A Certain Justice (Adam Dalgliesh Mysteries (Paperback))

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 near the end of the book to start piecing things together. I really liked the character of Inspector Delglish. My original thought as I listened to this book was that it would be 2 stars max. The ending of this book caught me by surprise and so I decided to give it 3. If it weren't for Ms. James great detail, I would have probably given it 4 stars.

For some reason, Ms. James felt the need to describe every character and place to the most minute 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 the audio version I probably wouldn't have finished. 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 havn't read any other books by Ms. James and am currently undecided about trying another.

The only other author I can think of to compare Ms. James with would be Agatha Christie. Both have that passion for describing things in their books to the most minute detail.

Rating:
Summary: characters you love to hate
Review: Though I am not usually a fan of PD James's detective fiction featuring Adam Dalgleish other than via the PBS dramatizations of her novels, I must admit the pull to read "A Certain Justice" after dipping into only the first chapter was irresistible. Fans of John Mortimer's Rumpole series might imagine themselves well at home among the denizens and vagaries of the English law courts. Like Rumpole, Venetia Aldridge is a criminal barrister but there the similiarity ends. In Venetia Aldridge, James has created what someone once described as the perfect fictional character. I did not tire of her doings, she riveted me when she took center stage, yet Venetia is the kind of person I would not like to know in real life. A complex character much like Jane Austen's Emma Woodhouse, Venetia Aldridge is handsome, clever and rich. Yet it is these very blessings that, in combination with her having been born female, make her such a monster. As social commentary, James highlights the bigotry successful women must endure. A woman cannot it seems compete in a "man's world" and retain her femininity, her likability. Only in the briefest flashes is the reader allowed to glimpse Venetia as the lonely pathetic and frustrated individual she is. In contrast is her male counterpart, Drysdale Laud, who is just as selfish, if not from a more privileged background, than Venetia. Yet he's not described to be as inhuman as Venetia. It is a pity, though crucial to the plot that Venetia die.Fans of Adam Dalgliesh might balk because the Dalgleish character doesn't take center stage in this novel. Indeed, Dalgliesh doesn't appear until a good 100 pages into the narrative and thereafter only sporadically. To appreciate "Justice" a reader must bear in mind that James is delving into "character." In "A Certain Justice" almost all the characters save Dalgliesh had something in their pasts with which they continue to struggle, to try to outlive. Human frailty is the key. James understands that the more fascinating aspect of a mystery is really the "whydunit" rather than exclusively "whodunit."I am a convert and will eagerly await the next PD James novel.

Rating:
Summary: Intriguing Story and Characters but a Tad Slow
Review: Venetia Aldridge is a top notch criminal lawyer. She hardly ever looses a case and is able to find the holes in any argument. Her personal life isn't so rosy, however. She is basically estranged from her daughter and considered a problem by her co-workers. Her life really begins to unravel when her daughter announces her engagement - to a man Venetia has recently gotten off for murder. But when Venetia is found dead in her office two days later, it's up to Adam Dalgliesh and his team to figure out who killed her. And with all these motives and suspects, it won't be easy.

I'd heard much about P.D. James, but this was the first time I'd actually read one of her books. I found the writing style engaging and would have a hard time putting it down once I started. On the other hand, I'd have a hard time picking it up again. The beginning especially seems to give us too much background on our characters, stuff we don't need to learn until later if at all. This really slowed the story down for me.

The more I got into it, the better I enjoyed it, however. There were some nice twists along the way with an intriguing sub-plot. The last couple of chapters did seem a little anti-climatic considering what had gone before, but I was surprised by who the killer turned out to be. Using multiple view points greatly added to the story most of the time, although it did confuse me some as far as timeline goes.

I can understand why P.D. James has such a fine reputation. She can paint a picture with words like few other writers currently writing. While she may be a tad too slow for my normal taste, I'm certainly glad to see what all the talk is about. Her reputation is well earned.