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Original Sin (Paperback)

by P.D. James (Author)
4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 400 pages
  • Publisher: Faber and Faber; New Ed edition (17 April 1995)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0571174183
  • ISBN-13: 978-0571174188
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 1,199,147 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #88 in  Books > Crime, Thrillers & Mystery > Authors, A-Z > J > James, P.D.

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Product Description

Synopsis

An Adam Dalgliesh novel, set against the backdrop of the publishing world. Commander Dalgliesh and his team are confronted with a puzzle of extraordinary ingenuity and complexity, and a murderer who is prepared to kill again.
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Customer Reviews

8 Reviews
5 star:
 (4)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:
 (3)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.1 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The Sin is hardly Original, but the Book is!, 10 Nov 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: Original Sin (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!

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7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars enjoyable read ruined by an implausable ending, 22 Jul 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: Original Sin (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
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Original Sin, 6 Dec 2008
This review is from: Original Sin: An Adam Dalgliesh Mystery (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

3.0 out of 5 stars 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

5.0 out of 5 stars 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... Read more

Published on 2 Mar 2001

4.0 out of 5 stars 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

5.0 out of 5 stars 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

5.0 out of 5 stars 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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