Rating: 
Summary: Not her strongest....but still superior
Review: One morning, by chance, Commander Dalgliesh has opportunity to visit the Dupayne, a small private museum on the edge of Hampstead Heath. It deals with the inter-war years, 1918-1939, and its most renowned exhibition is The Murder Room, a display of artefacts and information on the most notorious murder cases of the day. However, within a week Dalgliesh will have cause to return to the Dupayne, but not for recreational purposes this time. This time, he will be investigating a brutal murder. Dr Neville Dupayne, one of the three trustees of the museum, it being passed on to him and his brother and sister upon the death of their father, is found dead in a burning car near the museum, in a scenario exactly mirroring one of the cases featured in the bizarre Murder Room. And there is no lack of people with a motive, for the Dupayne is coming up for renewal of it's lease which, under the conditions of their late father's will, must be signed by all three trustees or will become void, and Neville is the only one who refuses to sign. Yet there are several people whose futures have a strong stake in the future and continued running of the museum... Then, mere days later, another body is found, once again killed in an identical manner to one of the cases from the Murder Room... Perhaps not quite James's strongest novel, this is still a very good book, and will undoubtedly follow on the immense success of her last, Death in Holy Orders. As a novel, it is traditional in its form, but with James that means nothing, certainly not that you are in for anything like a "cosy" mystery. Content within the boundaries of the genre, she finds those limits not limiting at all, instead using them as foundations and support for an incredibly worthy novel that tells us much about the human condition and the society we, in England at least, live in. It is impeccably written (of course), socially interesting, with a strikingly strong sense of morality, and I doubt that there is a writer at work today who can more subtly but fully evoke a setting. Too, the eerie nostalgia of the museum itself is mirrored beautifully in both the story and the narrative prose itself. Her characters are incredibly strong and she draws them with almost astonishing subtlety; they slink from the page fully-formed and ready for our judgement. They range from the sympathetic to the cold, from calculating to warm. Never are any of them less than human. The Murder Room doesn't quite dazzle with brilliance like novels by Ruth Rendell, Peter Robinson, or even some of James' other books, but it is still an outstanding example of its genre, and it certainly proves that only British novelists can write perfectly about Britain. It leaves foreign imitators languishing by the wayside. It's an intelligent, very literate book which should please all her fans and lovers of such novels. In the end, she presents a solution that is very satisfying not for that it is a bolt from the blue, but for that it is entirely sensible. She has you working out complicated solutions to the mystery, then presents you with an entirely plausible one that you never really even considered, which is an admirable trait indeed in a world of fiction that is far too full of gratuitous unreality.
Rating: 
Summary: Too Little Mystery in The Murder Room
Review: Seldom has such wonderful writing been attached to such an unmysterious mystery. I found myself wishing that Ms. James had skipped the mystery and just written a novel about the characters. The result would undoubtedly have been much more satisfying. Commander Adam Dalgliesh finds himself unexpectedly invited to visit an oddball museum, the Dupayne, which specializes in England between the two world wars. The founder has provided rare first editions of top novelists and representative paintings by the better artists of the time. Maintained as a private institution by the founder's children, the museum's most popular feature is the Murder Room, where the most infamous murders of the period are displayed. There's tension in the family though, as one of the children wants to have the museum closed. Soon thereafter, Dalgliesh has to call off a date with delicious Emma Lavenham, whom he met in Death in Holy Orders, to begin investigating a suspicious death at the Dupayne. MI5 wants to protect one of its own from being discovered so sensitivity is needed. Everyone on the team is quickly struck the resemblance of the crime to one that is featured in the Murder Room. What's the connection? Is there a copy cat at work here? The book's greatest strength is its powerful description of the Dupayne and those who serve it. You will feel like you have been to the museum and met the people there. The book has an extended beginning that gives you more than the usual detail about the most important characters. I felt like I had been invited to tea with them, and had a chance to settle into the story at a very leisurely pace. Of the major characters, both Ms. Tally Clutton, the housekeeper, and Dr. Neville Dupayne, son of the museum's founder, were quite memorable and convincing. Although the other major characters received a fair amount of attention, they did not come alive for me. Several minor characters received loving attention from Ms. James. I found myself wishing that their story lines had been more important. The mystery is vastly too easy to solve. You can start from any one of six or seven different directions, and come to the right conclusion. In addition, Ms. James provides an obvious clue in the first few pages after the initial crime is discovered. Shortly thereafter, the key clue also comes into play. Few readers will miss the key clue after having been alerted early by Ms. James to suspect the murderer. From there, more and more clues point to the murderer. I found myself wondering why anyone would have written such an obvious mystery. A police procedural would have been a better structure for this story. The only reward for finishing the last five-eighths of the book is to find out a number of salacious family secrets and how Dalgliesh makes up for the broken date with Emma. I certainly enjoyed the book, but it is the least favorite of mine within the Adam Dalgleish series of mysteries. After finishing the book, I thought about whether anyone would have enjoyed Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None if the murderer had been apparent after the first death. I think not.
Rating:
Summary: Great Mystery! She does it again!!!!
Review: The Murder Room PD JAMES P.D James has done it again. I think this is the 18th time she's done it. She is an extremely talented storyteller with prose like honey! Often you read her work and you forget your reading and feel as if your watching a play or movie. And as always her settings are unlikely places for murder and violence. I suppose these are the qualities that distinguish her murder mysteries from all the others. This book is all about real people and emotion and is not to be missed for the mystery enthusiast. Besides, it's a fantastic airplane read. Now if you're looking for a few other interesting titles that will keep you glued to your seat look no further than these, Buckland's Hot List: most creative, The Butterfly: A Fable (Singh); most engaging, The Alchemist (Coelho); most interesting, Life of Pi (Martel); most enlightening, 9-11 (Chomsky); most thrilling, The Lovely Bones: A Novel (Sebold); and finally, the most creative, engaging, interesting, enlightening and thrilling book of all, The Little Prince (Saint-Exupery). These are the books I'd recommend to my family, friends, students, and wife. There are many more, trust me, but these are the first that come to mind (for having left an impact slight or proud as it may be). If you have any questions, queries, or comments, or maybe even a title you think I should add to my list, please feel free to e-mail me. I'm always open to a good recommendation. Thanks for reading my brief but hopefully helpful review. Happy reading. Donald S. Buckland, Editor.
Rating: 
Summary: Murder In The Murder Room
Review: For fans of P.D. James' intricately developed mystery novels featuring her protagonist Scotland Yard Commander and part-time poet, Adam Dalgliesh, "The Murder Room" will most certainly feel like familiar territory. It doesn't set any new standards, but it tells its story well, if not remarkably. People looking to try out P.D. James for the first time might do better to start with another of her works, quite possibly "Death In Holy Orders" or "A Taste For Death". "The Murder Room" begins with Dalgliesh immersed in thoughts of trying to balance his busy work schedule with a relatively new romance in his life with Cambridge professor Emma Lavenham. His thoughts are soon interrupted when he happens across an old friend who is doing research at the Dupayne Museum, an aging structure at the edge of Hampstead Heath, which devotes its entire inventory to the British inter-war years of 1919 - 1938. There is one room in the museum, the Murder Room, which houses archival photos and some artifacts which relate to some of the grisly crimes commited within that era. Dalgliesh and his friend visit the Dupayne and, a week later, one of the three siblings who runs the museum is found burned to death in his car. Thus begins the murder inquiry, headed up by our estimable Dalgliesh and his underlings Kate Miskin, Piers Tarrant, and newcomer Benton-Smith. P.D. James writes two kinds of murder mysteries. One starts off with the murder right away. The other waits for about 100 pages, arranging up the plot, the characters, the setting, and the motives. "The Murder Room" falls into the latter category. The author is great at developing the details of her characters' lives, and makes no exception in this novel. All of the main players are carefully drawn, and often times sympathetic. I truly felt bad for the first murder victim. James's description of place, one of her strongest talents, also does not fail here. You get a wonderful vision of the Dupayne Museum, of the cottage of Tally Clutton, the museum's cleaner, and of Cambridge in the autumn. There are some things that count against the book, unfortunately. I didn't mind the first murder coming after page 100, but so much of what came before seemed so obviously to be set-up, that it became a tad distracting at times. Many of the characters in the novel, more so than in James's previous works, come across as rather depressed or, conversely, trite. It made for a bit of a downer. Dalgliesh's right-hand-woman, Kate Miskin, who in previous novels seemed to be growing and becoming happier as a person, is in this book sliding back into some rather blunt eruptions of bitterness. I found this disappointing. Dalgliesh's other main helper, Piers Tarrant, has angry outbursts in every other chapter. Most disconcerting. Also, the book consists of quite a few red herrings, which is not typically James's style. If what she typically presents in other stories does not directly relate to the murder itself, it will usually provide some sort of meaning to the other characters and plotlines involved. That was not so much the case here. "The Murder Room", despite its flaws, is still a good novel. I went through it relatively quickly, and enjoyed the read, despite some of the oppressively darker aspects. P.D. James is a superb novelist and, at 83, she proves that she has lost none of her masterful literary capability. The prose is excellent. The plot is adequate. It is only a standard entry in James's long and illustrious writing career, but it is head & shoulders above many of the modern mystery novels out there today, so it most definitely recommended to fans of the genre.
Rating:
Summary: Best one yet!
Review: I thought this was one of her best books yet. I couldn't put the book down.
Rating:
Summary: An ideal kind of mystery; gets you involved
Review: This was the first P.D. James novel I've ever read. I read mystery novels when I'm simply too tired to read anything complicated or heavy in subject matter. However, this book is not in the same vein of mysteries that I've read before (Barbara Vine and Martha Grimes are other authors who are excellent and who I also recommend). Its a book which makes you think, though its not intellectual. This mystery is one of many books which feature the detective Adam Dalgliesh, though you don't necessarily have to have read other books in the series in order to understand what happens.
In this excellent novel, Dalgliesh visits an obscure museum in London dedicated to the years between the two world wars. In it, there's a room which features sensational murder cases of the 1920's and 30's. P.D. James's books may seem frustrating because it takes a lot of time to get to the actual murder. But James proves to her readers that describing the time and place, as well as the people involved, is central to the plot of a mystery. Therefore, the psychology of the crime is crucial. In The Murder Room, over 100 pages are dedicated to setting things up. It only gets better from there on out.
This novel is incredibly breathtaking; unlike other books in this genre, you really can't even begin to guess what happens.
Rating:
Summary: Twisty Chilling Thriller
Review: P.D. James has a moodily delightful read with The Murder Room. The Room itself, part of a museum dedicated to the interwar years in Britain, is full of artifacts of actual historical crimes which become important in the murders which follow, as well as being an effective hook in the beginning of the book to lure the reader forward. This very concept was the driving force for a history buff, such as myself, to pick up the book and return to P.D. James after being away a number of years. The rest of the novel does not let this marvelous lead-in down. The twists come relatively fast and furious and while often unbelievable are just as often unexpected. The ending is somewhat of a let-down but with all the various turns and coincidences the plot had to sustain, it could almost not be any other way. A wonderfully atmospheric and gripping thriller.
Rating: 
Summary: Not one of the better books
Review: I was very disappointed in this book. I felt I had to finish it because SOMETHING had to happen to make it worth reading. It never did. After a while I didn't even care what happened to the characters. Hope the next one is better.
Rating:
Summary: Good Book!
Review: This is an excellent addition to the Adam Dalgliesh series. When is the DVD due out?
Rating:
Summary: Okay...But Not Among the Best of James' Work
Review: Well, it's a P.D. James novel so it can't be all bad...but in the first few chapters I realized that there were too many similarities to "Original Sin", the saga of the publishing-house family murders. By halfway through the book, I realized that I was becoming bored with the excessive description and lack of original action and thought. By the end of the book, I had to admit that I really hadn't enjoyed it...too little plot or meaning, too reminiscent of earlier (and better) works, too little Adam Dalgliesh, and worst of all -- too much gratuitous subplot material that raised the eyebrows but contributed nothing significant to the story (the pseudo-pedophile Major, Ryan's gay identity, the sex club, etc.) Dare I say that it was actually bordering on shallow? Well, I have always loved P.D. James so I won't go that far, but I must say I was disappointed. At eighty-four, is it possible that Ms. James is starting to run out of fresh stories to tell? If so, please let Emma and Adam go in peace, living out their happy new lives in fiction heaven.
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