The Skull Beneath the Skin by P.D. James (SPOILER Thread)

[Susan]

This is the second (and last) Cordelia Gray novel - the first being An Unsuitable Job for a Woman, a previous buddy read, which was published in 1982, ten years after the first book.

Clarissa Lisle hopes to make a spectacular comeback in a production of The Duchess of Malfi, to be played in Ambrose Gorringe's sinister castle at Courcy Island. Cordelia is there to ensure her safety following the appearance of a number of poison-pen letters. But it soon becomes clear that all are in danger. Trapped within the walls of the Gothic castle, the treacherous past of the island re-emerges, and everyone seems to have a motive for sending Clarissa 'down, down to hell'.

Please feel free to post spoilers in this thread.

[Jill]

I found this one a bit far-fetched really. I didn't think the husband of a once famous actress would really employ a person whose job seemed to be finding lost pets, as a bodyguard for his wife.
The days on the island were fine, as we got to know the characters involved, but it felt that at the end the author felt she had to hurriedly come up with some drama to liven things up. I did feel disappointed overall with the book.

[Roman Clodia]

I'm not sure if this is a spoiler ... but I found it disconcerting that Cordelia seems to have had an affair with Dalgleish since the first book - how very self-referential of James!

[Susan]

All authors seem to be in love with their detectives...

[Roman Clodia]

Yes, I was thinking exactly the same thing!

[Roman Clodia]

Oh, except Christie with Poirot ;)

[Susan]

I'm in love with Poirot, even if she wasn't ;)

[Judy]

Roman Clodia wrote: "I'm not sure if this is a spoiler ... but I found it disconcerting that Cordelia seems to have had an affair with Dalgleish since the first book - how very self-referential of James!"

I wasn't sure if they had actually had an affair or if she just wished they had? I was a bit startled by the mention, either way - given the huge age gap, it wasn't a relationship I had imagined!

[Judy]

I've finished this now and loved it overall, although I did find it quite long and occasionally struggled to keep track of what was happening. It really reminded me of Sayers, the writing style, the depth of characterisation and the way everyone quotes.

Did anyone guess the killer/s? I was barking up the wrong tree for a while and thought it would be the dying critic, Ivo, as he would be bound to know all the quotations.

I was disappointed at the end that it looks as if Ambrose may get away with murder and attempted murder. I'd like to think Cordelia will stand firm in court and he will get justice in the end.

[Lesley]

For a long while I also suspected Ivo. Surely she, Cordelia, will stand firm in court to see Ambrose doesn't get away with murder. But we will never know unless Cordelia turns up in a cameo role, or even just a mention, in the Dalgliesh books.

On the other thread I mentioned that I felt James was trying her hand at writing in the GA period and style, and how I could feel the other main GA writers in various instances in this book. I forgot to also mention at the end when Cordelia's presence is being requested urgently back at her offices because various cats were missing etc., a little bit of James Herriot popped in with the comment that the pekingese, Nanky Poo, was missing. This is a dog that featured largely when Jame Herriot first took up practice in the Dales.

[Roman Clodia]

I confess, I DNF'd after taking forever to slog through 100 pages, but read the ending just to find whodunnit. Cordelia down the trapdoor/cave felt like a rerun of Cordelia down the well in the previous book.

I agree that James writes elegant sentences but the insistence on describing everything, relevant or not, wore me down: telling us about Cordelia's flat works because it gives us an insight into her personality; describing her room at the island, together with all the bathroom fixtures and fittings is just self-indulgent! Too much, too slow, for me.

Delighted to hear others enjoyed this. And I'm happy to give James another try with the Dalgleish novels.

[Lesley]

I think it will be interesting to see how different her writing style is in the Dalgliesh books, Roman Clodia. I suspect it might be quite different as she will be writing in more modern times.

[Roman Clodia]

Yes, I'm hoping I get on better with Dalgleish, Lesley. The fact that they're police procedurals might help. Looking forward to meeting him properly with this group :)

[Roman Clodia]

Judy wrote: "I wasn't sure if they had actually had an affair or if she just wished they had?"

Yes, James is a bit coy there. I also found the age difference a bit icky.

[Judy]

Lesley wrote: " little bit of James Herriot popped in with the comment that the pekingese, Nanky Poo, was missing. This is a dog that featured largely when Jame Herriot first took up practice in the Dales...."

Thank you, I was not aware of this! That adds a bit of fun. :)

[Sandy]

Lesley wrote: "For a long while I also suspected Ivo. Surely she, Cordelia, will stand firm in court to see Ambrose doesn't get away with murder. But we will never know unless Cordelia turns up in a cameo role, o..."

I agree that Cordelia would go to court and make a good witness, but I thought the question was more whether the police would bring Ambrose to trial.

And, we may have discovered how Nanky Poo's owner in the Harriot stories acquired him … kidnapping in London and fleeing to the Dales!

[Sandy]

I have mixed feelings about this book. I enjoyed reading it and like Cordelia as a character, but I put it aside a couple of times so can't call it riveting. The combination of murderers is an inventive twist to the closed circle set up. I like James' writing and am looking forward to Dalglish.

[Susan]

Hopefully, Dalglish being a more established character, will help the series. I have only read the first few books and those a long while ago. I do remember that James relies heavily on the closed circle, but I also like her writing style.