Helpful Score: 4
Amazon.com Review
Although A Certain Justice begins with news of a murder, the victim isn't set to die for another four weeks. Publicly respected but privately loathed, Venetia Aldridge has far more enemies than a brilliant London criminal lawyer should--and at least one of them is determined to do her in. Venetia plies her superior trade in courts that harbor "the illusion that the passions of men were susceptible to order and control," but her past and private life are exceedingly unruly. Her married lover is intent on giving her up; her daughter loathes her; her fellow barristers are determined that she not become the next head of chambers. Even the cleaning women seems to have something on her.
The outline alone of this complex novel would take pages (as would the eclectic inventory of players), but P. D. James makes us admire far more than her brilliantly developed plot. James in fact creates a crowded gallery of surprisingly decent suspects, along with one suitably vile creature--who happens to be Aldridge's last client.
A superior murder mystery, A Certain Justice is also a gripping anatomy of wild justice. James's characters can be overcome by hate, but she is equally concerned with love's manifestations--human, divine, destructive, and healing.
Although A Certain Justice begins with news of a murder, the victim isn't set to die for another four weeks. Publicly respected but privately loathed, Venetia Aldridge has far more enemies than a brilliant London criminal lawyer should--and at least one of them is determined to do her in. Venetia plies her superior trade in courts that harbor "the illusion that the passions of men were susceptible to order and control," but her past and private life are exceedingly unruly. Her married lover is intent on giving her up; her daughter loathes her; her fellow barristers are determined that she not become the next head of chambers. Even the cleaning women seems to have something on her.
The outline alone of this complex novel would take pages (as would the eclectic inventory of players), but P. D. James makes us admire far more than her brilliantly developed plot. James in fact creates a crowded gallery of surprisingly decent suspects, along with one suitably vile creature--who happens to be Aldridge's last client.
A superior murder mystery, A Certain Justice is also a gripping anatomy of wild justice. James's characters can be overcome by hate, but she is equally concerned with love's manifestations--human, divine, destructive, and healing.
Helpful Score: 3
I was ready to murder the victim myself by the time it happened. At least four people (in every age range) had good motives. Loved learning about the personalities of the team, (Kate, Piers, and Robbins), and learning more about Dalgliesh. A real whodunit.
Helpful Score: 2
P.D. James writes classic crime-writing novels that are highly literate, filled with complex characters and labyrinth plots. Her mysteries are dark, filled with awful characters and base motives. All these traits are what make P.D. James' novels so fascinating. I read this book awhile ago so I've taken the liberty of writing what's on the back cover:
A young, lower-class tough is accused of murdering his prostitute aunt. His lawyer, Venetia Aldridge, is a woman known for her large talents and small personal charm who works at a venerable London firm. We learn that Venetia is in a position of ruining a number of professional lives and has the temperament to do it. Then she is murdered, discovered in her locked chambers in a gruesome tableau. Dalgliesh is put in charge of the case. He moves with grace and acumen through the blood-soaked crime scene, guiding his more volatile staff through the interviews that unweave the tangled web of multiple deceit and mixed motive.
I remember liking this book as the pieces come together. It's truly like a puzzle. Most of P.D. James' books are dark, filled with heavy atmosphere and irritating characters. Of course what makes the books so entertaining is not just the dark tale itself but also the eccentric, nasty characters
Dalgliesch has to deal with. But he keeps his cool when questioning these characters when I would of probably smacked each and everyone of the creatures. This book is a whodonit and it takes all of Dalgliesch's powers of observation and listening skills to find the answer to that question.
A young, lower-class tough is accused of murdering his prostitute aunt. His lawyer, Venetia Aldridge, is a woman known for her large talents and small personal charm who works at a venerable London firm. We learn that Venetia is in a position of ruining a number of professional lives and has the temperament to do it. Then she is murdered, discovered in her locked chambers in a gruesome tableau. Dalgliesh is put in charge of the case. He moves with grace and acumen through the blood-soaked crime scene, guiding his more volatile staff through the interviews that unweave the tangled web of multiple deceit and mixed motive.
I remember liking this book as the pieces come together. It's truly like a puzzle. Most of P.D. James' books are dark, filled with heavy atmosphere and irritating characters. Of course what makes the books so entertaining is not just the dark tale itself but also the eccentric, nasty characters
Dalgliesch has to deal with. But he keeps his cool when questioning these characters when I would of probably smacked each and everyone of the creatures. This book is a whodonit and it takes all of Dalgliesch's powers of observation and listening skills to find the answer to that question.
Helpful Score: 2
This is a P.D. James case to shiver through and revel in - dark page by dark page.
