Original Sin: An Adam Dalgliesh Mystery
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Product Description
Book Description
Stunning paperback repackages celebrating the world's pre-eminent crime writer and over forty years of detective fiction.
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
Product Description
Adam Dalgliesh takes on a baffling murder in the rarefied world of London book publishing in this masterful mystery. Commander Adam Dalgliesh and his team are confronted with a puzzle of seemingly impenetrable complexity. A murder has taken place in the offices of the venerable Peverell Press. The victim is Gerard Etienne, the brilliant but ruthless new managing director, who had vowed to restore the firm's fortunes. Etienne was clearly a man with enemies-a discarded mistress, a rejected and humiliated author, and rebellious colleagues, one of whom apparently killed herself a short time earlier. Yet Etienne's death, which occurred under bizarre circumstances, is for Dalgliesh only the beginning of the mystery, as he desperately pursues the search for a killer prepared to strike and strike again.
From the Trade Paperback edition. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From the Trade Paperback edition. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
For Superintendent Adam Dalgleish, there are just too many coincidences, too many "practical" jokes, too many deaths, and too many suspects. In P.D. James' "Original Sin," this quintessential investigator has his hands full. And James, herself, is at top form in this London thriller, all asea with several subplots at once. Intriguing they are, too. Someone is bumping off the partners of Peverell Press, a venerable publishing company now on shaky financial legs that rests on the banks of the Thames in a real ediface complex called Innocent House, an opulent Venetian-type of building that is at once a landmark as well as a nest of intrigue, murder, and mayhem, going back a couple of generations to its founder.
As one after another body is found, the pieces begin to come together, although not easily nor fast. Dalgleish and his two assistants, Kate Mishkin and Aaron Daniel, have their own personal concerns to sort out as well. James has created a host of
excellently developed characters, as she usually does, and the reader is caught up in the problems and affairs of them all. Finally to solve the case, Dalgleish and company have to look back for their answers, all the way back to World War II France. The climax comes powerfully in "Original Sin" and as usual James leaves her readers, not necessarily on a joyous note, but one that is pensive, sometimes even remorseful. But what a read. In literature, and especially with P.D. James,
there is justice after all!
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I do feel that three stars might be a little harsh when it comes to this book as I enjoyed most of it. The plot and the characters are intriguing and the author's sense of place is as good as ever. The problem however, is the ending (which I am not going to ruin for you.) All the carefull structuring comes crashing down as a number of the characters (and one in particular) start acting in a way that defies belief. I get the impression that P D James had no idea how to finish the novel and the cheap ending we are left with comes close to ruining the whole book
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Overwritten but has something which does make you keep reading. A couple of effective set-pieces especially the discovery of the second body. The location is suitably Gothic and imposing. There is a problem with visualising the characters, one or two are difficult to fix an age upon. E.g. I pictured Frances as a middle-aged woman. It turns out she's actually late twenties. The solution is fair though perhaps the tragedy is not as tangible as intended. James does play fair by the reader, there are one or two effective false leads but the clues are well placed.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Moderate throughout, absurd ending
Opinions seem to be very divided on this one. A reviewer in the Observer is claimed to have described the book as 'outstanding, while the reviewer in the Financial Times has... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Mr. David M. Gostyn
Unnatural
I've read all the detective novels that P.D.James has written. This was actually my second reading of a book I had already found unconvincing after the first read. Read more
Published 7 months ago by M. Meier
Telling Title
The narrative of this murder mystery depends heavily on numerous thoughts and inter-relationships of possible killers and victims. Read more
Published 15 months ago by D. Elliott
It would be a sin not to read this
This is my first PD James book and I understand why she is so popular. This novel is well-paced and elegantly written. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Ali James
Not her best
Long, very long, way too long. I had to drag myself to reach the end, which was disappointing. Why did PDJ indulge in those endless and often useless descriptions. Read more
Published on 5 Feb 2010 by KeaTiki
could do better
this was my first experience of PD James. good characters, some sharp dialogue, credible plot up to the pretty implausible deus ex machina ending, but please, P. Read more
Published on 27 Nov 2005
Left me absolutely dumbfounded
This has got to be the best book she has ever written.
I like nothing more than a book or this sort, a wronged person going after justice in the form of an eye-for-an-eye etc. Read more
Published on 2 Mar 2001
Revenge or Justice?
A practical joker is afoot at Innocent House, a Venetian-style palazzo on the Thames that houses England's oldest independent book publisher, Peverell Press. Read more
Published on 1 Sep 2000 by P. A. Hogan
After reading this one, I bought all her books!
It was my first P.D. James and it was a wonderful surprise. It is well written, intelligent, fun to read, manage to surprise you and really touch you at the end. Read more
Published on 14 May 2000
One of the best!
This was the first P.D James novel that I read and I thought it was fantastic. P.D James is clearly a dab hand when it comes to writing detective stories and her writing style is... Read more
Published on 27 April 2000
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