Death in Holy Orders: An Adam Dalgliesh Mystery [Taschenbuch]

 

 

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This novel takes Commander Dagliesh to St Anselms College, where he spent some holidays in his childhood. This time, of course, it's a suspicious death that brings him back. As PD James novels go, the bodies add up, while Dagliesh gets into one of his philosophical moods. So much for the content, it is a mystery story after all.
The atmosphere reminded me more of James' earlier novels like Unnatural Causes or The Black Tower than the most recent Original Sin and A Certain Justice. I certainly welcome this, as I was feeling that her last books were becoming a bit more "American" in style. Somewhere inbetween the even lines I seem to find a hint of the most famous of all monastry mysteries, The Name Of The Rose.
It is probably not the author's most original whodunnit, but critics who complain that she is using the same formula again will find me saying that it is a formula I would not want to be changed as well as my favourite pasta sauce recipe.
I think you will like this book and suggest that you don't start reading it too late in the evening, as you will not want to stop until you finished it.

The book catches your attention from the beginning and does not let it go until its end. The mixture of good described picuresque landscapes, psychological emotions of the suspects and pure human feelings moves you from where you are to the Britsh coast. The main story of crime is subtly combined with some inspiring love emotions. And the good ending always leaves you with a smile.

Death in Holy Orders is a gem, and will delight long-time P.D. James fans as well as those for whom this is an introduction to her work. Well-known for her deep development of characters, this mystery is equally strong in giving you the locale (a small theological college perched on the sand cliffs near the North Sea in East Anglia), history (a twining of religion and family), social mores (actions have consequences), and a nicely detailed plot (four deaths, Church of England politics, and new connections for Adam Dalgliesh). Rarely is a book rich in all of these elements. Be warned. It's hard to put this book down! I finished reading at 1:22 a.m. despite needing to get up early this morning.

Mystery purists will complain that the book reveals the villain too early. Actually, there's a benefit, because it allows the book to take on the dramatic qualitites of a fine novel, as well as a mystery.

I delayed reading this book because the title didn't really grab me. I don't know much about the Church of England, and felt that I would soon be lost. Actually, although I probably didn't grasp all of the details, the religious context did not cause me to lose the thread either. Although set at a theological college, the story deals more broadly with issues throughout society.

The book opens with a fascinating literary device. A college staff member, Margaret Munroe, has found the body of a young student (ordinand) at the college buried under a pile of sand from a collapsed cliff. To ease her distress, she has been asked to write an account of the experience. Her exposition develops her character as well as the background of the book's story. This section serves like one of a pair of bookends to be matched at the end by a letter from the villain explaining the events described in the book. From these two examples, you can see the care with which Baroness James has developed her characters and story. You will feel that you know and understand quite a lot about over a dozen characters, and most of them you will find interesting and attractive to know more about. In most cases, some of the story will develop through their thoughts so that you can get inside of their reality.

The book has much more action than the typical P.D. James mystery, and thus makes it more modern in that sense. On the other hand, she pays close attention to the classic elements of mysery by making it clear that the events are tied to someone in residence. You will be reminded of And Then There Were None in many ways, although I found this novel much better done than that Dame Agatha Christie classic.

Adam Dalgliesh had visited the college, St. Anselm's, when he was young, and has a reunion with the former head of the college, Father Martin. That connection brings Adam Dalgliesh inside the story more than usual, which is all to the good. He is involved in an unlikely way. The dead ordinand, Ronald Treeves, was the adopted son of Sir Alred Treeves, a wealthy munitions industrialist. Sir Alred wants to know more about the circumstances, and asks Scotland Yard to send Dalgliesh, the Yard's most famous commander, to check it out. Dalgliesh has planned to take some personal time to visit the area and agrees. Through a series of unusual circumstances, the later investigations become his officially as well.

The plot is delightful in that Baroness James continually gives the reader hints before the investigation turns them up. Yet, the plot remains obscure enough that although we know about more crimes and complications than Scotland Yard does, we still don't know who did what until she chooses to raise the curtain for us. It's a nifty bit of slight of hand, while making the reader feel welcome.

Dalgliesh's connection to poetry is nicely placed into the story in a way that will delight long-term fans of this element of his character.

After you finish reading this story, you should think about how actions you have taken or could take in the future could have unintended, negative consequences. How can you avoid those potential consequences? How can you help others prepare for them? Those issues are at the core of the moral of this story, and are good food for thought for us all.

Take a bow, Baroness James. You deserve it!

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5.0 von 5 Sternen Rich in Characters, Place, History, Social Mores and Plot
Death in Holy Orders is a gem, and will delight long-time P.D. James fans as well as those for whom this is an introduction to her work. Lesen Sie weiter...

Veröffentlicht am 22. Juli 2004 von Donald Mitchell

5.0 von 5 Sternen Unholy Doings
Baroness James was 81 years old when she wrote this book. Maybe it takes that long in the course of human events to learn about the small and large vicissitudes of life, to notice... Lesen Sie weiter...

Veröffentlicht am 8. März 2003 von lvkleydorff

5.0 von 5 Sternen Spannung pur !
spannend von der ersten bis zur letzten Seite. Ein herrlicher Ausgleich für ein verregnetes Wochenende. Eine Wolldecke, eine Kanne Tee und los geht's. Lesen Sie weiter...

Veröffentlicht am 14. März 2002 von Guenther Herr

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