Before I read Original Sin, a friend and devoted mystery lover referred to it as being somewhat tedious, and I am sorry to admit that I agree. This was one of James' novels in where the murder does not occur for the first 90 pages or so, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. I found the wait intolerable, however, as the main characters did nothing but squabble, threaten, and fume to the point that I did not care what happened. The plot of Original Sin was a tad shaky, as well. While I enjoy references to WWII and what went on during that time (it should never be forgotten), it was SO far in the past that it was hard for me to fathom the murderer's hatred being sustained for that period of time. And while I'm quite sure Ms. James meant no disrespect to anyone, I was a little irked at the notion that a Jewish detective would put his job on the line just because of the murderer's tragic past with the Nazis. The downplaying of Dalgliesh is another point that I did not appreciate with this novel, but that has almost become the standard with James' more recent work. I do award Original Sin with 4 stars, however, due to Ms. James' beautifully drawn prose, as well her wonderful command of the english language. The plot was not too terribly stretched that one could overlook the shaky parts, and the writing, though over-long in some parts, is a clear example of mastery of the modern literary form.
