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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The best one of the series so far. I would recommend people read this one first and then if they like it read the rest in order. Each book is self contained and can be read out of order but there is slight character development of Dalgliesh that is a perk if read in order and also given that the first book was written in 1962 and the last (14th) in 2008 it's interesting to see the cultural and technology changes.
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I guess I am just not a P D James fan. I enjoy the AD character, but there is generally something extra missing from her books.
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
I enjoyed reading this and wanted to know what would happen, but I think James could have used an editor. Honestly, I think there is rarely a reason for a mystery to be this long (over 400 pages), and James spends a ton of time describing the details of what everyone is wearing and all the books and paintings in every room. She also spends a lot of time on what's going on with the individual suspects, but without really making you care about any of them.
The beginning of the book couldn't hold my interest and it's MASSIVE (it clocks in at 497 pages), but I'm really happy I read on. It's one of the few books where P.D. James takes moments out of Dalgliesh's storyline to dive into some of the other characters. I thought the whodunit was a little too obvious, but the complex and layered lead up to the end made the revelation worthwhile.
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
A dreary slog of a book with a few spurts of action near the end. The writing reminded me of my forum roleplaying days where each post had a paragraph minimum, so each line in a dialogue would be accompanied by long thoughtful asides explaining every thought, every movement, every deduction in excruciating detail. The murder itself is interestingly gruesome, but the investigation is interminable and boring, with entirely too many characters and absolutely none of them likeable or compelling enough to care whodunnit or why. In the end everyone loses something because life sucks. Just an all around downer.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Murder
Moderate: Abortion