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marlisenicole's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
bfraynt's review against another edition
4.0
I was already a P.D. James fan after reading Cover Her Face, so one can imagine that I would be intrigued to learn that her second novel in the Adam Dalgliesh series is about a murder in an outpatient psychiatric clinic.
Initially, I was a little bit disappointed. I don't really like it when mystery authors use the same tropes repeatedly (MILD SPOILERS AHEAD), and there were a couple of elements in the beginning of the novel that were strikingly similar to the first one. For example, there is a plot line about a naive young woman who is romantically involved with an exploitative, callous man, and there is a whole scene where all the suspects are sitting in the building together while Dalgliesh questions them. This scene then provides a convenient setting to learn about the group's dynamics. That being said, I was fully engrossed by the middle of the novel, and the story was ultimately pretty different from the first one.
This is a fun, intelligent mystery, and I'm already looking forward to book 3.
Initially, I was a little bit disappointed. I don't really like it when mystery authors use the same tropes repeatedly (MILD SPOILERS AHEAD), and there were a couple of elements in the beginning of the novel that were strikingly similar to the first one. For example, there is a plot line about a naive young woman who is romantically involved with an exploitative, callous man, and there is a whole scene where all the suspects are sitting in the building together while Dalgliesh questions them. This scene then provides a convenient setting to learn about the group's dynamics. That being said, I was fully engrossed by the middle of the novel, and the story was ultimately pretty different from the first one.
This is a fun, intelligent mystery, and I'm already looking forward to book 3.
mbondlamberty's review against another edition
5.0
Page turner to the end. Like other books by the author the book crosses from a mystery to a thriller at times.
phaywa's review against another edition
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
nhoff's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
librarian_lisa_22's review against another edition
3.0
Overdrive. I really love P.D. James--and this was interesting, because I've read her later stuff but never her early stuff. This was her second Dalgleish mystery, and it was a slow build. Very enjoyable to listen to--although it took me a while to get used to the dry British reader. Wanted to keep listening in order, but alas, Overdrive doesn't have any in my format! I'll keep looking!
readingwithcats's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
julieannie0729's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not sure I liked it. I wanted more time with the setting, with the detective and even with a tighter group of characters. The number of characters from the beginning were overwhelming. There's enough red herrings in this book that we didn't need to drown out the main plot and the distractions with a group of characters that largely disappeared once the interviews were over and they slept off the day's activities. I really think the detective is the winner over the plot and we just didn't get enough of him. I will keep coming back from him and hoping for a tighter plot next time around.
elizafiedler's review against another edition
4.0
Dalgliesh is probably my favorite of James' detectives. In this book, I also appreciate the attention to patient privacy. Even when discovering a former patient's identity is necessary in order to find the murderer, we never find out what psychiatric condition they had treated.