Review of The Lighthouse, by P.D. James
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The Lighthouse by P.D. James
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Okay, I am a big Anglophile. And a P.D. James fan, and I like Adam Dalgliesh, the Commander with the New Scotland Yard in London--the poet detective, who is agonizing over his relationship with Emma Lavenham, the woman he loves. I love James's rich (I keep thinking Plum Cake) descriptions of London, a city she clearly loves and of the English countryside--in this novel, she has created a fictional island off the coast of Cornwall for the scene of the crimes. I find fascinating the equally rich back stories of those involved she always sets up in the beginning, stories which always set up motives for the potential suspects. That the reader knows about Dalgliesh's deep worry over his future with Emma and the emotional problems of his two assistants, Detective Inspector Kate Miskin and Sergeant Francis Benton-Smith, makes for all the richer a story, as do all the secrets of the heart and of the past that are gradually revealed.
Combe Island has a bloodstained past, including piracy. Owned for centuries by one family--of whom only one survives--Combe is now "a place where over-stressed men and women in positions of authority can come to find serenity in conditions of guaranteed security." Then, one of those distinguished visitors, a novelist in the waning days of his career, is found hanging from the lighthouse. Things aren't so serene after that. Enter the Commander and his team, with troubles of their own. As they began to discover the motives of the various suspects--apparently, the victim was not well liked, and more than one person wouldn't object to his passing--there is another brutal killing. Add to this, a quarantine when one of the island guests develops SARS.
The game is definitely a-foot.
I didn't guess the killer. Sigh. I never do. I did like that she had one of the island's staff be a gay man who was anything but a steretype, a rough and ready guy who manages the boats for the island. That he is gay is only an issue of any kind when a young woman working on the island is gently told by the cook that he is not the sort for romantic adventures with a woman. Understated, casual, part of the world of this novel, as much as any other character's habits, job, sexual predilections, and likes and dislikes are.
Fans of P.D. James will like The Lighthouse.
View all my reviews
The Lighthouse by P.D. JamesMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Okay, I am a big Anglophile. And a P.D. James fan, and I like Adam Dalgliesh, the Commander with the New Scotland Yard in London--the poet detective, who is agonizing over his relationship with Emma Lavenham, the woman he loves. I love James's rich (I keep thinking Plum Cake) descriptions of London, a city she clearly loves and of the English countryside--in this novel, she has created a fictional island off the coast of Cornwall for the scene of the crimes. I find fascinating the equally rich back stories of those involved she always sets up in the beginning, stories which always set up motives for the potential suspects. That the reader knows about Dalgliesh's deep worry over his future with Emma and the emotional problems of his two assistants, Detective Inspector Kate Miskin and Sergeant Francis Benton-Smith, makes for all the richer a story, as do all the secrets of the heart and of the past that are gradually revealed.
Combe Island has a bloodstained past, including piracy. Owned for centuries by one family--of whom only one survives--Combe is now "a place where over-stressed men and women in positions of authority can come to find serenity in conditions of guaranteed security." Then, one of those distinguished visitors, a novelist in the waning days of his career, is found hanging from the lighthouse. Things aren't so serene after that. Enter the Commander and his team, with troubles of their own. As they began to discover the motives of the various suspects--apparently, the victim was not well liked, and more than one person wouldn't object to his passing--there is another brutal killing. Add to this, a quarantine when one of the island guests develops SARS.
The game is definitely a-foot.
I didn't guess the killer. Sigh. I never do. I did like that she had one of the island's staff be a gay man who was anything but a steretype, a rough and ready guy who manages the boats for the island. That he is gay is only an issue of any kind when a young woman working on the island is gently told by the cook that he is not the sort for romantic adventures with a woman. Understated, casual, part of the world of this novel, as much as any other character's habits, job, sexual predilections, and likes and dislikes are.
Fans of P.D. James will like The Lighthouse.
View all my reviews
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