Rating: 
Summary: No There There
Review: My first PD James, I realized with about 40 pages to go that I had seen this one on the tele, and it was just as boring there. I like character studies. This is a story of characters, with long descriptions of places and people that have little or no bearing on the story's development or understanding how the characters act. As she nears page 300, the author decides it's time to wrap up, and thus uses the gimmick of a long letter to do what she should have been doing all along -- develop the plot. I do see a searing social criticism of English lawyers running through this, but big deal: going after lawyers, especially English ones, is pretty difficult. Overall, the writing is self-indulgent, sort of talented fluff for those carried away by that sort of thing (of which these reviews reveal quite a few). There is lacking what another reviewer here aptly referred to as "soul." I would love to find a female mystery writer that stands up to the best of the male lot. Unfortunately, if A Certain Justice is typical of James, she's doesn't make the grade.
Rating: 
Summary: Brilliant plotting
Review: This is a mystery concerning love and hate and all the shades of emotion in between. London criminal lawyer Venetia Aldridge is not particularly likeable, and indeed, she is not-so-cordially loathed by quite a few people: her lover, her daughter, other lawyers, and certainly some criminals. No surprise, then, that someone plans to kill her.
Rating:
Summary: A thinking person's mystery - never dull
Review: When I reviewed Lady James' "The Children of Men" I remarked that her novels are very cerebral, but that that novel was too much so for my tastes. I've gone back to those writings of hers that I love - those featuring Commander Adam Dalgliesh of Scotland Yard, the only policeman I can think of who can truly fit the description of a modern-day Rennaissance man. This time around Dalgliesh and his squad tackle the case of a barrister who is murdered in her chambers. There are apparently plenty of people who wanted to see Venetia Aldridge dead, both within and without her profession and offices. It is Dalgliesh's job, of course, to sort out all the motives, alibis, etc. and determine who it was that killed the woman. Along the way we learn quite a bit about the victim, her family and family life, and the people who enter her orbit in her profession, including a man who turns out to be one of the most evil people I have encountered in my recent readings. All of the people in this novel are described - physically, mentally, and emotionally - down to the minutest detail. I could actually picture them in my head, although to me Dalgliesh will always resemble Roy Marsden, the actor who has portrayed him in several TV adaptations of James' novels. From a policeman's or investigator's point of view the ending of this novel would, I suppose, be very unsatisfying. From this reader's point of view, though the ending wasn't what I hoped it would be, it proved to be something of an anticlimax, and fit in well with the rest of the plot. The nice thing about the Dalgliesh series is that James writes her stories and describes her characters and situations with such detail that, had they been written by anyone else, would have invited extremely harsh words from the vast majority of the critical world, which would probably have included some phrases along the lines of, "who told you that you could write?" But Lady James has such a wonderful command of the English language that this incredible attention to detail only serves to whet our appetite as we continue to read. And she's only gotten better with each novel. The bio for this book doesn't say, but I have to wonder whether she ever taught English or a related subject in a previous life. I'm reading the series out of order, but I would like to pick up other Dalgliesh novels. The hints that James dropped concerning Dalgliesh's erstwhile partner, Inspector Kate Miskin, were too intriguing to ignore. I hope she wrote about Miskin's "troubles" in an earlier book.
Rating:
Summary: Deliciously complicated
Review: This book is delightfully complicated and devious, with twists and turns to keep a person riveted and guessing throughout. Venetia Aldrige is a successful and demanding barrister, called to defend a man accused of murdering his aunt. She successfully gets him acquitted, then soon afterward is dismayed and fearful when he turns up in her daughter's life. She tries to get some one to help her get rid of him, but she has a personality that hasn't made many friends and no one will help. Then, one morning she is found dead in her chambers. Chief Inspector Dalgliesh of Scotland Yard is summoned to the case and he and his team set out to unravel the mystery of who killed Venetia and why. As suspects are interviewed and backgrounds checked, several plausible motives are uncovered. In which direction does the truth lie? P. D. James is one of today's top-notch mystery writers. Her stories are complex and riveting. So complex, at times, that you wish you had taken notes in the first part of the book to keep all characters straight. Several of her books have been made into movies for the "Mystery" series on PBS. Although the story was so complicated at times that my head hurt, I am still giving this book a high recommendation. Ms. James writes books that are held together with a strong story line, not the flimsy sex-violence-vulgar language "fillers" of many modern writers. I rate this book 5 stars out of 5.
Rating:
Summary: P.D. delivers
Review: Another clever psychological thriller from P.D. Although some of the behaviours were a little too pat, this was an enjoyable mystery with the usual unnerving insights into Dalgliesh.
Rating: 
Summary: A bit overdone
Review: I had high hopes for this book, and was certainly interested in the "large print" aspect, but was dismayed to find that the publisher chose to make the print SO large that only one letter would fit per page. While this did heighten suspense in that longer words required quite a bit of page-turning, I feel that Random House may have gone a bit overboard.
Rating:
Summary: Justice is a justified injustice at times
Review: This detective story is a lot more than a detective story. 1- It is a new stage in the English genre. Sherlock Holmes was an outsider competing with the police. Hercule Poirot was Belgian, so twice an outsider. Here Dalgliesh is a member of Scotland Yard. This book is, in a way, a vindication of Scotland Yard. 2- It contains a deep reflection on social determinism. Both one of the criminals and one of the coppers (a man and a woman) were born and raised in a socially derelict apartment complex and neighborhood for the poor. They both had the same choice, and they chose two different ways. 3- It advocates a certain vision of managing people. Dalgliesh is both strict on basic rules with his subordinates, but also extremely humane, even with unprovable criminals. « It is better for a useful man to continue to be useful than to spend years in gaol ». 4- It displays a deep understanding of human justice and perticularly that fundamentally British principle that it is better to let a criminal go free than to imprison an innocent. This principle is surprisingly original, and also irritating for the judicial system, in foreign countries, in Europe or the USA. Any doubt about the guilt or the value, the force of a piece of evidence has to benefit the accused, no matter what. We suddenly think of Mumia Abu Jamal's case which exposes the radically opposite functioning : contradictory testimonies should benefit the accused. In this case the textimony that does not support the guilt of the accused is overlooked, if not purely negated. 5- Finally, this book is Dickenbsian because it gives us a phenomenal description of the psychology and the social background of all characters, policemen, policewomen, suspects, criminals, etc... We have here a fully developed social tableau of modern time Great Britain. A masterpipece in the genre. When the British set themselves to doing something good, they are excellent. And the detective story genre is one field of absolute perfection for them. Three details though. The keyring of the first victim is overlooked during most of the investigation. A drawback. A jacket belt that is not in the proper place at the end. A shortcoming. What about the never answered question : « Why did he ask me to inquire about the spectacles she was wearing ? » A flaw. But such details do not reduce the value of the book as a fantastic description of modern British society. Dr Jacques COULARDEAU
Rating: 
Summary: One of P.D. James' Most Engaging Works
Review: 'A Certain Justice' is a crisp, fast-paced read. It begins inside a courtroom, with Venetia Aldridge defending young Gary Ashe for the murder of his aunt. The scene is swift and captivating, and begins to raise the first questions about Ashe's innocence. After the verdict, we are ushered into the life of Ms. Aldridge. Introduced to us are her nefarious legal colleagues in the Middle Temple, all of whom seem to have a problem with her. After an interesting time which peels back the layers of Venetia's life, she is found murdered, and the mystery begins. Commander Adam Dalgliesh of New Scotland Yard, the poetic protagonist of many of P.D. James' novels, is soon on the case. There are more suspects than you can shake a stick at, and the book never ceases to be of interest as the plot progresses. Ms. James has succeeded in bringing to us a very modern, very moving piece of mystery fiction, and it is quite a satisfying read. The intricate inner-workings of London's court system is the fascinating setting for 'A Certain Justice', and it sets just the right mood for this sober mystery. The characters, even the minor ones, are well-drawn, and the killer's identity is kept under careful wraps until *very late* in the game, adding even more suspense. The experience of 'A Certain Justice' will most likely go by quickly, as you will have no problem becoming involved in this great police thriller, turning page after page. There is mood, there is action, and there is depth. What else would you expect from P.D. James? Also recommended: 'Death In Holy Orders' - the 2001 novel by P.D. James - very good!
Rating:
Summary: Fiendishly clever
Review: Venetia Aldridge is a distinguished barrister. When she agrees to defend Garry Ashe, accused of the brutal murder of his aunt, it is one more opportunity to triumph in her career as a criminal lawyer. But events turn frightening and unpredictable when Miss Aldridge is found dead in her office. The plot is complicated by the attitude and actions of her daughter, Octavia. Ingenious and beautifully written, A Certain Justice is P.D.James at her impressive best. She's become one of the national treasures of British crime writing, and this is one of her triumphs. A real page-turner of a plot, but leading to a slightly less than satisfying conclusion. Hence only four stars.
Rating:
Summary: Suspects, Suspects, Suspects
Review: I must admit, this was a different type of Mystery for me. Just an average person, I can normally figure out the "who and why" well before the end of the book. Ms. James did an excellent job of not giving away to many clues so it was impossible until the end of the book to start piecing things together (or so I thought). I really liked the character of Inspector Dalqliesh. The narrator gave him the personality of a hard core detective without the crudeness you see in so many books. My original thought as I listened to this audio book was that it would be 2 stars max. The ending of this book caught me by surprise and I decided to give it 3 stars. If it weren't for Ms. James great detail, I would have probably given it 4 stars. For some reason, Ms. James felt that every character, and place needed to be described to the finest detail. This description lent to the length of the book which was extremely long. More then once I thought of not finishing this book. If this hadn't been an audio book I probably wouldn't have finished it. I felt the book would have been just as good if not better if some of this description had been left out. About the first 20 chapters (6 tapes) was nothing but a description of the suspects who worked in Chambers. Really, not necessary. I have not read any other titles by Ms. James. However, not being one who discounts an author after I book, I will most likely try another in the future. The only author I can think to compare Ms. James with would be Agatha Christie. Both have that passion for describing things in great detail.
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