Death in Holy Orders

Rating:
Summary: Dalgleish Returns!
Review: It has been some considerable time since P. D. James has written an Adam Dalgleish mystery. The last, I believe, was "A Certain Justice." For some reason I had trouble with that novel. I bought "Death in Holy Orders" when it came out, but let it languish on my shelf for a while before diving in.

When I finally started reading the new novel I realized that I had entirely forgotten what an accomplished writer James really is. Her ability to create vivid and believable plots, settings and characters really is remarkable. Capable of extreme power when she needs to call upon it, James is not a lighthearted writer. But neither is her style oppressive or exhausting.

Commander Adam Dalgleish, her detective, is a character painted with considerable sensitivity. He is an unusual character for a policeman, sober and philosophical. His avocation is writing poetry, at which he has enjoyed considerable success. The death of his wife at an early age, and the nature of his job gives him with a poignancy which perfectly balances the tragic nature of the crimes he investigates.

When a theological student at St. Anselm's College is found buried under a sandfall, his father is not satisfied with the finding of accidental death by the Suffolk police. Adam Dalgleish is asked to look into the crime. He had spent several summers at St. Anselm's and so was familiar with the setting. Although unable to form any conclusion about the boy's death, Dalgleish is struck by many coincidental events and is not totally satisfied. Margaret Munroe, a nurse and attendant at the school, dies of apparently natural causes, but the death prevents Dalgleish from following up some important evidence.

St Anselm's is facing closure as the result of the Episcopalian Church's need to consolidate its theological training. The holdings of the school are quite valuable, and an unusual will makes the disposition of these artifacts is a bone of great contention between Archdeacon Crampton, who represents the diocese and Father Sebastion, who heads St. Anselm's. There are few in the school who have reason to like the Archdeacon. He sent one of the clergymen to prison for sexual misconduct on trumped up charges. A local policeman in retreat at the school suffered disciplinary action when he investigated Crampton's complicity in the death of his first wife. Several students were vehemently antagonistic to the Archdeacon's behavior.

When Archdeacon Crampton is found horribly murdered before the altar of St Anselm's church it comes as no surprise. Dalgleish takes over the case with his regular squad, and quickly determines that the crime must have been committed by one of the school's residents. Sensing a subtle mind at work, the commander is faced with a complex investigation full of contradictory clues and intuitions.

For all the time that P. D. James lovingly puts into the details of setting and characterization, "Death in Holy Orders" is hardly slow paced. I found myself quickly drawn in and it was a great struggle to put down the book the few times I was able. Dalgleish's introspection keeps the plot from becoming shallow, providing a satisfactory experience at many levels. The will be a serious contender for mystery story of the year.

Rating:
Summary: A Master at Mystery
Review: I must admit that this was the first P.D. James book that I have read. I must also admit that I am so very glad that this was my introduction to the master weaver of suspense. "Death in Holy Orders" is a well-written mystery, set in the heart of an even greater mystery - the inner workings of the Church of England.

When a student is found dead at a small, remote theological college, his father is unsatisfied with the ruling of "accidental death" and seeks out the help of Detective Adam Dalgliesh of the New Scotland Yard. Dalgliesh travels to St. Anselm's in order to uncover any "foul play" surrounding the boy's death; what he finds is an ever-widening circle of deaths, each related to the other. It's an inside job and Dalgliesh must figure out who the killer is before more are found dead. And since it's an inside job, everyone is supsect, even the priests.

"Death in Holy Orders" is a quick-paced, sometimes formulaic detective novel. What sets it apart from others is the characterization. Adam Dalgliesh is well-written and entirely believable. The cast of supporting characters, which are numerous, all receive their due and their back stories contribute fully to the plot at hand. Although I correclty suspected who the murderer was fairly early on, I was unsure as to motive; and James kept me guessing to the very end with the likely motives of several of the other characters.

Rating:
Summary: Strange happening between monks...
Review: Every now and then, I crave for the book that will lull my mind intothe state of sleepy observance. State in which you can let pagespass by you, almost not noticing what is happening, who did what and why is the shadow on that wall green. So I picked this book whose title and sub-title assured me that it will be one of those.
And it was. The story of the poet-warrior (in this case poet-police commander) is told many times now, and you can almost sketch its lines yourself. What we have here is mysterious murder, aray of tedious (alredy seen) characters, witty (and sad) police inspector and demonic figure of a main bad guy. Attempts at cheap philosophy and many cliche sentences puts this book where it does belong. In a sea of mediocre crime novels useful only during the hot summer afternoons by the lake
or the sea coast.

Rating:
Summary: Classic mystery made fresh
Review: P.D. James's "Death in Holy Orders," which deals with a series of deaths in a small Anglican Church college on England's east coast, is both a well crafted traditional English mystery story and a novel of manners.

Ms. James's detective, Scotland Yard's Adam Dalgliesh, is asked to investigate the death of one of the students and soon he and his squad are involved with an array of priests, academics, students, and staff. Nearly all the characters are amazingly unhappy or amazingly obsessed (including members of the squad), and we learn of their foibles as Commander Dalgliesh unravels their interlocking stories.

Readers who love a good mystery, or just a good novel for that matter, cannot go wrong if they pick this volume up.

Rating:
Summary: One of her best
Review: I keep trying to kick my P.D. James habit, but every time I stray to another writer, I miss her incisive character portrayals and great sense of atmosphere. "Holy Orders" is one of her best, bringing together a creepy bunch of clerics, Dalgliesh at his contemplative best and a windswept theological school. There's lots of interesting meditation on hypocrisy and faith, and Dalgliesh even gets a love interest, although some glaciers move faster than this romance. James is at her strongest writing about powerful men and their foibles and odd backwaters of British culture. Doesn't get much better than this for an absorbing and powerful read.

Rating:
Summary: A Master at Mystery
Review: I must admit that this was the first P.D. James book that I have read. I must also admit that I am so very glad that this was my introduction to the master weaver of suspense. "Death in Holy Orders" is a well-written mystery, set in the heart of an even greater mystery - the inner workings of the Church of England.

When a student is found dead at a small, remote theological college, his father is unsatisfied with the ruling of "accidental death" and seeks out the help of Detective Adam Dalgliesh of the New Scotland Yard. Dalgliesh travels to St. Anselm's in order to uncover any "foul play" surrounding the boy's death; what he finds is an ever-widening circle of deaths, each related to the other. It's an inside job and Dalgliesh must figure out who the killer is before more are found dead. And since it's an inside job, everyone is supsect, even the priests.

"Death in Holy Orders" is a quick-paced, sometimes formulaic detective novel. What sets it apart from others is the characterization. Adam Dalgliesh is well-written and entirely believable. The cast of supporting characters, which are numerous, all receive their due and their back stories contribute fully to the plot at hand. Although I correclty suspected who the murderer was fairly early on, I was unsure as to motive; and James kept me guessing to the very end with the likely motives of several of the other characters.

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.