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A Certain Justice
 
 
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A Certain Justice (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; Television tie-in edition edition (30 April 1998)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0571195415
  • ISBN-13: 978-0571195411
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 3,361,599 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

Writing at the peak of her form (which is very high indeed), P. D. James has produced her best book since Innocent Blood. The ideas, energy, and artistry on display in A Certain Justice could keep other, younger writers going for most of their careers; the seventysomething James tosses them off with apparent ease. It's billed as: "An Adam Dalgliesh Mystery," but in A Certain Justice the brooding poet detective takes a backseat to the murder victim--a wonderfully complex and basically unlikeable female lawyer named Venetia Aldridge--and to the equally fascinating Kate Miskin, Dalgliesh's able assistant. Thinking of another young police officer, Kate "suspected that he found something risible, even slightly ridiculous, in the traditions, the conventions, the hierarchy of policing. She sensed, too, that this was a view which AD [Adam Dalgliesh] with part of his mind understood, even if he didn't share it. But she couldn't live her life like that, couldn't be lighthearted about her career..." A Certain Justice would be the perfect mystery to ignite the enthusiasm of people who haven't read any P.D. James. Other examples of her high art available in paperback include The Black Tower, Death of an Expert Witness, A Shroud for a Nightingale, and An Unsuitable Job for a Woman. --Amazon.com --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


Product Description

An Adam Dalgliesh novel. When Venetia Aldridge QC defends young Gary Ashe, accused of the brutal murder of his aunt, this is just one more opportunity for her to triumph in a distinguished career as a criminal lawyer. Then Miss Aldridge is found dead at her desk, and Dalgliesh is called in.
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Customer Reviews

8 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.1 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing Story and Characters but a Tad Slow, 4 Feb 2004
By Mark Baker (Santa Clarita, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
This review is from: A Certain Justice: An Adam Dalgliesh Novel (Paperback)
Venetia Aldridge is a top notch criminal lawyer. She hardly ever looses a case and is able to find the holes in any argument. Her personal life isn't so rosy, however. She is basically estranged from her daughter and considered a problem by her co-workers. Her life really begins to unravel when her daughter announces her engagement - to a man Venetia has recently gotten off for murder. But when Venetia is found dead in her office two days later, it's up to Adam Dalgliesh and his team to figure out who killed her. And with all these motives and suspects, it won't be easy.

I'd heard much about P.D. James, but this was the first time I'd actually read one of her books. I found the writing style engaging and would have a hard time putting it down once I started. On the other hand, I'd have a hard time picking it up again. The beginning especially seems to give us too much background on our characters, stuff we don't need to learn until later if at all. This really slowed the story down for me.

The more I got into it, the better I enjoyed it, however. There were some nice twists along the way with an intriguing sub-plot. The last couple of chapters did seem a little anti-climatic considering what had gone before, but I was surprised by who the killer turned out to be. Using multiple view points greatly added to the story most of the time, although it did confuse me some as far as timeline goes.

I can understand why P.D. James has such a fine reputation. She can paint a picture with words like few other writers currently writing. While she may be a tad too slow for my normal taste, I'm certainly glad to see what all the talk is about. Her reputation is well earned.

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars One of PD James best - both absorbing and credible, 6 Sep 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: A Certain Justice (Paperback)
Having been rather disappointed by PD James's last couple of detective novels I approached "A Certain Justice" with some reluctance. But from the first page I was completely absorbed. The novel opens with a court-case, in which we see the eventual murder victim, barrister Venetia Aldridge, conducting an inspired defence on behalf of a particularly repugnant client. Over the next few chapters we learn about Venetia's childhood, and what lay behind her ambition to become a criminal barrister. PD James then goes on to present to the reader Venetia's various colleagues. This is done in her usual customary detailed and sympathetic manner, so that the reader becomes absorbed by the personalities described, their inter-relationships and their secret anxieties. Once the murder occurs, we are quickly reacquainted with our old friend Commander Adam Dalgliesh, with Detective Inspector Kate Miskin in tow. Then follows the usual series of police interviews with the several suspects, and, after some unexpected but credible twists and turns,including a second murder, Dalgliesh succeeds (as always) in identifying the culprit. In this novel PD James' narrative and descriptive skills are at their best, and felt both the setting and the denouement to be more convincing that than those of her last novel, "Original Sin". PD James' many fans are in for a treat.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent read at an excitable pace, 27 Feb 1999
By A Customer
Not having read P D James for some considerable time, I had almost forgotten how good her work is. From the first page, I was intrigued by the characters and to the exclusion of all else, found I was reluctant to put this book down and completed it over a two day period. An excellent mystery with believable characters and a plot that was easy to follow. The author's writing is uncomplicated but never simplistic. A lot of "if's and's & but's" culminating in a satisfying ending. Highly recommended.
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 		 Most Recent Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars A Certain Justice
Interesting first half soon gives way to tedium. Some good characters, though the male policemen are rather indistinguishable from each other. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Rich

5.0 out of 5 stars Immensely enjoyable
This is the first PD James I've read, and I will certainly read some more. A good whodunnit, good, believable characters (Inspector Dalgleish among them), and a good setting (the... Read more
Published on 11 Jun 2002

4.0 out of 5 stars My 2nd P D James
Very entertaining, felt all the suspects almost lining up for me to pick from! Although I prefer the older settings, it still maintained an air of another era.
Published on 10 Aug 2001

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but not as good as Original Sin
this novel is very good, but not as good as Original Sin, which was entirely brilliant. The plot is strong and credible, the denouement inspringly written> But it fails to... Read more
Published on 2 Mar 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars James shows there's justice for all!
P.D. James purists may argue that "Devices and Desires" is her best work to date, but "A Certain Justice" is certainly a close second! Read more
Published on 19 Nov 2000

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