Original Sin

As usual, P.D. James has crafted a fine mystery with "Original Sin". Set at Peverell Press, the oldest publishing house in Britain, the novel follows Commander Adam Dalgliesh and his team as they weave their way through suicide, murder, and practical jokes to uncover the truth behind this mystery. "Original Sin" is slightly longer than other mysteries in the Dalgliesh series, but it is quick-paced with plenty of twists thrown in to keep the reader off track. Peverell Press is in trouble - their place of business, Innocent House (a grand reproduction of a Venetian palace) eats up more money in upkeep than the firm makes in business; ever since Gerard Etienne has taken over as director there have been a string of practical jokes that have gone unsolved; and when Gerard Etienne is killed, it is certain that more murders are on their way. "Original Sin" fluctuates between different narrators, allowing the reader to enter into the mindset of all of the characters involved - from the senior executives to the lowliest temp. Nearly everyone has a motive for murder as few were fond of the directions that Gerard Etienne had planned for Peverell Press. It is up to Commander Dalgliesh and his investigation team, including Inspector Kate Miskin, who must unravel each fact from each fiction as the stories surrounding the publishing house grow more twisted as the investigation continues. "Original Sin" is a quick read, the characters are vividly written, and the novel harks back to an earlier era of substance over flash. The conclusion of the novel happens a little too quickly, but the roots for the murders stretch back through history, and questions of morality and justice arise. Ultimately the conclusion comes down the a sense of absolution - a forgiveness (or lack thereof) of past sins and sins that are passed from father to son. "Original Sin" is a brilliant examination of justice and morality.

Not since I saw "The Sixth Sense" a few years ago has the solution of a mystery so satisfied me as P.D. James's "Original Sin". It is one of those resolutions that makes you close the book with a satisfied snap, wondering and admiring a style that can lead you to so obvious a conclusion without giving it away too soon.Themes of sin and justice weave in and out of the plot of this mystery, which is set at a London publishing house. The publisher has been murdered, gassed to death by a fireplace accident, with a stuffed snake wrapped around his neck. Suspicion centers around the publisher's various employees and a disgruntled midlist author whose contract has been cancelled. The publisher's death comes close on the heels on on on-site suicide of a longtime employee of the firm. By the novel's end, several more corpses make an appearance, maybe one more than is necessary.Then there's the solution. I won't say anything about it except that it has been perfectly set up, and yet somehow the conclusion is just outside the grasp of the reader's mind, giving you one of those "Of course!" reactions.Well worth the read... I can now see why James is considered the best in her field.

~ - ~ P.D. James gets better and better! You do not have to be a Dalgliesh fan to read this book. Each of her mysteries stand alone as a complex study of the disasters that happen when the wrong mix of characters and motives come together. In this story Superintendent Adam Dalgliesh, (who is also a poet, and lost his wife and baby son in a long ago tragedy), and his assistant Kate Miskin, investigate a murder at a publishing house on the brink of closing. As always, James paints such well-described portraits of all the characters that make up the closed community around the murder. It is very easy to get swept away by this story. The characters are all so three-dimensional: each has motives for their different actions that are unique to them. As in all James, mysteries, we do get to see the action through the eyes of the other characters, not just the detectives. It's only in re-reading that you'll realize the view from the murderers eyes was carefully limited by the author, to keep us in suspense.~ - ~ The solution to the mystery was quite a surprise. (Being such a mystery fan, many books are now transparent) As always-, James has a clever, unexpected solution, and a dramatically satisfying ending. If you've heard of P.D.James - this is a great mystery to jump into! James fans- Don't miss it!

Original Sin provided me with further confirmation (as if I needed it) of why P.D. James is among my favorite authors. This book is well plotted and written beautifully. The book's pace is leisurely without ever being slow -- and it is this pace which allows James to develop a "classic" mystery that at the same time serves as a character study and morality play. I have always enjoyed James' use of the character study (some of the finest chapters in this book involve the inner workings of the most peripheral characters). As with A Taste for Death, the last 100 pages are perhaps the most exciting, although as soon as I read the first chapter, the prose grabbed me and I knew I was in another James work.

"Original Sin" rivals only "The Skull Beneath the Skin" as the most stylish of P. D. James's detective novels. The thematic elements are especially strong in "Original Sin"; various scenes in the book provide commentary into today's social stratification and the inescapable sins of history (to explain more would be an injustice to future readers of the book).Of the members of Dalgliesh's Murder Squad, the latest addition, Daniel Aaron (replacing the arrogant Massingham), is especially fascinating. Aaron may be the first significant Jewish character in all of James's works, and he has much to say about what his religion means to him.Another fascinating character is Mandy Price, the young temporary shorthand typist at Peverell Press. Much like Brenda Pridmore in "Death of an Expert Witness," Mandy is a resourceful, and perhaps more brash, young woman who figures prominently into the plot.