Death of an Expert Witness

Rating:
Summary: The man who nobody liked
Review: Adam Dalgliesh investigates the death of Edwin Lorrimer, an unpleasant biologist found dead in the forensics laboratory. Almost everyobody in the Fens has a reason to kill Lorrimer, which complicates the matter for Dalgliesh. Book is generally up to James' very high standards of quality, but is oddly pale because of the unusually abbreviated role Dalgliesh takes in the novel. Those of you who haven't read P.D. James, do so at once!

Rating:
Summary: James is in top form!
Review: P.D. James fittingly wears the crown as "queen of the mystery writers"! And in "Death of an Expert Witness" the title is clearly shown and deserved. Again, James brings in Chief Inspector Adam Dalgleish of Scotland Yard, and once again, this venerable, brilliant, and honorable investigator is in good form. James usually presents a model in human behavior--she's good at this--and gives Dalgleish the full run to work out the inconsistencies, the red herrings, and finally the truth of the case. Dr. Lorrimer is a cold, efficient, dislikeable scientist; now he is a cold, efficient, and dislikeable corpse. Dalgleish must find out why he was killed--and it is more than merely because he was disliked. What did he know that panicked his murderer? After all, he was cold, efficient, dislikeable, and very knowledgeable, "an expert witness," as it were. Bring along a dictionary, as James' vocabulary is challenging--but not distracting--and her works are refreshingly intelligent and worth the effort it may take!([e-mail])

Rating:
Summary: James is in top form!
Review: P.D. James fittingly wears the crown as "queen of the mystery writers"! And in "Death of an Expert Witness" the title is clearly shown and deserved. Again, James brings in Chief Inspector Adam Dalgleish of Scotland Yard, and once again, this venerable, brilliant, and honorable investigator is in good form. James usually presents a model in human behavior--she's good at this--and gives Dalgleish the full run to work out the inconsistencies, the red herrings, and finally the truth of the case. Dr. Lorrimer is a cold, efficient, dislikeable scientist; now he is a cold, efficient, and dislikeable corpse. Dalgleish must find out why he was killed--and it is more than merely because he was disliked. What did he know that panicked his murderer? After all, he was cold, efficient, dislikeable, and very knowledgeable, "an expert witness," as it were. Bring along a dictionary, as James' vocabulary is challenging--but not distracting--and her works are refreshingly intelligent and worth the effort it may take!([e-mail])

Rating:
Summary: death of an expert witness
Review: P.D. James has established herself as one of the definitive mystery writers of her generation and has established Adam Dalgliesh as one of the premier detectives within the literary world. 'Death of an Expert Witness' is a classic example of James' intelligent writing and thoroughly engaging plot lines that keep the reader guessing up until the end. Surely this is one of her best Dalgliesh mysteries.

The expert witness in the title refers to Dr. Edwin Lorrimer, a much respected forensic biologist who leads a solitary life in rural England. Although admired by colleagues for his work and intelligence, Lorrimer is severly disliked as a person. The introductory book introduces us to several characters that inhabit Chevisham and their various reasons for disliking Dr. Lorrimer - and perhaps even their motives for killing him. When he is found dead in his laboratory, all signs point to someone on the inside, and Adam Dalgliesh is called in to piece together the mystery surrounding his death.

The cast of characters is well written and believable; their supporting roles are thoroughly realized and move the plot along at a brisk pace. Dalgliesh is a master at tracking the little things that move humans to murder and the reader follows in his footsteps, searching for the clues even as he seeks them out. As usual, there is a hint of melancholy in Dalgliesh's actions and in the novel's bittersweet ending; the reader has come to empathize with the vivid characters who may or may not be guilty.

Rating:
Summary: A book to sit up with all night
Review: P.D. James' work occasionally collapses under its own weight as the author strains to combine psychological novel with crafty murder mystery--but DEATH OF AN EXPERT WITNESS shows the writer at her best, creating a memorable setting in rural England, a host of very believable characters, and a complex plot, with all aspects of the work coming together in seamless fashion.

Dr. Lorrimer is a forensic scientist employed at a police laboratory, well respected by the scientific community and a bastion of authority in the witness box. Unfortunately, he is also a singularly unpleasant man: bitter at being passed over for promotion, petty in his dealings with underlings, vindictive in his personal relationships. So it is hardly surprising when he is murdered--but the circumstances are something of a shock: he is clubbed to death in the middle of his own laboratory, a situation that seems to indicate one or more of his co-workers is involved. And Chief Inspector Dalgliesh has an abundance of suspects from which to select.

James' detective Dalgliesh is a rather dour creation, and in some James novels he can become a tiresome companion--but here James balances his darkness against the demands of the overall novel to considerable effect. The result is a stylish, atmospheric work with an intelligent plot and a satisfying conclusion--a book to keep mystery fans sitting up all night. Recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Good detective story.
Review: The first 60-65 pages were difficult to get through, because the main character is absent from them. When he does enter, Inspector Dalgleish is not developed nearly as much as he is in other books. We learn very little about him in this book. On the other hand, the search for the murderer is straighforward and interesting. There was the sense that enough clues were provided to the reader to identify the guilty party.

Rating:
Summary: As usual, P.D. James delivers
Review: Though it pales in comparison with James' more recent work, DEATH OF AN EXPERT WITNESS, one of the best of her early novels, deserves to be judged based on its own merits. This is an excellent detective novel with interesting, believably drawn characters and an intriguing setting. James' descriptions of the goings-on at a forensic laboratory make the story even more engaging and realistic. The plot is complex, moving steadily toward the sharp climax, and the writing is, as usual, flawless. A great read.

Rating:
Summary: Not Hercule Poirot
Review: Two disclaimers for this review: 1, this was my first P.D. James novel. 2, I believe that Agatha Christie was the goddess of all mystery writing.
I am used to a body within the first few pages, and letting Hercule Poirot deduce things from there until the solution is provided. However, there are no bodies until 80 pages into the book, and most of the discussion includes things that Dalgliesh brings out later with witnesses anyway, making them redundant.
Also confusing was James's apparent escape from reality with character names. Some are completely absurd, like the characters names "Makepeace" and "Gotobed." Combining words into names detracts from the proposed seriousness of the situation.

This book is much heavier than a true murder mystery, and the decision comes down to this: whether you want a true murder mystery, where you follow facts and psychology in the attempt to deduce the murderer, or whether you want a deeper novel -- a P.D. James novel -- where, along with the murder, time is spent reflecting on life and the world in a more philosophical fashion.