A Certain Justice

An Adam Dalgliesh Novel

By: P. D. James

Narrated by: Penelope Dellaporta

Length: 18 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

It begins, dramatically enough, with a trial for murder. The distinguished criminal lawyer Venetia Aldridge is defending Garry Ashe on charges of having brutally killed his aunt. For Aldridge the trial is mainly a test of her courtroom skills, one more opportunity to succeed - and she does. But now murder is in the air. The next victim will be Aldridge herself, stabbed to death at her desk in her Chambers in the Middle Temple, a bloodstained wig on her head. Enter Commander Adam Dalgliesh and his team, whose struggle to investigate and understand the shocking events cannot halt the spiral into more horrors, more murders....

A Certain Justice is P.D. James at her strongest. In her first foray into the strange closed world of the Law Courts and the London legal community, she has created a fascinating tale of interwoven passion and terror. As each character leaps into unforgettable life, as each scene draws us forward into new complexities of plot, she proves yet again that no other writer can match her skill in combining the excitement of the classic detective story with the richness of a fine novel. In its subtle portrayal of morality and human behavior, A Certain Justice will stand alongside Devices and Desires and A Taste for Death as one of P.D. James' most important, accomplished and entertaining works.

©2013 P. D. James (P)2013 Random House Audio

A certain entertaining Joy by the author.

PD James has done it again, plots, twists lots of motives , opportunities, interesting characters AND uncertain solutions to the very end. wrapped up nicely and convincingly by her most favored Adam Dagleish.

Fabulous

A great mystery for thinkers who don’t need blood and gore. It reads like a classic with an excellent narrator.

The usual excellence from P.D. James

P.D. James is a world class mystery author. Her plotting, dialogue, and character development are absolutely without equal.

Another good P D James mystery

I’m a bit addicted to this series. The stories are complex as are the characters. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader guessing.

I miss Charles Keating. Ms. Dellaporta is good at voices but at times, I feel she overdoes the angst. However it does not keep me from enjoying the entire experience. I always hate to come to the end and this one really surprised me. I expected a neat snd tidy finish but was left pondering. That is a good thing.

Great but f

I have heard this narrator on most pd James books and most of the time it is fine but there is a “screech quality” about all emotional expressions. I love the books. Another great story. Maybe next time you re-record these books try another narrator. The books with other narrators were fine.

Enjoyed very much. A little slow at times though.

Keep these interesting plots and voices coming. Appreciated the reader. .. the understated way she read the characters. Thank you all.

Good story carelessly edited

Although I found this a good story, I feel I have to comment on the fact that there a lot of scenes where parts of the narration repeat due to sloppy editing. I am used to this happening occasionally, but in this case it was excessive.

Mesmerizing !

Typical PDJames. Baffling, intricate, and totally intriguing. Fabulous narrator. Leads you to a crescendo of emotions. Loved it!

Excellent!

When I selected this book I read the reviews and listened to the audio sample. I liked both and bought the book. It wasn't until I started to listen that I noticed the length of the book. Eighteen hours is a long time!

Those hours went by quickly. There was no "filler". The characters are well developed. That is necessary to appreciate the complexities of the story. P.D. James is one of the great authors of mysteries. This book helped me to appreciate just how talented she was.

Penelope Dellaporta does a fine job of narration. Her diction is precise and every word is clear.

There is a slight technical glitch. Several times in the book a sentence is repeated. I suspect this may have something to do with the original recording. This sometimes occurred when books were on CD's. For instance, the last line on CD 1 might be repeated at the beginning of CD 2.

Suspects Before the Murder

The plot early on announces that the victim has limited time left to live. As her actions are described, the listener might be convinced there will be many suspects and might wonder which one of them will do the deed. The picture of defense lawyers is not the most flattering although the point is well made that verdicts are not based upon the barrister’s opinion. This is a totally absorbing drama.