Rating: 
Summary: Short, but very sweet
Review: A great introduction for readers to the world of P.D. James, this is a serious, literate mystery, though it's still considerably lightweight fare. Not at the same level as her later books, but not as mind-boggling, either. The story features Adam Dalgliesh, who is investigating the stabbing murder of one of the staff at a London psychiatric clinic. Fairly well-developed characters, intelligent use of medical and clinical knowledge (James had a lot of life experience, making her one of today's most realistic writers), a clever whodunit plot with intriguing detection, and a jarring twist ending. That James sparkle is already starting to show at this point.
Rating: 
Summary: another good PD James mystery
Review: A Mind To Murder was another well written mystery by James. Although the language was often difficult to understand, it added a special element to the story.(...but keep a dictionary near by). This mystery, like many of James' works, starred Adam Dalgleish as the detective trying to uncover a mystery...this time at a clinic in London. As always, James also adds a surprising twist at the end of the mystery...an enjoyable and exciting read.
Rating:
Summary: another good PD James mystery
Review: A Mind To Murder was another well written mystery by James. Although the language was often difficult to understand, it added a special element to the story.(...but keep a dictionary near by). This mystery, like many of James' works, starred Adam Dalgleish as the detective trying to uncover a mystery...this time at a clinic in London. As always, James also adds a surprising twist at the end of the mystery...an enjoyable and exciting read.
Rating: 
Summary: Nice book to get into the atmosphere.
Review: Although a typical, for its category book, "A Mind to Murder", succeeds in giving the reader the feel of a real mystery. The character of the intelligent detective, who has to deal with the peculiar personalities of the clinic patients and staff, makes it a great book for starters. A great practice for the English language, as it is currently part of the Cambridge Proficiency Exam.
Rating:
Summary: The Usual Suspects
Review: As always, P.D. James has crafted a superb mystery with "A Mind to Murder". The plot is laid out in her trademark style, vascillating between the introspection of the detective Dalgliesh and the testimony of an array of characters. The story revolves around the murder of Miss Bolam, the administrative officer of the Steen Psychiatric Clinic.
Early on, motives and means are laid out for several characters, and Dalgliesh knows that it had to be an inside job. Miss Bolam was little liked by several employees and seemingly caused rancor everywhere she went. Yet Dalgliesh feels an overwhelming sense of failure as he tracks down various pieces of evidence. The storyline is fairly simple, with enough inconsistencies to throw the reader, and possibly Dalgliesh, off the real murderer's trail.
A worthy addition to the Dalgliesh series, "A Mind to Murder" offers Dalgliesh fans rare insight into his feelings about his deceased wife and son, and the insecurities he feels with moving forward with his life. The characters are well-written as always, and the story is fast-paced. Even though "A Mind to Murder" is an early work, it is not dated in the least, especially for those who love a good mystery.
Rating:
Summary: Simple and Straight-Forward
Review: I found this early mystery by P.D. James to be quite an enjoyable read. In her later books she tends to go a little overboard giving her characters interior monologues, but she doesn't do that much here. We learn a little about Superintendent Dalgliesh's late wife and his feelings for her, but there's no angsty-ness to it. Dalgliesh does worry that he won't be able to crack the case, but with the number of correct hunches he plays James does well to keep him humble.The mystery, like the characters, is pretty straightforward too. James fairly well leads you down the path of whom to suspect, but throws in a couple inconsistencies to keep you guessing. Ultimately those inconsistencies are explained and the ending is given the obligatory twist. The story could have done with a few less characters: Keeping track of who's who and to whom they're doing what got muddy a couple times. Still, James does a good job of isolating the few key characters and if you keep steadily marching forward it's not too hard to keep up. There is a charming naivete about this story. A modern author would have to have some of the LSD (medicinal purposes only) get mixed in with Dalgliesh's tea, and the electroshock therapy room and creaking dumbwaiter would have to be put to equally sinister purposes as well. While there is a lot of sexual activity going on at the clinic, nothing prurient takes place within the pages of the book; there's one morning-after scene and James does bring herself to write the word "thigh" a couple times, but that's about as smutty as it gets. At this point in her writing career, James hasn't quite found her voice yet. Nevertheless, she's able to craft an above-average mystery with well-developed male and female characters. Having read some of her more-complicated novels before reading this, I wasn't put off by the simplicity of it. I don't know if the reverse would hold true: If you read this before books like "A Taste for Death" or "Skull Beneath the Skin," you might find her later work overwhelming. Regardless, this stands on its own as a good mystery by a great mystery writer.
Rating:
Summary: Simple and Straight-Forward
Review: I found this early mystery by P.D. James to be quite an enjoyable read. In her later books she tends to go a little overboard giving her characters interior monologues, but she doesn't do that much here. We learn a little about Superintendent Dalgliesh's late wife and his feelings for her, but there's no angsty-ness to it. Dalgliesh does worry that he won't be able to crack the case, but with the number of correct hunches he plays James does well to keep him humble. The mystery, like the characters, is pretty straightforward too. James fairly well leads you down the path of whom to suspect, but throws in a couple inconsistencies to keep you guessing. Ultimately those inconsistencies are explained and the ending is given the obligatory twist. The story could have done with a few less characters: Keeping track of who's who and to whom they're doing what got muddy a couple times. Still, James does a good job of isolating the few key characters and if you keep steadily marching forward it's not too hard to keep up. There is a charming naivete about this story. A modern author would have to have some of the LSD (medicinal purposes only) get mixed in with Dalgliesh's tea, and the electroshock therapy room and creaking dumbwaiter would have to be put to equally sinister purposes as well. While there is a lot of sexual activity going on at the clinic, nothing prurient takes place within the pages of the book; there's one morning-after scene and James does bring herself to write the word "thigh" a couple times, but that's about as smutty as it gets. At this point in her writing career, James hasn't quite found her voice yet. Nevertheless, she's able to craft an above-average mystery with well-developed male and female characters. Having read some of her more-complicated novels before reading this, I wasn't put off by the simplicity of it. I don't know if the reverse would hold true: If you read this before books like "A Taste for Death" or "Skull Beneath the Skin," you might find her later work overwhelming. Regardless, this stands on its own as a good mystery by a great mystery writer.
Rating:
Summary: Neat and tidy
Review: I'm always on the lookout for books for my 92-year-old mother -- still a sharp woman, but less able to handle complexity than she once was -- and very much a lady, who objects to an excess of blood and/or vulgarity. The early P.D. James mysteries are perfect! They're very well-crafted, nicely written, but lacking the sprawl and complexity of her later works. This one, set in a psychiatric clinic, is a classic in the sense that a murder was done by one of a limited number of characters, whose movements and motives are key. There are a satisfying number of clues, including some red herrings, dispensed at regular intervals. The characters are nicely sketched. The routines -- and the politics -- of the psychiatric clinic make for an especially strong setting. The whole thing unfolds in just over 200 pages and reaches a satisfying, sufficiently logical conclusion. Originally written in the early 1960s, "A Mind for Murder" has a decidedly old-fasioned feel, but is fun to read nonetheless. And for those who love the later P.D. James books, taking another look at her early work makes it doubly fun. My mother liked the book; so do I.
Rating:
Summary: Not as good as I was expecting but tolerable...
Review: I've heard a great deal of hype about PD James, but I was disappointed in this one. The details are a little muddled, there is a strange and unexplained transition in the inspector's investigation towards the end of the book, and the writing itself is not engaging. Agatha Christie at her weakest is better than this. Still, it's somewhat of a page-turner and I will be reading another PD James book soon just to give her another chance. James has the right idea with this plot but just doesn't carry it off somehow.
Rating:
Summary: Not as good as I was expecting but tolerable...
Review: I've heard a great deal of hype about PD James, but I was disappointed in this one. The details are a little muddled, there is a strange and unexplained transition in the inspector's investigation towards the end of the book, and the writing itself is not engaging. Agatha Christie at her weakest is better than this. Still, it's somewhat of a page-turner and I will be reading another PD James book soon just to give her another chance. James has the right idea with this plot but just doesn't carry it off somehow.
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