From the Bookshelf of Reading the Detectives…

The Murder Room (Adam Dalgliesh, #12)

P.D. James

Start date: December 1, 2020

Finish date: December 31, 2020

Discussion: Group Challenges

Why we're reading this: Last in our year-long Adam Dalgliesh challenge.
[close] Last in our year-long Adam Dalgliesh challenge.

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Group Challenges

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By Susan · 17 posts · 20 views

last updated Sep 25, 2025 01:00PM

* Sept 25: The Mystery of the Blue Train (1928) - SPOILER Thread
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last updated Sep 16, 2025 12:58PM

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What Members Thought

Dec 03, 2020 Susan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The twelfth Adam Dalgliesh novel revolves around a small, private museum, in Hampstead – the Dupayne Museum. The museum houses a collection of items from between the wars, as well as the ‘Murder Room,’ which has a collection from historical crimes. The Dupayne is owned by three siblings – Caroline, Neville and Marcus. All three have to sign the new lease, but, when one of the siblings refuse to sign and wants the museum closed, the scene is set for murder…

I am, to be honest, finding P D James mo ...more

16 likes · Like · see review

Dec 03, 2020 Susan rated it really liked it

8 likes · Like · see review

Feb 05, 2017 AngryGreyCat rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I am almost finished with P.D. James’ Adam Dagleish series and The Murder Room is book #12 in that series. The murder involves a family owned museum dedicated to the period between the wars. The family has its conflicts, as all families do, but when one of them ends up dead, Dagleish and his team are left to unravel the clues. Was he killed due to museum business, something else with the family, his own personal life, enemies in his career? As Dagleish digs into the mystery he uncovers more and ...more

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Nov 26, 2020 Jill rated it liked it

Shelves: p-d-james

Another slow moving books from James. The plot of the book was good, but as usual we had a lot of back stories about characters who really played very little parts in the story. Yet again we are treated to Kate Mishkin's past of near poverty, and her climb up the ladder of police force. We are also told of the shape and layout of the buildings, and the furnishings within them, including the positions of windows, the pictures on the walls, and the overall tidiness. The story of Tally and her life ...more

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Dec 08, 2020 Sandy rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-detective-grp, mystery-classic, zjames-challenge-2020, rread-2020

James does characters very well and is good at setting up the mystery (though she does use the same set up too often). However, in my opinion, she is not good at the resolution: too may coincidences, unlikely motives, and long confessions.

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