
2.0
Phillipa Palfrey learns that she is the daughter of convicted child murderer Mary Ducton, who is about to be released after 10 years' imprisonment. Deciding that she must learn who she really is, Phillipa leaves her adoptive parents and takes a flat with her mother once her mother is released from prison. Meanwhile, the father of the dead child is bent on revenge...
I think I read this book more out of a sense of completion and duty rather than out of any enjoyment. I've read pretty much all of PD James' other books, apart from The Maul and the Pear-Tree, and I'd heard that this was a good one. Perhaps it had more impact when it was first published, but 30 years on it simply seems dated.
A friend of mine once said that PD James wrote dialogue as if conversation was something she'd once heard of, and the more I read her, the more I agree. She's a fine writer, but she has no ear at all for dialogue. Her characters live in a world of monologues masquerading as conversation amongst Oxbridge dons, and after a while it can be wearing. If you can get past that, you'll probably enjoy this book.
I think I read this book more out of a sense of completion and duty rather than out of any enjoyment. I've read pretty much all of PD James' other books, apart from The Maul and the Pear-Tree, and I'd heard that this was a good one. Perhaps it had more impact when it was first published, but 30 years on it simply seems dated.
A friend of mine once said that PD James wrote dialogue as if conversation was something she'd once heard of, and the more I read her, the more I agree. She's a fine writer, but she has no ear at all for dialogue. Her characters live in a world of monologues masquerading as conversation amongst Oxbridge dons, and after a while it can be wearing. If you can get past that, you'll probably enjoy this book.
fleurette's review against another edition
2.0
This is totally not what I’ve expected. And unfortunately, mostly in a bad way.
I expected a thriller, a crime story. Maybe some investigation. And this is at best a psychological thriller. With a emphasize on psychological. It’s not what I was looking for. And these kind of books are rather on the edge of my comfort zone, and not in a good way. I rarely feel a pleasure of reading with them.
Let’s start with something good. The writing is excellent, I can’t deny it. The characters are unique and complicated. The whole idea is fascinating and distinctive. I definitely enjoyed the opportunity this kind of plot gives. There are some parts of the book that I really liked.
But then, there are all those pages I find completely boring. The descriptions are so detailed that skipping is nearly a must. And there is no really good reason for that, I could live without the detailed report on every building, every street and every meaningless action of the character. The books drags through pages. First half is quite boring.
I needed this book for a very specific challenge, the author is generally familiar to me, I have read one of her books years ago, but I’m a bit disappointed with the experience. This is just not my thing. However, I can totally imagine other readers truly enjoying this complicated psychologically story.
I expected a thriller, a crime story. Maybe some investigation. And this is at best a psychological thriller. With a emphasize on psychological. It’s not what I was looking for. And these kind of books are rather on the edge of my comfort zone, and not in a good way. I rarely feel a pleasure of reading with them.
Let’s start with something good. The writing is excellent, I can’t deny it. The characters are unique and complicated. The whole idea is fascinating and distinctive. I definitely enjoyed the opportunity this kind of plot gives. There are some parts of the book that I really liked.
But then, there are all those pages I find completely boring. The descriptions are so detailed that skipping is nearly a must. And there is no really good reason for that, I could live without the detailed report on every building, every street and every meaningless action of the character. The books drags through pages. First half is quite boring.
I needed this book for a very specific challenge, the author is generally familiar to me, I have read one of her books years ago, but I’m a bit disappointed with the experience. This is just not my thing. However, I can totally imagine other readers truly enjoying this complicated psychologically story.
robinkela's review against another edition
1.0
Wow...I really could not wait for this book to end and had to force myself to finish it. I can't deny that idea is interesting and the writing is fine (clearly not my style, though), but I was just so incredibly bored throughout this whole book. Maybe this is the millennial in me, but I have no patience for a crime novel where no sort of "crime" happens until the last 20 pages of the novel. Quite a few people here seem to think this book is great, so maybe I'm a minority here.
I picked up the Trilogy of Death which contains Death of an Expert Witness, Innocent Blood, and The Skull Beneath the Skin. I have read the first two, and wasn't a fan of Death of an Expert Witness either....although I did find it slightly more engaging than Innocent Blood. Against my better judgment, I forced my way through Innocent Blood and only felt relief when I was finally finished. Needless to say, I will not be continuing on with the third installment of this compilation.
I picked up the Trilogy of Death which contains Death of an Expert Witness, Innocent Blood, and The Skull Beneath the Skin. I have read the first two, and wasn't a fan of Death of an Expert Witness either....although I did find it slightly more engaging than Innocent Blood. Against my better judgment, I forced my way through Innocent Blood and only felt relief when I was finally finished. Needless to say, I will not be continuing on with the third installment of this compilation.
tharina's review against another edition
5.0
Innocent Blood is one of my favourite books from P.D. James. While it has enough bodies in it to satisfy most mystery fans, it is more of a psychological thriller than her usual work. The characters are absolutely fantastic and make the story work exceptionally well.
rickaevans's review against another edition
4.0
Despite having read quite a few of Ruth Rendell’s novels, and having a particular fondness for the Barbara Vine works, this is the first time I’ve read her friend and fellow Baroness, P.D. James. Rather than get hooked into yet another detective series, I decided to start with the standalone, INNOCENT BLOOD.
This book was definitely in a similar vein to the Vine novels with its focus on buried secrets and the effects of the past on the present. Indeed, I was not surprised to read it was Rendell’s favourite of her friend’s works. Suffice it to say, any preconceptions I had of James as a cosy writer were well and truly dispelled by this novel.
The story hinges around the Children Act of 1975. A genuine act of parliament that allowed British adoptees to receive details of their biological parentage. It’s a tale of obsession, misconception and revenge, populated by characters as ghastly as they are erudite. Indeed, James’s style is rather florid at times in a way that is not so typical in a genre that often favours sparse description and dialogue. That said, the quality of the writing and the observation lifts the work above its often ugly subject matter.
I don’t want to give away details of the plot, but I was gripped throughout. James was midway through her career when she wrote this and you can feel that you are in the hands of a controlled talent. The only thing missing for me was a sense of humour. I like my gritty with a dash of gallows humour, and the seriousness of the book coupled with its unlovable characters made it feel rather clinical at times.
This was a great introduction to James, even if it’s not a classic whodunnit in the style for which she is renowned. I’ll definitely be reading more.
3.5*
This book was definitely in a similar vein to the Vine novels with its focus on buried secrets and the effects of the past on the present. Indeed, I was not surprised to read it was Rendell’s favourite of her friend’s works. Suffice it to say, any preconceptions I had of James as a cosy writer were well and truly dispelled by this novel.
The story hinges around the Children Act of 1975. A genuine act of parliament that allowed British adoptees to receive details of their biological parentage. It’s a tale of obsession, misconception and revenge, populated by characters as ghastly as they are erudite. Indeed, James’s style is rather florid at times in a way that is not so typical in a genre that often favours sparse description and dialogue. That said, the quality of the writing and the observation lifts the work above its often ugly subject matter.
I don’t want to give away details of the plot, but I was gripped throughout. James was midway through her career when she wrote this and you can feel that you are in the hands of a controlled talent. The only thing missing for me was a sense of humour. I like my gritty with a dash of gallows humour, and the seriousness of the book coupled with its unlovable characters made it feel rather clinical at times.
This was a great introduction to James, even if it’s not a classic whodunnit in the style for which she is renowned. I’ll definitely be reading more.
3.5*
davidpaige's review against another edition
3.0
I believe that this completes my reading of all of P.D. James major works, except for her biographical work.
This book follows Phillipa Palfrey, who discovers that her birth mother is a murderer. She has to with through her relationship with her adoptive family, as well as the new relationship with her birth mother.
I suspected what the ultimate outcome would be, although we got there in a slightly different way. James wraps up everything nicely in the epilogue.
This book follows Phillipa Palfrey, who discovers that her birth mother is a murderer. She has to with through her relationship with her adoptive family, as well as the new relationship with her birth mother.
I suspected what the ultimate outcome would be, although we got there in a slightly different way. James wraps up everything nicely in the epilogue.
tildafin16's review against another edition
5.0
Loved this, couldn’t put it down. Simple prose, as usual for PD James, and still very effective. Explores events after a young woman adopted in childhood discovers her birth parents assaulted and murdered a child ten years before. She reacts in a unique fashion by inviting her mother to share a flat with her for two months and what follows is both a fascinating exploration of their relationship, with a few twists along the way and an intertwining subplot involving the father of her parents victim. Really enjoyed this - the writing here for some reason reminded me of Margaret Drabble (other than the subject matter) - in the clear, vivid descriptions of seventies London.
linguisticali's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars. What an unpleasant bunch of people doing unpleasant things.