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Adam Dalgliesh #9
Original Sin
Adam Dalgliesh takes on a baffling murder in the rarefied world of London book publishing in this masterful mystery from one of our finest novelists.
Commander Adam Dalgliesh and his team are confronted with a puzzle of impenetrable complexity. A murder has taken place in the offices of the Peverell Press, a venerable London publishing house located in a dramatic mock-Venetian palace on the Thames. 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 who 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.
603 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1994
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3743 people want to read
About the author
P.D. James
319 books3,242 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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Displaying 1 - 30 of 652 reviews
August 8, 2020
Oh dear, I'm beginning to think that I'm enjoying writing grumpy reviews of PDJ's 'middle period' books more than actually reading them! This one, like her Devices and Desires and A Taste for Death, is just so bloated: at 600 pages, probably about 350 of them could have been cut as they do nothing other than show off PDJ's unending and ponderous attention to the insignificant - even minor walk-on characters, their clothes and their environments along with their backstories are laid out before us even though they are utterly peripheral to the story at hand and can be dispensed with without affecting the plot in the slightest. This seems to be standard James practice but what is especially noticeable about this book is that 90% of what happens is a red herring! Was that supposed to be subverting the traditional whodunnit? I don't know, but in my book it's frustrating and silly.
My other major issue is that in this book PDJ seems to have discovered The Jew. Despite this having been published in 1994 and set in London, new addition to Dalgleish's team DI Daniel Aaron is portrayed like an exotic who PDJ has never spied before so that everything about him and his role in the book is inflected by his Jewishness: he's subjected to casual anti-Semitism, he has a 'Jewish Mother', his only non-work conversation he has with a colleague is all about how 'different' he is because he's Jewish and an atheist and he can't ask for time off to go to a Bar Mitzvah because it's not a recognised Christian occasion and should he go to the Bar Mitzvah anyway...
As usual, PDJ writes with great solemnity: words like 'painstaking', 'protracted' and 'verbose' were made to describe her later books. Her continued authorial fawning over Dalgleish just amuses me now and the PDJ Bingo Card contains the usual: the instance of other characters discussing what a fine poet Dalgleish is (tick!); the instance where he walks into a room and identifies an elusive painting and its painter at a glance (tick!); the instance where a bar of classical music is heard and he pins it straightaway (tick!); the instance where he takes time out from the terrible moral burden of his job to explore the peaceful interior of an old church (double tick!).
PDJ draws on GA detective fiction but her abandonment of the deft writing, characterisation and fluid pace of the greats (Christie, Sayers, Tey, for me) is resulting, at this stage in her career, in huge slow-moving behemoths weighted down with laborious prose and plotting. Can she get back to the brisker pace of her earlier books? And tone down at least some of her ultra-conservative values? We'll see.
My other major issue is that in this book PDJ seems to have discovered The Jew. Despite this having been published in 1994 and set in London, new addition to Dalgleish's team DI Daniel Aaron is portrayed like an exotic who PDJ has never spied before so that everything about him and his role in the book is inflected by his Jewishness: he's subjected to casual anti-Semitism, he has a 'Jewish Mother', his only non-work conversation he has with a colleague is all about how 'different' he is because he's Jewish and an atheist and he can't ask for time off to go to a Bar Mitzvah because it's not a recognised Christian occasion and should he go to the Bar Mitzvah anyway...
As usual, PDJ writes with great solemnity: words like 'painstaking', 'protracted' and 'verbose' were made to describe her later books. Her continued authorial fawning over Dalgleish just amuses me now and the PDJ Bingo Card contains the usual: the instance of other characters discussing what a fine poet Dalgleish is (tick!); the instance where he walks into a room and identifies an elusive painting and its painter at a glance (tick!); the instance where a bar of classical music is heard and he pins it straightaway (tick!); the instance where he takes time out from the terrible moral burden of his job to explore the peaceful interior of an old church (double tick!).
PDJ draws on GA detective fiction but her abandonment of the deft writing, characterisation and fluid pace of the greats (Christie, Sayers, Tey, for me) is resulting, at this stage in her career, in huge slow-moving behemoths weighted down with laborious prose and plotting. Can she get back to the brisker pace of her earlier books? And tone down at least some of her ultra-conservative values? We'll see.
November 20, 2015
It has been a while since I read a book by this author and I had forgotten how much I enjoy her style of writing. In one review I saw it described as "intelligent writing" and I think that describes it perfectly. She has a tendency to describe things in great detail,sometimes two or three pages of detail, but I find I can live with that. Adam Dalgleish is a favourite of mine but this book gave greater importance to his two offsiders, Daniel and Kate. I enjoyed the lovely descriptions of London and the river and also the setting in a publishing company. There were an awful lot of dead bodies and it eventually ended up reminiscent of an Agatha Christie. But there's nothing wrong with that! I raced through all 511 pages of it and plan to read another P.D. James very soon.
May 18, 2023
Murders in Publishing
Review of the Vintage Canada paperback (2011) [with Notes via the Kindle eBook] of the Faber & Faber hardcover original (1994)
The 9th Adam Dalgliesh novel finds his elite team from Scotland Yard CID investigating the apparent murder of the managing director of one of the most prestigious publishing firms in the UK. This is at the (fictional) Peverell Press which is housed in a mock Venetian palazzo called Innocent House, built on the Thames in the area of Wapping in East London. The publisher was ruthlessly dragging the stodgy firm into the late 20th century by planning to sell off the building and move the business to the Docklands, cut non-selling, past their prime authors and trim staff, especially long-time employees. There is no shortage of suspects.
To complicate matters further, the publishing house had recently seen another on-site death only weeks before with the suicide of one of its editors who had been given notice. A prankster is also working behind the scenes to sabotage the business by hiding manuscripts and cancelling author engagements. Dalgliesh and his regular assistant Kate Miskin and new assistant Daniel Aaron are faced with a mysterious cause of death in an apparently sealed archive room with every suspect having alibis. And then yet another murder occurs.
Proposed design of an unbuilt Venetian inspired set of buildings on the Thames from the 1980s which were never built. Possibly the inspiration for the Venetian palazzo of Peverell Press on the Thames in "Original Sin". Image sourced from Unbuilt London.
I very much enjoyed Original Sin (the significance of the title doesn't become clear until towards the very end of the book), with P.D. James' extensive character building and descriptive settings of both the publishing house and its environs. Some of the characters are archetypes i.e. the ruthless business head, the subservient sibling, the washed up author, the rejected love interest etc. but this is James at the top of her game and I'd even say this is one of my favourites of hers. Probably that is partially because it is set in a world of books. Kirkus Reviews described it as "the Middlemarch of the classic detective story," and that seems as good a one-line summary as any.
Front cover of the original Faber & Faber hardcover edition (1994). Image sourced from Wikipedia.
I read Original Sin as part of my continuing 2022 binge re-read of the P.D. James novels, which I am enjoying immensely. I started the re-reads when I recently discovered my 1980's P.D. James paperbacks while clearing a storage locker.
Rescued from storage are my early P.D. James paperbacks, mostly published by Sphere Books in the 1980s.
Trivia and Links
Original Sin was adapted for television in 1997 as part of the long running Dalgliesh TV-series for Anglia Television/ITV (1983-1998) starring actor Roy Marsden as Commander Adam Dalgliesh of Scotland Yard. You can watch the 3 episodes of the 1997 adaptation starting with Episode 1 on YouTube here.
The new Acorn TV-series reboot Dalgliesh (2021-?) starring Bertie Carver as Adam Dalgliesh has not yet adapted Original Sin. Season 1 adapted books 4, 5 & 7. There has not been an announcement of the Season 2 and Season 3 adaptations (as of late-November 2022).
Review of the Vintage Canada paperback (2011) [with Notes via the Kindle eBook] of the Faber & Faber hardcover original (1994)
Not for nothing were there those five shelves of crime paperbacks in her bedroom, Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Margery Allingham, Ngaio Marsh, Josephine Tey and the few modern writers whom Joan considered fit to join those Golden Age practitioners in fictional murder. - a character in "Original Sin" admires her collection of classic crime novels.
The 9th Adam Dalgliesh novel finds his elite team from Scotland Yard CID investigating the apparent murder of the managing director of one of the most prestigious publishing firms in the UK. This is at the (fictional) Peverell Press which is housed in a mock Venetian palazzo called Innocent House, built on the Thames in the area of Wapping in East London. The publisher was ruthlessly dragging the stodgy firm into the late 20th century by planning to sell off the building and move the business to the Docklands, cut non-selling, past their prime authors and trim staff, especially long-time employees. There is no shortage of suspects.
Dalgliesh said: "Mr. Gerard Etienne took over as chairman and managing director fairly recently, didn't he? Was he well-liked?"
"Well he wouldn't have been carried out of here in a body bag if he was a little ray of sunshine about the place. Someone didn't like him, that's for sure." - Dalgliesh interviews Mrs. Demery, the kitchen staff at Peverell Press.
To complicate matters further, the publishing house had recently seen another on-site death only weeks before with the suicide of one of its editors who had been given notice. A prankster is also working behind the scenes to sabotage the business by hiding manuscripts and cancelling author engagements. Dalgliesh and his regular assistant Kate Miskin and new assistant Daniel Aaron are faced with a mysterious cause of death in an apparently sealed archive room with every suspect having alibis. And then yet another murder occurs.
Proposed design of an unbuilt Venetian inspired set of buildings on the Thames from the 1980s which were never built. Possibly the inspiration for the Venetian palazzo of Peverell Press on the Thames in "Original Sin". Image sourced from Unbuilt London.
I very much enjoyed Original Sin (the significance of the title doesn't become clear until towards the very end of the book), with P.D. James' extensive character building and descriptive settings of both the publishing house and its environs. Some of the characters are archetypes i.e. the ruthless business head, the subservient sibling, the washed up author, the rejected love interest etc. but this is James at the top of her game and I'd even say this is one of my favourites of hers. Probably that is partially because it is set in a world of books. Kirkus Reviews described it as "the Middlemarch of the classic detective story," and that seems as good a one-line summary as any.
Front cover of the original Faber & Faber hardcover edition (1994). Image sourced from Wikipedia.
I read Original Sin as part of my continuing 2022 binge re-read of the P.D. James novels, which I am enjoying immensely. I started the re-reads when I recently discovered my 1980's P.D. James paperbacks while clearing a storage locker.
Rescued from storage are my early P.D. James paperbacks, mostly published by Sphere Books in the 1980s.
Trivia and Links
Original Sin was adapted for television in 1997 as part of the long running Dalgliesh TV-series for Anglia Television/ITV (1983-1998) starring actor Roy Marsden as Commander Adam Dalgliesh of Scotland Yard. You can watch the 3 episodes of the 1997 adaptation starting with Episode 1 on YouTube here.
The new Acorn TV-series reboot Dalgliesh (2021-?) starring Bertie Carver as Adam Dalgliesh has not yet adapted Original Sin. Season 1 adapted books 4, 5 & 7. There has not been an announcement of the Season 2 and Season 3 adaptations (as of late-November 2022).
October 28, 2020
Original Sin, the 9th book of the Adam Dalgliesh series, takes us again to a literary circle. The managing director of a publishing house dies under peculiar circumstances. Is it murder, accident, or suicide? Commander Adam Dalgliesh and his team are summoned to investigate the matter. Dalgliesh believes that the motive for the crime is rooted in the past. When one by one more information comes to light, it appears that after all, Dalgliesh may be right.
This is comparatively a better murder-mystery story in the series. From the very beginning, the tension is well built up. And when after the first death the investigation begins the suspense is slowly built up as Dalgliesh and his team meticulously collects evidence to unravel the cause of the mysterious death. As always, James penetrates deep into the lives and psychology of the characters giving us a clear picture and making us quite acquainted with them. Dalgliesh's appearance is less than usual, yet all through the story his presence and authority are felt.
The plot was not altogether plausible, but quite imaginative which I liked. It wasn't difficult to figure who was behind the deaths, but the motive I confess was never within my reach until it slowly surfaced up. The ending was rather disappointing, but that didn't turn my heart against the book as a whole.
There are, of course, the usual grievances of it taking a considerable time for the crime to be committed and Dalgliesh to appear, and that the story could have done less of one-fourth of its length. But somehow I could overlook them here.
On the whole, I enjoyed this book better than some of the previous books of the series. The series certainly is getting better, and I'm happy that I continued despite the disappointment I felt over some in the series.
This is comparatively a better murder-mystery story in the series. From the very beginning, the tension is well built up. And when after the first death the investigation begins the suspense is slowly built up as Dalgliesh and his team meticulously collects evidence to unravel the cause of the mysterious death. As always, James penetrates deep into the lives and psychology of the characters giving us a clear picture and making us quite acquainted with them. Dalgliesh's appearance is less than usual, yet all through the story his presence and authority are felt.
The plot was not altogether plausible, but quite imaginative which I liked. It wasn't difficult to figure who was behind the deaths, but the motive I confess was never within my reach until it slowly surfaced up. The ending was rather disappointing, but that didn't turn my heart against the book as a whole.
There are, of course, the usual grievances of it taking a considerable time for the crime to be committed and Dalgliesh to appear, and that the story could have done less of one-fourth of its length. But somehow I could overlook them here.
On the whole, I enjoyed this book better than some of the previous books of the series. The series certainly is getting better, and I'm happy that I continued despite the disappointment I felt over some in the series.
September 5, 2020
This is the ninth in the Adam Dalgliesh books and is one of my favourites, so far. This is probably helped by the fact it is set in a publishing firm – anything at all bookish and I am immediately on board. It also begins well, with young shorthand typist, Mandy Price, setting out for an interview at Peverell Press. The interview is interrupted by the discovery of a body, but, showing a degree of nonchalance which impressed me greatly, Mandy still agrees to take her typing test…
Sadly, the discovery of what appears to be a suicide, is only the beginning of the troubles for Peverell Press. There is dispute among the partners about the direction of the firm and the desire of Gerald Etienne, who has taken the senior role, to sell off the magnificent, riverside building, that the publisher’s inhabit. In addition, there is a mischief maker on the premises, who is causing trouble.
Of course, the trouble soon involves murder and Dalgliesh is brought in to investigate. I enjoyed the setting, characters and the plot of this novel. As always, James was a little indulgent in exploring the back story of every character and tends to offer overly detailed descriptions of every scene. Still, mostly, this worked well and there was a good cast of characters and possible motives.
Sadly, the discovery of what appears to be a suicide, is only the beginning of the troubles for Peverell Press. There is dispute among the partners about the direction of the firm and the desire of Gerald Etienne, who has taken the senior role, to sell off the magnificent, riverside building, that the publisher’s inhabit. In addition, there is a mischief maker on the premises, who is causing trouble.
Of course, the trouble soon involves murder and Dalgliesh is brought in to investigate. I enjoyed the setting, characters and the plot of this novel. As always, James was a little indulgent in exploring the back story of every character and tends to offer overly detailed descriptions of every scene. Still, mostly, this worked well and there was a good cast of characters and possible motives.
July 10, 2018
Having been brought up on a standard diet of Agatha Christie, I usually find all other crime novelists wanting as there is no "Aha!" at the end in most of them. The mystery may be well imagined and plotted, but Dame Agatha's trick of producing the rabbit out of the hat cannot be emulated by anyone else. That is why I was not a big fan of P. D. James initially.
Over the years, however, I have come to value the literary quality of her novels. While the others are content to write competent English and leave the characterisation to a few deft sketches, James takes enormous care over both. Her English is a joy to read, and her characters, down to the most insignificant of them, are meticulously sketched. And in this particular novel, the way she has described the Thames and the life along it is so evocative as to take one's breath away. This is one mystery I read slowly, savouring the language all the way.
Gerard Etienne, first among equals of the partners owning the Peverell Press is the murder victim - he's enough of a blackguard to qualify for the honour. (In fact, had this been a Christie novel, he wouldn't have gotten past page 20 alive.) Self-centered, ruthless and entirely lacking in any kind of sentiments, he has pissed off virtually everybody including the other partners, staff and clients. So it is no wonder that he winds up as a dead body in the small archives room, a victim of carbon monoxide poisoning in a carefully contrived accident.
As Adam Dalgliesh and his able deputies, Kate Miskin and Daniel Aaron arrive on the scene, the plot thickens with red herrings, broken alibis, and more murders...
___
As mysteries go, this was a pretty decent one. The solution is entirely satisfying and believable, with a final twist which is impossible to see coming. I would say had I really racked my brains I could have solved it partway at least, but that does not take away from the cleverness of the plotting.
However, two things dragged down this mystery from 4 to 3 stars for me: (1) a superfluity of characters whose lives are described at length, but who do not contribute much to the story and (2) the anticlimax of the denouement (no, that's not a spoiler!). I believe the author should have kept it tighter and worked more on her climax.
Over the years, however, I have come to value the literary quality of her novels. While the others are content to write competent English and leave the characterisation to a few deft sketches, James takes enormous care over both. Her English is a joy to read, and her characters, down to the most insignificant of them, are meticulously sketched. And in this particular novel, the way she has described the Thames and the life along it is so evocative as to take one's breath away. This is one mystery I read slowly, savouring the language all the way.
Gerard Etienne, first among equals of the partners owning the Peverell Press is the murder victim - he's enough of a blackguard to qualify for the honour. (In fact, had this been a Christie novel, he wouldn't have gotten past page 20 alive.) Self-centered, ruthless and entirely lacking in any kind of sentiments, he has pissed off virtually everybody including the other partners, staff and clients. So it is no wonder that he winds up as a dead body in the small archives room, a victim of carbon monoxide poisoning in a carefully contrived accident.
As Adam Dalgliesh and his able deputies, Kate Miskin and Daniel Aaron arrive on the scene, the plot thickens with red herrings, broken alibis, and more murders...
___
As mysteries go, this was a pretty decent one. The solution is entirely satisfying and believable, with a final twist which is impossible to see coming. I would say had I really racked my brains I could have solved it partway at least, but that does not take away from the cleverness of the plotting.
However, two things dragged down this mystery from 4 to 3 stars for me: (1) a superfluity of characters whose lives are described at length, but who do not contribute much to the story and (2) the anticlimax of the denouement (no, that's not a spoiler!). I believe the author should have kept it tighter and worked more on her climax.
November 5, 2021
4.5 stars
"If you're going to play God Almighty, then you'd better make sure beforehand that you have His wisdom"
Slam. Ouch.
Having read 12 PD James mysteries thus far and being a self-professed huge fan of both her style and character studies, I think I just might have to put "Original Sin" right up there with my favourites.
Beyond being just a murder mystery, it also is a minute exploration of a biblical theme: Old Testament style justice and how dangerous it can be when
Some have criticised the novel - and indeed most of James' longer works -- as being unnecessarily bloated. I can't agree in this case. Yes, it IS long, but everything and every detail has its place in the overall picture. It all fits and (almost) all of it is needed to create the overall tapestry that allows the theme to come through.
That this theme comes out mostly in the last half of the novel is really the only reason I'm taking off half a star. It could have popped up earlier without spoiling things. And extra points for the snide commentary on authors who think they're geniuses when they are but mere mediocre talents with entitlement complexes. (Again, ouch!)
Still, as good as I think this one is. I wouldn't rec it to anybody who's never read PD James. This is more for those who know, and like, her style.
"If you're going to play God Almighty, then you'd better make sure beforehand that you have His wisdom"
Slam. Ouch.
Having read 12 PD James mysteries thus far and being a self-professed huge fan of both her style and character studies, I think I just might have to put "Original Sin" right up there with my favourites.
Beyond being just a murder mystery, it also is a minute exploration of a biblical theme: Old Testament style justice and how dangerous it can be when
Some have criticised the novel - and indeed most of James' longer works -- as being unnecessarily bloated. I can't agree in this case. Yes, it IS long, but everything and every detail has its place in the overall picture. It all fits and (almost) all of it is needed to create the overall tapestry that allows the theme to come through.
That this theme comes out mostly in the last half of the novel is really the only reason I'm taking off half a star. It could have popped up earlier without spoiling things. And extra points for the snide commentary on authors who think they're geniuses when they are but mere mediocre talents with entitlement complexes. (Again, ouch!)
Still, as good as I think this one is. I wouldn't rec it to anybody who's never read PD James. This is more for those who know, and like, her style.
May 7, 2018
It's very boring and slow. The author describes everything in minute detail quite unnecessarily, and every time a character is introduced (no matter how unimportant to the plot), the story stops and we're treated to what basically amounts to their whole biography.
I did discover who the murderer was (at first I thought, "it can't be that easy", and kept looking for clues, but by the 75% mark there was absolutely no doubt about it). That's not fun.
And honestly, I had no sense of who the Inspector Adam Dalgliesh was. He was a blank to me. Ok, this is book #9 in the series, but this is a detective novel. You're supposed to be able to read it out of order and still "know" who the main detective is as a character. You could pick up any Agatha Christie book in the Poirot series and find out everything you needed to know about Poirot, from his appearance to his personality. But here? I got nothing.
Finally, I was very uncomfortable with the ending.
I did discover who the murderer was (at first I thought, "it can't be that easy", and kept looking for clues, but by the 75% mark there was absolutely no doubt about it). That's not fun.
And honestly, I had no sense of who the Inspector Adam Dalgliesh was. He was a blank to me. Ok, this is book #9 in the series, but this is a detective novel. You're supposed to be able to read it out of order and still "know" who the main detective is as a character. You could pick up any Agatha Christie book in the Poirot series and find out everything you needed to know about Poirot, from his appearance to his personality. But here? I got nothing.
Finally, I was very uncomfortable with the ending.
April 26, 2019
This was another well written Dalgliesh story. I wanted to finish it in one sitting, but alas work happened.
Yes, I did see the film about this one, but it didn’t play through my head while I was reading the book. Maybe the film wasn’t very memorable.
One of the big plot devices James used in this story, and which I throughly enjoy, is how the character’s religions often tie into the story. The characters often have to make moral choices based upon the religious upbringing. So it is often between the choice of what is right and good or what the justice code demands.
This series just keeps getting better and better.
Yes, I did see the film about this one, but it didn’t play through my head while I was reading the book. Maybe the film wasn’t very memorable.
One of the big plot devices James used in this story, and which I throughly enjoy, is how the character’s religions often tie into the story. The characters often have to make moral choices based upon the religious upbringing. So it is often between the choice of what is right and good or what the justice code demands.
This series just keeps getting better and better.
June 2, 2017
Since I liked the collection of short stories by PD James the other day, I thought I pick up a big starring Adam Dalgliesh. Big mistake. Huge.
I don't know if I should have read this in order (this is the 9th book in the series) but I just could not get past the 25 percent mark.
I was so bored reading about the murder and what was going on. Life is too short to keep reading a book that is boring you to tears. I don't see this character becoming a favorite with me like Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple.
I don't know if I should have read this in order (this is the 9th book in the series) but I just could not get past the 25 percent mark.
I was so bored reading about the murder and what was going on. Life is too short to keep reading a book that is boring you to tears. I don't see this character becoming a favorite with me like Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple.
October 31, 2020
While reading the The Cuckoo's Calling recently I noted that the opening reminded me of a P D James novel in that it introduced the story by tracking a capable young secretary/admin as she began her first day at a job that would prove to have momentous consequences. Since James has always ranked high in my personal pantheon of crime novelists, I decided to give Original Sin a re-read/listen.
I'm so glad that I did, since the book remains as compelling as I found it many years ago. The setting, a spectacular re-creation of a Venetian palace, located on the banks of the Thames, is lovingly described and the characters are intriguing. As always with James, nothing is rushed, but nothing is unnecessary or wasted. The plot could have gone in many directions based on the personalities and experiences of those characters, and the conclusion came off well. Of course, it's always good to reconnect with Adam Dalgleish and Kate Miskin.
I couldn't help thinking about my first P D James, An Unsuitable Job for a Woman, which I read simply because the title caught my eye on a library bookshelf during the feminist fervor of the 70’s. A story about a woman detective! How cool is that?
It certainly proved to be a super selection, since reading P D James has given me so many hours of pleasure over the years.
One more thing - while reading a section about Greenwich I remembered our commitment to spend more time there should the pandemic ever lift and we have a chance to visit London again. And within minutes, on Facebook an "event invitation" to a short course in astronomy arrived from the Royal Observatory. My first ever from them. Mysterious how these things work out.
I'm so glad that I did, since the book remains as compelling as I found it many years ago. The setting, a spectacular re-creation of a Venetian palace, located on the banks of the Thames, is lovingly described and the characters are intriguing. As always with James, nothing is rushed, but nothing is unnecessary or wasted. The plot could have gone in many directions based on the personalities and experiences of those characters, and the conclusion came off well. Of course, it's always good to reconnect with Adam Dalgleish and Kate Miskin.
I couldn't help thinking about my first P D James, An Unsuitable Job for a Woman, which I read simply because the title caught my eye on a library bookshelf during the feminist fervor of the 70’s. A story about a woman detective! How cool is that?
It certainly proved to be a super selection, since reading P D James has given me so many hours of pleasure over the years.
One more thing - while reading a section about Greenwich I remembered our commitment to spend more time there should the pandemic ever lift and we have a chance to visit London again. And within minutes, on Facebook an "event invitation" to a short course in astronomy arrived from the Royal Observatory. My first ever from them. Mysterious how these things work out.
August 30, 2020
I'm going to have a hard time reviewing this - mostly a hard time deciding how to rate it. This kindle edition is a smidgen over 600 pages. For 575 of them, I thought this is probably the best of the series, or at the very least a close second to A Taste for Death. And then I was outraged at those last 25 pages. I could put my reason behind spoiler tags but my thoughts are more involved than I think appropriate.
The beginning introduces us to a temp shorthand typist employed by Peverell Press. On young Mandy Price's first day she discovers the body of a woman employee who has committed suicide. A very few chapters later we are told there are three murders within the month that Mandy is employed. The firm is not a large one but there are still enough characters to keep track of. Just enough and certainly distinct enough, in my opinion, that there was never a chance of getting them confused.
It is pretty easy to turn the pages in this one. Mysteries are usually more about plot than characterization. What I have liked about this series so far is both the writing and the characterization. I like the characterizations of Dalgliesh and his team, and the supporting characters of the publishing company were also well drawn. In this, there was also a pretty good plot. I was convinced I knew who the perpetrator was, and once I knew that was wrong, I realized I probably should have been more discerning.
So. Here I am still unsure what to do about that ending. This was never going to be 5-stars, but I did think it was likely a strong 4-stars. I think it comes down to the fact that I liked it so well for nearly all of it, that I can bring myself to only say the ending weakened it mightily for me, but I cannot downgrade it to 3-stars.
The beginning introduces us to a temp shorthand typist employed by Peverell Press. On young Mandy Price's first day she discovers the body of a woman employee who has committed suicide. A very few chapters later we are told there are three murders within the month that Mandy is employed. The firm is not a large one but there are still enough characters to keep track of. Just enough and certainly distinct enough, in my opinion, that there was never a chance of getting them confused.
It is pretty easy to turn the pages in this one. Mysteries are usually more about plot than characterization. What I have liked about this series so far is both the writing and the characterization. I like the characterizations of Dalgliesh and his team, and the supporting characters of the publishing company were also well drawn. In this, there was also a pretty good plot. I was convinced I knew who the perpetrator was, and once I knew that was wrong, I realized I probably should have been more discerning.
So. Here I am still unsure what to do about that ending. This was never going to be 5-stars, but I did think it was likely a strong 4-stars. I think it comes down to the fact that I liked it so well for nearly all of it, that I can bring myself to only say the ending weakened it mightily for me, but I cannot downgrade it to 3-stars.
January 31, 2016
A murder has taken place in the offices of the Peverell Press, a venerable London publishing house located in a dramatic mock-Venetian palace on the Thames. 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 who 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.
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)
3* Original Sin (Adam Dalgliesh, #9)
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)
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)
3* Original Sin (Adam Dalgliesh, #9)
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)
June 8, 2012
Terrible. Just awful. I thought I liked PD James but this was barley readable. About once every 80 pages there'd be a nice passage but otherwise just boring with too strange an ending that came out of nowhere. Bleh.
January 3, 2025
לסקירה מפורטת בעברית, קישור לבלוג שלי -
https://sivi-the-avid-reader.com/orig...
https://sivi-the-avid-reader.com/orig...
August 15, 2020
To say that P.D. James' Inspector Adam Dalgliesh series of stories are crime novels, mysteries or police procedurals is to do her work a disservice. Yes, the books in the series are all of those three, whodunits of the Golden Age of mystery, but James' product is so much more.
The stories provide, along with suspense, in-depth character studies of many of the main characters in each book. The studies provide interest and insight to the reader while helping to build up the suspense as to who the likely perpetrator(s) is.
These are not quick reads, but stories to savor. The individual titles can be read as standalones.
The stories provide, along with suspense, in-depth character studies of many of the main characters in each book. The studies provide interest and insight to the reader while helping to build up the suspense as to who the likely perpetrator(s) is.
These are not quick reads, but stories to savor. The individual titles can be read as standalones.
July 29, 2021
It was a good story albeit a farfetched plot. The murder of Gerald Etienne the managing director of Peverell Publishing the oldest publisher in England. It is located on the Thames in a Venetian type building. There are lots of suspects, red herrings and a theme of criticism about Jewish people throughout the story. A new detective Daniel is introduced who is Jewish and an atheist.
The length of the novel could have been edited down a hundred pages. The description of how many stops on the underground was an example of too descriptive. What James did well was the psychology of the characters. Claudia with her toy boy, the elderly staff. Frances and James, Gabriel the 76 year old who was an unlikely murderer.
Why I gave it a 4 instead of a 3 was the twist at the end and the murders all done for the wrong motive.
The length of the novel could have been edited down a hundred pages. The description of how many stops on the underground was an example of too descriptive. What James did well was the psychology of the characters. Claudia with her toy boy, the elderly staff. Frances and James, Gabriel the 76 year old who was an unlikely murderer.
Why I gave it a 4 instead of a 3 was the twist at the end and the murders all done for the wrong motive.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 2, 2009
This is the James book that I came closest to disliking. It really is okay. The reason why is because the ending does not make sense; it isn't fully believable in the terms of one character, a character that James, for once, did not do a good job on. If you have never read P. D. James before, don't start with this one. Start with The Murder Room or A Certain Justice.
November 13, 2017
An entertaining and absorbing cosy murder mystery
Read
June 4, 2012As usual, another excellently-written multifaceted murder mystery by P.D. James.
It’s interesting to imagine James pitching this to her publisher.
‘Dear Publisher, I’d like to write a murder mystery set in a publishing house where the editor did it. Who does the editor kill? Why, the publisher! And then one of the authors! That’s not a problematic scenario for you at all, is it? Also, can I come in and lurk around your office for a few weeks to get a sense of how a publishing house really works?’
Publishers: ‘Dear PD James, we can’t see why we’d have a problem with one of our best-selling authors coming into the office and seeing how author treatment, office politics, contracts, payments, etc. typically work. We’re a publisher, therefore completely transparent! Really! Now excuse us while we hide all the confidential papers, alcohol, and instruct our staff to be on their very best behavior.’
It’s interesting to imagine James pitching this to her publisher.
‘Dear Publisher, I’d like to write a murder mystery set in a publishing house where the editor did it. Who does the editor kill? Why, the publisher! And then one of the authors! That’s not a problematic scenario for you at all, is it? Also, can I come in and lurk around your office for a few weeks to get a sense of how a publishing house really works?’
Publishers: ‘Dear PD James, we can’t see why we’d have a problem with one of our best-selling authors coming into the office and seeing how author treatment, office politics, contracts, payments, etc. typically work. We’re a publisher, therefore completely transparent! Really! Now excuse us while we hide all the confidential papers, alcohol, and instruct our staff to be on their very best behavior.’
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 19, 2011
This one was so slow, plodding. Alot of character description. The plot, the who done it got pushed off to the end. Nearly all the clues came together near the end. 75% covered all the different characters being clueless as to who, what did the deeds. Suspense was weak.
September 5, 2020
This is the ninth in the Adam Dalgliesh books and is one of my favourites, so far. This is probably helped by the fact it is set in a publishing firm – anything at all bookish and I am immediately on board. It also begins well, with young shorthand typist, Mandy Price, setting out for an interview at Peverell Press. The interview is interrupted by the discovery of a body, but, showing a degree of nonchalance which impressed me greatly, Mandy still agrees to take her typing test…
Sadly, the discovery of what appears to be a suicide, is only the beginning of the troubles for Peverell Press. There is dispute among the partners about the direction of the firm and the desire of Gerald Etienne, who has taken the senior role, to sell off the magnificent, riverside building, that the publisher’s inhabit. In addition, there is a mischief maker on the premises, who is causing trouble.
Of course, the trouble soon involves murder and Dalgliesh is brought in to investigate. I enjoyed the setting, characters and the plot of this novel. As always, James was a little indulgent in exploring the back story of every character and tends to offer overly detailed descriptions of every scene. Still, mostly, this worked well and there was a good cast of characters and possible motives.
Sadly, the discovery of what appears to be a suicide, is only the beginning of the troubles for Peverell Press. There is dispute among the partners about the direction of the firm and the desire of Gerald Etienne, who has taken the senior role, to sell off the magnificent, riverside building, that the publisher’s inhabit. In addition, there is a mischief maker on the premises, who is causing trouble.
Of course, the trouble soon involves murder and Dalgliesh is brought in to investigate. I enjoyed the setting, characters and the plot of this novel. As always, James was a little indulgent in exploring the back story of every character and tends to offer overly detailed descriptions of every scene. Still, mostly, this worked well and there was a good cast of characters and possible motives.
December 24, 2011
Having read James' The Murder Room before this one, the two novels sadly ran together in my mind, both plot wise, setting-wise and character-wise.
And I really don't think that there are any characters in James' world who aren't depressive, agnostic/atheistic and sexually active. Anyone?? Hello???
Not my favorite P.D. James, but still fairly entertaining.
And I really don't think that there are any characters in James' world who aren't depressive, agnostic/atheistic and sexually active. Anyone?? Hello???
Not my favorite P.D. James, but still fairly entertaining.
March 3, 2012
Having read and enjoyed other books by this author, especially children of men, I was disappointed by this one. Although I'd found a similar problem with A Certain Justice, the issue of too many characters really became a problem in Original Sin. When the eventual murderer was revealed I couldn't remember who they were or how they fitted in with the plot. All the excitement or dare I say even relevance came in the last 2 chapters which is disappointing to say the least. It's readable but I don't think it's James' best.
May 26, 2009
I was really disappointed in this book. I was bored the entire time, and never got invested in any of the characters. I remember very little about this book other than constantly checking the number of pages left, and wishing it would be over faster. I rarely ever skim books, but I just couldn't handle much of this one, so I would skim pages at a time.
I tried one other book by P.D. James too, and felt the same way. Ugh.
I tried one other book by P.D. James too, and felt the same way. Ugh.
April 13, 2021
I was given a bag of books from a local swapping group, and in amongst the modern crime thrillers were a stack of PD James’ Dalgliesh novels. They make good lockdown reading - undemanding, well written, not too tense or high octane - and I’m enjoying her approach to plotting, which apparently involves some sort of madlibs process where she pulls a vaguely archaic setting out of a hat (struggling publishing firm; private museum; monastery) and then inserts her stock characters (spinster who is overly dedicated to her job; unpleasant man trying to bring about change to setting; token working class character). It’s like Midsomer Murders, if it was set in London and we had to constantly hear about how Barnaby is an intellectual as well as a police officer. All of which makes it sound like I dislike the series but I really don’t! They’re very readable and this is a particularly good one.
May 10, 2014
In this voluminous thriller i found the first many pages unattractive. Interest picked up only after Gerard's death. A lot is devoted to the characters' wear and even more to the architecture of the structures they inhabited. The old fashioned English and sentence structures may not attract those who read for the thrill of a detective novel; though I enjoyed it thoroughly.Though only one death turned out to be a genuine instance of suicide, the other four deaths were discovered to be cold-blooded murders.
The motif of the murders, at the end, raises the eternal issue of 'justice' vs 'revenge'.
The motif of the murders, at the end, raises the eternal issue of 'justice' vs 'revenge'.
November 1, 2011
I liked other books by P.D. James but this one disappointed me: was it perhaps just a draft? did she run out of time to revise it? The characters aren't developed fully, there are too many loose ends, and the reader doesn't get a chance to solve the puzzle because s/he isn't able to discover the facts on his/her own. Worst of all: there is a not-so-subtle anti-Semitic undercurrent to the novel. Yikes.
November 1, 2019
¡Por fin! Se me ha hecho cuesta arriba terminarlo. Al principio me enganchó, pero a medida que avanzaba, la cantidad de descripciones, la escasez de diálogos, sobrevolar los detalles importantes y p ararse en las cosas nimias; me han hecho apartarlo.
Es como un gran trozo de tortilla que comes sin masticar mucho y a mitad de garganta se para, te ahoga y te deja sin aire.
Pecado Original es esa tortilla.
Es como un gran trozo de tortilla que comes sin masticar mucho y a mitad de garganta se para, te ahoga y te deja sin aire.
Pecado Original es esa tortilla.
September 15, 2021
Che belli questi gialli scritti prima dei cellulari, di internet e dei droni quando un assassino poteva sparire senza timore di telecamere di sorveglianza o gps e gli investigatori e i poliziotti spulciavano archivi, facevano ricerche in biblioteca, si fermavano ad una cabina per telefonare in centrale e usavano più la testa della tecnologia.
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