::READERS REVIEWS::

Complex - Hadn't read a PD James mystery novel for many years and had nearly forgotten Adam Dalgliesh -- but upon opening -- he came back quickly -- as did Ms James very dense style of writing and amazing host of complex characters. One thing that characterizes this novel and perhaps much of PD James, Elizabeth George and Martha Grimes is that many (if not most) of the characters are so lonely and struggle with self doubt, fear and a fair amount of self-loathing -- and yet most of them become (for me) the likable and empathetic characters. In contrast, Ms. James always provides a few characters who are equally complex but not at all self critical -- or perhaps have decided they don't need to be based on beauty, money, position or power -- or just by some sort of self decree of superiority. The antagonist is just as likely to be one of the sympathetic characters -- and that is often more than I'm prepared for.

The novel builds rather slowly and I would understand if some mystery fans feel that the pace is TOO slow and the details provided for each character, each piece of clothihng, each room, each garden, estate, church apse etc. etc. is TOO much. However, for me, I enjoy the rich and detailed writing and the time Ms. James takes to introduce you slowly and purposefully to each of the characters, gradually revealing more and more.

Another thing that sets PD James and other British mystery novelists apart from their American conterparts (that I am familiar with) -- is that often, the characters' worst fears are realized. Maybe this is just my assumption or my reality -- but I am far more familiar with fearing the worst and then being spared. These characters rarely are.

Engrossing - PD James writes about the people in such away that you feel they are people that you know how they feel and think. The characters have real emotions and life experiences. I even like the cat. I can read a feel like I am right there.

A Taste for more death - PD James, in this excellent 1986 murder mystery, proves once again that she is a master of her craft. James couples the best characteristics of writers like Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers, without some of their blemishes. Her plots are less contrived than Christie's, and her characters have more depth than Sayers'. James builds plots that lead towards the ultimate climax in a very logical way, so that if the reader is observant, they may uncover the truth before the very end of the book. I personally find this style of mystery much more rewarding than those that rely on a `twist' at the end, or a jarring change of direction from a single clue.

James writing style is precise, detail oriented (sometimes too much so) and filled with careful observations of character, including those who play only a perfunctory role in her books. She is honest in her writing, as open about her characters' faults and vices as their more admirable traits. Characters are also developed logically, especially her protagonist Dalgliesh.

In this novel, there is as special focus on Kate Misken as she is introduced as the first female member of the Special Crimes Unit. I enjoyed seeing her character developed, but did find it at times to be slightly out of sync with the pacing of the novel. Understandably James wanted to present Kate as a well rounded character, and the special emphasis she receives is not overly distracting.

If you enjoy James, or a good mystery that is also well written, you can do much, much worse. This is probably one of my favorite Dalgliesh novels, right up there with "The Murder Room" and "Death in Holy Orders." It has certainly increased my own taste for death, if only in the realm of fiction.

Page Turner Mystery - My Introduction to Adam Dalgliesh - Page turning mystery stories had lost their appeal for me, until I was recently introduced to P.D. James via her Adam Dalgliesh mystery novel, "A Taste for Death". My renewed excitement for the murder genre is the result of enjoying the vivid writing and thoughtful character development of P.D. James. Her detailed mystery plots are creatively woven inside the fabric of engaging characters who often lead ordinary lives, before being caught in a net of intrigue. "A Taste for Death" is especially interesting for London lovers, who will find a sense of place evident in every chapter of the book's page turning plot. A new found respect for the whodunit is likewise revitalized by the originality of the very simple clue leading Dalgliesh to the killer - and the curious insight the clue brings to the lives of two innocent characters. Identifying the killer is only the beginning of the book's fast paced ending, as P.D. James introduces Inspector Kate Miskin's ordinary life into the plot. Miskin's reluctant call to family duty suddenly becomes the matrix for riveting emotion and death defying action. This P.D. James novel left a taste for reading many more murder mysteries by this gifted writer. My introduction to smart Adam Dalgliesh will result in reading many more enjoyable novels.

Life Is A Mystery Worth Solving - Here is one of the best mysteries I have had the pleasure to read. Though I still have a few remaining works of Ms. James on my list, this book has a resonance that few authors manage to achieve. The characters and the themes blend to create a work that is greater than the sum of its parts. At its heart, this is the story of a man who after achieving everything for which he has sought finds himself curiously unsatisfied with both life and the rewards of his efforts. Accordingly, solving the mystery not only means finding out who did the deed, but why our victim was distraught and unsatisfied despite tremendous achievements. Readers of this author will immediately recognize that her protagonist struggles with related issues and the pages of this book are devoted to the creation of several like-minded characters who each add their perspective to what is in reality an attempt to solve the mystery of life itself; where can one find true happiness and satisfaction?

I believe that the special quality of this book is found in its characters; I should think that the mix is so broad that any reader can find at least one with whom to identify. It does no harm to the mystery to remark that though the victims could not be further apart in terms of social standing and achievement, the author teaches that we are all ultimately equals in death. The author also manages to keep multiple story threads open and believable--this is far more difficult a task than it sounds. Until I encountered P.D. James, I found mysteries to be much like old episodes of Star Trek--if the character who transports to the surface is not one of the regular cast you instantly know that the character has but moments to live. Likewise, too many mystery novelists betray the story early in the book or else they create characters that are incapable of stirring the emotions of the reader--flaws thankfully avoided by P.D. James.

The best fiction encourages one to think about one's own life; it encourages and suggests how we may better ourselves and the world in which we live. This book leaves its reader a better person for having encountered the story; if not, it is not the reader who is without excuse.

Highly Recommended.

Love PD - I never get tired of the live radio broadcasts. There is nothing like a good mystery, and the price was right!

The best of hers I've read yet - I've been trying, intermittently, for several years to get into this author's highly-rated police procedurals featuring Adam Dalgliesh, now a very senior copper of Scotland Yard -- I just couldn't work up any enthusiasm for the books when I tried to read them in chronological order -- and I've finally found that the way to do it is by ignoring most of the author's early work and sticking to those produced since she really learned her trade. Ordinarily, by the time a member of the Met becomes a DCI, much less a Superintendent or a Commander -- he's going to be desk-bound, not haring off after suspects and conducting interviews. Dalgliesh, who easily could have been an Assistant Commissioner by now if he were driven by ambition, has avoided that exclusion by convincing his superiors to set up a special squad to handle "sensitive" murders, and by choosing all his own people. The death by straight razor in a church vestry of a baronet who is also a junior minister in the government is the first case to come their way, and DCI John Massingham (a member of the upper classes himself, which he sees as a burden) and the newly promoted DI Kate Miskin (the illegitimate product of a London housing project, driven by the need for independence) are both anxious that things should go smoothly and the case be fully solved. But was it actually a suicide? Dalgliesh was slightly acquainted with the victim, which gives him pause professionally, but he soon forms his opinions about what happened and who is to be included in the small group of viable suspects -- most of them members of the family by blood or marriage, or their servants. And that includes some real doozies, too. (In fact, considering the nature of the arrogant upper class, it always amazes me that the working people of Britain have never had a revolution and introduced the guillotine.) James deftly balances the back-stories of each of her characters with the investigation in the present, showing the reader just how and why the perpetrator could have been any of half a dozen people, but gradually narrowing that down with unbreakable alibis and the discovery of the involvement of other, more shadowy branches of the government. The pace is perfect, especially for a 500-page narrative, and the climax is tense and a bit startling. This is perhaps the best of the series I've read yet -- but it won't be the last.

Grim mystery - 'A Taste for Death' is another fine effort from PD James. The story moves at a leisurely pace as James introduces many characters related to the mystery. The background and lives of victims, suspects, police, witnesses are all developed by James, and and pretty much everyone is miserable. It's a good book but it is almost relentlessly downbeat. In the end the mystery is solved but the reader doesn't feel that much better for it: the victims are still dead, and the living return to their drab and depressing lives.