A Mind to Murder (Adam Dalgliesh Mysteries, No. 2)
by P. D. James
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Book Summary Information
Author: P. D. JamesEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2001-05
ISBN: 0743219589
Number of pages: 256
Publisher: Touchstone
Book Reviews of A Mind to Murder (Adam Dalgliesh Mysteries, No. 2)
Book Review: How did she ever establish such a reputation with books like this?
Summary: 3 Stars
This is the second in the author's now highly-regarded series of detective novels featuring homicide expert (and published poet) Adam Dalgliesh. And while I'm prepared to accept the general opinion of James's abilities -- and her later novels are, in fact, quite interesting and involving -- it's a bit difficult to understand how she ever developed the literary momentum to reach the status of a devoted readership. Her first novel, _Cover Her Face_, was quite ordinary and Agatha-Christie-ish. This one reads almost a dramatized game of "Clue," or like a West End stage play from the 1930s. The administrative officer of an NHS psychiatric clinic in London is found stabbed in the basement records room. The doors to the building all are locked except the front entrance, where a porter sits, logging in everyone who arrives and leaves. There are about a dozen doctors, therapists, and other members of staff in the clinic and it's obvious from the first page that one of them has to be the killer. Now Superintendent Dalgliesh arrives (promoted since the first book, apparently), lines up his suspects, and begins his interviews, gradually building up a picture for the reader of all the personalities and personal backgrounds involved. In the records room by Col. Mustard with a chisel? Perhaps. The only difference between this book and her first one, really, is that in the previous work, the first hundred pages was spent describing the players before the crime ever took place; this time, that section comes after the crime. But the detective and his sergeant still feel the need to stand around and explain the details of the murder to each other, and the killer and his own sidekick do nearly the same thing. While the writing is clear and dryly amusing, the plotting is hardly original, and the "giveaway" at the end is rather contrived. (It also depends on details that were common in 1960s Britain but unknown in the 21st century U.S. -- but that, at least, is not the author's fault.) In any case: there are some readers who feel duty-bound to finish any book they start, but this one might challenge them to maintain sufficient interest.
Summary of A Mind to Murder (Adam Dalgliesh Mysteries, No. 2)
When the administrative head of the Steen Psychiatric Clinic is found dead with a chisel in her heart, Superintendent Adam Dalgliesh of Scotland Yard is called in to investigate. Dalgliesh must analyze the deep-seated anxieties and thwarted desires of patients and staff alike to determine which of their unresolved conflicts resulted in murder.With "discernment, depth, and craftsmanship," wrote the Chicago Daily News, A Mind to Murder "is a superbly satisfying mystery."
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