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ginaparrish's review against another edition
3.0
This one was hard for me to rate because James is such a talented writer and has a knack for plotting her mysteries well.
But when it came down to it, I found the first half of the book rather dry. Hospital administration is not one of my interests, and that’s largely what the first half of this book consisted of, that and lots of characters and alibis that were difficult to keep track of.
The second half picked up and held my interest more. The suspects were put into scenes where they were much easier to keep track of and we got to know more of the interesting bits about the characters. The ending hit all the right notes for me and James should be applauded for her plotting.
That said, she has a rather cruel way of treating her characters that I find grating. For example, she described one woman as having a “stupid face” (seems harsh and childish) and others are constantly described as common, unintelligent, petty, etc. which makes the entire read feel cynical. No one has a good opinion of anyone else, and occasionally it feels slightly misogynistic.
Apparently she has a high view of doctors, though, as well as hospitals (not one I share, unfortunately) and she adheres to patient confidentiality, even with her fictional characters. I found that, in particular, extremely strange.
But when it came down to it, I found the first half of the book rather dry. Hospital administration is not one of my interests, and that’s largely what the first half of this book consisted of, that and lots of characters and alibis that were difficult to keep track of.
The second half picked up and held my interest more. The suspects were put into scenes where they were much easier to keep track of and we got to know more of the interesting bits about the characters. The ending hit all the right notes for me and James should be applauded for her plotting.
That said, she has a rather cruel way of treating her characters that I find grating. For example, she described one woman as having a “stupid face” (seems harsh and childish) and others are constantly described as common, unintelligent, petty, etc. which makes the entire read feel cynical. No one has a good opinion of anyone else, and occasionally it feels slightly misogynistic.
Apparently she has a high view of doctors, though, as well as hospitals (not one I share, unfortunately) and she adheres to patient confidentiality, even with her fictional characters. I found that, in particular, extremely strange.
we_are_all_mad_here26's review against another edition
4.0
It's possible that I am just being picky but I'm realizing that I like distractions and red herrings to be resolved, even if only in a minor kind of way, along with the rest of the plot. They can't just be thrown in at will and abandoned. I say they 'can't' be but I am wrong, because they definitely are in A Mind to Murder, and I don't like it. It's very unsatisfying.
I found the ending to this one somewhat unsatisfying as well, but I really did enjoy the reading of it and so allowances have been made.
I'm guessing that as the series progresses, fewer herrings will be left rotting on the side of the road. Fingers crossed.
I found the ending to this one somewhat unsatisfying as well, but I really did enjoy the reading of it and so allowances have been made.
I'm guessing that as the series progresses, fewer herrings will be left rotting on the side of the road. Fingers crossed.
arranjc's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
aimee_percival's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
bibliovolubile's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
elliethecatlover's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
lauraborkpower's review against another edition
3.0
If I could do half stars (something I frequently wish I could do), I'd give this two and a half. It was better than "okay" but only just so. Dalgliesh is just so unappealing. He writes poetry, but there is nothing at all that I find poetic about him. And there are tons of poets I don't like, but at least they have personality. He lacks even that.
The murder itself was compelling enough to keep me reading and it was a solid procedural with a nice red herring and tiny twist--totally believable tiny twist--at the end. I'll read another (the first in the series, finally, after I picked up #11 a few months ago without realizing it was a series, and now reading #2 because I could find the #1 while our books were all over the house in our tuck-pointing extravaganza [but I've now found #1 and can only hope that it has half as many typos as #2, because they were a consistent irritant:]) when I need a good murder fix. Although I will only come back to it after I've exhausted the Kolla and Brocks.
The murder itself was compelling enough to keep me reading and it was a solid procedural with a nice red herring and tiny twist--totally believable tiny twist--at the end. I'll read another (the first in the series, finally, after I picked up #11 a few months ago without realizing it was a series, and now reading #2 because I could find the #1 while our books were all over the house in our tuck-pointing extravaganza [but I've now found #1 and can only hope that it has half as many typos as #2, because they were a consistent irritant:]) when I need a good murder fix. Although I will only come back to it after I've exhausted the Kolla and Brocks.
jimbowen0306's review against another edition
4.0
This is the second book by PD James in her Adam Dalgliesh series. Like the first book in the series, it is your typical "country house" whodunnit, of the sort that Agatha Christie might write. It wasn't a bad read, if you like that sort of book.
It's set in a small psychiatric unit, where the chief administrative officer has been murdered. Dalgliesh is called in to investigate. It's a short book, but
As I said, it wasn't a bad read, but I found the denouement to be a bit of a let down. In school, you're brought up not to end a story "and I woke up to find it had all been a dream." This book as the same feel about it. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad (and made sense), you'll just be left feeling "What, what, run that the heck by me again."
It's set in a small psychiatric unit, where the chief administrative officer has been murdered. Dalgliesh is called in to investigate. It's a short book, but
As I said, it wasn't a bad read, but I found the denouement to be a bit of a let down. In school, you're brought up not to end a story "and I woke up to find it had all been a dream." This book as the same feel about it. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad (and made sense), you'll just be left feeling "What, what, run that the heck by me again."
savaging's review against another edition
3.0
This book is like Sudoku in story-problem form. That means it's mostly full of tedious details, so the careful reader can deduce an answer. It's impossible to skim but not really gripping enough to read deeply.
I actually kind of like that James prioritizes the mystery over the aesthetic, so this doesn't sink into some kind of Philip Marlowe noire nonsense. Detective Dalgliesh isn't rugged or tortured or supernaturally brilliant. The murder takes place in a psychiatric clinic, but James never tries to make the tone spookier by making readers think that people with mental illness are creepy and crazy. It's about nearly-normal conflict among professionals within a bureaucracy -- the setting is almost incidental.
I also appreciated
I actually kind of like that James prioritizes the mystery over the aesthetic, so this doesn't sink into some kind of Philip Marlowe noire nonsense. Detective Dalgliesh isn't rugged or tortured or supernaturally brilliant. The murder takes place in a psychiatric clinic, but James never tries to make the tone spookier by making readers think that people with mental illness are creepy and crazy. It's about nearly-normal conflict among professionals within a bureaucracy -- the setting is almost incidental.
I also appreciated