Rating: 
Summary: Not her best book
Review: Although the (logical) resolution to the Deborah subplot from the previous three books is quite welcome, the rest of this book is pretty substandard. The method of murder is ridiculously elaborate, and the murderer's ten-page confession is incredibly unbelievable. But Jane Dagliesh was a wonderful character, and deserved to be brought back in the later part of the series.
Rating: 
Summary: Ignore other reviews; this is a fine James
Review: Curious that, with such an arresting opening as this book has (a handless corpse floating off the Suffolk coast), i should find it so difficult to get involved with. I think, more than anything, i found it a little tough to tell some of the characters apart at first. Once past that point, however, this became, like just about every other James, the best one she's written. One grows to enjoy the little community she has created, the petty spites and jealousies, the sniping back and forth between these largely unsuccessful (at least in terms of importance) writers, at the death of one of them. Even Dalgliesh, in Suffolk on holiday, so the death is not his case, has trouble in his relationship with the local Inspector in charge of the case, they are overtly polite, but there is tension between them; he cannot hold himself back from doing some investigation on his own, however, and is able to show that murder has been committed, though not prevent another. The actual revelation of method and motive are interesting and unusual, in that James makes use of the murderer's confession to show how it was done. Another classic James and Dalgliesh.
Rating:
Summary: Ignore other reviews; this is a fine James
Review: Curious that, with such an arresting opening as this book has (a handless corpse floating off the Suffolk coast), i should find it so difficult to get involved with. I think, more than anything, i found it a little tough to tell some of the characters apart at first. Once past that point, however, this became, like just about every other James, the best one she's written. One grows to enjoy the little community she has created, the petty spites and jealousies, the sniping back and forth between these largely unsuccessful (at least in terms of importance) writers, at the death of one of them. Even Dalgliesh, in Suffolk on holiday, so the death is not his case, has trouble in his relationship with the local Inspector in charge of the case, they are overtly polite, but there is tension between them; he cannot hold himself back from doing some investigation on his own, however, and is able to show that murder has been committed, though not prevent another. The actual revelation of method and motive are interesting and unusual, in that James makes use of the murderer's confession to show how it was done. Another classic James and Dalgliesh.
Rating: 
Summary: PD's worst is still better than most
Review: I've recently discovered P.D.James (WHERE HAVE I BEEN? ), and I really enjoyed her other books.This one was a bomb. It has a convoluted plot, which in itself is not the worst thing, but none of the characters were the least bit likable (with the possible exception of Jane Dalgliesh), and I was hoping they'd all get murdered by the end of the book. I found the book difficult to finish, and the ending a letdown (a ten page taped confession! ) The book started out well - a body, with its hands cut off, floats to shore in a boat, and there are plenty of local suspects. I guessed the murderer right off the bat (it was the character I liked the least), so the final solution was no surprise - just a long time coming. P.D.James is a great writer, though, so I'll excuse this one clunker.
Rating:
Summary: This One Was A Disappointment !
Review: I've recently discovered P.D.James (WHERE HAVE I BEEN? ), and I really enjoyed her other books.This one was a bomb. It has a convoluted plot, which in itself is not the worst thing, but none of the characters were the least bit likable (with the possible exception of Jane Dalgliesh), and I was hoping they'd all get murdered by the end of the book. I found the book difficult to finish, and the ending a letdown (a ten page taped confession! ) The book started out well - a body, with its hands cut off, floats to shore in a boat, and there are plenty of local suspects. I guessed the murderer right off the bat (it was the character I liked the least), so the final solution was no surprise - just a long time coming. P.D.James is a great writer, though, so I'll excuse this one clunker.
Rating:
Summary: Dagliesh "vacations" in Suffolk in a writers colony
Review: In this, the fourth Dagliesh book, Adam goes to Suffolk to take a little R&R with his eccentric aunt Jane. Jane lives in a remote coastal area where here neighbors include a couple of "pulp" fiction writers, a critic and some other unusual folks. Of course, a corpse turns up. The first two-thirds of the book are solid, if unexceptional. It's interesting to watch Dagliesh walk the tightrope of investigating a death that isn't his job - and for once to have the official police investigators portrayed as reasonably competent folks. And while other reviews were let down by the ending, I found the final third to be page turning stuff. (Of course, being in the middle of a major thunder storm helped :)) I found the plotting to be nicely complex and the solution to be that nice mix - a surprise but one that made sense when all of the reasons were laid on the table. For new readers this book has fewer references to Dagliesh's friends and on-going life than some of the others. I.e. - you won't be frustrated landing in the middle of ongoing plots, but you also aren't getting a full picture of his life that evolves with the reading of the series in order.
Rating:
Summary: Dagliesh "vacations" in Suffolk in a writers colony
Review: In this, the fourth Dagliesh book, Adam goes to Suffolk to take a little R&R with his eccentric aunt Jane. Jane lives in a remote coastal area where here neighbors include a couple of "pulp" fiction writers, a critic and some other unusual folks. Of course, a corpse turns up. The first two-thirds of the book are solid, if unexceptional. It's interesting to watch Dagliesh walk the tightrope of investigating a death that isn't his job - and for once to have the official police investigators portrayed as reasonably competent folks. And while other reviews were let down by the ending, I found the final third to be page turning stuff. (Of course, being in the middle of a major thunder storm helped :)) I found the plotting to be nicely complex and the solution to be that nice mix - a surprise but one that made sense when all of the reasons were laid on the table. For new readers this book has fewer references to Dagliesh's friends and on-going life than some of the others. I.e. - you won't be frustrated landing in the middle of ongoing plots, but you also aren't getting a full picture of his life that evolves with the reading of the series in order.
Rating: 
Summary: P. D. James is the best.
Review: More than James' other novels, this one gives us a genuine feel for the way an environment can effect us all (or is there something within us that makes us choose a particular environment?). I was intrigued by the haunting, mystical, misty landscapes of the north England coastline and how this rather hostile enviroment can create isolation and individualism, even cliques among the people who chose to live there. The urban setting in this novel, interestingly, proves to be a safe haven from the chilling isolation of the foggy seaside cliffs.This is not P.D. James' best work, but she has the uncanny ability to place you inside the dark recesses of the mind of killer and bystander like no other author. Riveting.
Rating:
Summary: Unworthy of P.D. James
Review: Okay, we should give Lady James a little credit, since this was one of her early ventures into crime. But frankly, UNNATURAL CAUSES is one of her worst books. Despite an intriguing premise--the method by which Maurice Seton is murdered is an ingenious stroke--the story never captures the reader's interest and plods along toward a climax so melodramatic it's silly. Dalgliesh is more irritating than usual, and the majority of the characters are foppish caricatures one might expect from Christie. There are flaws in the plotting, as well. Dalgliesh finds out about the method of murder very casually (I won't give it away, but it would be almost impossible to guess on one's own), and he sort of stumbles on the killer's identity by accident, without any real detection. The story ends with Dalgliesh listening to the killer's long confession (more than 10 pages) on tape, which is an extremely contrived twist. Don't let this book influence your opinion of James--she is one heck of a writer, and even the best of them are allowed a clunker every now and then.
Rating:
Summary: Dalgliesh looks on
Review: Some vacation ... Superintendent Adam Dalgliesh drives to his aunts in Suffolk with hope of rest and reflection on his own life. Soon he finds himself in the middle of it, with local inspector Reckless investigating the murder (or natural causes?) of a Maurice Seton, floating on a dinghy alone with his hands cut off, possibly by his aunt's hatchet. From here the mystery starts, and continues from a literary circle, to a strip tease artist. The conclusion was a shocker for me, although looking back, the clues and the character development fit! For the American birdwatcher, like myself, there is also delight in aunt Jane's identification of the curlew sandpiper, versus Adam's dunlin.
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