Rating: 
Summary: Beautifully written but basically boring
Review: and much too long. I am a long time fan of James, having read everything she's written, but I did not find this book to be very satisfying. It was very difficult to actually finish. However, I perservered only to find the ending to be all the more disappointing.
Rating: 
Summary: Adam Dalgleish has feelings too!
Review: Very typical Dalgleish stuff, but for the first time its wonderful to learn about the man himself - his past, his present; thats he's really a human being in the real world. Being British, I probably take for granted the wonderful scenery description and the way she uses weather, climate and topology for incredible intense effect. Its really like that in England, just like places here in the USA, breathtaking. I liked to see that PD James has stopped falling in love with Adam and given us a less biassed view with plenty to take in and a little to speculate about which is cool. I can appreciate why these stories make such great short tv mysteries. Just one more thing to say - I'm not a romantic "wet and wild" trashy book reader, and I really enjoy looking a minimum of three words up in my dictionary every time I read PD James - her command of the English language is really superb. I will read all the Adam Dalgleish's she decides to write with great pleasure, thanks Ms James!
Rating: 
Summary: Deja vu?
Review: Have we not been here before? Monks/priests on an isolated coastline, the usual suspects arrayed before us, a death in an isolated cottage. I'm devastated to say that I think this is the only book I've ever read when I actually couldn't have cared less what on earth was going on- in fact by the time I reached the end I'd actually forgotten how the story started. I have to say that the recent Reginald Hill books beat the last few P.D.James offerings hands down for 'literary' content.
Rating:
Summary: Dalgliesh May Finally be Puttering Out
Review: Unfortunately, I find myself bored with this book; and I was so excited when I say a new P.D. James mystery! I almost feel I've read this one before, and not just because the color "fawn" is in fashion. The seascape, the cloaks, the named and numbered cottages. I suppose this is to romance the long-time fan, but I for one want something new. I'm in the middle, I may actually put it down and start something new.
Rating:
Summary: Trouble at St. Anselm's
Review: There is no denying that P. D. James is one of the best living mystery writers of all time. In her latest work, DEATH IN HOLY ORDERS she sends her main character, Commander Adam Dalgliesh, to a small theological college in England named St. Anselm's. Dalgliesh has spent several happy years of his youth there and the place has special memories for him. In this particular case, he is sent there on business to investigate the death of a young student at the school. The school is suffering a lot of setbacks because there is talk that the Church is planning on closing St. Anselm down. Things go from bad to worse when an Archdeacon is killed inside a chapel. The characters in this book are not flat. They are multidimensional where we get to see the weaknesses or flaws each character tries to hide. As always most of P. D. James books are not quick reads but one does enjoy it. If you like this book, I recommend you try P. D. James' previous novel A CERTAIN JUSTICE. It was one of the most superb novels I have ever read.
Rating:
Summary: Death In Holy Order is a real page turner hard to put down!
Review: Death In Holy Order by super talent Baroness James is a wonderfully written story that will leave the reader swiftly turning the pages-- The characters in this wonderfully written story are many and colorful and the plot well thoughtout and not surprisingly complex-- when the body of a young priest is discovered buried in a sandy bank along the coast of isolated St. Anselm's many questions quickly follow.
Rating:
Summary: Very good, as usual, but not one of her best
Review: I have read and enjoyed all of P.D. James books so far. All have been quite good -- better than almost anyone else -- but this one is not among her two or three best, mainly because the ending is rather unsatisfying and abrupt. Still, it is a very good read and is recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: ONE OF HER BEST
Review: P.D.James and Ruth Rendall are, for my money, the finest writers of crime novels working today. I happen to simply ENJOY James' work more and DEATH IN HOLY ORDERS is one of her best. in fact, I'd say it was my favorite, along with her superb INNOCENT BLOOD. The setting and atmosphere are familiar, almost stereotypically so: a quiet, wind-swept monastery/theological college high on deserted, bleak cliffs outside of a small, British town (East Anglia). Add to that some dark, stormy nights, rough ocean waters, a lonely, windy beach and, of course, a grisly murder. Read a few chapters before another murder, even more grisly and violent, is committed. Enter Commander Adam Dalgliesh, James' seemingly emotionless investigator/detective. But it is not just the plot and setting that make a P.D. James novel special. It is her characters which are always well drawn and in this novel that's saying alot because there are so many of them and each an individual creation with good and bad traits, human beings all...and all suspects: Several priests, one of whom is an ex-felon; the gentle man who works as handyman to the priests and his sister with whom he has a "more than affectionate" relationship; a few professors who teach the young ordinands and a visiting lecturer, et. al. DEATH IN HOLY ORDERS is a fascinating read from the first page when an already closed murder case is re-opened and investigated to the very fulfilling conclusion which hints at the possibility of a brighter future for Dalgliesh. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Rating:
Summary: Death by sea, land and care
Review: In the most unsuspected place, a theological college by the sea, people drop like question marks. Is it life or is it murder that claims the several victims in James' most current offering? A fan forever I enjoyed every page of this book nay every delicious word. Who needs television or movies when there are authors as intriguing and knowledgeable as this? The only bad part is I have to wait for the next book she writes to enjoy this special thrill again.
Rating:
Summary: Great idea; poor execution!
Review: This was one of the slowest reads I've experienced in a long time. Thinking I was just not appreciating P D James, I gave it to a friend to read. He concurs. Very slow reading with a non-spectacular ending. And the saddest part is that the premise was great. Too bad! I donated the book to the library.
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