Death in Holy Orders

An Adam Dalgliesh Mystery

By: P. D. James

Narrated by: Charles Keating

Length: 15 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

The setting itself is elemental P. D. James: the bleak coast of East Anglia, where atop a sweep of low cliffs stands the small theological college of St. Anselm’s. On the shore not far away, smothered beneath a fall of sand, lies the body of one of the school’s young ordinands. He is the son of Sir Alred Treves, a hugely successful and flamboyant businessman who is accustomed to getting what he wants—and in this case what he wants is Commander Adam Dalgliesh to investigate his son’s death.

Although there seems to be little to investigate, Dalgliesh agrees, largely out of nostalgia for several happy summers he spent at St. Anselm’s as a boy. No sooner does he arrive, however, than the college is torn apart by a sacrilegious and horrifying murder, and Dalgliesh finds himself ineluctably drawn into the labyrinth of an intricate and violent mystery.

Here P. D. James once more demonstrates her unrivalled skill in building a classic detective story into a fully realized novel, gripping as much for its psychological and emotional richness as for the originality and complexity of its plotting—and, of course, for the horror and suspense at its heart.

Filled with unforgettable characters, brilliant in its evocation of the East Anglian scene and the religious background against which the action takes place, Death in Holy Orders again offers proof, if proof were needed, that P. D. James is not only the reigning master of the crime novel but also, simply, one of the finest novelists writing today.

©2001 by P.D. James (P)2001 Random House, Inc., Random House AudioBooks, a Division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"There are very few thriller writers who can compete with P. D. James at her best ... One of the things that sets P. D. James apart from other writers in this genre is the intellectual assurance of her work. This is manifest in her use of language - she writes beautifully - but also in the light touch with which she displays her learning ... DEATH IN HOLY ORDERS is pure pleasure." --Charlotte Joll, The Spectator

"DEATH IN HOLY ORDERS is a page-turner ... but it is also so well-written that you linger over James's beautifully-observed descriptions of characters or scenes ... More, please, P. D. James." --Rosita Boland, The Irish Times

"Adam Dalgliesh's latest outing possesses the confident interplay of classical discipline, contemporary morality and strong evocation of place that had hitherto distinguished James's novels. Writing for the most part within the conventions of the detective story, she has again proved its constraints to be a liberating force for the creative imagination, drawing on accepted generic elements to produce a thoughtful, beautifully-written book which is far more complex than the sum of its parts." --Nicola Upson, The Observer

Too much and too little

The plot was twisted so that just about every character was a possible bad guy at one point or another through the story. I think it could have been a little more wild to the finish. Also, it would seem that not everyone got what they deserved, and that some really interesting revelations could have been brought forth earlier in the book to allow them to better influence the story.

Worth listening too, but not as good as it should have been. This is one where the reader desperately needed a windscreen for the recording. It was awful to listen too over headphones.

An Enjoyable Read

I listened to the book in bits and pieces and enjoyed it thoroughly EXCEPT for the ending. Ms. James could have put a little more pizzazz in it or at the very least kept me in suspense til the last "page". I was more surprised at not being surprised. Overall, it was well written and was narrated well.

A different English Countryside Mystery

#whodunit. It was a glorious trying to untangle the threads of this wonderful story. Liked the atmosphere and the cast of characters. Probably helps if you know about about British clergy and East Anglis.n##tagsgiving #Sweepstakes

Excellent

Another great story by PD James! A very good performance by the narrator. I recommend it for her Mistry and thriller buffs. A continuation of PD James excellence.

Terrific

P. D. James at her best. A novel with police procedural thrown in, and no gratuitous sex. Excellent book, flawless narration.

A bit slow

My second of Ms James’. A bit disappointed. The plot was not exciting and the ending was a bit of a puff.

Don't

Don't read this book if you don't care for masterfully written descriptions so alive that you can 'taste the air'. Avoid it if you don't care for a cultured British accent or a narration that is 'smooth as silk'. If mystery wrapped in suspense and punctuated by murder is not your thing...back away. Otherwise, dive in and enjoy! This is a wonderful read!!

Get a better narrator!

I listened to this unabrigded audiobook during my daily commute back and forth to work. The story started out slowly and took me awhile to really get caught up in it. Part of that, I think, was due to the narrator. His voice never really drew me in and almost seemed irritating at times. Eventually, though, the plot started to move more quickly and I was sucked into the mystery. I really wanted to find out "whodunit" by the end, and there were so many reasonable possibilities!

This was my first Inspector Adam Dalgliesh novel. I didn't love the characters, but they were intriguing enough that I'll probably search out more in this series. With a different narrator, I think I would have enjoyed this book more and felt more involved with the characters. Next time I'll try a text version and see if that makes a difference.

Great listen

Great mystery, red herrings or kippers. A good listen

Superb mystery written with humanity and poetry

If Audible offered 2-1s on the complete works of this author, read by this reader, I would blow a year's credits to possess them. The depth of the characters, the intricately woven plot and the virtuoso use of the English language would make for easily 1000 hours of companionable reading.