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Adam Dalgliesh #10
A Certain Justice
When distinguished criminal lawyer Venetia Aldridge defends a young man for the brutal murder of his mother, she views the case as simply another opportunity to demonstrate her brilliance in the courtroom. But within weeks of the trial Aldridge is found dead at her desk, a bloodstained barrister’s wig on her head. And as Commander Adam Dalgliesh of Scotland Yard attempts to make sense of events, the murders continue, inexorably spiraling into fresh complexities of horror.
“Shocking . . . fascinating . . . A Certain Justice sucks the reader in right from the dramatic first line.”
–Los Angeles Times
“This is a P. D. James case to shiver through and revel in–dark page by dark page.”
–Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“Enthralling . . . [P. D. James’s] stories always captivate.”
–Associated Press
“Taut, suspenseful, and deeply penetrating.”
–Baltimore Sun
“Gripping.”
–The Wall Street Journal
“A compelling tale of pride, deceit, and revenge.”
–St. Louis Post-Dispatch
“Shocking . . . fascinating . . . A Certain Justice sucks the reader in right from the dramatic first line.”
–Los Angeles Times
“This is a P. D. James case to shiver through and revel in–dark page by dark page.”
–Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“Enthralling . . . [P. D. James’s] stories always captivate.”
–Associated Press
“Taut, suspenseful, and deeply penetrating.”
–Baltimore Sun
“Gripping.”
–The Wall Street Journal
“A compelling tale of pride, deceit, and revenge.”
–St. Louis Post-Dispatch
448 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 1, 1997
1073 people are currently reading
3537 people want to read
About the author
P.D. James
319 books3,244 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 806 reviews
September 10, 2025
This is the best murder-mystery novel in the Dalgliesh series so far. Here, James has combined a clever and complicated plot with just the right amount of suspense to keep you on edge. A clever and successful barrister is found dead in her chambers, stabbed at the heart, and Dalgleish and his team are drawn into a complicated web of retribution, vengeance, rivalry, and envy. When however the prime suspect dies, the story takes a different turn, making it even more complex and puzzling. Interestingly, this second murder creates a separate murder-mystery by way of a subplot. The two were interconnected of course, yet could be enjoyed as separate murder-mysteries. It was an interesting experiment of James and a highly successful one in my view.
James's writing is often described as "intelligent" and this novel has done immense justice for that compliment. No ordinary author could have created such an intricate murder-mystery. It was very cleverly thought and properly executed. Up to now, I've enjoyed most in the series and have appreciated her as an author, but A Certain Justice took that appreciation a step further into admiration.
The story, though clouded here and there with few implausible incidents, is compelling with its neatly constructed storyline and the sincere psychological portrait of both the victims and their murderers. James invites sympathy for all. She successfully rouses varying emotions of anger, frustration, pity, sadness. All these were tied into one curious knot that I didn't know whether to scream, or cry, or laugh like one in hysterics. I've never felt such strong emotions for a work of hers let alone any other novel of the murder-mystery genre, so I found this novelty surprising. The ending was, however, slightly disappointing. It was rushed in with an intent to end rather than to produce a satisfactory result. The inability of Dalgliesh to apprehend the culprit who set the whole criminal enterprise in wheel because of lack of concrete evidence didn't sit well with me. It was a bit of a set back to the otherwise near-perfect story and one that was hard to overlook, but the overall enjoyment was too great that I couldn't let this disappointment disconcert me.
As always I enjoyed Adam Dalgliesh's intelligence, composure, tact, and subtle authority. I've liked him from the beginning despite his reticence, but he certainly has grown on me over the series. He has proven time and again that he is capable of human feelings, and that the constant intercourse with the criminal world has not hardened him. He is one of the reasons that I continued with the series even when some of the books sorely disappointed me.
I've been reading the Dalgliesh series in order and this tenth book is the one I liked most. There were instances when I really wanted to give up the series, but I'm happy that I didn't give in to the momentary despair and continued, for otherwise, I would have missed this one. Sometimes, perseverance can be rewarding.
James's writing is often described as "intelligent" and this novel has done immense justice for that compliment. No ordinary author could have created such an intricate murder-mystery. It was very cleverly thought and properly executed. Up to now, I've enjoyed most in the series and have appreciated her as an author, but A Certain Justice took that appreciation a step further into admiration.
The story, though clouded here and there with few implausible incidents, is compelling with its neatly constructed storyline and the sincere psychological portrait of both the victims and their murderers. James invites sympathy for all. She successfully rouses varying emotions of anger, frustration, pity, sadness. All these were tied into one curious knot that I didn't know whether to scream, or cry, or laugh like one in hysterics. I've never felt such strong emotions for a work of hers let alone any other novel of the murder-mystery genre, so I found this novelty surprising. The ending was, however, slightly disappointing. It was rushed in with an intent to end rather than to produce a satisfactory result. The inability of Dalgliesh to apprehend the culprit who set the whole criminal enterprise in wheel because of lack of concrete evidence didn't sit well with me. It was a bit of a set back to the otherwise near-perfect story and one that was hard to overlook, but the overall enjoyment was too great that I couldn't let this disappointment disconcert me.
As always I enjoyed Adam Dalgliesh's intelligence, composure, tact, and subtle authority. I've liked him from the beginning despite his reticence, but he certainly has grown on me over the series. He has proven time and again that he is capable of human feelings, and that the constant intercourse with the criminal world has not hardened him. He is one of the reasons that I continued with the series even when some of the books sorely disappointed me.
I've been reading the Dalgliesh series in order and this tenth book is the one I liked most. There were instances when I really wanted to give up the series, but I'm happy that I didn't give in to the momentary despair and continued, for otherwise, I would have missed this one. Sometimes, perseverance can be rewarding.
November 23, 2025
One of the best PD James I have read. The twist at the end is brilliant. Venetia a QC is murdered in her chambers office and there is an awfully long list of suspects. Most of her colleagues, the murderer Ashe she recently got acquitted and who has mysteriously started a relationship with her estranged daughter Octavia.
SPOILERS AHEAD
The setting of the Temple law offices is atmospheric and Dalgliesh with his sidekick Kate are excellent. The second murder takes on a separate investigation linked strongly to the first. Who is this cleaning lady Mrs Carpenter and how is she linked to Ashe? Dalgliesh discovers that Venetia defended and got the charges dismissed of the man who later murdered her granddaughter. She hires Ashe to seduce Venetia’s daughter and he murdered Mrs Carpenter.
All is revealed outside Ipswich on an island of reeds. Dalgliesh then confronts the barrister who murdered Venetia in revenge for the death of his brother by her father and her bullying of his son. However, he does this by a hypothetical hypothesis and as there is no evidence so he gets away with murder.
Look forward to watching the tv series. I watched the latest 2023 tv series and enjoyed it except the ending where Dalgliesh gets to arrest the barrister. In the book he doesn’t as not enough proof. A bit disappointed in the tv ending.
SPOILERS AHEAD
The setting of the Temple law offices is atmospheric and Dalgliesh with his sidekick Kate are excellent. The second murder takes on a separate investigation linked strongly to the first. Who is this cleaning lady Mrs Carpenter and how is she linked to Ashe? Dalgliesh discovers that Venetia defended and got the charges dismissed of the man who later murdered her granddaughter. She hires Ashe to seduce Venetia’s daughter and he murdered Mrs Carpenter.
All is revealed outside Ipswich on an island of reeds. Dalgliesh then confronts the barrister who murdered Venetia in revenge for the death of his brother by her father and her bullying of his son. However, he does this by a hypothetical hypothesis and as there is no evidence so he gets away with murder.
Look forward to watching the tv series. I watched the latest 2023 tv series and enjoyed it except the ending where Dalgliesh gets to arrest the barrister. In the book he doesn’t as not enough proof. A bit disappointed in the tv ending.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 12, 2024
3.5 stars
short review for busy readers: an ultra-long, heavy on the backstory novel by one of my fave mystery writers. The characters are worth of a few novels just on their own. It takes almost 400 pages for the actual investigation to start, and even at 600+ pages, the ending feels very rushed. Not her best, but apparently one of her more popular ones.
in detail:
PD James was known for setting her mysteries in closed and close confines with a limited amount of suspects. Hospital wards, labs, lighthouses, small museums, churches, remote houses.
This one is a bit unusual in that it's set at the Inns of Court at Temple Bar in the middle of London, which is by far not closed or confined even if the lanes are medieval and twisty. Thousands of people tromp through there every day. The range of suspects is wider than usual in that it takes in more than the just barristers of the law firm where the murder happens.
Dalgliesh is virtually a background character in this one, as Kate Miskin does most of the sleuthing.
I've mentioned how good the backstories of each character are, but there are are also parts that stretch credibility to the maximum . It's this and the ending that bring this one down for me.
My fave suspect from the start turned out to be the culprit (yay!), but having read almost all of PD's Dalgliesh novels now, I know she liked to have at least 2 or more people contributing to what looks like the work of a single perpetrator, so I wasn't fooled there. (Almost like cheating, that!)
An enjoyable - if overly long - James. Not her best by far, but well done just the same.
Now I just have the final The Private Patient to read and I'll have the complete series!
short review for busy readers: an ultra-long, heavy on the backstory novel by one of my fave mystery writers. The characters are worth of a few novels just on their own. It takes almost 400 pages for the actual investigation to start, and even at 600+ pages, the ending feels very rushed. Not her best, but apparently one of her more popular ones.
in detail:
PD James was known for setting her mysteries in closed and close confines with a limited amount of suspects. Hospital wards, labs, lighthouses, small museums, churches, remote houses.
This one is a bit unusual in that it's set at the Inns of Court at Temple Bar in the middle of London, which is by far not closed or confined even if the lanes are medieval and twisty. Thousands of people tromp through there every day. The range of suspects is wider than usual in that it takes in more than the just barristers of the law firm where the murder happens.
Dalgliesh is virtually a background character in this one, as Kate Miskin does most of the sleuthing.
I've mentioned how good the backstories of each character are, but there are are also parts that stretch credibility to the maximum . It's this and the ending that bring this one down for me.
My fave suspect from the start turned out to be the culprit (yay!), but having read almost all of PD's Dalgliesh novels now, I know she liked to have at least 2 or more people contributing to what looks like the work of a single perpetrator, so I wasn't fooled there. (Almost like cheating, that!)
An enjoyable - if overly long - James. Not her best by far, but well done just the same.
Now I just have the final The Private Patient to read and I'll have the complete series!
September 28, 2020
Another ploddy mystery from PDJ which opens with an excellent trial scene but which ends with melodrama and an unsatisfying series of confessions. Sadly, the most interesting character gets stabbed to death in her chambers and there's the usual heavy-handed laying out of motives for everyone.
Once that scenario is established, however, PDJ seems to forget almost all the suspects and we barely see them again. Dalgleish and his team seem to have someone in mind based on alibis but they don't share their thoughts with us and I have no idea whether they had identified the right person or not. To be honest, the ending manages to be both overwrought and an anticlimax and I'd kind of lost interest by then. As was the case with the introduction of a Jewish detective in the last book, this time we open with Kate and new-boy Piers on a shooting range, so we know immediately how the book will end.
A 20-page written confession, complete with a perfect rendition of word-for-word conversations and exposition, stretches the artifices of the genre to its limits, and following this by a verbal confession on which the police can't act contributes to a commonplace ending. I'm not sure Dalgleish often does get his 'man', does he? It's a puzzle quite why he's so highly regarded by the government, police and just about everyone he meets.
Once again, it may be 1997, but in PDJ-land it's always the 1950s with women in offices using typewriters (a typewriter!) and word processors rather than computers - a later mention of Dalgleish actually using a mobile feels jarringly modern given the low-tech nature of the world - no internet here!
At various points we find PDJ repeating aspects from earlier books: .
PDJ is so readable in terms of her invention of characters and prose - but her plotting, especially her endings, is not great, and her social commentary is clumsy Tory-speak, almost designed to irritate me: Kate is the poster-girl for pulling herself up by her bootstraps (or whatever that Tory rhetoric is) and making good despite growing up on a council estate but she's still never allowed to feel at home in her upwardly-mobile world and turns down the opportunity to go to university on a police bursary because she predicts feeling out of place: it may or may not limit her career prospects but it certainly keeps her bound in intellectual and ideological terms especially as we see her constantly feeling awkward for not understanding the language of her peers (Piers talking about PPE at Oxford, for example) - you can take the girl out of the council estate but you can't take the council estate out of the girl, the text is telling us rather obnoxiously and patronisingly.
It may well be the case that reading a PDJ a month with a group highlights the infelicities that might have been obscured by reading them as they were originally published - still, I've started so I'll finish!
Once that scenario is established, however, PDJ seems to forget almost all the suspects and we barely see them again. Dalgleish and his team seem to have someone in mind based on alibis but they don't share their thoughts with us and I have no idea whether they had identified the right person or not. To be honest, the ending manages to be both overwrought and an anticlimax and I'd kind of lost interest by then. As was the case with the introduction of a Jewish detective in the last book, this time we open with Kate and new-boy Piers on a shooting range, so we know immediately how the book will end.
A 20-page written confession, complete with a perfect rendition of word-for-word conversations and exposition, stretches the artifices of the genre to its limits, and following this by a verbal confession on which the police can't act contributes to a commonplace ending. I'm not sure Dalgleish often does get his 'man', does he? It's a puzzle quite why he's so highly regarded by the government, police and just about everyone he meets.
Once again, it may be 1997, but in PDJ-land it's always the 1950s with women in offices using typewriters (a typewriter!) and word processors rather than computers - a later mention of Dalgleish actually using a mobile feels jarringly modern given the low-tech nature of the world - no internet here!
At various points we find PDJ repeating aspects from earlier books: .
PDJ is so readable in terms of her invention of characters and prose - but her plotting, especially her endings, is not great, and her social commentary is clumsy Tory-speak, almost designed to irritate me: Kate is the poster-girl for pulling herself up by her bootstraps (or whatever that Tory rhetoric is) and making good despite growing up on a council estate but she's still never allowed to feel at home in her upwardly-mobile world and turns down the opportunity to go to university on a police bursary because she predicts feeling out of place: it may or may not limit her career prospects but it certainly keeps her bound in intellectual and ideological terms especially as we see her constantly feeling awkward for not understanding the language of her peers (Piers talking about PPE at Oxford, for example) - you can take the girl out of the council estate but you can't take the council estate out of the girl, the text is telling us rather obnoxiously and patronisingly.
It may well be the case that reading a PDJ a month with a group highlights the infelicities that might have been obscured by reading them as they were originally published - still, I've started so I'll finish!
November 26, 2024
Solidly written and absorbing crime mystery. The characters and backstory are particularly well drawn and "whodunnit" aspect nicely baffling. It is P.D. James' 10th Adam Dalgliesh novel, and they have got noticeably lengthier and more complex as the series has progressed.
May 24, 2022
Being an unabashed Anglophile, I am a great fan of this author and this is one of my favorite of her Dalgliesh stories. A respected but not very well liked QC Venetia Aldridge successfully defends a young man, Garry Ashe, accused of killing his aunt although she is quite sure that he is guilty. When Ashe begins courting her emotionally frail and estranged daughter, Venetia is frantic to end the relationship. Then she is found murdered in chambers and Dalgliesh and his team turn their attention to Ashe and the members of chambers, some of whom also have reason to wish Venetia dead. Another murder occurs and a revealing letter points the way to a very twisted but satisfying conclusion. A complex story that keeps the reader enthralled from page one.
May 19, 2023
Murders in Law
Review of the Vintage Canada Kindle eBook (2010) of the Faber & Faber (UK) original hardcover (October 1, 1997).
The 10th Adam Dalgliesh novel finds the poet detective and his team of Kate Miskin and new assistant Piers Tarrant from Scotland Yard CID investigating the murder of lawyer Venetia Aldridge who is found dead in her office of a stab wound with her body grotesquely displayed in a judge's wig and doused in blood which is not her own. There are no lack of suspects as there were rivalries within the lawyer's chambers and Aldridge was notorious for defending and obtaining acquittals for clients who were likely guilty of their crimes.
The cover of the original Faber & Faber hardcover published in 1997. Image sourced from Wikipedia.
The conclusion of the book did flirt with an Unsatisfactory Ending Alert™, but I honestly can't used that tag for P.D. James as the novel was completely satisfactory otherwise. In the end, A Certain Justice is still achieved.
I read A Certain Justice as a 2023 new read, continuing on from my 2022 binge re-read of the early P.D. James novels. I started the re-reads when I discovered my 1980's P.D. James paperbacks while clearing a storage locker. The later books are new reads for me.
My early P.D. James paperbacks as rescued from storage. Most of these were published in the 1980s by Sphere Books.
Trivia and Links
A Certain Justice was adapted for television in 1998 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 1998 adaptation starting with Episode 1 on YouTube here. This was Roy Marsden’s final performance as Adam Dalgliesh, as the role was taken over by Martin Shaw when the TV rights moved to the BBC for a short run of adaptations (based on Books #11 & 12) in 2003-2004.
The new Acorn TV-series reboot Dalgliesh (2021-2023-?) starring Bertie Carver as Adam Dalgliesh adapted A Certain Justice as Season 2 Episodes 3 & 4. Season 1 adapted books 4, 5 & 7. Season 2 adapted books 6, 10 & 12. The reboot series has been renewed for a Season 3, but the source books for that have not been announced. A trailer for Season 2 can be seen here and an alternative trailer (with some different scenes) can be seen here.
Review of the Vintage Canada Kindle eBook (2010) of the Faber & Faber (UK) original hardcover (October 1, 1997).
But even after the first day he was beginning to suspect that it could turn into one of those cases which all detectives abhor: the inquiry in which the murderer is known but the evidence is never sufficient in the eyes of the DPP* to justify prosecution. And the police team was, after all, dealing with lawyers. They would know better than most that what condemned a man was the inability to keep his mouth shut. - * DPP = Department of Public Prosecutions.
The 10th Adam Dalgliesh novel finds the poet detective and his team of Kate Miskin and new assistant Piers Tarrant from Scotland Yard CID investigating the murder of lawyer Venetia Aldridge who is found dead in her office of a stab wound with her body grotesquely displayed in a judge's wig and doused in blood which is not her own. There are no lack of suspects as there were rivalries within the lawyer's chambers and Aldridge was notorious for defending and obtaining acquittals for clients who were likely guilty of their crimes.
The cover of the original Faber & Faber hardcover published in 1997. Image sourced from Wikipedia.
The conclusion of the book did flirt with an Unsatisfactory Ending Alert™, but I honestly can't used that tag for P.D. James as the novel was completely satisfactory otherwise. In the end, A Certain Justice is still achieved.
He asked: “Any news? You haven’t come to make an arrest, I take it. Of course not, there would be at least two of you. There should be a Latin tag about it. Vigiles non timendi sunt nisi complures adveniunt. I leave the translation to you.” - The Latin translates as "Don't fear the police, unless several of them arrive together."
I read A Certain Justice as a 2023 new read, continuing on from my 2022 binge re-read of the early P.D. James novels. I started the re-reads when I discovered my 1980's P.D. James paperbacks while clearing a storage locker. The later books are new reads for me.
My early P.D. James paperbacks as rescued from storage. Most of these were published in the 1980s by Sphere Books.
Trivia and Links
A Certain Justice was adapted for television in 1998 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 1998 adaptation starting with Episode 1 on YouTube here. This was Roy Marsden’s final performance as Adam Dalgliesh, as the role was taken over by Martin Shaw when the TV rights moved to the BBC for a short run of adaptations (based on Books #11 & 12) in 2003-2004.
The new Acorn TV-series reboot Dalgliesh (2021-2023-?) starring Bertie Carver as Adam Dalgliesh adapted A Certain Justice as Season 2 Episodes 3 & 4. Season 1 adapted books 4, 5 & 7. Season 2 adapted books 6, 10 & 12. The reboot series has been renewed for a Season 3, but the source books for that have not been announced. A trailer for Season 2 can be seen here and an alternative trailer (with some different scenes) can be seen here.
August 20, 2013
A thoroughly delightful James, one of her best. And when I say delightful, it means I have already forgotten about the middle-aged, droopy-breasted slut-prostitute aunt who insists that her live-in nephew not only photograph all her encounters with the mens, but make love to her himself. Hey: it happens. In the world of female British crime writers, it happens a lot. But like I said, I've already forgotten this tidbit.
As our novel opens, attractive, divorced, successful, hard-edged, unmaternal, unsympathetic barrister Venetia Aldridge is defending above nephew on the charge of murdering said aunt. She obtains an acquittal, and shortly thereafter finds that her 18-year old daughter has become engaged to the sociopathic young man. They've just met, and it hardly seems coincidental: someone is trying to piss Venetia Aldridge off. Quite a few people's lives would be made easier if Venetia were to pass from this earth, and we meet them, one by one. Soon Venetia meets her maker at the office, courtesy of a stiletto-sharp letter opener between the ribs. Enter the preternaturally lovely Commissioner Adam Dalgliesh - a man utterly at home in all situations - and his underling Kate Miskin, a woman continually pestered by her impoverished, urine-scented childhood - and we are off to the races.
As you will have guessed, the title A Certain Justice has a double meaning. In one sense certain means "established beyond doubt." One character will receive certain justice - beyond a doubt. In another sense "a certain..." means "a kind of/sort of." A second character will receive a sort of justice...not full justice, perhaps just a fraction thereof.
July 20, 2021
Please, somebody tell me that this is the worst book written by P. D. James, because if it isn't this one then people are even more gullible than I think.
A scene can be handled sparely, as here, "I drove to the store and got the evening paper," or it can be given in pages of detail, describing the need for the evening paper, why the protagonist chose that moment to get one, the weather conditions, the road conditions, a description of the car and the route, what the protagonist was wearing, and a whole lot more. Both are legitimate choices for a writer IF the long version is written in a lively style and adds necessary facts or scope and depth to the characters and the world of the story. James takes the latter route, so to speak, but most of the details seem superfluous to the characterizations and the world that she creates. You can skip pages and pages of this book and still know everything you need to know.
Her style is certainly readable, or I would have not finished such a slow moving book. Her protagonist, Adam Dalgliesh, is a real prick to those who work for him and a self-righteous git generally. I fail to understand his popularity. While James hints that he is a very deep thinker, she does not make this concrete. The story is alright, though a bit creepy for my taste.
I was prepared to give this book three stars for its readable style and expansiveness until I came to a couple of paragraphs near the end in which James informs the reader of a parallel between one of the police detectives and one of the murderers. This is slapped on in a irresponsible manner instead of being developed in parallel through the book. This is a cheap, unprofessional, and shoddy writing. A CERTAIN JUSTICE would have been a much better book had James developed this as a fine writer should. Then it would have meaning.
A scene can be handled sparely, as here, "I drove to the store and got the evening paper," or it can be given in pages of detail, describing the need for the evening paper, why the protagonist chose that moment to get one, the weather conditions, the road conditions, a description of the car and the route, what the protagonist was wearing, and a whole lot more. Both are legitimate choices for a writer IF the long version is written in a lively style and adds necessary facts or scope and depth to the characters and the world of the story. James takes the latter route, so to speak, but most of the details seem superfluous to the characterizations and the world that she creates. You can skip pages and pages of this book and still know everything you need to know.
Her style is certainly readable, or I would have not finished such a slow moving book. Her protagonist, Adam Dalgliesh, is a real prick to those who work for him and a self-righteous git generally. I fail to understand his popularity. While James hints that he is a very deep thinker, she does not make this concrete. The story is alright, though a bit creepy for my taste.
I was prepared to give this book three stars for its readable style and expansiveness until I came to a couple of paragraphs near the end in which James informs the reader of a parallel between one of the police detectives and one of the murderers. This is slapped on in a irresponsible manner instead of being developed in parallel through the book. This is a cheap, unprofessional, and shoddy writing. A CERTAIN JUSTICE would have been a much better book had James developed this as a fine writer should. Then it would have meaning.
September 24, 2020
Published in 1994, this is the tenth crime novel featuring Commander Adam Dalgliesh. I am working my way through the Dalgliesh novels and, in my opinion, James could have done with tightening up her work. Her books tend to be over-long and full of detail. That said, this starts really well and, even though it dragged a little, by the end, it was interesting, overall.
Venetia Aldridge is a criminal barrister, who is set to take over as Head of Chambers. Venetia is driven and intelligent; divorced and with one, teenage daughter, Octavia. Venetia became interested in the law as a teenager herself, when a teacher at her father’s prep school, discussed criminal cases with her. Now she is a successful, tough, lawyer. She is defending Gary Ashe, a young man who, having spent most of his life in care, had moved in with his aunt and is accused of slashing her throat. His aunt was an unsympathetic victim and, when Ashe prompts Venetia to ask a certain question during cross examination of a witness, Venetia has another legal success and Gary Ashe is free.
When Venetia Aldridge is found murdered, Dalgliesh and his team need to uncover the murderer and the motive. Of course, there are several people; both in Chambers and in Aldridge’s life, who have a reason to want her dead. Dalgliesh is not as involved in this novel as he has been in others. Although he is, often, on the sidelines, I did miss his involvement. Still, this was an engaging, involving mystery and I liked the scenes set in the law Courts and the world of Chambers.
Venetia Aldridge is a criminal barrister, who is set to take over as Head of Chambers. Venetia is driven and intelligent; divorced and with one, teenage daughter, Octavia. Venetia became interested in the law as a teenager herself, when a teacher at her father’s prep school, discussed criminal cases with her. Now she is a successful, tough, lawyer. She is defending Gary Ashe, a young man who, having spent most of his life in care, had moved in with his aunt and is accused of slashing her throat. His aunt was an unsympathetic victim and, when Ashe prompts Venetia to ask a certain question during cross examination of a witness, Venetia has another legal success and Gary Ashe is free.
When Venetia Aldridge is found murdered, Dalgliesh and his team need to uncover the murderer and the motive. Of course, there are several people; both in Chambers and in Aldridge’s life, who have a reason to want her dead. Dalgliesh is not as involved in this novel as he has been in others. Although he is, often, on the sidelines, I did miss his involvement. Still, this was an engaging, involving mystery and I liked the scenes set in the law Courts and the world of Chambers.
December 29, 2024
לסקירה מפורטת בעברית, קישור לבלוג שלי -
https://sivi-the-avid-reader.com/a-ce...
https://sivi-the-avid-reader.com/a-ce...
March 30, 2019
EXCERPT: Murderers do not usually give their victims notice. This is one death which, however terrible that last second of appalled realization, comes mercifully unburdened with anticipatory terror. When, on the afternoon of Wednesday, 11th September, Venetia Aldridge stood up to cross examine the prosecutions chief witness in the case of Regina vs Ashe she had four weeks, four hours and fifty minutes left of life. After her death the many who had admired her and the few who had liked her, searching for a more personal response than the stock adjectives of shock and outrage, found themselves muttering that it would have pleased Venetia that her last case of murder had been tried at the Bailey, scene of her greatest triumphs, and in her favorite court.
But there was truth in the inanity.
ABOUT THIS BOOK: It begins, dramatically enough, with a trial for murder. The distinguished criminal lawyer Venetia Aldridge is defending Garry Ashe on charges of having brutally killed his aunt. For Aldridge the trial is mainly a test of her courtroom skills, one more opportunity to succeed--and she does. But now murder is in the air. The next victim will be Aldridge herself, stabbed to death at her desk in her Chambers in the Middle Temple, a bloodstained wig on her head. Enter Commander Adam Dalgliesh and his team, whose struggle to investigate and understand the shocking events cannot halt the spiral into more horrors, more murders...
A Certain Justice is P.D. James at her strongest. In her first foray into the strange closed world of the Law Courts and the London legal community, she has created a fascinating tale of interwoven passion and terror. As each character leaps into unforgettable life, as each scene draws us forward into new complexities of plot, she proves yet again that no other writer can match her skill in combining the excitement of the classic detective story with the richness of a fine novel. In its subtle portrayal of morality and human behavior, A Certain Justice will stand alongside Devices and Desires and A Taste for Death as one of P.D. James's most important, accomplished and entertaining works.
MY THOUGHTS: This is only my second PD James. I did not enjoy the first at all and was reluctant to read this. But it is faster paced and more intriguing than her book I read previously. She will not become one of my favourite authors. I find her a little predictable, and her writing style too formal for my liking. Even though I say this is faster paced than my previous read by this author, it is still slower than I like.
😐😐😐
THE AUTHOR: P. 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.
DISCLOSURE: I obtained my copy of A Certain Justice by P. D. James, published by Ballantine Books, via Waitomo District Library. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system. This review and others are also published on my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
But there was truth in the inanity.
ABOUT THIS BOOK: It begins, dramatically enough, with a trial for murder. The distinguished criminal lawyer Venetia Aldridge is defending Garry Ashe on charges of having brutally killed his aunt. For Aldridge the trial is mainly a test of her courtroom skills, one more opportunity to succeed--and she does. But now murder is in the air. The next victim will be Aldridge herself, stabbed to death at her desk in her Chambers in the Middle Temple, a bloodstained wig on her head. Enter Commander Adam Dalgliesh and his team, whose struggle to investigate and understand the shocking events cannot halt the spiral into more horrors, more murders...
A Certain Justice is P.D. James at her strongest. In her first foray into the strange closed world of the Law Courts and the London legal community, she has created a fascinating tale of interwoven passion and terror. As each character leaps into unforgettable life, as each scene draws us forward into new complexities of plot, she proves yet again that no other writer can match her skill in combining the excitement of the classic detective story with the richness of a fine novel. In its subtle portrayal of morality and human behavior, A Certain Justice will stand alongside Devices and Desires and A Taste for Death as one of P.D. James's most important, accomplished and entertaining works.
MY THOUGHTS: This is only my second PD James. I did not enjoy the first at all and was reluctant to read this. But it is faster paced and more intriguing than her book I read previously. She will not become one of my favourite authors. I find her a little predictable, and her writing style too formal for my liking. Even though I say this is faster paced than my previous read by this author, it is still slower than I like.
😐😐😐
THE AUTHOR: P. 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.
DISCLOSURE: I obtained my copy of A Certain Justice by P. D. James, published by Ballantine Books, via Waitomo District Library. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system. This review and others are also published on my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
May 7, 2016
ο εραστής της. Στο μεταξύ ένας δεύτερος άγριος φόνος περιπλέκει ακόμα περισσότερο τα πράγματα…”
[Read more...]
Δεν ενθουσιάστηκα. Υπάρχουν δύο στοιχεία που πρέπει υπάρχουν σε ένα κάλο αστυνομικό διήγημα για το ευχαριστηθείς με την ψυχή σου. Το ένα είναι φυσικά η δράση, όπου η πλοκή ξεδιπλώνεται γρήγορα αλλά και απολαυστικά και το δεύτερο είναι η αγωνία, αυτό που σε κάνει να γυρίζεις τις σελίδες μανιωδώς. Αυτά έλλειπαν απο την “Περίπτωση δικαιοσύνης”, κάτι που έκοψε στο μισό την αναγνωστική μου απόλαυση.
Ας μιλήσουμε για την πλοκή, η οποία είναι πολύ βασική και την συναντάμε σε όλα τα βιβλία του είδους. Το μυστήριο ήταν για εμένα άδικα τραβηγμένο. Οι χαρακτήρες ήταν τόσο πολλοί που μπορεί να μπέρδευαν τον αναγνώστη ως πρός την λύση του μυστηρίου, όμως τον έκανε να χάσει και το μέτρημα χωρίς λόγο. Το τέλος δεν με ενθουσίασε επίσης, θα μπορούσε να χτιστεί καλύτερα.
Δεν ήταν όμως όλο το βιβλίο για τα λογοτεχνίκα Τάρταρα. Η συγγραφέας ανέπτυξε πάρα πολύ τους χαρακτήρες της, σε σημείο που μπορούσες άνετα να τους τοποθετήσεις στη φαντασία σου. Μάλιστα εκεί που το θύμα σε ένα αστυνομικό βιβλίο πεθαίνει σχέδον απο την πρώτη σελίδα, σε αυτό το βιβλίο η συγγραφέας μας άφησε να ζήσουμε για 100+ σελίδες μέσα στο μυαλό της. Αν μη τι άλλο η James είναι εξαιρετική χαρακτηρογράφος. Το δευτέρο και τελευταίο στοιχείο που λάτρεψα στο μυθιστόρημα τούτο είναι η παρουσία του Λονδίνου, αλλά και άλλων Αγγλικών περιοχών. Οι περιγραφές τοπίων, αλλά και διάφορων κτηρίων τοου Βικτωριανού Λονδίνου με έστειλε στο παράδεισο.
Για εμένα του ταιριάζει περισσότερο η κατηγορία “Πεζογραφία” με μία έντονη παρουσία μυστήριου. Του λείπουν τα ζωτικά στοιχεία για να ανήκει στο Αστυνομικό. Η ιστορία ξεδιπλώνεται μέσα σε 656 σελίδες (η εκδοσή που έχω στα χέρια μου είναι η pocket), αλλά σίγουρα θα ήταν καλύτερο αν εξελισσόταν σε 200-300 σελίδες λιγότερες!
Δημοσιευτηκε πρώτα στο Όταν η διάσημη δικηγόρος Βενέτσια Όλντριτζ αναλαμβάνει να υπερασπίσει τον Γκάρυ Ας, που κατηγορείται για το φόνο της θείας του, όλοι πιστεύουν ότι θα προσθέσει ακόμα μια επιτυχία στο ενεργητικό της. Τέσσερις εβδομάδες όμως αργότερα η Όλντριτζ θα βρεθεί δολοφονημένη και η αστυνομία, έκπληκτη, θα ανακαλύψει ότι οι ύποπτοι για το φόνο της δικηγόρου είναι πολλοί: πελάτες, συνάδελφοι, η οικογένειά της – ακόμα και ο εραστής της. Στο μεταξύ ένας δεύτερος άγριος φόνος περιπλέκει ακόμα περισσότερο τα πράγματα…”
Δεν ενθουσιάστηκα. Υπάρχουν δύο στοιχεία που πρέπει υπάρχουν σε ένα κάλο αστυνομικό διήγημα για το ευχαριστηθείς με την ψυχή σου. Το ένα είναι φυσικά η δράση, όπου η πλοκή ξεδιπλώνεται γρήγορα αλλά και απολαυστικά και το δεύτερο είναι η αγωνία, αυτό που σε κάνει να γυρίζεις τις σελίδες μανιωδώς. Αυτά έλλειπαν απο την “Περίπτωση δικαιοσύνης”, κάτι που έκοψε στο μισό την αναγνωστική μου απόλαυση.
Ας μιλήσουμε για την πλοκή, η οποία είναι πολύ βασική και την συναντάμε σε όλα τα βιβλία του είδους. Το μυστήριο ήταν για εμένα άδικα τραβηγμένο. Οι χαρακτήρες ήταν τόσο πολλοί που μπορεί να μπέρδευαν τον αναγνώστη ως πρός την λύση του μυστηρίου, όμως τον έκανε να χάσει και το μέτρημα χωρίς λόγο. Το τέλος δεν με ενθουσίασε επίσης, θα μπορούσε να χτιστεί καλύτερα.
Δεν ήταν όμως όλο το βιβλίο για τα λογοτεχνίκα Τάρταρα. Η συγγραφέας ανέπτυξε πάρα πολύ τους χαρακτήρες της, σε σημείο που μπορούσες άνετα να τους τοποθετήσεις στη φαντασία σου. Μάλιστα εκεί που το θύμα σε ένα αστυνομικό βιβλίο πεθαίνει σχέδον απο την πρώτη σελίδα, σε αυτό το βιβλίο η συγγραφέας μας άφησε να ζήσουμε για 100+ σελίδες μέσα στο μυαλό της. Αν μη τι άλλο η James είναι εξαιρετική χαρακτηρογράφος. Το δευτέρο και τελευταίο στοιχείο που λάτρεψα στο μυθιστόρημα τούτο είναι η παρουσία του Λονδίνου, αλλά και άλλων Αγγλικών περιοχών. Οι περιγραφές τοπίων, αλλά και διάφορων κτηρίων τοου Βικτωριανού Λονδίνου με έστειλε στο παράδεισο.
Για εμένα του ταιριάζει περισσότερο η κατηγορία “Πεζογραφία” με μία έντονη παρουσία μυστήριου. Του λείπουν τα ζωτικά στοιχεία για να ανήκει στο Αστυνομικό. Η ιστορία ξεδιπλώνεται μέσα σε 656 σελίδες (η εκδοσή που έχω στα χέρια μου είναι η pocket), αλλά σίγουρα θα ήταν καλύτερο αν εξελισσόταν σε 200-300 σελίδες λιγότερες!
Δημοσιεύτηκε πρωτα στο spoileralert.gr
[Read more...]
Δεν ενθουσιάστηκα. Υπάρχουν δύο στοιχεία που πρέπει υπάρχουν σε ένα κάλο αστυνομικό διήγημα για το ευχαριστηθείς με την ψυχή σου. Το ένα είναι φυσικά η δράση, όπου η πλοκή ξεδιπλώνεται γρήγορα αλλά και απολαυστικά και το δεύτερο είναι η αγωνία, αυτό που σε κάνει να γυρίζεις τις σελίδες μανιωδώς. Αυτά έλλειπαν απο την “Περίπτωση δικαιοσύνης”, κάτι που έκοψε στο μισό την αναγνωστική μου απόλαυση.
Ας μιλήσουμε για την πλοκή, η οποία είναι πολύ βασική και την συναντάμε σε όλα τα βιβλία του είδους. Το μυστήριο ήταν για εμένα άδικα τραβηγμένο. Οι χαρακτήρες ήταν τόσο πολλοί που μπορεί να μπέρδευαν τον αναγνώστη ως πρός την λύση του μυστηρίου, όμως τον έκανε να χάσει και το μέτρημα χωρίς λόγο. Το τέλος δεν με ενθουσίασε επίσης, θα μπορούσε να χτιστεί καλύτερα.
Δεν ήταν όμως όλο το βιβλίο για τα λογοτεχνίκα Τάρταρα. Η συγγραφέας ανέπτυξε πάρα πολύ τους χαρακτήρες της, σε σημείο που μπορούσες άνετα να τους τοποθετήσεις στη φαντασία σου. Μάλιστα εκεί που το θύμα σε ένα αστυνομικό βιβλίο πεθαίνει σχέδον απο την πρώτη σελίδα, σε αυτό το βιβλίο η συγγραφέας μας άφησε να ζήσουμε για 100+ σελίδες μέσα στο μυαλό της. Αν μη τι άλλο η James είναι εξαιρετική χαρακτηρογράφος. Το δευτέρο και τελευταίο στοιχείο που λάτρεψα στο μυθιστόρημα τούτο είναι η παρουσία του Λονδίνου, αλλά και άλλων Αγγλικών περιοχών. Οι περιγραφές τοπίων, αλλά και διάφορων κτηρίων τοου Βικτωριανού Λονδίνου με έστειλε στο παράδεισο.
Για εμένα του ταιριάζει περισσότερο η κατηγορία “Πεζογραφία” με μία έντονη παρουσία μυστήριου. Του λείπουν τα ζωτικά στοιχεία για να ανήκει στο Αστυνομικό. Η ιστορία ξεδιπλώνεται μέσα σε 656 σελίδες (η εκδοσή που έχω στα χέρια μου είναι η pocket), αλλά σίγουρα θα ήταν καλύτερο αν εξελισσόταν σε 200-300 σελίδες λιγότερες!
Δημοσιευτηκε πρώτα στο Όταν η διάσημη δικηγόρος Βενέτσια Όλντριτζ αναλαμβάνει να υπερασπίσει τον Γκάρυ Ας, που κατηγορείται για το φόνο της θείας του, όλοι πιστεύουν ότι θα προσθέσει ακόμα μια επιτυχία στο ενεργητικό της. Τέσσερις εβδομάδες όμως αργότερα η Όλντριτζ θα βρεθεί δολοφονημένη και η αστυνομία, έκπληκτη, θα ανακαλύψει ότι οι ύποπτοι για το φόνο της δικηγόρου είναι πολλοί: πελάτες, συνάδελφοι, η οικογένειά της – ακόμα και ο εραστής της. Στο μεταξύ ένας δεύτερος άγριος φόνος περιπλέκει ακόμα περισσότερο τα πράγματα…”
Δεν ενθουσιάστηκα. Υπάρχουν δύο στοιχεία που πρέπει υπάρχουν σε ένα κάλο αστυνομικό διήγημα για το ευχαριστηθείς με την ψυχή σου. Το ένα είναι φυσικά η δράση, όπου η πλοκή ξεδιπλώνεται γρήγορα αλλά και απολαυστικά και το δεύτερο είναι η αγωνία, αυτό που σε κάνει να γυρίζεις τις σελίδες μανιωδώς. Αυτά έλλειπαν απο την “Περίπτωση δικαιοσύνης”, κάτι που έκοψε στο μισό την αναγνωστική μου απόλαυση.
Ας μιλήσουμε για την πλοκή, η οποία είναι πολύ βασική και την συναντάμε σε όλα τα βιβλία του είδους. Το μυστήριο ήταν για εμένα άδικα τραβηγμένο. Οι χαρακτήρες ήταν τόσο πολλοί που μπορεί να μπέρδευαν τον αναγνώστη ως πρός την λύση του μυστηρίου, όμως τον έκανε να χάσει και το μέτρημα χωρίς λόγο. Το τέλος δεν με ενθουσίασε επίσης, θα μπορούσε να χτιστεί καλύτερα.
Δεν ήταν όμως όλο το βιβλίο για τα λογοτεχνίκα Τάρταρα. Η συγγραφέας ανέπτυξε πάρα πολύ τους χαρακτήρες της, σε σημείο που μπορούσες άνετα να τους τοποθετήσεις στη φαντασία σου. Μάλιστα εκεί που το θύμα σε ένα αστυνομικό βιβλίο πεθαίνει σχέδον απο την πρώτη σελίδα, σε αυτό το βιβλίο η συγγραφέας μας άφησε να ζήσουμε για 100+ σελίδες μέσα στο μυαλό της. Αν μη τι άλλο η James είναι εξαιρετική χαρακτηρογράφος. Το δευτέρο και τελευταίο στοιχείο που λάτρεψα στο μυθιστόρημα τούτο είναι η παρουσία του Λονδίνου, αλλά και άλλων Αγγλικών περιοχών. Οι περιγραφές τοπίων, αλλά και διάφορων κτηρίων τοου Βικτωριανού Λονδίνου με έστειλε στο παράδεισο.
Για εμένα του ταιριάζει περισσότερο η κατηγορία “Πεζογραφία” με μία έντονη παρουσία μυστήριου. Του λείπουν τα ζωτικά στοιχεία για να ανήκει στο Αστυνομικό. Η ιστορία ξεδιπλώνεται μέσα σε 656 σελίδες (η εκδοσή που έχω στα χέρια μου είναι η pocket), αλλά σίγουρα θα ήταν καλύτερο αν εξελισσόταν σε 200-300 σελίδες λιγότερες!
Δημοσιεύτηκε πρωτα στο spoileralert.gr
January 5, 2025
In my opinion, A Certain Justice is one of PD James' best novels.
The plot takes us into the hushed world of London Chambers and barristers renowned for their experience and respectability. The setting is fictitious, modelled on a reality steeped in custom and tradition. Behind an august façade lie unspoken secrets, frustrations and jealousies.
When barrister Venetia Aldridge QC, is found murdered, Adam Dalgliesh is on the case and, with the help of his two colleagues Kate Miskin and Piers Tarrant, sets about identifying the killer with tact and insight. But he soon realises that they will be unable to solve the mystery for lack of evidence.
Perhaps the novel's originality lies first and foremost in its meticulous construction, which is innovative by comparison with PD James's previous thrillers.
The reader is plunged in media res, not right away into the murder case, but into the final weeks of the victim's life, who has already been pointed out as such by the narrator.
We follow Miss Aldridge in court as she cleverly manages to get her client acquitted on a tiny detail in the flimsy evidence of a prosecution witness. We delve into her past. What were the founding events of Venetia's vocation? Which teachers determined her future path? What was preoccupying her, even haunting her? We see who she knew, who she had issues with, but we cannot guess who might have wanted to kill her even if there might be a few suspects.
It is not until page 130 - depending on the editions - that Venetia is found dead. Adam Dalgliesh enters the picture on page 137 - rather late in the novel, and that also is where the originality lies. From then on, the detective orchestrates his investigation with all the dexterity we know about him.
PD James manages to inject a personal touch into the complex characters of the suspects and witnesses, as well as the investigators. The latter are not immune from making an error of judgement in this investigation, which at one point seems to be going nowhere.
A murder investigation begins with an in-depth study of the victim's life and those around him, insists Dalgliesh. So it is in unexpected ways that the denouement comes about, drawing on sources from the past. At that point, the book, which was soon a pleasant read, becomes unputdownable.
Despite the initial tediousness and complexity of the legal procedures and the London legal world, the story, following a pattern of short and longer chapters featuring the gradual process of the investigation, is never boring. The writing is meticulous and precise, yet fluid, but also literary and even poetic. The story has, at times, a Dickensian touch and is demanding in every detail, inviting the reader to savour the text rather than devour it.
The plot takes us into the hushed world of London Chambers and barristers renowned for their experience and respectability. The setting is fictitious, modelled on a reality steeped in custom and tradition. Behind an august façade lie unspoken secrets, frustrations and jealousies.
When barrister Venetia Aldridge QC, is found murdered, Adam Dalgliesh is on the case and, with the help of his two colleagues Kate Miskin and Piers Tarrant, sets about identifying the killer with tact and insight. But he soon realises that they will be unable to solve the mystery for lack of evidence.
Perhaps the novel's originality lies first and foremost in its meticulous construction, which is innovative by comparison with PD James's previous thrillers.
The reader is plunged in media res, not right away into the murder case, but into the final weeks of the victim's life, who has already been pointed out as such by the narrator.
We follow Miss Aldridge in court as she cleverly manages to get her client acquitted on a tiny detail in the flimsy evidence of a prosecution witness. We delve into her past. What were the founding events of Venetia's vocation? Which teachers determined her future path? What was preoccupying her, even haunting her? We see who she knew, who she had issues with, but we cannot guess who might have wanted to kill her even if there might be a few suspects.
It is not until page 130 - depending on the editions - that Venetia is found dead. Adam Dalgliesh enters the picture on page 137 - rather late in the novel, and that also is where the originality lies. From then on, the detective orchestrates his investigation with all the dexterity we know about him.
PD James manages to inject a personal touch into the complex characters of the suspects and witnesses, as well as the investigators. The latter are not immune from making an error of judgement in this investigation, which at one point seems to be going nowhere.
A murder investigation begins with an in-depth study of the victim's life and those around him, insists Dalgliesh. So it is in unexpected ways that the denouement comes about, drawing on sources from the past. At that point, the book, which was soon a pleasant read, becomes unputdownable.
Despite the initial tediousness and complexity of the legal procedures and the London legal world, the story, following a pattern of short and longer chapters featuring the gradual process of the investigation, is never boring. The writing is meticulous and precise, yet fluid, but also literary and even poetic. The story has, at times, a Dickensian touch and is demanding in every detail, inviting the reader to savour the text rather than devour it.
February 6, 2017
Listened to in audio format.
This is third book I have listened to by PD James and I think it was the best so far. In A Certain Justice we are introduced to the victim Venetia Aldridge QC. Venetia is defending a young man called Garry Ashe who is charged with murdering his Aunt. The Aunt was a prostitute who liked Garry to watch and take pictures. Garry is acquitted, when Venetia leaves The Bailey she is surprised and dismayed to find out that Garry and her Daughter are to be engaged. Venetia does not trust Garry and tries to find away to stop the marriage. Venetia is also having troubles at The Middle Temple. She wants to be made Head of Chambers but her friend Simon Costello wants the job. Also if Venetia becomes head she wants to sack the Senior Clerk.
Then Venetia is found murdered in Chambers, stabbed through the heart with a stiletto knife. I enjoyed this book the most because we knew Venetia's story before Adam Dalgleish, I have said before PD James's books can be difficult to follow but this made it easier.
I was glad Kate Miskin was now a Detective Inspector, and I also liked DI Piers Tarrant who is shaping up to be an interesting character. I was disappointed when the book ended. This booked with loads of possible suspects and I really enjoyed the twist with Ashe, a big five stars from me.
This is third book I have listened to by PD James and I think it was the best so far. In A Certain Justice we are introduced to the victim Venetia Aldridge QC. Venetia is defending a young man called Garry Ashe who is charged with murdering his Aunt. The Aunt was a prostitute who liked Garry to watch and take pictures. Garry is acquitted, when Venetia leaves The Bailey she is surprised and dismayed to find out that Garry and her Daughter are to be engaged. Venetia does not trust Garry and tries to find away to stop the marriage. Venetia is also having troubles at The Middle Temple. She wants to be made Head of Chambers but her friend Simon Costello wants the job. Also if Venetia becomes head she wants to sack the Senior Clerk.
Then Venetia is found murdered in Chambers, stabbed through the heart with a stiletto knife. I enjoyed this book the most because we knew Venetia's story before Adam Dalgleish, I have said before PD James's books can be difficult to follow but this made it easier.
I was glad Kate Miskin was now a Detective Inspector, and I also liked DI Piers Tarrant who is shaping up to be an interesting character. I was disappointed when the book ended. This booked with loads of possible suspects and I really enjoyed the twist with Ashe, a big five stars from me.
November 23, 2014
Wow what a great read. I have never tried this author before because I read her books about the death at pemberly on my kindle a while ago and did not think it very good. But this book just entranced me. Great writing, wonderful use of vocabulary and great characters. I love the characters of the detectives even though I kind of came into their lives mid development and obviously missed some back story, but they were believable and had their insecurities and emotions. The crime is layered and I did not guess the end, which annoys me if I solve it before the author. It is up there with some of my favorites, and that is saying something.
September 1, 2020
P.D. James certainly knew how to set the stage for her books, hooking the reader's interest from the beginning. The setting is an integral part of the story; an inanimate character in what are always character-driven plots.
Commander Adam Dalgliesh of the New Scotland Yard is a central figure, but there are many other characters also fully fleshed out from the victim, the pool of suspects and Dalgliesh's team of investigators.
I think of James' books as slow burners. The plot moves forward slowly but surely, the suspense builds, but the journey, that is, the investigation and all the figures in and around it, are as important and interesting as the final reveal.
Commander Adam Dalgliesh of the New Scotland Yard is a central figure, but there are many other characters also fully fleshed out from the victim, the pool of suspects and Dalgliesh's team of investigators.
I think of James' books as slow burners. The plot moves forward slowly but surely, the suspense builds, but the journey, that is, the investigation and all the figures in and around it, are as important and interesting as the final reveal.
October 24, 2022
A strong 4 star rating! My favorite in the Dalgliesh series so far! A complex murder storyline and setting. Dalgliesh's team members, Kate and Piers, are fleshed out and are much more interesting than Adam (in my opinion!).
September 14, 2007
This book brings the reader into the mind of a psychopath AND those of several more "normal" people who are seriously, destructively obsessed. And it doesn't take us very far into the mind of Adam, Kate or their assistant (here it is Piers). Oh, & the presenting mystery is solved at the end but the murderer won't be brought to justice. Hence I'm not thrilled with this immense tome.
Its strength: beautiful descriptions of the city of London, a number of historic buildings (a sense of home or lack thereof is definitely a theme in this story), & some English countryside.
I am definitely finished with my P.D. James jag now. If I do any more mysteries in the next couple of months they will be Ellis Peters ones.
Its strength: beautiful descriptions of the city of London, a number of historic buildings (a sense of home or lack thereof is definitely a theme in this story), & some English countryside.
I am definitely finished with my P.D. James jag now. If I do any more mysteries in the next couple of months they will be Ellis Peters ones.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 20, 2024
Not my favorite PD James book... was a bit slower than some of the others... but I can now say I've read all her Dagliesh mysteries.
(Reviewed 4/1/08)
(Reviewed 4/1/08)
April 3, 2015
DNF
It was too long and it didn't catch my attention :/
It was too long and it didn't catch my attention :/
April 6, 2012
Not very well done and way too many murder mystery cliches: a motive for each person you meet, a weird god like perspective on what each character thinks except in relation to the time around the murder, a lengthy post death explanatory letter, and a confession that's not quite a confession. I want to like PD James but this doesn't help.
January 23, 2022
It was truly a moving experience to return to the shrine. After enjoying the guilty pleasures of many 99p. specials, it is so satisfying to read crime fiction of real excellence, with better and more believable characters than we find in most ‘literary’ fiction. In P. D. James’s stories I’m especially moved by the faint but firm undertone of real Anglican spirituality, and in A Certain Justice we have an Anglo-Catholic priest and the sacrament of confession and also a convent and a mother-superior. And like all Americans of taste, I love the trappings of the English law courts, with the barristers, especially Silks, in wigs and gowns and robed justices addressed as ‘m’lud’ as well as defendants in the dock. And we also have the Chambers at the Inns of Court, here the Middle Temple, with their learned and eccentric members. Veneta Aldridge is an unlikeable but interesting QC who specialises in criminal defence, making her an ironic but appropriate victim.
I’ve not read all the Adam Dalgliesh (a name I never can spell without checking) series but find him a character whom I admire without really liking. (I never forgave Baroness James for dropping Cordelia Gray, though I’m aware it was the fault of the BBC.) My favourite of James’s books remains Innocent Blood, a heart-breaking story of how love and good intentions are insufficient without true integrity. Like that book, though, A Certain Justice features an obsessive quest (actually two) for a kind of justice our world cannot provide. The title is both revealing and ironic, as we find at the conclusion. Still, I didn’t enjoy it as a mystery. I thought the author pulled too many characters and incidents ad lib out of the backstory. When the author conceals important facts till they finally emerge in the course of the investigation, the reader scarcely has a chance to spot the villain, though I give myself marks for figuring out who didn’t do what. The plot also relies on at least one plan much too complicated to be believable in real life. So, I’ll hold my award at four stars. But for setting, style, and spiritual and moral values, A Certain Justice was most worthy of an author whose absence from the literary world is most to be regretted.
I’ve not read all the Adam Dalgliesh (a name I never can spell without checking) series but find him a character whom I admire without really liking. (I never forgave Baroness James for dropping Cordelia Gray, though I’m aware it was the fault of the BBC.) My favourite of James’s books remains Innocent Blood, a heart-breaking story of how love and good intentions are insufficient without true integrity. Like that book, though, A Certain Justice features an obsessive quest (actually two) for a kind of justice our world cannot provide. The title is both revealing and ironic, as we find at the conclusion. Still, I didn’t enjoy it as a mystery. I thought the author pulled too many characters and incidents ad lib out of the backstory. When the author conceals important facts till they finally emerge in the course of the investigation, the reader scarcely has a chance to spot the villain, though I give myself marks for figuring out who didn’t do what. The plot also relies on at least one plan much too complicated to be believable in real life. So, I’ll hold my award at four stars. But for setting, style, and spiritual and moral values, A Certain Justice was most worthy of an author whose absence from the literary world is most to be regretted.
February 28, 2015
As we get older and forget more things one pleasure is re-reading a good book that one can't quite remember. Luckily, P.D. James is a detailed enough writer that there are specifics that surprise anew, and she is a good enough observer of human nature and stylist that a second reading is rewarded.
A Certain Justice is one of her best.
Like most British mysteries, the situation is so claustrophobic (is that because everyone is conscious of England being an island?) that you wonder why more of the ants in this particular literary bottle (in this case, a group of lawyers) aren't killing one another.
We are immediately told who will die, but she doesn't die until a third of the book is gone, and our time with her makes us wonder why no one has killed her before this. She is brutally critical of everyone in her work and life. She is good at being a lawyer, but that good is spoiled by the reality that her expertise is put at the service of creeps.
Like Jane Austen, what P.D. James is best at is the rational explanation of an individual character's various emotional states. During a conversation we may be treated to explorations of the inner workings behind both sides of the dialogue. We go into each character's mind, almost surgically, and paradoxically the effect is not without empathy. In this book, one of the last characters to receive this treatment is the murderer, who up until that point had been unsympathetically described by everyone in the book. When we are allowed into his head, however, while we don't feel sympathy, we at least get a sense of how the world looks to him.
A Certain Justice is one of her best.
Like most British mysteries, the situation is so claustrophobic (is that because everyone is conscious of England being an island?) that you wonder why more of the ants in this particular literary bottle (in this case, a group of lawyers) aren't killing one another.
We are immediately told who will die, but she doesn't die until a third of the book is gone, and our time with her makes us wonder why no one has killed her before this. She is brutally critical of everyone in her work and life. She is good at being a lawyer, but that good is spoiled by the reality that her expertise is put at the service of creeps.
Like Jane Austen, what P.D. James is best at is the rational explanation of an individual character's various emotional states. During a conversation we may be treated to explorations of the inner workings behind both sides of the dialogue. We go into each character's mind, almost surgically, and paradoxically the effect is not without empathy. In this book, one of the last characters to receive this treatment is the murderer, who up until that point had been unsympathetically described by everyone in the book. When we are allowed into his head, however, while we don't feel sympathy, we at least get a sense of how the world looks to him.
June 20, 2008
I'll be honest, this book was okay. If I had to be in an airport, with no book, I would take it... However...
I have a friend who along with his books adds a recommended beverage to be enjoyed along side - this would have to be tea. Lots and lots of tea.
I have a friend who along with his books adds a recommended beverage to be enjoyed along side - this would have to be tea. Lots and lots of tea.
November 10, 2015
Is the murderer, like, ever brought to justice in a PD James novel? AD is a lousy detective - in at least half of the books, the guilty party slips through his fingers. That's not why we read detective novels! We have real life if we want to see injustice in action.
August 31, 2017
A re-read, which reminds once again how very much I love both Adam Dalgliesh and PD James.
July 4, 2015
My first of this author. Not too enthused. Murder mystery, attorneys involved. Could have been a very thrilling one but wasn't. Too lengthy. I read on the jacket that it is part of a series with the chief investigator as protagonist but maybe I should read the first one because didn't get to participate in the character building. May read one more in the series before fold it up altogether.
July 26, 2018
Interesting and moves along nicely. The housekeeper's complicated, expensive and contrived revenge scheme strains credibility. Dark and bloody with several murders and a sinister character or 2.
February 2, 2024
How is it that I have not read any of this series ? Now I have a British detective to love while I’m waiting for the next Three Pines installment!!
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