Rating: 
Summary: Murder & the Church of England
Review: I picked up this paperback based largely on the title -- and PD James's excellent reputation as a writer of literate crime novels. But my main interest was in the setting: a "high church" seminary on the coast of England. I'm interested in matters of religion and particularly the tension between high and low church teachings and practices in the Church of England and the Episcopal Church of the USA.I found the mystery itself quite compelling. The plot proved complex enough without resorting to sometimes laughable complexities for novelty's sake. This was my first Dalgliesh novel, but I found the character decently enough described so as to be able to enjoy reading about him. The ecclesiastical aspects of the story proved very interesting. James uses the high church-low church matrix to place her characters and their religious politics in finly drawn relation to each other, Church history, and contemporary events. And though I don't expect to find many others like me in this regard; I enjoyed reading about religion and religious people in a non-religious context. Ecclesiology can be fun (really!) but ecclesiastical murder is more fun! Since reading "A Death in Holy Orders" I am now reading my way -- backwards -- through the entire Adam Dalgleish series. And I'm enjoying it immensely. And James has got me back on to Trollope. In a passage in "Holy Orders" a chapter of "Barchester Towers" is read aloud -- to great effect. As I read my way backwards through Dalgleish, I'm reading my way (forwards) through Trollope's excellent "Chronicle of Barsetshire" novels, beginning with "The Warden." Thanks Baroness James for returning me to those excellent, less gorey, but much funnier Victorian novels about life in and around the Church of England.
Rating:
Summary: Atmosphere & Suspense
Review: This being the first Adam Dalgliesh novel in almost four years, I was excited and, once the novel was read, quite pleased. The setting for this book, a somewhat dark and sinister theological college on the bleak East Anglian coast, provides great opportunities for dark and foreboding atmosphere, which the author does not miss. The characters were well-drawn and fit the novel's purposes perfectly, and the prose was intelligent, detailed, and outstanding. The premise of "Death In Holy Orders" is that one of the pupils at the college died under quite horrid and distressing circumstances, and the boy's father is not satisfied with the results of the inquest. Enter protagonist Adam Dalgliesh, a Commander of New Scotland Yard. He is sent to the college to quietly investigate, and his experience there soon becomes all too unsettling. There is more death (how much more, and if it is murder or not, I will not disclose), but the book is never for a moment dull. Each chapter serves a purpose. There are minor subplots (red herrings, perhaps), but each of them *does* pertain to the story, and none of them divert the book from its very good pacing. The college itself is equipped with a main house, cottages, twin towers, and an old church. The author is quite adept at positively evoking the darker elements of such a setting, while keeping its religious virtues somewhat intact. This has the inclusion of a modern-day police procedural, but the style and format of a golden-age mystery. There is, of course, some commentary on the social and institutional stability of the world as it is today, themes common to P.D. James novels. One star is deducted from this review for the general outcome of the 'whodunit' aspect of the book. While, in the case of a P.D. James novel, that part of the story isn't always the most important, here it left me with little conviction. That is all I will say about that matter. It is never my intention to give away too much in a review. Read this book if you're looking for a modern day golden age-style mystery, with real and believable characters, suspenseful scenes, foreboding atmosphere, and elegant prose. You won't be disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Good Book
Review: This novel of P.D.James is really worth reading it.The number of pages can of course be a bit of destracting for someone; the fact is that the first 200 pages could very well have been condensed in 50 pages or so. Nevertheless the setting is nice (some parts though may remind you of The Black Tower) , the characters vivid and well described. The last two parts of the book are superb.The deaths contain more or less a bit of mystery and the several relationships of the characters mentioned in the book are more than imaginable.The taste that remains after reading the very last pages is peculiar but surely pleasant and lingers for days...
Rating: 
Summary: It was a dark and stormy night. (Really!)
Review: This is part of the series of mysteries featuring Scotland Yard's Commander Adam Dalgleish. Ronald Treeves, a young man studying for the priesthood at St. Anselm's Theological College, died under rather strange circumstance-a cliff of sand long the beach fell on him. Although the inquest rules the death accidental, his rich and powerful father is not satisfied. He insists that Scotland Yard look into the matter, and Commander Dalgleish, who is familiar with St. Anselm's, volunteers for the job. Dalgleish arrives at the college to find that several other visitors there, including Archdeacon Matthew Crampton, a trustee of the college, who, being roundly disliked by everyone, immediately becomes the character in the story most likely to be murdered. A violent storm erupts in the night and doers of dark deeds are afoot. The story holds one's attention, with scandals, interlocking clues, and bodies piling up like cordwood. No surprise ending, though. Police procedure and forensic evidence lead doggedly to the truth. There is quite a cast of characters in the book , and James develops many of them well enough for us to get a sense of them as people. Not least among them is Emma Lavenham, a young Cambridge scholar who is at the college to teach a seminar on metaphysical poets. Of course we all know that Dalgleish is a poet. By book's end, we see that Dalgleish's solitary personal life is about to change. Although her writing is somewhat melodramatic, P.D. James knows how to tell a ripping good story.
Rating:
Summary: Murder in a theological college.
Review: P. D. James is back with another Adam Dalgliesh mystery. Adam is investigating a series of murders in St. Anselm's Theological College, a small institution on the coast of East Anglia. St. Anselm's is a troubled place, since it is scheduled to close and the future of the priests and the students is uncertain. The trouble starts when the dead body of a young man, the son of a wealthy businessman, is found buried in a mound of sand. Did Ronald Treeves kill himself, did he have an accident, or was he murdered? Commander Adam Dalgliesh and his expert investigative team doggedly pursue every lead, interviewing the residents of St. Anselm's, and they uncover more than a few dirty secrets during their inquiries. Soon, the dead bodies start piling up alarmingly. As usual, James develops her characters well and they are a colorful and varied lot. The problem is with the mystery itself. It is too convoluted, and James provides lengthy explanations at the end of the book to try to bring all the threads together. Dalgliesh is his usual no-nonsense self; it is obvious that this dogged and tough detective will not rest until the killer is brought to justice. James teases us with a hint of romance betweem Dalgliesh and a teacher named Emma, but this relationship is peripheral to the main action. "Death in Holy Orders" is a workmanlike mystery, but it doesn't surprise and it doesn't thrill. James's last book had more of the edgy quality which I have come to expect from this brilliant writer when she is at her best.
Rating:
Summary: Murder in the Chapel
Review: Set in an isolated Anglican theological college, this story takes Adam Dalgliesh back to his boyhood retreat to look over the accidental death of a young student, whose body has been discovered on the beach, smothered by a fall of sand. The official verdict is suicide. The subsequent death of College Matron Margaret Monroe, appears to be a case of heart failure. However, Sir Alred Treeves, the student's father, refuses to take his son's death at face value, and insists that Scotland Yard send in their best man. Enter Adam Dalgliesh, who has a convenient tendency to holiday at sites of suspicious death. He is looking forward to a nostalgic few days, but is faced instead with an institution on the brink of extinction, a paedophile priest, a thieving scholar, a scheming young woman, a psychotic policeman and an a very good looking ordinand. So there seems to be plenty of possibilities for mischief, and that's before the archdeacon arrives to close the college and is found murdered in the chapel. As Dalgliesh digs deeper, long-held grudges emerge and the vindictive side of church politics rears its ugly head, complicating matters even more, but James ties it all up with a neat and satisfying conclusion. This story is so much more than just a whodunit. James's eye for detail, her ability to convey setting, emotion and even the state of the church are so well done that it's easy to forget you're reading a mystery and supposed to be looking for clues.
Rating:
Summary: nicely written but not very interesting
Review: This is my first P.D. James novel and one of the few mystery books I've read. Sadly, I'm not hooked. Ms. James has a beautiful grasp of the English language(which is why I give 3 stars and not 2), but this book's plot is quite ponderous, with too many characters to keep track of and too many minor stories running alongside the main one. And at 548 pages it isn't a quick read. James' fans might enjoy it, but anybody looking for a good mystery might want to look elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: Quite Good Reading Material
Review: Overall, this murder mystery was coldly realistic and quite rivetting. However, the talk gets a bit lengthy and tedious, but much of it is also vital to the story. I enjoyed this book, and recommended it.
Rating:
Summary: Another good one from PD James
Review: A body is discovered on the coast of England. Accident, suicide, or murder? When Adam Dalgliesh comes to investigate, readers will know it must be murder. Then an old woman is murdered, and the plot thickens. Dalgliesh begins to suspect it has something to do with an event from the past: incest, a secret marriage, thievery... When a third body, that of a High Church Archdeacon, turns up, the hunt is on.
Subtle, literary, and deep, Death in Holy Orders has everything needed for a great read.
Rating: 
Summary: Death in Holy Orders is Deathly Dull
Review: I normally enjoy P.D. James novels very much. This was a surprising exception. The plot was slow, the characters for the most part uninteresting, and the culprit, once revealed failed to have a convincing motive for murder. Although it was nice to read another Dalgliesh novel and enjoy James' beautiful writing style, as mysteries go read another James novel. ...
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