From the Bookshelf of Reading the Detectives

An Unsuitable Job for a Woman
by
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.

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Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 474 topics — 9,135 comments total
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What Members Thought

John
Jul 10, 2018 rated it liked it  ·  review of another edition
Shelves: p-d-james
I enjoyed the novel even with the supercilious detailed descriptions of rooms, houses and gardens. Cordelia Gray the recent owner of a private detective agency she inherits after her partner Bernie kills himself is hired to investigate the suicide of Mark Callender.

It is set in and around Cambridge. There are Mark’s not so nice friends, the father who has hired her to find out why his son killed himself, a nanny and the fathers unlikeable companion. The suicide turns out to be not a suicide. Th
...more
Gillian Kevern
Feb 19, 2016 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
Shelves: 1970s
This was the book that changed my mind on P.D. James. Cordelia's youthful optimism is a really good foil to the pervasive sadness of other P.D. James novels. I was again surprised at home vividly I remembered some parts of it. I don't know if I was reading so much as reconstructing a memory of it, but it was really enjoyable. ...more
Shauna
Definitely more of a 3.5 star. Cordelia Gray is a very likeable character. What a shame that James only wrote 2 books in this series.
Laia
Aug 21, 2013 added it
Shelves: book
J
Sep 16, 2013 rated it it was amazing
Margo
Jan 06, 2014 rated it really liked it
Maria T
Jun 17, 2015 marked it as to-read
Petra Mrkun
Jan 26, 2016 marked it as to-read
Laurel
Jan 28, 2019 rated it really liked it
Sydney
Nov 30, 2017 rated it really liked it
Vanessa
Jul 03, 2019 marked it as murder-mayhem
Niveditha
Oct 29, 2019 marked it as to-read
Emma
Jul 05, 2020 marked it as to-read
Jennifer Willis
Oct 12, 2020 marked it as to-read
Wayne Jordaan
Nov 14, 2021 marked it as to-read
Barbara
Sep 14, 2025 marked it as to-read
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