• The Lighthouse

  • An Adam Dalgliesh Mystery
  • By: P. D. James
  • Narrated by: Charles Keating
  • Length: 12 hrs and 24 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (888 ratings)

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The Lighthouse  By  cover art

The Lighthouse

By: P. D. James
Narrated by: Charles Keating
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Publisher's summary

Combe Island off the Cornish coast has a bloodstained history of piracy and cruelty but now, privately owned, it offers respite to over-stressed men and women in positions of high authority who require privacy and guaranteed security. But the peace of Combe is violated when one of the distinguished visitors is bizarrely murdered. Commander Adam Dalgliesh is called in to solve the mystery quickly and discreetly, but at a difficult time for him and his depleted team. Dalgliesh is uncertain about his future with Emma Lavenham, the woman he loves; Detective Inspector Kate Miskin has her own emotional problems; and the ambitious Sergeant Francis Benton-Smith is worried about working under Kate. Hardly has the team begun to unravel the complicated motives of the suspects than there is a second brutal killing, and the whole investigation is jeopardized when Dalgliesh is faced with a danger more insidious and as potentially fatal as murder.

©2005 P.D. James (P)2005 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

“With her trademark blend of subtle characterization, vivid sense of place and deceptively simple plot, James pulls off another triumph. A beautifully written page-turner from the queen of the genre.” —Toronto Sun

“An elegant and perceptive writer – rich drifts of prose pile up on the page, descriptive passages are Dickensian in length, ornament and power. . . James’s many fans will relish The Lighthouse, for all its poise and narrative familiarity.” —The Globe and Mail

“James’s gifts animate and transform the armature into something exceptional. Her disciplined conventions, her observation of social and class niceties, renew the traditional Franco-British drama of domestic crime. She is a very superior writer of detection.” —Times Literary Supplement

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What listeners say about The Lighthouse

Average customer ratings
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Superb book & so well read

Really lovely book & so well read. She was such an amazing writer! Kept me on the edge of my chair!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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P. D. James is always a favourite

So beautifully written and read! Absolutely love it every time I listen. Great characters, Adam and his team and the islanders, both.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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3 Loves

1. Love the author
2. Loved the story
3. Love the reading by Charles Keating. His is a voice that engages, changing with ever character and keeping one on the edge of their seat throughout the performance. And how can one not love that British accent? Well done!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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New Collaborators

This Dalgliesh moves the Commander’s life and team in new directions. It might be Kate’s finest hour but her new partner on the team performs must admirably. Listen with alacrity 👍

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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A thoroughly satisfying read

There is tension, emotion and, finally, resolution, all done with superb attention to the charm of the island location and the nuance of individual personalities, remarkably narrated by Charles Keating, who, in my view, with John Lee is one of the best narrators I’ve heard in over 20 years of listening.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

mediocre

Not P.D. James best but provided a satisfactory ending to a long running story line.

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impossible to not listen

Character development thorough and personal...
adventure stimulating...unexpected turn of events exciting...C. Keating a superb narrator.

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AD Gets his man even when he is ill!

This was very entertaining I couldn’t stop listening. On some of the parts I had to re-listen to make sure I got all of the facts.
The ending was a surprise had no idea until the end. Great read!

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One of her best

...in which Dalgliesh becomes more human...and Kate turns from a cop who is a woman, into a woman who is a cop. I was so impressed. The best ending I have ever read. It will be remembered.

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Outstanding mystery

This is a great PD James novel which I had read years ago. Listening to it again it was as if I was encountering a brand new author. The narrator was brilliant. I will look for more novels that he has narrated. Thank you Audible!

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