From the Bookshelf of Reading the Detectives…

An Unsuitable Job for a Woman (Cordelia Gray, #1)

P.D. James

Start date: April 12, 2019

Finish date: May 6, 2019

Discussion: Buddy reads

Why we're reading this: We are considering reading P.D. James books for a challenge next year - so this is a taster.
[close] We are considering reading P.D. James books for a challenge next year - so this is a taster.

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What Members Thought

Apr 07, 2019 Susan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Every now and again I seem to re-discover P.D. James, as though I forget how much I enjoy her books every time I pick them up. This is the first Cordelia Grey mystery (although there are only two). The series, short as it is, has links to Adam Dalgliesh – Cordelia Grey is the partner in a Private Detective agency, run by former police detective, Bernie Pryde, who used to work with Dalgliesh and he also features at the end of the book.

For Bernie, who commits suicide at the beginning of this nove Every now and again I seem to re-discover P.D. James, as though I forget how much I enjoy her books every time I pick them up. This is the first Cordelia Grey mystery (although there are only two). The series, short as it is, has links to Adam Dalgliesh – Cordelia Grey is the partner in a Private Detective agency, run by former police detective, Bernie Pryde, who used to work with Dalgliesh and he also features at the end of the book.

For Bernie, who commits suicide at the beginning of this novel (so no spoiler there), Dalgliesh is a fount of wisdom; his words often repeated and his advice passed down. Cordelia views the image of Dalgliesh with slight resentment, feeling that Bernie was pushed out of the force partly because of him. However, when Bernie kills himself, he leave the detective agency to her and she is determined to run it, despite the views of some, as the title suggests, that it is not a suitable job for a woman.

Before long, Cordelia is involved in a new case – the son of Cambridge scientist, Sir Ronald Callendar, committed suicide and she is called in to discover why. She discovers that Mark Callendar gave up his university course and retreated to a job as a gardener, where he was found dead in the small cottage he slept in. Before long, she views the suicide as suspicious and her thoughts turn to murder…

Although somewhat dated, this is an interesting mystery, with a good cast of suspects and characters. Cordelia Grey is young, without family and money. This was published in 1972 and there is a real sense of that era in certain attitudes and ideas. However, Cordelia is a likeable and enjoyable leading character and it is a shame that P.D. James only wrote one more novel in the series; “The Skull Beneath the Skin,” which published ten years after the first.

I listened to this on Audible and it was read wonderfully by Katie Scarfe. P.D. James will be the challenge for one of the Goodreads Groups I help moderate – Reading the Detectives – next year (2020) and I look forward to re-acquainting myself with Adam Dalgliesh then.

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Feb 29, 2024 Julie Durnell rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery

P.D. James didn't fall away on this series as I suspected would happen. The Dalgleish series is so well done, so was happy that this is just as well written, and that Adam Dalgleish is a behind the scenes mentor if you will. Great plot, great protagonist, will read on! ...more

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