Rating: 
Summary: Revenge or Justice?
Review: A practical joker is afoot at Innocent House, a Venetian-style palazzo on the Thames that houses England's oldest independent book publisher, Peverell Press. This engrossing crime drama effectively plays out against the self-contained setting of Innocent House. Poison pen letters are circulating, rare illustrations are being lost, important proofs are being tampered with, and minor mischiefs abound; added to the mix is the disconcerting fact that two of Peverell Press' authors and one editor have died in less than twelve months. Then, another death occurs, this one with bizarre overtones. Is it natural death, suicide, accident or murder? Is it the work of the malicious prankster,or perhaps one or more of the various people associated with Innocent House who harbor animus against the victim? Enter Commander Adam Dalgliesh and his Special Squad.P.D. James has written that, for her, "... one of the fascinations of detective fiction is the exploration of character under the revealing trauma of a murder enquiry." In 'Original Sin,' James deftly explores a diversity of complex characters (the directors and those among the staff at Innocent House who are central to the plot, as well as several sharply delineated secondary characters) as they undergo the sagacious questioning of Dalgliesh and his team. Besides the splendid palazzo, James treats the reader to another strikingly effective mood-setter: the River Thames itself, arcane, enduring and somewhat sinister, the compelling secrets of its dark past forever threatening to surface before our eyes (and in one memorable scene, they do). Architectural descriptions and historical anecdotes weave seamlessly throughout the narrative, as another bonus. Further, there is an interesting look at a small London publishing house as it evolves from the "preserve of gentlemen" (Henry Peverell and Jean-Philippe Etienne) to the present-day leadership of a 21st Century Machiavellian (Gerard Etienne). P.D. James has expressed the view that rather than feel sympathy for the murderer, the reader should feel empathy and understanding. Here in 'Original Sin' she has provided such a murderer. It is the reader's ability to empathize that makes this murderer's motivations credible. At its heart, 'Original Sin' is about redress. In this instance, we learn that revenge (which the killer calls "justice") is not sweet, that it sometimes requires multiple acts of murder, and that it may necessitate sacrificing the innocent. The lucky reader, however, gains this harsh lesson by way of the impeccable prose of this distinguished writer.
Rating: 
Summary: Agatha is better!
Review: After having read 30 pages of "Original Sin" I felt a strong desire to stop. I had read "Death in Holy Orders" before (from beginning to end). However, the derogatory remarks made by the author about my favourite queen of crime, Agatha Christie, caused me to be sceptical. There is a Latin saying: "De mortuis nihil nisi bene". Mrs James ought to go by that saying. While "Holy orders" are more or less OK (during the lecture, negative experiences tend to be just barely compensated by positive ones), "Original Sin" is definitely below the limit. So, conclusion: Agatha is (much) better!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Literature / Shaky Plot
Review: Before I read Original Sin, a friend and devoted mystery lover referred to it as being somewhat tedious, and I am sorry to admit that I agree. This was one of James' novels in where the murder does not occur for the first 90 pages or so, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. I found the wait intolerable, however, as the main characters did nothing but squabble, threaten, and fume to the point that I did not care what happened. The plot of Original Sin was a tad shaky, as well. While I enjoy references to WWII and what went on during that time (it should never be forgotten), it was SO far in the past that it was hard for me to fathom the murderer's hatred being sustained for that period of time. And while I'm quite sure Ms. James meant no disrespect to anyone, I was a little irked at the notion that a Jewish detective would put his job on the line just because of the murderer's tragic past with the Nazis. The downplaying of Dalgliesh is another point that I did not appreciate with this novel, but that has almost become the standard with James' more recent work. I do award Original Sin with 4 stars, however, due to Ms. James' beautifully drawn prose, as well her wonderful command of the english language. The plot was not too terribly stretched that one could overlook the shaky parts, and the writing, though over-long in some parts, is a clear example of mastery of the modern literary form.
Rating:
Summary: Another triumph for Lady James
Review: I don't think there can ever be such a thing as a bad P. D. James mystery. Lady James is just too good a writer to have that happen.
"Original Sin" continues her series featuring the man I consider the world's most erudite policeman (the word "cop" just doesn't apply) - Commander Adam Dalgliesh of New Scotland Yard. This time the scene of the crime is, according to the novel, the oldest publishing house in Britain - Peverell Press.
In this entry in the series, enough red herrings are tossed out that I was thoroughly in the dark until the very end - and then I remembered the actual murderer's alibi in the first killing and wondered how I could have forgotten it.
Sadly, I cannot give this book five stars, but not because of Lady James' usual excellent writing. My review is of the audiobook from Recorded Books, and the narrator needs to improve on his craft. At times, in conversations between two or more characters, I couldn't tell which one was speaking - they sounded almost exactly alike. And other points in the narration were flat and toneless; I almost felt as though I were listening to "Original Sin" as told by Mr. Spock.
I'm willing to give this narrator another chance, but I'm seriously considering getting the actual book for my next P. D. James.
Rating: 
Summary: My first James but not my last...
Review: Not since I saw "The Sixth Sense" a few years ago has the solution of a mystery so satisfied me as P.D. James's "Original Sin". It is one of those resolutions that makes you close the book with a satisfied snap, wondering and admiring a style that can lead you to so obvious a conclusion without giving it away too soon. Themes of sin and justice weave in and out of the plot of this mystery, which is set at a London publishing house. The publisher has been murdered, gassed to death by a fireplace accident, with a stuffed snake wrapped around his neck. Suspicion centers around the publisher's various employees and a disgruntled midlist author whose contract has been cancelled. The publisher's death comes close on the heels on on on-site suicide of a longtime employee of the firm. By the novel's end, several more corpses make an appearance, maybe one more than is necessary. Then there's the solution. I won't say anything about it except that it has been perfectly set up, and yet somehow the conclusion is just outside the grasp of the reader's mind, giving you one of those "Of course!" reactions. Well worth the read... I can now see why James is considered the best in her field.
Rating:
Summary: Another good one with Dalgleish
Review: Original Sin, PD James' 12th novel takes place within the modern publishing world.
There's a Dickensian charm to the setting, Peverell Press on the grounds of Innocent House, built to mimic a Venetial palace in 1792 by the firm's founder. One can almost feel the damp, smell the nearby Thames, and hear the click of heels down a foggy alleyway.
When a recently fired senior editor's murder is quickly followed by that of the new director who fired her, Dalgleish is called. Turns out there are plenty of motives and plenty of suspects to keep the investigators busy - and to keep PD James' loyal readers entertained.
Rating:
Summary: Standard James mystery is a cut above
Review: P.D. James is one of the best novelists alive, and she has gained a considerable reputation as a mystery writer. It's to the point that she was created Baroness James of Holland park a dozen years ago. She writes these Adam Dalgliesh mysteries, which are complex, textured stories that have multiple points of view, and involving, engaging characters that act in interesting ways, for intelligent motives. In this volume, Dalgliesh is consulted about a series of practical jokes that have occurred at a venerable publishing house that's situated in a large mansion on the banks of the Thames River. He declines to get involved, and two weeks later there's a murder on the premises. The partners of the firm are from two extended families, though the leadership has recently passed from a pair of elderly men to a younger generation, dominated by the first victim, a vigorous man with a somewhat distasteful personality. Dalgliesh steps into this mystery with his assistant Kate Miskin and a new one, Daniel Aaron, and he spends most of this book trying to disentangle the various threads of the crime and the things that are going on. The plot thickens, more murders occur, and the plot speeds up as things proceed. James is somewhat like Christie, but different in one significant way that makes her a considerable improvement. Christie's novels were very plot-driven, with characters that didn't come to life much. The one exception was the main detective, and then you had to read several books to get into their character and get to know them. James by contrast writes a good plot---her books are almost as complex as Christie---but they are equally populated with characters that are memorable in and of themselves. This is one of James' better books, and I only give it four stars as opposed to five because it gets a bit slow in the middle, and the murderer turns out to be a bit improbable. Other than that, the story is fine and I enjoyed it.
Rating: 
Summary: Hollow Conclusion Destroys Otherwise Brilliant Work
Review: P.D. James often has difficulty in matching her brilliantly realized characters and settings with an equally brilliant plot. This has been particularly true of her most recent novels, which build a complex murder mystery only to implode with a conclusion that is either transparent or forced. Sadly, the conclusion of ORIGINAL SIN is both.
This is not to say that James doesn't spin a fine story along the way. Compulsively readable, her tale of murder and mayhem is beautifully rendered, and the novel's characters and settings rank as among the most memorable in the author's career. But simply stated, the ultimate satisfaction in reading a murder mystery is not in the author's skills of characterization or description; it is in the ability to suddenly pull the details of the plot to a fine and inescapable point. And after some five hundred pages of brilliant writing one has every reason to expect a brilliant solution.
Unfortunately, James simply isn't up to it. There is nothing in the final fifty pages of the novel that will surprise even the most casual mystery fan. P.D. James is on record as disliking such mystery novelists as Agatha Christie, complaining that unexpected plot twists are no compensation for lack of depth in character and setting. At the same time, however, James might pause to consider that brilliant characterizations and settings are no compensation for a truly hollow plot, particularly where murder mysteries are concerned.
GFT, Amazon Reviewer
Rating: 
Summary: Tedious
Review: The main character in this tedious book was the Thames. The people were flat, the plot tedious, the characterization meaningless, and the theme basically a repudiation of anti-semitism. Even the Chief Inspector, a character in other books whom I had come to care about, was almost non-existant. The book was apparently written to display the author's writing ability, not to tell a tale. Descriptions of rooms and dresses and weather and looks became tedious to the Nth degree. The book is more of a poorly written travel manual than a realistic mystery. Having read at least 70% of Ms. James' books, I found this one the final nail on the coffin for me. No more. Yes, I have been to London on extended holiday more than once and love the magnificence of the Old City, the New London, and the Thames. But this is not a book I can recommend. Don't waste your money. If you must read this one, borrow it from someone else or the public library. I am through with P. D. James. The writing here reached a peak in this book of being overinflated and full of herself.
Rating:
Summary: Cleverly plotted, rich and rewarding
Review: This was my first effort at a P.D. James novel and surely won't be my last. Each character is drawn in terrific detail that explains perfectly why they are who they are. More importantly, the detail explains why so many have a motive and opportunity for the murders. While reading the book I felt like I'd worked for years at the publishing house on the Thames which is at the center of the novel. James paints her settings in vivid detail that is never boring and adds so much to the story. She throws in just enough history of the Thames and explanation of the publishing industry to put real meat on this novel, and to draw the reader near the center of the mystery. Her resolution makes perfect sense, and leaves you wondering how you ever missed the clues that were placed so clearly before you. I noticed that a few reviewers seemed to feel that this was not James' best effort. I hope they're right, because I'll be reading a pile of P.D. James novels in the next few months.
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