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Adam Dalgliesh #13
The Lighthouse by P D James
Combe Island off the Cornish coast offers respite to over-stressed high authorities who require privacy and security. But demanding author Nathan Oliver is found strangled and hanging from the renovated lighthouse. Investigator Adam Dagliesh, his inspector Kate Miskin, and sergeant Francis Benton are all pre-occupied with their personal and love lives. The first victim was thoroughly disliked by visitors and residents for valid reasons, but the second, a recovered alcoholic priest, was admired by the skeleton staff. Suspects include Oliver's daughter Miranda, editor Dennis, animal researcher Dr Yelland, recently orphaned Dan, aged Emily, boatman Jago, sickly Dr Speidel, physician Dr Stavely and his unfaithful wife Jo, administrator Maycroft, housekeeper Mrs Plunkett, cook Mrs Burbridge, rebellious teen Millie. Past murders are uncovered and SARS threatens the island.
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First published November 22, 2005
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About the author
P.D. James
330 books3,235 followersP. D. James, byname of Phyllis Dorothy James White, Baroness James of Holland Park, (born August 3, 1920, Oxford, Oxfordshire, England—died November 27, 2014, Oxford), British mystery novelist best known for her fictional detective Adam Dalgliesh of Scotland Yard.
The daughter of a middle-grade civil servant, James grew up in the university town of Cambridge. Her formal education, however, ended at age 16 because of lack of funds, and she was thereafter self-educated. In 1941 she married Ernest C.B. White, a medical student and future physician, who returned home from wartime service mentally deranged and spent much of the rest of his life in psychiatric hospitals. To support her family (which included two children), she took work in hospital administration and, after her husband’s death in 1964, became a civil servant in the criminal section of the Department of Home Affairs. Her first mystery novel, Cover Her Face (1962), introduced Dalgliesh and was followed by six more mysteries before she retired from government service in 1979 to devote full time to writing.
Dalgliesh, James’s master detective who rises from chief inspector in the first novel to chief superintendent and then to commander, is a serious, introspective person, moralistic yet realistic. The novels in which he appears are peopled by fully rounded characters, who are civilized, genteel, and motivated. The public resonance created by James’s singular characterization and deployment of classic mystery devices led to most of the novels featuring Dalgliesh being filmed for television. James, who earned the sobriquet “Queen of Crime,” penned 14 Dalgliesh novels, with the last, The Private Patient, appearing in 2008.
James also wrote An Unsuitable Job for a Woman (1972) and The Skull Beneath the Skin (1982), which centre on Cordelia Gray, a young private detective. The first of these novels was the basis for both a television movie and a short-lived series. James expanded beyond the mystery genre in The Children of Men (1992; film 2006), which explores a dystopian world in which the human race has become infertile. Her final work, Death Comes to Pemberley (2011)—a sequel to Pride and Prejudice (1813)—amplifies the class and relationship tensions between Jane Austen’s characters by situating them in the midst of a murder investigation. James’s nonfiction works include The Maul and the Pear Tree (1971), a telling of the Ratcliffe Highway murders of 1811 written with historian T.A. Critchley, and the insightful Talking About Detective Fiction (2009). Her memoir, Time to Be in Earnest, was published in 2000. She was made OBE in 1983 and was named a life peer in 1991.
The daughter of a middle-grade civil servant, James grew up in the university town of Cambridge. Her formal education, however, ended at age 16 because of lack of funds, and she was thereafter self-educated. In 1941 she married Ernest C.B. White, a medical student and future physician, who returned home from wartime service mentally deranged and spent much of the rest of his life in psychiatric hospitals. To support her family (which included two children), she took work in hospital administration and, after her husband’s death in 1964, became a civil servant in the criminal section of the Department of Home Affairs. Her first mystery novel, Cover Her Face (1962), introduced Dalgliesh and was followed by six more mysteries before she retired from government service in 1979 to devote full time to writing.
Dalgliesh, James’s master detective who rises from chief inspector in the first novel to chief superintendent and then to commander, is a serious, introspective person, moralistic yet realistic. The novels in which he appears are peopled by fully rounded characters, who are civilized, genteel, and motivated. The public resonance created by James’s singular characterization and deployment of classic mystery devices led to most of the novels featuring Dalgliesh being filmed for television. James, who earned the sobriquet “Queen of Crime,” penned 14 Dalgliesh novels, with the last, The Private Patient, appearing in 2008.
James also wrote An Unsuitable Job for a Woman (1972) and The Skull Beneath the Skin (1982), which centre on Cordelia Gray, a young private detective. The first of these novels was the basis for both a television movie and a short-lived series. James expanded beyond the mystery genre in The Children of Men (1992; film 2006), which explores a dystopian world in which the human race has become infertile. Her final work, Death Comes to Pemberley (2011)—a sequel to Pride and Prejudice (1813)—amplifies the class and relationship tensions between Jane Austen’s characters by situating them in the midst of a murder investigation. James’s nonfiction works include The Maul and the Pear Tree (1971), a telling of the Ratcliffe Highway murders of 1811 written with historian T.A. Critchley, and the insightful Talking About Detective Fiction (2009). Her memoir, Time to Be in Earnest, was published in 2000. She was made OBE in 1983 and was named a life peer in 1991.
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November 16, 2024
The Lighthouse is the 13th mystery novel by P.D. James to feature her detective Adam Dalgliesh. The penultimate one in the series, it was published in 2005.
This particular novel brings to mind much earlier ones featuring Dalgleish, such as "The Black Tower" from 1975, where the action takes place on a Dorset hilltop, or the even earlier 1971 novel, "Shroud for a Nightingale", set in a student nursing school. P.D. James usually chooses fascinating locations for her novels. One such location is Larksoken, the setting for her novel "Devices and Desires". Set in a nuclear power station on an isolated Norfolk headland on the East Anglian coast, this novel typically lends itself to exploring wider, perhaps darker, issues. Sometimes the settings are identifiable, although in The Lighthouse the island described is very much like Lundy Island.
All such novels hinge on a favourite device of the author's; a murder which takes place in a closed, almost inaccessible community. In this case, the community is located on an island 12 miles off the north coast of Cornwall. Here, stressed high-level executives were sometimes admitted for recuperation and seclusion. No ordinary holiday destination, "Combe Island" had at one time been a pirates' lair, then a privately owned estate, and had now been taken over and was governed by a charitable trust. Those who visited this high-security retreat, often did so in strict secrecy.
At the start of the book, what appeared to be a murder had taken place on the island, and Adam Dalgleish is being briefed about it. The famous novelist Nathan Oliver was the victim, and although he had been discovered hanging from Combe island's historic lighthouse, in a position suggestive of another's involvement, it is not absolutely certain that it is not suicide. Nathan Oliver had been a very brusque and unpleasant man, unpopular with long-term residents and staff alike. However, because he had been born on the island, the conditions of the trust stipulated that he was allowed to visit whenever he liked.
After this brief introduction to the scene, we follow the three police officers who are to be involved. P.D. James carefully allows ample space in three separate chapters to detail the personal situations in the lives of each. There is Commander Dalgleish, plus his two assisting officers, Kate Miskin and newcomer Francis Benton-Smith. There is also a romantic back story at the start, with Bentons's predecessor Piers Tarrant.
The officers arrive at the island by helicopter, along with a pathologist, Dr. Edith Glenister, who is very highly regarded; an expert in her field. When she confirms it is murder, the detectives begin to try to sort out the threads of what has happened.
Nathan Oliver had been accompanied on his visit to Combe Island by both his daughter Miranda and his copy-editor, Dennis Tremlett. Each of these individuals has their own complicated history - and is also hiding a secret. The manager of the trust, and therefore the coordinator of this little community, is Rupert Maycroft. We quickly discover that he is under pressure from two sides, both of whom wish to live in the best cottage. The cottage is currently inhabited by the sole remaining member of the family who had owned the island for many years, but Nathan Oliver had been pushing to replace the current occupant himself.
Each of the guests have reason to feel dislike - or even outright enmity - for Nathan Oliver. The manager's secretary Adrian Boyde, for instance, used to be an Anglican priest. He seems to be under a cloud, and the readers and the police suspect that he is a recovering alcoholic. As the novel progresses, we learn more about Nathan Oliver's malevolent influence. Another guest who has reason to fear and dislike Nathan Oliver is a scientist, Dr. Mark Yelland, who believes that an evil character in Oliver's latest novel is a thinly veiled description of him. He feels this to be a gross distortion of the truth. Not only that, but he fears it is likely to inflame the Animal Rights activists, who had already been very critical of him publicly, and he now has real concerns for his reputation. He had confronted Nathan Oliver in full view of all the community, shortly before Oliver's death.
The permanent residents of Combe Island too have had their own arguments with Nathan Oliver. Jago Tamlyn, the boatman, is a taciturn individual, but clearly has had past dealings with him. Daniel Padgett is a handyman who came to the island with his mother who also worked there. He plans to leave the island as she has recently died. However, he incurs Oliver's wrath, after a simple mistake. Just as with the other characters the other guests feel nonplussed at Oliver's extreme reaction of anger.
Nathan Oliver's behaviour - both in the past and more recently - tends to disgust everybody, with one sole exception. There is a young staff member, Millie Tranter, who seems to have liked him. This in itself seems odd to the others, especially the housekeeper, who suspects ulterior motives on Oliver's part. However, all are equally adamant that they did not kill Nathan Oliver, or know anything about it. One other character arrives late on the scene, having been exploring the island on his own and therefore being difficult to track down. The eminent Dr. Raimund Speidel is visiting from Germany. However, it becomes clear during Dalgleish's interview that he is very ill, and is soon under strict medical attention.
Everything is nicely set up for an intriguing mystery, and sure enough the second half includes a secondary murder, and from then on escalates into a gripping drama. A long-forgotten mystery from history, a tale of betrayal and deep resentment, reveals the reasons for what happened. To pile on the suspense, one of the officers falls gravely ill, in itself a life-threatening risk in such a remote location. This character is unable to complete the work, although they are working out the puzzle in their mind. Another excels in a situation they have not experienced before. There is an extremely tense and exciting edge-of-the-seat scene towards the end, cleverly written by this experienced author. And we have a happy ending of an unexpected type.
P.D. James excels at this type of mystery novel, which never incorporates any humorous elements. Unlike novels by some other authors in the genre, there is never any flippancy in her stories. Murder is always a serious business. She is adept at carefully balancing the back story of her characters, and the action, so that the reader never becomes frustrated at the lack of plot. She involves her readers, fleshing out her picture of the detectives we know and love, moving them forward in their lives from previous novels. But she also manages to explore depths in her new characters, going into meticulous detail about each character's past. These are never cardboard cutouts, or puppets carefully arranged to move the plot forward. P.D. James makes her readers interested in the lives of those individuals specific to the current novel too.
In this way she could be said to write "crossover" novels, which could be considered to be mainstream. Yet she never forgets that what she is writing is a "whodunnit". Unlike the current trend for lengthy novels in which the murder is almost incidental, her novels have a sound crime focus.
The structure P.D James employs is satisfying and pleasing. She employs a formal pattern, first thoroughly introducing the detectives. The suspects then come forward in turn, as both the reader and the detectives carefully analyse all the clues and motives to the murder. P.D James has said that this rigid form, typical of a traditional "golden age" detective novel, sets the writer's imagination free, in a similar way to the 14 lines and strict rhyming sequence of a sonnet. It has to be said that there are other similarities to "golden age" mysteries. Adam Dalgleish is very much in the gentleman detective mould, his penchant for writing poetry and intellectual proclivities being reminiscent of Dorothy L. Sayers' cerebral Lord Peter Wimsey. It is interesting too, that both novelists confessed to being in love with their creations. But the language P.D. James uses is never dated.
Sadly P.D. James died in 2014. She had started her career in the forensics and criminal justice departments of Great Britain's Home Office, and applied her specialist knowledge to her crime novels. Although the 1980's was the decade when her books were memorably best-sellers, it is good to know that she was still able to create such a devious mystery at the grand age of 85.
This particular novel brings to mind much earlier ones featuring Dalgleish, such as "The Black Tower" from 1975, where the action takes place on a Dorset hilltop, or the even earlier 1971 novel, "Shroud for a Nightingale", set in a student nursing school. P.D. James usually chooses fascinating locations for her novels. One such location is Larksoken, the setting for her novel "Devices and Desires". Set in a nuclear power station on an isolated Norfolk headland on the East Anglian coast, this novel typically lends itself to exploring wider, perhaps darker, issues. Sometimes the settings are identifiable, although in The Lighthouse the island described is very much like Lundy Island.
All such novels hinge on a favourite device of the author's; a murder which takes place in a closed, almost inaccessible community. In this case, the community is located on an island 12 miles off the north coast of Cornwall. Here, stressed high-level executives were sometimes admitted for recuperation and seclusion. No ordinary holiday destination, "Combe Island" had at one time been a pirates' lair, then a privately owned estate, and had now been taken over and was governed by a charitable trust. Those who visited this high-security retreat, often did so in strict secrecy.
At the start of the book, what appeared to be a murder had taken place on the island, and Adam Dalgleish is being briefed about it. The famous novelist Nathan Oliver was the victim, and although he had been discovered hanging from Combe island's historic lighthouse, in a position suggestive of another's involvement, it is not absolutely certain that it is not suicide. Nathan Oliver had been a very brusque and unpleasant man, unpopular with long-term residents and staff alike. However, because he had been born on the island, the conditions of the trust stipulated that he was allowed to visit whenever he liked.
After this brief introduction to the scene, we follow the three police officers who are to be involved. P.D. James carefully allows ample space in three separate chapters to detail the personal situations in the lives of each. There is Commander Dalgleish, plus his two assisting officers, Kate Miskin and newcomer Francis Benton-Smith. There is also a romantic back story at the start, with Bentons's predecessor Piers Tarrant.
The officers arrive at the island by helicopter, along with a pathologist, Dr. Edith Glenister, who is very highly regarded; an expert in her field. When she confirms it is murder, the detectives begin to try to sort out the threads of what has happened.
Nathan Oliver had been accompanied on his visit to Combe Island by both his daughter Miranda and his copy-editor, Dennis Tremlett. Each of these individuals has their own complicated history - and is also hiding a secret. The manager of the trust, and therefore the coordinator of this little community, is Rupert Maycroft. We quickly discover that he is under pressure from two sides, both of whom wish to live in the best cottage. The cottage is currently inhabited by the sole remaining member of the family who had owned the island for many years, but Nathan Oliver had been pushing to replace the current occupant himself.
Each of the guests have reason to feel dislike - or even outright enmity - for Nathan Oliver. The manager's secretary Adrian Boyde, for instance, used to be an Anglican priest. He seems to be under a cloud, and the readers and the police suspect that he is a recovering alcoholic. As the novel progresses, we learn more about Nathan Oliver's malevolent influence. Another guest who has reason to fear and dislike Nathan Oliver is a scientist, Dr. Mark Yelland, who believes that an evil character in Oliver's latest novel is a thinly veiled description of him. He feels this to be a gross distortion of the truth. Not only that, but he fears it is likely to inflame the Animal Rights activists, who had already been very critical of him publicly, and he now has real concerns for his reputation. He had confronted Nathan Oliver in full view of all the community, shortly before Oliver's death.
The permanent residents of Combe Island too have had their own arguments with Nathan Oliver. Jago Tamlyn, the boatman, is a taciturn individual, but clearly has had past dealings with him. Daniel Padgett is a handyman who came to the island with his mother who also worked there. He plans to leave the island as she has recently died. However, he incurs Oliver's wrath, after a simple mistake. Just as with the other characters the other guests feel nonplussed at Oliver's extreme reaction of anger.
Nathan Oliver's behaviour - both in the past and more recently - tends to disgust everybody, with one sole exception. There is a young staff member, Millie Tranter, who seems to have liked him. This in itself seems odd to the others, especially the housekeeper, who suspects ulterior motives on Oliver's part. However, all are equally adamant that they did not kill Nathan Oliver, or know anything about it. One other character arrives late on the scene, having been exploring the island on his own and therefore being difficult to track down. The eminent Dr. Raimund Speidel is visiting from Germany. However, it becomes clear during Dalgleish's interview that he is very ill, and is soon under strict medical attention.
Everything is nicely set up for an intriguing mystery, and sure enough the second half includes a secondary murder, and from then on escalates into a gripping drama. A long-forgotten mystery from history, a tale of betrayal and deep resentment, reveals the reasons for what happened. To pile on the suspense, one of the officers falls gravely ill, in itself a life-threatening risk in such a remote location. This character is unable to complete the work, although they are working out the puzzle in their mind. Another excels in a situation they have not experienced before. There is an extremely tense and exciting edge-of-the-seat scene towards the end, cleverly written by this experienced author. And we have a happy ending of an unexpected type.
P.D. James excels at this type of mystery novel, which never incorporates any humorous elements. Unlike novels by some other authors in the genre, there is never any flippancy in her stories. Murder is always a serious business. She is adept at carefully balancing the back story of her characters, and the action, so that the reader never becomes frustrated at the lack of plot. She involves her readers, fleshing out her picture of the detectives we know and love, moving them forward in their lives from previous novels. But she also manages to explore depths in her new characters, going into meticulous detail about each character's past. These are never cardboard cutouts, or puppets carefully arranged to move the plot forward. P.D. James makes her readers interested in the lives of those individuals specific to the current novel too.
In this way she could be said to write "crossover" novels, which could be considered to be mainstream. Yet she never forgets that what she is writing is a "whodunnit". Unlike the current trend for lengthy novels in which the murder is almost incidental, her novels have a sound crime focus.
The structure P.D James employs is satisfying and pleasing. She employs a formal pattern, first thoroughly introducing the detectives. The suspects then come forward in turn, as both the reader and the detectives carefully analyse all the clues and motives to the murder. P.D James has said that this rigid form, typical of a traditional "golden age" detective novel, sets the writer's imagination free, in a similar way to the 14 lines and strict rhyming sequence of a sonnet. It has to be said that there are other similarities to "golden age" mysteries. Adam Dalgleish is very much in the gentleman detective mould, his penchant for writing poetry and intellectual proclivities being reminiscent of Dorothy L. Sayers' cerebral Lord Peter Wimsey. It is interesting too, that both novelists confessed to being in love with their creations. But the language P.D. James uses is never dated.
Sadly P.D. James died in 2014. She had started her career in the forensics and criminal justice departments of Great Britain's Home Office, and applied her specialist knowledge to her crime novels. Although the 1980's was the decade when her books were memorably best-sellers, it is good to know that she was still able to create such a devious mystery at the grand age of 85.
April 1, 2023
The eleventh and the penultimate book in the Adam Dalgleish series.
The fictitious lighthouse of the title is off the coast of Cornwall on Combe Island, a designated retreat for important people who need privacy and security. When a highly respected (if not much liked) author is found hanged from the lighthouse Commander Dalgleish and his team are called down from Scotland Yard to investigate.
The closed community is one of this author's customary ways of delivering the settings of her crimes. In this case the island is only accessible by boat or helicopter so the group of suspects is relatively small and contained. Each of the characters is introduced with some back story attached which makes the investigation more interesting and meaningful.
Having read a number of books in this series already I find myself invested in the characters, Dalgleish mostly of course but also Kate Miskin, Francis Benton and others. I find them to be comfortable, enjoyable, and relaxing reads and I will be sorry when I have read them all.
The fictitious lighthouse of the title is off the coast of Cornwall on Combe Island, a designated retreat for important people who need privacy and security. When a highly respected (if not much liked) author is found hanged from the lighthouse Commander Dalgleish and his team are called down from Scotland Yard to investigate.
The closed community is one of this author's customary ways of delivering the settings of her crimes. In this case the island is only accessible by boat or helicopter so the group of suspects is relatively small and contained. Each of the characters is introduced with some back story attached which makes the investigation more interesting and meaningful.
Having read a number of books in this series already I find myself invested in the characters, Dalgleish mostly of course but also Kate Miskin, Francis Benton and others. I find them to be comfortable, enjoyable, and relaxing reads and I will be sorry when I have read them all.
August 27, 2013
I was a great fan of P.D. James long ago when she was the latest thing and she seemed far more erudite than her rivals. But gradually I lost interest as her writing became more turgid, pompous, and needlessly detailed. My wife recommended that I try this one, but James put me off from the first sentence. Could this be self-parody? "Commander Adam Dalgliesh was not unused to being urgently summoned to non-scheduled meetings with unspecified people at inconvenient times, but usually with one purpose in common: he could be confident that somewhere there lay a dead body awaiting his attention." Brevity and clarity were apparently not the goals here. Most of the action takes place on a small island off the southwest coast of England, an island that James describes in detail three times in the first 100 pages. But when I tried to draw a map, (she did not provide one) I ran into multiple inconsistencies. The murder victim is found hanging from a lighthouse, the outside of which James describes twice as having "concave" walls. I have trouble picturing this. Perhaps she means that the lighthouse is slimmer half-way up than at the bottom or top. The victim is suspended by a rope around the neck, a rope twice described as being tied with a bowline. When the body is lowered to the ground, the rope is removed (again described twice) by loosening the loop around the neck. But a bowline is a knot specifically used because it doesn't slip. It was at this point, 138 pages in, that I gave up.
July 5, 2019
The perfect type of murder mystery in a secluded location with a limited number of suspects, another in the Adam Dalgliesh series that slowly builds the tension that concludes with a strong final section.
As famous novelist Nathan Oliver is found hung on the secluded Combe Island of the coast of Cornwall, it seems like a clear case of suicide.
But the famous writer had no reason to commit suicide and on closer inspection it appears that foul play as at hand.
It’s down to Dalgliesh and he’s team to investigate the death.
A highly enjoyable mystery that gets better and better as the team delves further into the investigation.
James has created both interesting side characters and a perfect atmospheric setting.
As famous novelist Nathan Oliver is found hung on the secluded Combe Island of the coast of Cornwall, it seems like a clear case of suicide.
But the famous writer had no reason to commit suicide and on closer inspection it appears that foul play as at hand.
It’s down to Dalgliesh and he’s team to investigate the death.
A highly enjoyable mystery that gets better and better as the team delves further into the investigation.
James has created both interesting side characters and a perfect atmospheric setting.
September 9, 2019
Yet another good story of P.D. James.
This story was a modern take on Agatha. Christie’s “And Then There Were None”. So if you haven’t read that, read it before the James book.
When you do read this one, make sure you can do it in one sitting. This story draws you in fast and doesn’t want to let go.
This story was a modern take on Agatha. Christie’s “And Then There Were None”. So if you haven’t read that, read it before the James book.
When you do read this one, make sure you can do it in one sitting. This story draws you in fast and doesn’t want to let go.
August 18, 2023
"Pentru el ca poet, frumusetea naturii si a chipurilor omenesti nu fusese niciodata suficienta. Intotdeauna avusese nevoie de atelierul mizerabil de zdrente si oase al inimii, ca si Yeats."
Pentru mine orice roman despre faruri si despre Cornwall este un must-read, deoarece indragesc mult farurile iar Cornwall mi se pare unul dintre cele mai misterioase, frumoase si salbatice locuri, ideal pentru cartile politiste si horror.
Este a doua carte pe care o citesc care il are in prim-plan pe comandantul de politie Adam Dalgliesh de la New Scotland Yard. Prima a fost "Sala Crimelor" iar recenzia mea o puteti citi aici.
Insula Combe de pe coasta Cornwall-ului este un loc fascinant ce are o istorie intunecata si sangeroasa, insa, in zilele noastre este o oaza linistita si izolata pentru oamenii cu functii inalte care doresc intimitate si relaxare. La conacul construit pe insula totul este foarte discret, nu exista telefoane mobile, accesul se face de pe un mic port si sunt cazati maxim 5 oameni deodata. Il cunoastem astfel pe scriitorul Nathan Oliver - care vine impreuna cu fiica lui, Miranda si secretarul sau, pe doctorul Raymund Speidel si pe Mark Yelland - directorul unui laborator de cercetare. Pe langa oaspeti se mai regasesc si rezidentii permanenti, servitorii si administratorul locului, Rupert Maycroft impreuna cu batrana doamna Emily Holcombe - ultima descendenta a detinatorilor insulei.
Atunci cand antipaticul si arogantul scriitor Nathan Oliver este gasit spanzurat de far si toti de pe insula par a avea un motiv de a-l fi omorat, Adam Dalgliesh si echipa sa sunt chemati sa investigheze. Desi suspectii sunt putini si blocati pe insula lucrurile se dovedesc a fi complicate.
Cand este descoperit un al doilea cadavru Adam va trebui sa lupte si cu boala, pe insula circuland SARS-ul pe care pare ca si el l-ar fi contractat. Izolat fiind la infirmerie, echipa lui lucreaza in locul sau incercand sa se descurce singuri, dar pana la urma revelatia misterului si rezolvarea cazului vor veni tot de la el.
Si de data aceasta, asa cum observam din sinopsis, rabdarea este cuvantul cheie. Actiunea porneste greoi, romanul fiind centrat mai mult pe personaje. Cunoastem intai toti viitorii suspecti, apoi abia dupa 100 de pagini are loc si crima si atunci apare implicit si farul. Asadar, daca sunteti adeptii unor romane politiste in care actiunea se desfasoara alert, aici va trebui sa treceti peste toate caracterizarile personajelor si abia dupa ce i-ati cunoscut foarte bine puteti sa va concentrati si pe crima. Tot acest proces poate sa fie interesant - pentru ca personajele sunt bine conturate si au multa personalitate - dar si obositor si epuizant. Mi-am adus aminte aici de Umberto Eco care spunea despre romanul sau "Numele trandafirului" ca cititorul care nu reuseste sa treaca peste primele 100 de pagini nu merita sa citeasca mai departe.
Recomand asadar romanul celor carora le place Cornwall-ul si parcurg cu placere descrieri ale locurilor de acolo, celor care adora sa citeasca despre stanci lovite de furia marii, tarmuri dantelate si desigur un mister destul de bine inchegat.
In incheiere atasez cateva citate din care putem trage niste invataminte:
"Asta era cel mai inspaimantator lucru cand venea vorba de dragoste; avea senzatia ca-i inmanase cheia spre mintea lui si ca acum Miranda putea sa intre acolo oricand dorea."
"Eu nu plagiez viata; n-am nevoie decat de un singur model viu in arta mea: eu insumi."
"Chiar si cand e autentica, durerea poate fi cea mai inselatoare dintre emotii si extrem de rar era lipsita de complicatii."
"Ce ciudat ca sexul era asa de simplu si dragostea atat de complicata."
Pentru mine orice roman despre faruri si despre Cornwall este un must-read, deoarece indragesc mult farurile iar Cornwall mi se pare unul dintre cele mai misterioase, frumoase si salbatice locuri, ideal pentru cartile politiste si horror.
Este a doua carte pe care o citesc care il are in prim-plan pe comandantul de politie Adam Dalgliesh de la New Scotland Yard. Prima a fost "Sala Crimelor" iar recenzia mea o puteti citi aici.
Insula Combe de pe coasta Cornwall-ului este un loc fascinant ce are o istorie intunecata si sangeroasa, insa, in zilele noastre este o oaza linistita si izolata pentru oamenii cu functii inalte care doresc intimitate si relaxare. La conacul construit pe insula totul este foarte discret, nu exista telefoane mobile, accesul se face de pe un mic port si sunt cazati maxim 5 oameni deodata. Il cunoastem astfel pe scriitorul Nathan Oliver - care vine impreuna cu fiica lui, Miranda si secretarul sau, pe doctorul Raymund Speidel si pe Mark Yelland - directorul unui laborator de cercetare. Pe langa oaspeti se mai regasesc si rezidentii permanenti, servitorii si administratorul locului, Rupert Maycroft impreuna cu batrana doamna Emily Holcombe - ultima descendenta a detinatorilor insulei.
Atunci cand antipaticul si arogantul scriitor Nathan Oliver este gasit spanzurat de far si toti de pe insula par a avea un motiv de a-l fi omorat, Adam Dalgliesh si echipa sa sunt chemati sa investigheze. Desi suspectii sunt putini si blocati pe insula lucrurile se dovedesc a fi complicate.
Cand este descoperit un al doilea cadavru Adam va trebui sa lupte si cu boala, pe insula circuland SARS-ul pe care pare ca si el l-ar fi contractat. Izolat fiind la infirmerie, echipa lui lucreaza in locul sau incercand sa se descurce singuri, dar pana la urma revelatia misterului si rezolvarea cazului vor veni tot de la el.
Si de data aceasta, asa cum observam din sinopsis, rabdarea este cuvantul cheie. Actiunea porneste greoi, romanul fiind centrat mai mult pe personaje. Cunoastem intai toti viitorii suspecti, apoi abia dupa 100 de pagini are loc si crima si atunci apare implicit si farul. Asadar, daca sunteti adeptii unor romane politiste in care actiunea se desfasoara alert, aici va trebui sa treceti peste toate caracterizarile personajelor si abia dupa ce i-ati cunoscut foarte bine puteti sa va concentrati si pe crima. Tot acest proces poate sa fie interesant - pentru ca personajele sunt bine conturate si au multa personalitate - dar si obositor si epuizant. Mi-am adus aminte aici de Umberto Eco care spunea despre romanul sau "Numele trandafirului" ca cititorul care nu reuseste sa treaca peste primele 100 de pagini nu merita sa citeasca mai departe.
Recomand asadar romanul celor carora le place Cornwall-ul si parcurg cu placere descrieri ale locurilor de acolo, celor care adora sa citeasca despre stanci lovite de furia marii, tarmuri dantelate si desigur un mister destul de bine inchegat.
In incheiere atasez cateva citate din care putem trage niste invataminte:
"Asta era cel mai inspaimantator lucru cand venea vorba de dragoste; avea senzatia ca-i inmanase cheia spre mintea lui si ca acum Miranda putea sa intre acolo oricand dorea."
"Eu nu plagiez viata; n-am nevoie decat de un singur model viu in arta mea: eu insumi."
"Chiar si cand e autentica, durerea poate fi cea mai inselatoare dintre emotii si extrem de rar era lipsita de complicatii."
"Ce ciudat ca sexul era asa de simplu si dragostea atat de complicata."
June 22, 2024
Catching Up…
It was not uncommon for our 4th Wednesdays Mystery Readers group at the Library, to want to read and discuss this author. She always had a way of keeping us engaged with her stories. And, this one was no different. Especially with Inspector Adam Dalgliesh.
So, when this was dropped off as a donation to my Little Free Library Shed, it was only expected again, for me to re-visit it so that I could finally write my review for Goodreads.
In many ways, all of us in the book group really felt so connected to the Inspector for his strong sense of conscience and his intricate sense of justice.
This particular setting is beautifully scenic and isolated. It is a supposed sanctuary where individuals go to seek security and quiet and hopefully regained health. And of course, the landscape creates its own sense of spooky and beauty with the cliffs and mist, which is pure James.
The pace is slow, the build-up tense, and when someone dies, the question being, is it suicide, or murder?
And, when in an isolated setting, who-dunnit? And, will there be more murders? And, of course, the why? Which always leads to the moral dilemmas. Which makes this story even more compelling.
And, that is why a P.D. James story isn’t just a great mystery, to be solved, it is a perfect book discussion selection.
It was not uncommon for our 4th Wednesdays Mystery Readers group at the Library, to want to read and discuss this author. She always had a way of keeping us engaged with her stories. And, this one was no different. Especially with Inspector Adam Dalgliesh.
So, when this was dropped off as a donation to my Little Free Library Shed, it was only expected again, for me to re-visit it so that I could finally write my review for Goodreads.
In many ways, all of us in the book group really felt so connected to the Inspector for his strong sense of conscience and his intricate sense of justice.
This particular setting is beautifully scenic and isolated. It is a supposed sanctuary where individuals go to seek security and quiet and hopefully regained health. And of course, the landscape creates its own sense of spooky and beauty with the cliffs and mist, which is pure James.
The pace is slow, the build-up tense, and when someone dies, the question being, is it suicide, or murder?
And, when in an isolated setting, who-dunnit? And, will there be more murders? And, of course, the why? Which always leads to the moral dilemmas. Which makes this story even more compelling.
And, that is why a P.D. James story isn’t just a great mystery, to be solved, it is a perfect book discussion selection.
January 9, 2021
Reading the Adam Dalgliesh series has been like going on a roller coaster ride. When you somehow get to the top, you come crashing right down. And I did come crashing down with this book of the series, having been happily on top with the previous one.
I'm truly sorry that this book didn't work for me, but try as much, I couldn't get into the book. It had a promising beginning, of course, and I was hoping for another interesting journey with it, but, when the crime is committed and the investigation began, it turned tedious and boring until the final chapters when the criminal is revealed, and there was some action in apprehending him.
The murder-mystery is, for me, one of the poor ones in the series. I felt the whole thing (crime and the motive) a bit too fantastic to be true. James brings in a few complex reasons as possible motives for the crime, but settles in the end, with the least plausible of them. And to top it all, James has returned to her long winding style of writing, with too detailed descriptions of the characters, their inner psychologies, and the setting, drowning me in a pool of words. As to characters/suspects, except one or two, none of them were pleasant. The only pleasant thing to read was Kate's character development and her and Benton-Smith's improved professional relationship.
This was yet another disappointment in the series; I had quite a few. There is only the final book of the series for me to read, and I hope I won't be let down.
I'm truly sorry that this book didn't work for me, but try as much, I couldn't get into the book. It had a promising beginning, of course, and I was hoping for another interesting journey with it, but, when the crime is committed and the investigation began, it turned tedious and boring until the final chapters when the criminal is revealed, and there was some action in apprehending him.
The murder-mystery is, for me, one of the poor ones in the series. I felt the whole thing (crime and the motive) a bit too fantastic to be true. James brings in a few complex reasons as possible motives for the crime, but settles in the end, with the least plausible of them. And to top it all, James has returned to her long winding style of writing, with too detailed descriptions of the characters, their inner psychologies, and the setting, drowning me in a pool of words. As to characters/suspects, except one or two, none of them were pleasant. The only pleasant thing to read was Kate's character development and her and Benton-Smith's improved professional relationship.
This was yet another disappointment in the series; I had quite a few. There is only the final book of the series for me to read, and I hope I won't be let down.
November 8, 2014
4.5*
A secure and secluded island retreat for the rich and powerful becomes the setting for the murder of an author who is a regular visitor to the island.
Commander Adam Dalgliesh is called in to handle the sensitive case, but soon falls victim to an infective illness that has also felled one of the island's other visitors, so is forced to hand the case over to his principle detective Kate Miskin and the ambitious Sergeant Francis Benton-Smith.
Can they identify the killer before there is another death? Or is this to be the undoing of Kate's career?
This was an absolutely lovely read.
PD James is brilliant at setting the mood; she has a wonderful mastery of the English language and her characters are rounded and largely enchanting while being very human, although there were several in this book that I didn't particularly like.
There are several threads running through this story, which all tie together nicely at the end without resorting to the dreaded "happy ever after" ending.
A secure and secluded island retreat for the rich and powerful becomes the setting for the murder of an author who is a regular visitor to the island.
Commander Adam Dalgliesh is called in to handle the sensitive case, but soon falls victim to an infective illness that has also felled one of the island's other visitors, so is forced to hand the case over to his principle detective Kate Miskin and the ambitious Sergeant Francis Benton-Smith.
Can they identify the killer before there is another death? Or is this to be the undoing of Kate's career?
This was an absolutely lovely read.
PD James is brilliant at setting the mood; she has a wonderful mastery of the English language and her characters are rounded and largely enchanting while being very human, although there were several in this book that I didn't particularly like.
There are several threads running through this story, which all tie together nicely at the end without resorting to the dreaded "happy ever after" ending.
January 23, 2010
Love PD James and obviously she's a great writer, but her books (even though nominally set in the present day) always seem very old-fashioned to me. I feel like you could have almost a PD James drinking game around everything that doesn't seem like it belongs in this century. Like...
Take a sip every time someone:
* Writes a letter
* Eats a home cooked meal (have two sips if it's made by an actual personal cook)
* Employs a maid, laundress, butler or other personal servant
* Talk about something that happened during WWII (two sips if it's something secret and dangerous that happened during WWII, three sips if this secret is the key to solving the mystery)
Take a sip every time someone:
* Writes a letter
* Eats a home cooked meal (have two sips if it's made by an actual personal cook)
* Employs a maid, laundress, butler or other personal servant
* Talk about something that happened during WWII (two sips if it's something secret and dangerous that happened during WWII, three sips if this secret is the key to solving the mystery)
November 18, 2025
Murder on the Island
A review of the Seal Books paperback (December 2006) of the Faber & Faber hardcover original (2005).
The Lighthouse brings Dalgleish and his elite investigation squad to an isolated island retreat where a famous novelist has been murdered, although suicide was also suspected at first. The insular community has a variety of suspects as the writer was not well liked. Due to a clause in the island's Trust agreement he had a birthright which allowed him to visit on a regular basis in order to complete books with the aid of his assistant daughter and hired secretary. The latter two become romantically involved, to the fury of the author, so even the incomers become suspects.
Unlike most of the Dalgliesh novels which centre on specific buildings or businesses such as clinics, museums or law firms, The Lighthouse takes place in a wider world of buildings and cottages spread out in its community. The team has to arrive by helicopter and outside communication becomes even further limited when one of the other incomers is diagnosed with SARS (a 2002-04 pandemic that occurred before COVID). Then Dalgliesh himself becomes infected, requiring Detective Inspector Kate Miskin and Detective Sergeant Francis Benton-Smith to complete the investigation.
There is perhaps a slight unsatisfactory element in having Dalgliesh sicken at the 11th hour of the case, but it does allow Miskin and Benton-Smith to move to the forefront. The final scenes did also require some elements of action heroism, which was more natural to be performed by the younger members of the team. So I can rationalize it as the author's decision to incorporate the pandemic of the time, along with forcing her other characters to step up. For me it was as satisfactory a read as any of the Dalgliesh books.
The front cover of the original Faber & Faber hardcover (2005). Image sourced from Wikipedia.
The Lighthouse continues my current Long Books Challenge with several GR friends which also allows me to complete my P.D. James / Adam Dalgliesh binge which went into hiatus at the end of 2023. I have moved on immediately to the final book in the series, The Private Patient (Adam Dalgliesh #14 -2008).
P.S. Mild
Trivia and Links
The Lighthouse has not yet been adapted for TV. The earlier ITV and BBC series had wrapped up before it was published. The current reboot series Dalgleish (2021 - ?) has only adapted 9 of the earlier books to date (November 2025) over 3 seasons. A season 4 has not yet been confirmed, but neither has there been a cancellation announcement. The most recent article which speculates about a season 4 was at Radio Times from December 2024.
A review of the Seal Books paperback (December 2006) of the Faber & Faber hardcover original (2005).
The edge of the cliff was less than five feet away, bounded by a waist-high stone wall. The roar of the ocean pounded in their ears. Instinctively Kate recoiled a step before moving to gaze over the wall. Far below them, the spray rose in a white mist as the waves broke in thunderous explosions against the cliff face.
The Lighthouse brings Dalgleish and his elite investigation squad to an isolated island retreat where a famous novelist has been murdered, although suicide was also suspected at first. The insular community has a variety of suspects as the writer was not well liked. Due to a clause in the island's Trust agreement he had a birthright which allowed him to visit on a regular basis in order to complete books with the aid of his assistant daughter and hired secretary. The latter two become romantically involved, to the fury of the author, so even the incomers become suspects.
Unlike most of the Dalgliesh novels which centre on specific buildings or businesses such as clinics, museums or law firms, The Lighthouse takes place in a wider world of buildings and cottages spread out in its community. The team has to arrive by helicopter and outside communication becomes even further limited when one of the other incomers is diagnosed with SARS (a 2002-04 pandemic that occurred before COVID). Then Dalgliesh himself becomes infected, requiring Detective Inspector Kate Miskin and Detective Sergeant Francis Benton-Smith to complete the investigation.
There is perhaps a slight unsatisfactory element in having Dalgliesh sicken at the 11th hour of the case, but it does allow Miskin and Benton-Smith to move to the forefront. The final scenes did also require some elements of action heroism, which was more natural to be performed by the younger members of the team. So I can rationalize it as the author's decision to incorporate the pandemic of the time, along with forcing her other characters to step up. For me it was as satisfactory a read as any of the Dalgliesh books.
The front cover of the original Faber & Faber hardcover (2005). Image sourced from Wikipedia.
The Lighthouse continues my current Long Books Challenge with several GR friends which also allows me to complete my P.D. James / Adam Dalgliesh binge which went into hiatus at the end of 2023. I have moved on immediately to the final book in the series, The Private Patient (Adam Dalgliesh #14 -2008).
P.S. Mild
Trivia and Links
The Lighthouse has not yet been adapted for TV. The earlier ITV and BBC series had wrapped up before it was published. The current reboot series Dalgleish (2021 - ?) has only adapted 9 of the earlier books to date (November 2025) over 3 seasons. A season 4 has not yet been confirmed, but neither has there been a cancellation announcement. The most recent article which speculates about a season 4 was at Radio Times from December 2024.
January 24, 2023
vacation book #1 - review to come??? i promise i will come back to reviewing - i SWEAR!
Want to read
June 9, 2018DNF-ed@page 50.
P. D. James is praised as the New Queen of Murder, but honestly...I just can't get myself through the first 50 pages...these first 50 pages do not even both to show us much of the main players in this murder mystery, and I have absolutely no interest in the MC, Adam Dalgliesh, he and his voice in this story is so fucking boring. Will return this book to the library tomorrow!
P. D. James is praised as the New Queen of Murder, but honestly...I just can't get myself through the first 50 pages...these first 50 pages do not even both to show us much of the main players in this murder mystery, and I have absolutely no interest in the MC, Adam Dalgliesh, he and his voice in this story is so fucking boring. Will return this book to the library tomorrow!
February 2, 2024
This one looks like a classic detective story, and there is no wonder as the Baroness was almost 85 when the book was written.
I see a lot of high marks here, but I consider the book quite average: the plot isn't the finest one, there are some pages in surplus and the characters, Dalgliesh included, are not the nicest possible fellows...
I see a lot of high marks here, but I consider the book quite average: the plot isn't the finest one, there are some pages in surplus and the characters, Dalgliesh included, are not the nicest possible fellows...
August 23, 2016
I can only assume that the less-than-glowing reviews of The Lighthouse must mean that some readers are holding the great P.D. James to a higher standard than other crime writers. This may not be one of her best, but even a mediocre mystery by this creator of the unforgettable Adam Dalgleish is better than most others in print. Consider that she was eighty-four years old at the time of publication, and her efforts are even more remarkable. I found the reveal a wee bit rushed, and the villain not as finely portrayed as I would have wished, but it was still a very enjoyable read.
November 16, 2014
3 & a half stars.
I Googled PD James when I was nearly finished this novel & found she was 84 when it was published. 84! I promise that this isn't going to be the start of rugby analogies in my reviews (I hate rugby) but this is like Colin Meads getting on the field for the current All Blacks & playing a creditable game. No longer at his legendary best, but not being laughed off the field.
But I feel that age & past glories can't be allowed for in reviews & this was one slow moving book. I liked the discussions of the complex relationships between Dalgleish & his staff, but not Kate debating whether to use a cell phone or a landline to ring Emma!
& a pet peeve of mine is when characters carry on with their day to day actions or are really rude while being interviewed by police. For example this interaction between Kate & a suspect;
Kate said, “Good morning. We'd like a word.”
“Then make it brief.” He added, “No offence but I'm busy.”
I can understand TV programmes (“The Bill & “Without a Trace” come to mind) having characters carrying on with their day to day activities, as watching talking heads would get boring after a while – just don't see the need for it in a book.
A thrilling finale to the book, so I have bumped the rating up half a star.
I Googled PD James when I was nearly finished this novel & found she was 84 when it was published. 84! I promise that this isn't going to be the start of rugby analogies in my reviews (I hate rugby) but this is like Colin Meads getting on the field for the current All Blacks & playing a creditable game. No longer at his legendary best, but not being laughed off the field.
But I feel that age & past glories can't be allowed for in reviews & this was one slow moving book. I liked the discussions of the complex relationships between Dalgleish & his staff, but not Kate debating whether to use a cell phone or a landline to ring Emma!
& a pet peeve of mine is when characters carry on with their day to day actions or are really rude while being interviewed by police. For example this interaction between Kate & a suspect;
Kate said, “Good morning. We'd like a word.”
“Then make it brief.” He added, “No offence but I'm busy.”
I can understand TV programmes (“The Bill & “Without a Trace” come to mind) having characters carrying on with their day to day activities, as watching talking heads would get boring after a while – just don't see the need for it in a book.
A thrilling finale to the book, so I have bumped the rating up half a star.
February 7, 2018
Commander Dalgliesh, Insp. Miskin and Sgt Benton-Smith have a tricky case of murder on a remote island off the coast of Cornwall. Nathan Oliver was a well known author and had been found strangled and hanging over the edge of a lighthouse. There is a catalogue of complex relationship among the quests and permanent residents and a number of apparently connected leads from events in the past.
The expected delightful description does help to disguise the somewhat thin plot. The perpetrator seemed quit obvious but in the end the actual deduction was rather abrupt. The perpetrator rather played into the teams hands. Nevertheless a good read.
The expected delightful description does help to disguise the somewhat thin plot. The perpetrator seemed quit obvious but in the end the actual deduction was rather abrupt. The perpetrator rather played into the teams hands. Nevertheless a good read.
June 20, 2025
Destul de greu inceputul actiunii dar odata inceputa nu s-a mai oprit. Superb detectiv.
January 11, 2016
Combe Island, na costa da Cornualha, tem uma história sangrenta de pirataria e crueldade. Agora pertence a um respeitável fundo privado e serve de refúgio para personagens importantes em busca de sossego e segurança. Mas o passado parece assombrar a ilha quando um dos hóspedes aparece morto, vítima de um assassinato com características muito estranhas, que parecem apontar em direções contraditórias e confundem as investigações.
4* An Unsuitable Job for a Woman (Cordelia Gray, #1)
4* The Skull Beneath The Skin (Cordelia Gray, #2)
4* Innocent Blood
3* The Children of Men
TR Death in Pemberley
Adam Dalgliesh series:
4* Cover Her Face (Adam Dalgliesh, #1)
4* A Mind to Murder (Adam Dalgliesh, #2)
4* Unnatural Causes (Adam Dalgliesh, #3)
5* Shroud for a Nightingale (Adam Dalgliesh, #4)
5* The Black Tower (Adam Dalgliesh, #5)
5* Death of an Expert Witness (Adam Dalgliesh, #6)
5* A Taste for Death (Adam Dalgliesh, #7)
3* Devices and Desires (Adam Dalgliesh, #8)
5* A Certain Justice (Adam Dalgliesh, #10)
4* Death in Holy Orders (Adam Dalgliesh, #11)
4* The Murder Room (Adam Dalgliesh, #12)
3* The Lighthouse (Adam Dalgliesh, #13)
3* The Private Patient (Adam Dalgliesh, #14)
TR Original Sin (Adam Dalgliesh, #9)
4* An Unsuitable Job for a Woman (Cordelia Gray, #1)
4* The Skull Beneath The Skin (Cordelia Gray, #2)
4* Innocent Blood
3* The Children of Men
TR Death in Pemberley
Adam Dalgliesh series:
4* Cover Her Face (Adam Dalgliesh, #1)
4* A Mind to Murder (Adam Dalgliesh, #2)
4* Unnatural Causes (Adam Dalgliesh, #3)
5* Shroud for a Nightingale (Adam Dalgliesh, #4)
5* The Black Tower (Adam Dalgliesh, #5)
5* Death of an Expert Witness (Adam Dalgliesh, #6)
5* A Taste for Death (Adam Dalgliesh, #7)
3* Devices and Desires (Adam Dalgliesh, #8)
5* A Certain Justice (Adam Dalgliesh, #10)
4* Death in Holy Orders (Adam Dalgliesh, #11)
4* The Murder Room (Adam Dalgliesh, #12)
3* The Lighthouse (Adam Dalgliesh, #13)
3* The Private Patient (Adam Dalgliesh, #14)
TR Original Sin (Adam Dalgliesh, #9)
September 11, 2007
This is only my second P.D. James books so I can't compare this book to a "typical" P.D. James book. I enjoyed it very much, James can certainly write an intelligent mystery with fully developed characters. My only warning is to keep a dictionary nearby; she does like to use an expanded vocabulary!
January 2, 2018
This is the first mystery novel I've read. I have to say this author has a decent vocabulary; enough to use words like etiolated, atavistic, soubriquets in proper context and not have them stick out like a sore thumb. She also uses a few metaphors and decent geography details. Speaking of details, however, what is it with the room descriptions? Every room in the manor and five cottages is laid out in detail; the exact angle of every chair in relation to the windows, fireplace, doors, the patterns on the wallpaper etc.etc.etc. Since non of this is important to the story why do it? Mid book - I've had enough suspect enquiries; all eight of them at least four pages long and saying the exact same thing. I didn't do it.
Boring.
Boring.
August 21, 2012
The storyline is perhaps a bit weak but I always enjoy James' writing. Dalglish's love life is again a thread running through the novel. It's a mystery how someone so boring can attract a woman in the first place but I suppose there's someone for everyone! Kate Miskin is a much more interesting character.
September 6, 2011
I found this latest installment in the Dalgliesh series rather cold and disjointed. James' usual skill at plotting is in evidence, but perhaps because I haven't read the two or three before this one, I found myself uninterested in the personal lives of most of the characters. The prose is always poetic in a particularly English reserved kind of way, but usually I find the people endearing, especially Adam and Kate. For some reason, in this book, I could not bring myself to care much what happened to their emotional lives.
The murder plot is laid out well, with a couple genuinely unexpected turns. (I was relieved, actually--there's a hint on the jacket flap of one of the twists that doesn't actually spoil anything. But I put it together with an off-hand comment early on that made me wonder if one of the old villains was going to come leaping out of the shadows three quarters of the way through, which would have pissed me off to no end. Fortunately, I was overthinking things and the twist was unexpected and entirely appropriate.)
I just never really cared about any of the suspects. Most of them were rather unsympathetic in one way or another. It's a perfectly well-written mystery, but I couldn't help but feel that it was missing that spark that makes you care emotionally about the fate of the characters instead of merely trying to solve the puzzle. As I've previously enjoyed many of James' novels, I was disappointed that this did not rise above the level of average.
The murder plot is laid out well, with a couple genuinely unexpected turns. (I was relieved, actually--there's a hint on the jacket flap of one of the twists that doesn't actually spoil anything. But I put it together with an off-hand comment early on that made me wonder if one of the old villains was going to come leaping out of the shadows three quarters of the way through, which would have pissed me off to no end. Fortunately, I was overthinking things and the twist was unexpected and entirely appropriate.)
I just never really cared about any of the suspects. Most of them were rather unsympathetic in one way or another. It's a perfectly well-written mystery, but I couldn't help but feel that it was missing that spark that makes you care emotionally about the fate of the characters instead of merely trying to solve the puzzle. As I've previously enjoyed many of James' novels, I was disappointed that this did not rise above the level of average.
February 23, 2013
I liked this story. I've only given it three stars because there were some elements that I thought didn't quite work well enough for a higher rating. There are rather a lot of characters, most of whom are introduced to us quite rapidly at the beginning of the story and I found myself struggling to remember who was who. I very much liked the setting, although I thought the names of the cottages were a little contrived and, as with the characters, there were rather of lot of them and I struggled to place each one. The illness that develops further into the story seemed a little far-fetched, although it did solve the problem of not being able to have any outside interference on the island. The characters themselves are do not reveal themselves a great deal to us. As this is a reasonably long book, I would have thought there was plenty of room for us to actually get to know the characters a lot more than we do. As it was, I found I didn't particularly care one way or another for most of them. Having said all this, I still found I enjoyed the story. PD James has a quite beautiful way of writing, which made this story a pleasure to read. I would be tempted to liken this story to a modern day Agatha Christie, so if you like that sort of thing (I do!), then you are sure to enjoy this book.
March 15, 2011
On a remote island off the coast of Southwest England, used as a getaway by the influential, the famous novelist Nathan Oliver is found one morning murdered -- hanged from the topmost railing of the island's fastidiously restored lighthouse. Since there were fewer than a dozen people on the island at the time, and since it's unlikely anyone could have come ashore secretly, the task of solving the murder would seem a simple one for Alan Dalglish and his crew. Yet lots of old coals have to be raked over, and a great deal of James's cumbersome prose negotiated, before the fairly unsurprising solution is revealed. There's plenty of clumsy dialogue, too, of the "You know all this already but I'm going to tell it to you anyway" variety. Aside from a rock-climbing sequence that's genuinely suspenseful, events just sort of . . . lumber on. Even so, the book's moderately enjoyable; just a shame that all the time I was reading it I was thinking it could have been done far better at half the length.
December 31, 2020
This is the thirteenth Adam Dalgliesh book and I can hardly believe I am nearly at the end of this series.
This mystery takes place on Coombe Island; a retreat for the wealthy and famous. This sees Dalgliesh, along with Kate Miskin and Sgt. Francis Benton-Smith being asked to investigate the murder of author, Nathan Oliver. As usual with P.D.James, we have a cast of suspects, a closed community and number of motives.
Complicating the situation is a case of SARS on the island, which is almost eerily relevant to the situation at the end of 2020 when I write this review. I have one more in the series to read and look forward to completing it next year.
This mystery takes place on Coombe Island; a retreat for the wealthy and famous. This sees Dalgliesh, along with Kate Miskin and Sgt. Francis Benton-Smith being asked to investigate the murder of author, Nathan Oliver. As usual with P.D.James, we have a cast of suspects, a closed community and number of motives.
Complicating the situation is a case of SARS on the island, which is almost eerily relevant to the situation at the end of 2020 when I write this review. I have one more in the series to read and look forward to completing it next year.
July 26, 2023
4.5 Stars
I loved the Combe Island setting (even though it was fictional), it was so remote, exclusive, and wildly atmospheric that it became a character itself. Dalgliesh becomes more human or relatable in each book in this series, perhaps his relationship with Emma has more to do with that aspect. This murder case involves a small cast of people on the island and was deftly plotted by the author. I admire her writing immensely and am saddened there is only one more book left in the series.
I loved the Combe Island setting (even though it was fictional), it was so remote, exclusive, and wildly atmospheric that it became a character itself. Dalgliesh becomes more human or relatable in each book in this series, perhaps his relationship with Emma has more to do with that aspect. This murder case involves a small cast of people on the island and was deftly plotted by the author. I admire her writing immensely and am saddened there is only one more book left in the series.
March 25, 2023
Think of a crochet table cloth - follows a pattern, skilfully executed, lines of thread around holes.
February 7, 2022
The Lighthouse, by PD James isn't a book that those who want realism in their crime stories will like.
It's set on an island off the British coast that the "well to do" use as a retreat from their stressful (but "terribly correct") lives. When a prize winning author is found hanging in the lighthouse on the island, the police, in the shape of Adam Dalgliesh and his merry band of men, are called in to solve the case.
I've read worse books. I've read worse crime books in fact, but this one didn't grab me. I come from a fairly well to do background, but I didn't recognise the people in this book. They're all about "correctness," "show," and how they present themselves to the world, and after a while this really starts to get on my wick. It shouldn't but it did.
My irritation over the suspects wasn't helped by the fact that Dalgliesh (a senior officer) is too sensitive by half. I've never particularly fond the idea of a poetry writing detective, but the more I read of him, the more I just want to yell "Get over yourself and get on with the crime bit of the story."
My other criticism is that it takes a long time for anything to happen. We're told early that something's coming but it took almost 200 pages (of 466) to get there, and I'm sorry, but I found that beyond irritating.
It's set on an island off the British coast that the "well to do" use as a retreat from their stressful (but "terribly correct") lives. When a prize winning author is found hanging in the lighthouse on the island, the police, in the shape of Adam Dalgliesh and his merry band of men, are called in to solve the case.
I've read worse books. I've read worse crime books in fact, but this one didn't grab me. I come from a fairly well to do background, but I didn't recognise the people in this book. They're all about "correctness," "show," and how they present themselves to the world, and after a while this really starts to get on my wick. It shouldn't but it did.
My irritation over the suspects wasn't helped by the fact that Dalgliesh (a senior officer) is too sensitive by half. I've never particularly fond the idea of a poetry writing detective, but the more I read of him, the more I just want to yell "Get over yourself and get on with the crime bit of the story."
My other criticism is that it takes a long time for anything to happen. We're told early that something's coming but it took almost 200 pages (of 466) to get there, and I'm sorry, but I found that beyond irritating.
March 15, 2017
Listened to in audio format.
The Lighthouse is the 13th book in the Commander Dalgleish series.
I found this story hard to get into at first and had to rewind to the beginning and listen again.
A.D. and his team Kate Misken and Francis Benton-Smith go to a retreat called Coombe Island to investigate the death of author Nathan Oliver. Nathan was not a popular man and had many enemies on the Island including a priest called Adrian Boyd. Boyd was a recovering alcoholic until Oliver persuaded him try a drink so he could study the effects for a character he was writing about. Guest Dr Yelland was also angry with Oliver for writing a nasty character in his book Yelland believed was based on himself.
A.D. catches SARS from guest Dr Speidel and ends up in quarantine leaving Misken and Benton Smith to catch the killer. Fiancee Emma Lavenham is only in the background in this story until the final chapter.
The Lighthouse was not on par with The Murder Room or A certain justice but enjoyable non the less. Plenty of suspects to get your teeth into and dark secrets galore.
The Lighthouse is the 13th book in the Commander Dalgleish series.
I found this story hard to get into at first and had to rewind to the beginning and listen again.
A.D. and his team Kate Misken and Francis Benton-Smith go to a retreat called Coombe Island to investigate the death of author Nathan Oliver. Nathan was not a popular man and had many enemies on the Island including a priest called Adrian Boyd. Boyd was a recovering alcoholic until Oliver persuaded him try a drink so he could study the effects for a character he was writing about. Guest Dr Yelland was also angry with Oliver for writing a nasty character in his book Yelland believed was based on himself.
A.D. catches SARS from guest Dr Speidel and ends up in quarantine leaving Misken and Benton Smith to catch the killer. Fiancee Emma Lavenham is only in the background in this story until the final chapter.
The Lighthouse was not on par with The Murder Room or A certain justice but enjoyable non the less. Plenty of suspects to get your teeth into and dark secrets galore.
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