Take a photo of a barcode or cover
saareman 's review for:
Shroud for a Nightingale
by P.D. James
Nurses in the Night
Review of the Sphere Books paperback (1973/1986 reprint) of the Faber & Faber hardcover original (1971)
It seems contradictory, but this is still a 5 star book even if it has to come with an Unsatisfactory Ending Alert ™. P.D. James is definitely hitting her stride here with her trademark style of novels set in "an enclosed world, seething with malice, intrigue, hatred and murder.*"
Superintendent Adam Dalgliesh** is sent to uncover the circumstances behind a death by poisoning of a student nurse at the Nightingale (no relation to Florence) House student nursing facility. A previous poisoning death at the facility had been unsolved by local police. The second fatality brings in the forces of Scotland Yard CID. The suspects range from an egotistical operating surgeon, the nursing matron, the supervising Sister Nurses, several students and the maintenance staff.
Front cover of the original Faber & Faber hardcover edition (1971). Image sourced from Wikipedia.
There are fantastical possibilities of suicide which are discussed, but the evidence finally leads to a diagnosis of murder, but for what motives? Dalgliesh and his somewhat rebellious assistant Masterson have to cover a lot of ground before the diabolical reasons can be unearthed. Along the way there is yet another murder combined with a concealing fire and Dalgliesh himself becomes a potential victim.
Details about the unsatisfactory ending would be a spoiler, but let us say in general that it does not feel satisfactory when justice is not fully served directly, but must come by later indirect means. None of that can downgrade a high rating for the buildup atmosphere of paranoia, the persistence of the investigators, the detailed character building of a very large cast, and the final twist unveiling of the solution.
Actor Bertie Carvel as Adam Dalgliesh in the Acorn TV series "Dalgliesh" (2021-). Image sourced from IMDb.
Trivia and Links
* A quoted excerpt from the Sphere Books back cover synopsis of The Black Tower (Adam Dalgliesh #5, 1975).
** In Book 1 Cover Her Face, Adam Dalgliesh was a Detective Chief Inspector. In Books 2 to 4 he is a Detective Superintendent and then in Books 5 to 14 he is a Detective Commander.
Shroud for a Nightingale was adapted for television in 1984 as part of the long running Dalgliesh TV-series for Anglia Television/ITV (1983-1998) starring actor Roy Marsden as Commander*** Adam Dalgliesh of Scotland Yard. You can watch the 5 episodes of the 1984 adaptation starting with Episode 1 on YouTube here. The adaptation is reasonably faithful to the novel and includes the original "Unsatisfactory Ending".
*** Dalgliesh is a Superintendent in the novel, but in the TV adaptation he was already a Commander.
The new Acorn TV-series reboot Dalgliesh (2021-?) starring Bertie Carver as Adam Dalgliesh filmed an adaptation of Shroud for a Nightingale as Episodes 1 & 2 of Season 1. The adaptation is reasonably faithful to the novel, except that it "fixes" the ending. It has not yet been announced which books are being adapted for Season 2 (as of late July 2022). Season 1 adapted Books 4, 5 & 7.
Review of the Sphere Books paperback (1973/1986 reprint) of the Faber & Faber hardcover original (1971)
It seems contradictory, but this is still a 5 star book even if it has to come with an Unsatisfactory Ending Alert ™. P.D. James is definitely hitting her stride here with her trademark style of novels set in "an enclosed world, seething with malice, intrigue, hatred and murder.*"
Superintendent Adam Dalgliesh** is sent to uncover the circumstances behind a death by poisoning of a student nurse at the Nightingale (no relation to Florence) House student nursing facility. A previous poisoning death at the facility had been unsolved by local police. The second fatality brings in the forces of Scotland Yard CID. The suspects range from an egotistical operating surgeon, the nursing matron, the supervising Sister Nurses, several students and the maintenance staff.
Front cover of the original Faber & Faber hardcover edition (1971). Image sourced from Wikipedia.
There are fantastical possibilities of suicide which are discussed, but the evidence finally leads to a diagnosis of murder, but for what motives? Dalgliesh and his somewhat rebellious assistant Masterson have to cover a lot of ground before the diabolical reasons can be unearthed. Along the way there is yet another murder combined with a concealing fire and Dalgliesh himself becomes a potential victim.
Details about the unsatisfactory ending would be a spoiler, but let us say in general that it does not feel satisfactory when justice is not fully served directly, but must come by later indirect means. None of that can downgrade a high rating for the buildup atmosphere of paranoia, the persistence of the investigators, the detailed character building of a very large cast, and the final twist unveiling of the solution.
Actor Bertie Carvel as Adam Dalgliesh in the Acorn TV series "Dalgliesh" (2021-). Image sourced from IMDb.Trivia and Links
* A quoted excerpt from the Sphere Books back cover synopsis of The Black Tower (Adam Dalgliesh #5, 1975).
** In Book 1 Cover Her Face, Adam Dalgliesh was a Detective Chief Inspector. In Books 2 to 4 he is a Detective Superintendent and then in Books 5 to 14 he is a Detective Commander.
Shroud for a Nightingale was adapted for television in 1984 as part of the long running Dalgliesh TV-series for Anglia Television/ITV (1983-1998) starring actor Roy Marsden as Commander*** Adam Dalgliesh of Scotland Yard. You can watch the 5 episodes of the 1984 adaptation starting with Episode 1 on YouTube here. The adaptation is reasonably faithful to the novel and includes the original "Unsatisfactory Ending".
*** Dalgliesh is a Superintendent in the novel, but in the TV adaptation he was already a Commander.
The new Acorn TV-series reboot Dalgliesh (2021-?) starring Bertie Carver as Adam Dalgliesh filmed an adaptation of Shroud for a Nightingale as Episodes 1 & 2 of Season 1. The adaptation is reasonably faithful to the novel, except that it "fixes" the ending. It has not yet been announced which books are being adapted for Season 2 (as of late July 2022). Season 1 adapted Books 4, 5 & 7.