Unnatural Causes (Adam Dagliesh Mystery Series #3)

A very pleasant mystery book to read. I quite enjoyed it. The plot is fairly straight forward and the ending is maybe a little unbelievable, but the setting of the story makes up for it. Some might say that the locale of the story is cliche of british mystery novels, but I loved the rough country setting, which comes to life through the author's vivid and detailed descriptions. A great book to read on a stormy day, sitting in a comfortable chair with a hot cup of tea at hand.

In this third mystery by P.D. James our author skirts the line of getting a bit cute--a little too wry for comfort. Realizing that she set the bar very, very high with her first two books, Ms. James seems to have retreated somewhat from focus on the mystery itself. Instead, this work is focused upon Inspector Dalgliesh; who the reader will note is destined to become one of the most well-known characters of the genre. So, not only does Dalgliesh take a bit of a vacation--so does the author. Nevertheless, the writing is profoundly good. Inspector Dalgliesh begins to take shape in this book--his skills are evident and one learns more of his background, his likes and his dislikes. Ms. James even takes pains to prune the character back a bit. Though the mystery itself didn't get five stars, the development of Dalgliesh will pay vast dividends in future works. Like the corporations that take a charge against earnings in order to invest for the future, Ms. James' detour in "Unnatural Causes" allows her to focus uniquely upon her protagonist with results fully expected to pay rich rewards in her future installments.

Curious that, with such an arresting opening as this book has (a handless corpse floating off the Suffolk coast), i should find it so difficult to get involved with. I think, more than anything, i found it a little tough to tell some of the characters apart at first. Once past that point, however, this became, like just about every other James, the best one she's written. One grows to enjoy the little community she has created, the petty spites and jealousies, the sniping back and forth between these largely unsuccessful (at least in terms of importance) writers, at the death of one of them. Even Dalgliesh, in Suffolk on holiday, so the death is not his case, has trouble in his relationship with the local Inspector in charge of the case, they are overtly polite, but there is tension between them; he cannot hold himself back from doing some investigation on his own, however, and is able to show that murder has been committed, though not prevent another. The actual revelation of method and motive are interesting and unusual, in that James makes use of the murderer's confession to show how it was done. Another classic James and Dalgliesh.

More than James' other novels, this one gives us a genuine feel for the way an environment can effect us all (or is there something within us that makes us choose a particular environment?). I was intrigued by the haunting, mystical, misty landscapes of the north England coastline and how this rather hostile enviroment can create isolation and individualism, even cliques among the people who chose to live there. The urban setting in this novel, interestingly, proves to be a safe haven from the chilling isolation of the foggy seaside cliffs.This is not P.D. James' best work, but she has the uncanny ability to place you inside the dark recesses of the mind of killer and bystander like no other author. Riveting.

This is my absolute favorite of the Dalgliesh novels. The balance between exploring characters and expounding plot is just about perfect. The reader really feels for Dalgliesh as he struggles to decide about marrying Deborah Riscoe, and the murder than intrudes on his vacation is both horrible and intruiging. Finally, as an added bonus, in this book we at last get to read a bit of Dalgliesh's poetry: ten beautifully intricate lines addressed to Deborah. If you like and are interested in the character of Dalgliesh, you must own this book, because you will want to read it again and again.