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34th out of 571 books
—
510 voters
Devices And Desires (Adam Dalgliesh #8)
by
P.D. James
Commander Dalgliesh of Scotland Yard has just published a new book of poems and has taken a brief respite from publicity on the remote Larksoken headland in a converted windmill left to him by his aunt. But he cannot so easily escape murder. A psychotic strangler of young women is at large, and getting nearer to Larksoken with every killing. And when Dalgliesh discovers th...more
Paperback, 480 pages
Published
May 1st 2002
by Warner Books
(first published 1989)
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My best friend Diane got me hooked on James, an English author with many, many writing accolades.
From Google Books: Featuring the famous Commander Adam Dalgliesh, Devices and Desires is a thrilling and insightfully crafted novel of fallible people caught in a net of secrets, ambitions, and schemes on a lonely stretch of Norfolk coastline.
Commander Dalgliesh of Scotland Yard has just published a new book of poems and has taken a brief respite from publicity on the remote Larksoken headland on the...more
From Google Books: Featuring the famous Commander Adam Dalgliesh, Devices and Desires is a thrilling and insightfully crafted novel of fallible people caught in a net of secrets, ambitions, and schemes on a lonely stretch of Norfolk coastline.
Commander Dalgliesh of Scotland Yard has just published a new book of poems and has taken a brief respite from publicity on the remote Larksoken headland on the...more
This is so much more than a whodunnit.... It's just beautifully written - some great observations on human character, and really well structured. There is a dinner party near the beginning, and the book then follows each of the attendees in turn as they evolve from first simply the main characters in the book into the main suspects in a murder. This could have been a clumsy device, but somehow, PD James makes it work really well. I've not read any other Dalgliesh novels, but in this one he is no...more
National Bestseller
Featuring the famous Commander Adam Dalgliesh, Devices and Desires is a thrilling and insightfully crafted novel of fallible people caught in a net of secrets, ambitions, and schemes on a lonely stretch of Norfolk coastline.
Commander Dalgliesh of Scotland Yard has just published a new book of poems and has taken a brief respite from publicity on the remote Larksoken headland on the Norfolk coast in a converted windmill left to him by his aunt. But he cannot so easily esca
I now remember why I don't read mystery novels all of the time. I have been staying up late every evening for the last week trying to finish this great book. I actually find great mystery novels like this one more addictive than good TV shows or movies. I started it when I had severe diarrhea a couple of weekends ago and was essentially in the bathroom for the day. I finished it today when I was home again with severe laryngitis. TMI, I know. But TIA (This Is Africa!).
I have always enjoyed PD Ja...more
I have always enjoyed PD Ja...more
In a 1995 interview in the Paris Review, P.D. James gave celebrated American crime writer Dashiell Hammitt credit for the vigor of his language, the wise-cracks and one-liners. She was sure from childhood she wanted to be a writer because of her tendency to think in the third person, always telling her siblings original stories from her narrative thought-life.
Because of her love of detective novels, she chose the genre to begin her writing career when she was in her early forties. She preferred...more
Because of her love of detective novels, she chose the genre to begin her writing career when she was in her early forties. She preferred...more
This twenty-year-old novel proves once again that P. D. James is truly a master of the mystery genre. In this installment of the Adam Dalgliesh mystery series, her protagonist finds himself on England's sparsely populated headlands to attend to matters of his deceased aunt's estate. Meanwhile England's latest serial killer is on the loose. And his latest victim is an employee at the near-by nuclear power plant that dominates the headland. Though Dalgliesh is off-duty while out in the country, hi...more
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Commander Adam Dalgliesh, goes to the remote Larksoken headland where his recently deceased aunt, Jane Dalgliesh, left him a converted windmill. He decides to visit the town in order to take a break, clear up paperwork regarding his aunt's estate, and figure out what he wants he wants to do with his aunt's old home. However and coincidentally, there's a serial killer on the loose, the Norfolk Whistler, and the local DI, who once worked with Dalgliesh briefly, decides he could use a little advice...more
So, I broke out my old paperback copy trying to get back to the time and place when I loved PD James and read one after the other. James' 'Death at Pemberly' was a huge disappointment and I wanted to revisit her older work and reacquaint myself with enjoying them. And it turned out that I still liked it well enough overall, but I had to admit that what I loved about it was the descriptions of rooms and houses and the bleak shore of the headlands, and the relationships between other characters, a...more
P D James writes such intensely melancholy novels that it's sometimes hard to remember that there's supposed to be a mystery tucked in there, too. In Devices And Desires, Adam Dalgliesh leaves London to deal with his recently departed aunt's belongings in Norwich, and finds himself embroiled in a murder that may or may not be the doing of a local serial killer, all under the shadow of a controversial nuclear power plant. Along the way, there are meditations on loss, grief, fatherhood and the tie...more
I found this book in a book-swap box in our neighborhood and thought a mystery novel would kick off the summer nicely. I don't read mysteries much (some classic Wilkie Collins and, more recently, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series) and don't know whether P.D. James is generally well-regarded or not. I enjoyed the book enough to get through it, but not more than that.
The story begins predictably enough with a serial killer on the prowl along a stretch of Norfolk coastline. The protagonist, Ad...more
The story begins predictably enough with a serial killer on the prowl along a stretch of Norfolk coastline. The protagonist, Ad...more
Not as well-crafted as some of her books; she introduces characters at the beginning but doesn't give their backstory (in some cases) until much later. There was too much exposition and description for my taste. The plot, featuring a serial killer who preyed on young women, was a little too graphic for me - unlike her other books.
I am getting frustrated - will we ever learn more about Adam Dalgleish, her protagonist? Will he fall in love? There have been about four sentences in the last two bo...more
I am getting frustrated - will we ever learn more about Adam Dalgleish, her protagonist? Will he fall in love? There have been about four sentences in the last two bo...more
Perhaps it is something about a woman's writing; although a story about murder there is a soft edge, a kind of gentility about the whole story - so terribly British. I love PD James descriptive flair appealing to all the senses - you can almost smell the sea, hear the rustle of leaves crushed under foot; the waves crashing in the turbulent sea or the high pitch of a woman's scream. James uses feelings and intuition. I enjoyed her observations of human nature.
The characters are developed pretty w...more
The characters are developed pretty w...more
Another of PD James's long, convoluted, cerebral, plot-driven mysteries which sometimes make you think to yourself (especially mid-book), "come on, get on with it!" but at the end leave you with a satisfied sigh. Unlike many more modern mystery series, the Adam Dalgliesh books are all about the mystery itself, not about befriending the main character. Since this is the 8th book in series, we do feel like we're getting to know Adam better, but much of the space is spent telling things from the po...more
I was introduced to James by Lyndsay, my British sister-in-law. I met her at university and introduced her to my cousin. She was quite brilliant and always led me to good reads and we both shared a fondness for mysteries. I soon after picked up a book called The Black Tower and found it impossibly obtuse and full of painstaking pretensions. The detective that populates her mysteries is a respected, published poet in his off hours so you get a lot of snoot. He is not Jim Chee from the Hillerman b...more
Jul 03, 2007
Alicia
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
mystery lovers, philosophers
Great character development, lots of side-plots, philosophical discussions, wonderful descriptions on the land & geography. thoroughly engrossing as well as a fantastic mystery!
The character of Adam Dalgliesh evolves from one novel to the next. The stories do not build on each other to any significant degree but the character development certainly does. In this story, Adam's beloved aunt has died, and he goes out to her estate, which he has inherited, to sort through not only his property, but through a host of decisions. While there, he unwillingly becomes involved in a murder by not only finding the body, but by becoming engaged in the investigation. His inherent iso...more
I found this book quite boring.
The main character, Adam, was hardly metioned. I would have hoped he would have a bigger role in the book, but he was hardly in it.
Instead I was served long, boring and uninteresting character descriptions, metaphors etc. that went on page after page. I quickly forgot one characters history/descprtion when reading about the next one.
That lost my interest immediately.
I want to see things move forward, but it all just went too slowly. Until near the end. When everyth...more
The main character, Adam, was hardly metioned. I would have hoped he would have a bigger role in the book, but he was hardly in it.
Instead I was served long, boring and uninteresting character descriptions, metaphors etc. that went on page after page. I quickly forgot one characters history/descprtion when reading about the next one.
That lost my interest immediately.
I want to see things move forward, but it all just went too slowly. Until near the end. When everyth...more
This is an Adam Dalgliesh mystery set in an imaginary setting on the north-east coast of Norfolk, complicated by the presence of a nuclear plant. The setting and the multitude of characters provide a delightful story with amny twists and turns. The story begins with a serial killer on the loose, the Whistler, who strangles women. He has killed 5. Dalgliesh is in the area to settle the estate(a windmill) that an aunt has left him. James is not an author that allows a quick read, the book is to be...more
I really enjoyed this book.......I loved the setting.......the characters.......the storyline. Sometimes I actually felt like I was actually there.....I could smell the smells.......feel the breeze........hear the fire in the fireplace. The murder plotline in the story started out strong and then there were so many people who could have done it I was constantly changing my mind as to who it was. I was not surprised by who the killer was in the end and wished there could've been more to the endin...more
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Good old fashioned writing. It's a good enough story and the characters are mostly believable (meaning slightly overblown because who wants to read about everyday people, but not outrageous). I found myself a couple of times thinking "this is how books used to be...you could count on being suitably entertained". Scary but not full of horror, bad people doing bad things like you would expect in a murder mystery, etc. It's hard to describe except to say this was a comfortable book that I was happy...more
Devices and Desires is a P. D. James Adam Dalgliesh novel from the late 80s, with the usual timelessly genteel and grammatical cast of suspects. The Whistler is a serial killer plying his trade on a Norfolk peninsula dominated by an enormous nuclear power station. The remote setting and the lovingly crafted characters make this a memorable book, but I felt it was over-long and that Dalgliesh himself was essentially superfluous. Four stars.
Read my full review at http://pastoffences.wordpress.com/...more
Read my full review at http://pastoffences.wordpress.com/...more
We have erred, and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against thy holy laws. We have left undone those things which we ought to have done; And we have done those things which we ought not to have done; And there is no health in us.
Although AD doesn't have a central role in this novel it is still gripping. Lots of characters, lots of twists and turns, the usual surprising ending, and the dictionary at my elb...more
Although AD doesn't have a central role in this novel it is still gripping. Lots of characters, lots of twists and turns, the usual surprising ending, and the dictionary at my elb...more
PRactically speaking, it would probably be hard to find an area like this where so many people are plotting various actions against neighbors. I can believe that people are not all that happy about nuclear power plants in their neighborhood. Not only the police, but also a jealous suitor investigates his supposed girlfriend. Adam Dalgliesh is supposed to be having a holiday, but gets caught up in the intrigue. Several people die. What else is new? This is a little confusing, but then, that is pr...more
I have read a number of P. D. James novels and have enjoyed them all, certainly some more than others, but I am always captivated by her writing style. The way she develops her characters is extraordinary and her descriptions of the surroundings are so detailed I see them very clearly.
All of her books, probably because of the way she develops the characters, have a philosophical edge to them. Devices and Desires seemed almost like a philosophical musing, maybe because a nuclear power plant play...more
All of her books, probably because of the way she develops the characters, have a philosophical edge to them. Devices and Desires seemed almost like a philosophical musing, maybe because a nuclear power plant play...more
I really enjoy PD James. She writes very well. She recently (at the age of 92) wrote a sequel to Pride and Prejudice that involves Wickham's murder, which I'd like to read. This, however, is an older book that I found in a used bookshop the other day. It's one of the Adam Dalgliesh series, which is always good.
I have to say, however, I found this book disappointing. Dalgliesh, admittedly never the entire focus of the book, usually has a greater part in it. I didn't feel that that detracted from...more
I have to say, however, I found this book disappointing. Dalgliesh, admittedly never the entire focus of the book, usually has a greater part in it. I didn't feel that that detracted from...more
I really need to stop reading P.D. James. My understanding is that plenty of people love her, but this is the third book I've read and finished only out of a sense of duty. In a twist, her hero Adam Dalgleish (or however you spell that) is on the outside of a case looking in. I'm not sure whether this was just to do something new, or to give us fascinating insights on what it's like to be involved in a murder case when you're not the police, but I wasn't impressed. For a sensitive poet such as D...more
A kind of Agatha Christie style British mystery, but much longer. I had trouble keeping up with all the characters and lost interest and gave up half way through the book. I was also listening to this book, and it was told by a narrator with a heavy British accent which made listening more work and it made going back and reviewing clues more difficult, so I think this book must be better read in print. I'm sure it is a good book, if this is your style of book. Maybe I'll try it again someday.
In her book TALKING ABOUT DETECTIVE FICTION, P.D. James wrote about setting as an important element in a detective story, and about how a visit the rugged windswept Norfolk coast was the inspiration for DEVICES AND DESIRES. Dalgliesh’s aunt has died and had left him a sizeable fortune including a converted windmill on a sparsely populated headland on the Norfolk coast. When he travels there (partly as a holiday and partly to deal with the new property) he finds himself tangentially involved in t...more
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P. D. James is the author of twenty books, most of which have been filmed and broadcast on television in the United States and other countries. She spent thirty years in various departments of the British Civil Service, including the Police and Criminal Law Department of Great Britain's Home Office. She has served as a magistrate and as a governor of the BBC. In 2000 she...more
More about P.D. James...
P. D. James is the author of twenty books, most of which have been filmed and broadcast on television in the United States and other countries. She spent thirty years in various departments of the British Civil Service, including the Police and Criminal Law Department of Great Britain's Home Office. She has served as a magistrate and as a governor of the BBC. In 2000 she...more
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Mar 29, 2010 01:03pm