Death in Holy Orders

An Adam Dalgliesh Mystery

By: P. D. James

Narrated by: Charles Keating

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

Outstanding

This is the best audio book I've heard. The narration is excellent, perfectly paced for the subject, with great accents. The plot and characterisation sustain interest throughout.

Clever, twisting and turning mystery

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

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes good British mystery novels. I think the characters are excellently well developed and the story is great. I was sad when it ended, but love how P.D. James gives the story epilogue to tie everything together.

Good book

I always like PD James. Enjoyed this one also. Looking forward to the next in the series.

Relaxing atmospheric listen

-not for fans of bubbly Stephanie Plum et. al. mysteries. Not literary enough to be a dense listen, but not fluff either.

This is very traditional British in mood (if that can be called a mood), as much about the setting, character and social relations as whodunnit- more details of a room's furniture or the sand along the beach than the fullness of a character's lips or breasts.

I liked the slow careful narration style-not many or varied voices, but more a book that is "read." This matched the precise and descriptive prose. The story winds along like the East Anglia coast and slowly uncovers what's hidden. This was my first PD James but not my last, even though I am not much of a mystery fan.

Lengthy, slow moving

For the most part I enjoyed this book, especially the intricate description of scenes and characters that made them real and 3-dimensional.

However, the book was painfully s-l-o-w moving and drawn out over 14 hours - a bit much.

Poor production

The production is very poor. Chapters and sequences are not manageable and out of water. It appears that this is a haphazard audio production.

Naturally come on Charles Keating is a new voice as of this particular sequel, and it will take some getting used to. Nevertheless, he is not as apt to distinguish voices and characters as effectively as previous narrators.

pretty good

not a bad book and the speaker is OK. Book maybe a tad too long, but....

Satisfying read

I like reading anything by PDJames. This takes place in a religious order where a death may have been a murder. A well known detective just happens to be there on a personal retreat. This was another entertaining story and I recommend it. #mystery#priests#suspenseful#detective#murders#catholicchurch#tagsgiving#sweepstakes

Incredibly boring

I’m sure all these boring bits and pieces will all come together in an incredible denouement… eventually!?
This narrator is preferable to the shrieking deliverances of Penelope Dellaporta but even he cannot inject much excitement into the presentation. I have returned the books narrated by Penelope. I’m going to try to stick with this one just to see if there’s any improvement … but there’s no danger of my purchasing another one.

Architecture and Mortality

In her later books, P. D. James tends to Adam Dalgleish away from contemporary London to investigate some gothic murder in a closed environment, chipping away slowly at the warped psychology of a small group of suspects. In many was it is in such quasi 'locked room' mysteries that she is at her best - her books have never been procedurals, more meditations on human iniquity with Dalgleish as a flawed Gabriel. Though this is not quite as good as "Original Sin", James slowly weaves a dense, suspenseful narrative - unpeeling the onion layers of secrets, lies and sinfulness which bind the characters. The denouement is a little abrupt, but Michael Jayston, as always, is a magnificent narrator