Shroud for a Nightingale

By: P. D. James

Narrated by: Penelope Dellaporta

Length: 12 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's Summary

The young women of Nightingale House are there to learn to nurse and comfort the suffering. But when one of the students plays patient in a demonstration of nursing skills, she is horribly, brutally killed. Another student dies equally mysteriously, and it is up to Adam Dalgliesh of Scotland Yard to unmask a killer who has decided to prescribe murder as the cure for all ills.

©2002 P.D. James (P)2008 Books on Tape

Critic Reviews

"P.D. James is the greatest living mystery writer." ( People)
" Shroud for a Nightingale [is] mystery at its best." (The New York Times)

Early P.D. James is the best P.D. James

I blow hot and cold with P.D. James. She is great at establishing the characters and especially the setting of her books. They often take place in closed communities, and she is excellent at creating the atmosphere of these situations. I usually really enjoy the first third to half of her books. They tend to lose steam for me as the solution looms, especially in her later books. I prefer the earlier books, before they started getting too long and with too much of the detectives' personal lives intruding to the detriment of the plots. This book is firmly in the early camp - characters and plot are predominant.

The book takes place in a country-town hospital and more specifically in its nursing school. Always fertile ground for mystery plots and plenty of potential suspects. It has a cast of characters more interesting than most murder mysteries, all sketched well without going overboard. The plot is good, and you may or may not figure it all out before Adam Dalgliesh, James's Scotland Yard lead character. Even if you do, the writing itself is a cut well above most crime writing, and justifies reading through to the end.

Surprising and suspenseful!

Narrator was wonderful. would love to hear her again. Very much enjoyed book, and definitely will read or listen to more of P D James's work. Loved this book. Hooked me.

listened as an audiobook

I see that she won awards for this book. It was excellent. kept you guessing until the very end

PD James writes a great story. Loved it!

Reading in order. This author has created an amazing character in Adam Dalgliesh. Very methodical and self possessed.

Another Grand P D James

Again, well written and narrated. Looking forward to the next book of Adam Dalgliesh and the crime he must solve

Very clever mystery

Mrs. James managed to tie together numerous weighty themes in this marvelous novel, and her characters were very fascinating. Dalgliesh once again confronts adversity admirably and is two steps ahead of the reader. Penelope Dellaporta's narration is her usual solid work. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

A classic mystery

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would, and have many times, recommended this book to a friend. It is a pure, classic mystery. The reader/listener is all the time being given the necessary clues and also being led down the garden path by the author. Absolutely delicious!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Shroud for a Nightingale?

There wasn't one moment that wasn't memorable. The idiot who reviewed it as

Have you listened to any of Penelope Dellaporta’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Haven't, but she is great.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes -- I listened at every moment I could and hated when it was over.

1 of 2 people found this review helpful

Boring

So unlike her other great books.

1 of 8 people found this review helpful