A Certain Justice (Adam Dalgliesh Mystery Series #10) Rating :
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #69423 in Books
- Published on: 2003-11-04
- Released on: 2003-11-04
- Original language:
English - Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 7.98" h x
1.00" w x
5.20" l,
.75 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 464 pages
Product Description
New York Times Bestseller
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.
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
43 of 43 people found the following review helpful.
The best P.D. James mystery in years
By RolloTomasi
Venetia Aldridge, a bitchy, brilliant criminal attorney with a talent for getting guilty clients off the hook, is brutally murdered in her Chambers. Once again, Commander Adam Dalgliesh steps in to unravel a mystery that, as is the case in almost all James' finest novels, lies buried in the past.
Though A CERTAIN JUSTICE is not P.D. James' most intricately plotted or fast-paced novel (that distinction belongs to the brilliant SHROUD FOR A NIGHTINGALE), it's a great throwback to her early days, during which some of her most compelling books were written. The central character, Venetia, nearly upstages Dalgliesh here, and with good reason: she is probably the most enthralling, fascinating character James has ever created. She is eminently respectable and thoroughly unpleasant, and because of this she has naturally surrounded herself with a gallery of suspects, all of whom have reason to do her in. The way in which James reveals the true murderer, however, is nothing short of brilliant. In fact, the entire plot is a marvel of construction, with every clue scrupulously laid out for the reader. As always, however, the relatively simple details of the crime belie the emotional and psychological turmoil boiling beneath the surface.
What distinguishes A CERTAIN JUSTICE from her more recent books is the quality of the writing. James' technique is as stylish and literate as ever, but so much more readable; she wastes few words on unnecessary details about architecture (as one reviewer aptly pointed out below). The novel is much shorter than A TASTE FOR DEATH, DEVICES AND DESIRES, or ORIGINAL SIN, fine mysteries that were undermined by excessive rambling. At under four hundred pages, A CERTAIN JUSTICE is leaner and cleaner, and also has a thrust and energy lacking in its predecessors. This is truly P.D. James at the peak of her form--an exquisite, beautifully crafted novel that also shows a tremendous amount of grace and restraint.
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful.
Excellently written... other than the end
By Blaine A. Simpson
No reason for me to duplicate what other reviews have adequately described.The book is well written, engaging, and filled with interesting characters.But the ending is no better than the work of an amateur.I disagree with other reviewers on a couple items. A few reviewers saythat the writing is excessively descriptive. Several reviewers say thatshe dwells too long with character descriptions which are irrelevant tothe plot. WRT the character descriptions, I entirely disagree. If anycharacter were described less, these same reviewers would be complainingthat the characters are stereotypes or shallow. These characters aredescribed as succinctly as possible if they are to be interesting andbelievable. Most contemporary writers use the same number of pages todescribe uninteresting and unbelievable characters. The only otherdescriptions which I think anybody could complain about would be herdescriptions of "rooms" (furniture, etc.). If you count up the pages, Idon't think they would add up to much. I treat these descriptions justlike observing a room in real life. I'm a typical man who doesn't paymuch attention to "interior decoration"-- so I read through theseparagraphs quickly and don't pay them much attention. I respect whyJames writes the paragraphs though. Many readers are very interested ininterior decoration, and James herself obviously is. I wouldn't want abook to be dummied down on my account. If you don't think gettinginvolved in interesting characters is a pleasurable experience in itself,then James is not the writer for you-- television is probably much moresuitable to your tastes.A couple writers wrote about the hurdle of learning intricacies ofthe British legal system. I can agree with this only if the audienceis middle school level or below. I knew nothing about British lawbefore reading this book. An ounce of common sense, and looking upabout five words in a hand dictionary was all it took to completelygrasp everything alluded to. Once again, if you want entirelymindless diversion, then James is not for you. If you are like me,you will enjoy the freshness of experiencing things in an environmentwhich is new to you.Some reviewers complained about the (moral) unattractiveness ofthe principal characters. I stand with the great majority of readerswho agree that most of the characters are unattractive, but they arealso realistic and (most importantly) engaging. Some naive reviewerscriticize aspects of characters, for example, picking apart Miskin'sindignation. I have news for you... that is how real human beingsare. James is not trying to describe role models, but realisticpeople. If you prefer your characters black-and-white, there areplenty of other authors who can serve that up for you.I did not like the denouement. Yes, it "made sense", but, ascapably noted by somebody else, it was not "solvable" by causalreasoning. Trying not to give anything away here... Whatdisappointed me more than "who did it", was the unoriginal andunrealistic way that everything was spelled out in the end.I've seen very similar scenes in more than one Columbo ending. Itis really stupid to think that intelligent criminals would take thetrouble to disassociate themselves from their crime until a certaindate X, then all of a sudden they give every detail to the policebecause they are certain they will never be convicted. Ridiculous.Even if anybody could somehow know that no piece of evidence willbe found in the future, the police have ways to trouble people otherthan getting one convicted... in this instance, it would take verylittle trouble for the high ranking detective to turn themurderers's associates against him (by just repeating what themurderer himself has said). And to think that a lawyer would notgive any mind to these concerns... idiotic.
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful.
Brilliantly Written, But Poor Pay Off
By Gary F. Taylor
P.D. James has come a very long way from her 1962 debut novel COVER HER FACE, and her narrative skill has become increasingly powerful as the years have gone by. A CERTAIN JUSTICE is indeed a showcase for that skill, for her uncanny knack for creating believable characters seemingly out of midair, and for the grace and power of her prose. And it is extremely easy to become absorbed in the novel: although the paperback edition runs well over four hundred pages, I wolfed it down in less than twenty-four hours.
A CERTAIN JUSTICE concerns Venetia Aldridge, a criminal lawyer renowned for her skill at defense. But for all her professional renown, Venetia is something of a failure in her private life: high tempered, demanding, and determined to hold others to the same high standard for which she strives, she has a well deserved reputation for coldness and unkindness. Most specifically, she has a need to be in absolute control--and as a result she makes enough enemies both professionally and publicly to fill a telephone directory. And when she is found dead in her offices there are suspects galore.
Throughout the novel James revels in the details of the English court system, painting brilliant portraits of the individuals who move across the surface of the law--and sometimes under it. And as the novel progresses she draws us deeper and deeper still into their lives, their motivations, their worlds. It is a brilliant piece of writing. But it has a problem: the ending stinks. After having skillfully maneuvered us through this unique world and held our interest through two murders and a host of subplots, James essentially cops out by giving us a solution that her detective, Commander Adam Dalgliesh, cannot have logically reached--it is pure guesswork, and frankly James would have done better to simply leave Venetia's murder unsolved than to saddle the novel with such an uninspired conclusion.
One of the novel's several points is that murder cannot always be proven in a court of law and therefore cannot always be punished, and I certainly have no quarrel with that concept. But the person who "did the deed"--let us say that for all the logic involved, James could have just as easily selected another character and pinned it there. The final chapter is a tremendous let down, particularly in light of the exceptional work that precedes it. Four stars for James' impressive narrative style, but you're likely to be disappointed on the final page.
GFT, Amazon Reviewer
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