Reading the Detectives discussion

Welcome to our May challenge book The Black Tower the fifth in the Adam Dalgliesh series.

After a serious stay in hospital, needing to recuperate, and disenchanted with his job in the Force, Commander Adam Dalgliesh responds to an invitation to visit an old family friend, the chaplain at a private home for the disabled in Dorset. When he arrives, he discovers the elderly man has died, but why did he contact him out of the blue and what did he want to ask him?

Please do not post spoilers in this thread. Thank you.

Opening up our latest challenge read - again, thanks to Susan for setting up the threads. Who is planning to read this one?

The Black Tower is in a beautiful setting on the Dorset coast, and is once again in a closed environment, as with the previous book, Shroud for a Nightingale. Here the setting is a small home for disabled people, with the tower as a nearby folly on the shore.

I find it interesting that we have another where Dalgliesh is off duty. For me, there were too many characters to keep straight. For nearly half of the novel I couldn't remember who were staff and who were patients. This is not my favorite of the series.

I'm planning to read this. I hadn't realised that it's set in a disabled home - am a bit worried given Dalgleish's previous reactions to the disabled woman in Unnatural Causes.

I shall keep in mind Elizabeth's comment about the characterisation and make special mental note of who's who!

I do like the way James keeps the closed environment of GA but modernises it away from the house party.

Well, you'll still not like that aspect of Dalgliesh's personality.

Elizabeth, I agree there were a lot of characters to keep straight, and that some of them are a bit too similar to one another.

RC, must admit that so far I liked the house party one best, Cover Her Face - I'm wondering if James will be tempted to return to that type of setting.

I think Dalgliesh's shifting attitudes are likely to be one of the things we discuss in this book - at times I felt he does become more empathetic because of his own serious illness at the start, but sometimes he is still quite negative.

I found it a bit too convenient in terms of the theme, though, that he is a patient himself just before meeting the hospital patients.

I think his dithering about whether he wanted to continue as a policeman probably worked well when the book was first published. But since there are 9 more books in the series, his decision wasn't something we would wonder about.

Good point, Elizabeth. I have to say, I struggled a little with this one. I think James did really well, in the previous book, but she needs to break away from medical settings now.

I would look forward to not having any more medical/disabled settings.

I agree with both of you - also we had some similar dithering (about his love life) in a previous book, so I'm hoping it isn't going to crop up too often. I found the feel of this one a bit downbeat, and am hoping for a different type of location next time.

I started this last night and think I'm likely to be in agreement with you all: like Elizabeth, I'm not keen on the off-duty detective thing. I liked his side-kick in Nightingale who had the crazy tango evening with the witness!

I rolled my eyes at yet another nurse having an affair with a doctor. And I'm not far in yet but the combination of wheelchairs and the steep cliff seem like an accident/murder just waiting to happen...

Yes, check those brakes!

I've just posted a link to Curtis Evans' review of the book in the spoiler thread. He mentioned that the tower was inspired by Clavell Tower - this is a local newspaper site which has some amazing photos of it. The tower is now said to be the UK's most sought-after holiday home.

https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/p...

That's bigger than I had it pictured.

I plan to read this, but not ready to start yet - I’ll catch up in a few days’ time.

Well, this is certainly slow - I'm at 28% and it's not even dinner time yet on the first day! But I'm enjoying the unravelling of characters, like the backstory to grumpy Henry, the ex-civil servant - what a frightening illness. Dalgleish so far has been sensitive and tactful.

I'm not sure if I've missed it, but do we know why the male staff wear monks robes? Seems peculiar!

I'm about half done. I enjoy the updated closed circle mystery and James writes medical settings very well. I agree with Elizabeth that Dalgleish's dithering probably worked better when the book was first published.

I always have to remind myself of the TV actor as this is not how I picture him from the books, though I have no clear picture of my Dalgleish. I like the stories but the character has not come alive for me. I'm repeatedly a bit surprised when his poetry is mentioned. It seems more like something James included to distinguish him from other detectives than something I can picture him doing.

And, unlike Roman Claudia, I do not miss his last side kick and hope to never meet him again. (Sorry, R.C., but its not like I can vote him off the island so we'll see who get their wish.)

Roman Clodia wrote: "I'm not sure if I've missed it, but do we know why the male staff wear monks robes? Seems peculiar!"

Very peculiar. But Anstey is a bit of an eccentric. I seem to remember he was exploring different ways of worship/religion, but someone will correct me if I've misremembered.

Sandy wrote: "And, unlike Roman Claudia, I do not miss his last side kick and hope to never meet him again. (Sorry, R.C., but its not like I can vote him off the island so we'll see who get their wish.)"

Haha, when I said I liked him, I didn't mean personally (that sleazy episode with the nurse in his car!) but that Dalgleish is so restrained and fastidious that he livened up the book.

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Very peculiar. But Anstey is a bit of an eccentric."

He certainly is! It's especially odd that the handyman wears a monks robe... but ok, I'll just go with it :)

I'm actually enjoying this, certainly more than Unnatural Causes. It's more like a novel in which crimes appear than a 'crime novel' - I'm over 50% in and there's nothing really to investigate yet.

Roman Clodia wrote: "Haha, when I said I liked him, I didn't mean personally (that sleazy episode with the nurse in his car!) but that Dalgleish is so restrained and fastidious that he livened up the book...."

I do agree about the sidekick in the previous book - while he was very creepy, the sections about him were brilliantly written and I thought they contributed a lot to the book.

Done! Will head over to the spoiler thread to say more.

I'm done as well. I enjoyed it.

I must say I'm enjoying this reread of the books in order. I must have read some of them originally 30 years' ago so have very little memory of plot or characters. I also read them in whatever order I found them in various bookshelves. I enjoyed Shroud for a Nightingale more than this one, but I'm still enjoying it. About halfway through.

Good to hear you have both been enjoying it, Sandy and Carolien.

I'm hoping to finish this today, all being well. I found it a little bit of a slow start, but am really enjoying it.

Anstey is quite an intriguing character, with many of his ideas, and the staff having a blemished histories, it's surprising that social services have allowed the care home to remains open!

I started reading this but am not very impressed with it so far. As others have said, there are too many characters similar to each other. I don’t find them likeable or even particularly believable as real people.

I recently joined the group. I've so wanted to read Adam Dalgliesh series for a long time, but somehow it didn't get started. This reading challenge will help me to make the start.

I finished it yesterday. Enjoyed it, but not my favourite in the series so far.

Good to hear, Piyangie. I often find that the group gives me a push to start/finish a series. I had read half of the Wimsey books about three times before the group challenge we did prompted me to finally complete them!

Piyangie wrote: "I recently joined the group. I've so wanted to read Adam Dalgliesh series for a long time, but somehow it didn't get started. This reading challenge will help me to make the start."

I’m pleased you joined, Piyangie. It will be good to see what you think of this series.

Thank you, Susan and Trisha. I'll be starting with the first in the series very soon. Found audiobooks of all twelve! :)

Hope you enjoy them, Piyangie - and welcome to the group.

I am also listening to the Dalgliesh books on Audible. Very enjoyable.

For me, this was a great mystery story! I thought it was the best P D James book so far in the series.

Carol wrote: "For me, this was a great mystery story! I thought it was the best P D James book so far in the series."

That's good to hear, Carol. Glad you enjoyed it so much.

Yes, good to hear, Carol. It wasn't my favourite so far, but I do like P D James writing style very much and am looking forward to reading on.

This was yet another book where I couldn't keep the characters straight and they all felt the same. Perhaps it comes down to my inattention at key points.