christa_amnell's review against another edition
mysterious
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
3.0
octavia_cade's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
3.5
This is one of those English cosy mysteries, and it puts me in mind of Agatha Christie and Miss Marple, except with Miss Marple (such of them as I've read, anyway) I get the feeling that Christie may sometimes be skewering her village characters but is still basically fond of them, while James comes across as a lot more cynical in her depictions. Stephen, especially, comes off fairly badly here, even though he's not much more than thoughtless; James manages to make him so small and self-obsessed that when the rather unpleasant Catherine finally gives up on him, I'm actually relieved for her, even though I don't like her at all! I do think that Sally, the victim, is drawn with not as much subtlety as the rest, and it is a little difficult not to sink into victim-blaming here, which is something of an achievement when most of the rest of the characters are so unlikable.
Not all of them, though. The ones I do end up liking have at least some self-awareness about them, and their cutting assessments of others (and implicitly, of themselves) are finely observed. As for Dalgliesh himself, he's a bit of a cipher still. I rather get the feeling that he could be swapped out for any detective of reasonable intelligence at this point, but this is the first book in a series, so I suspect that will improve as the books go on. I'm interested enough to read on, anyway, and that very genteel, absolutely brutal cynicism is the main reason for that.
Not all of them, though. The ones I do end up liking have at least some self-awareness about them, and their cutting assessments of others (and implicitly, of themselves) are finely observed. As for Dalgliesh himself, he's a bit of a cipher still. I rather get the feeling that he could be swapped out for any detective of reasonable intelligence at this point, but this is the first book in a series, so I suspect that will improve as the books go on. I'm interested enough to read on, anyway, and that very genteel, absolutely brutal cynicism is the main reason for that.
nedge's review against another edition
mysterious
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? It's complicated
3.5
caroline1976's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
aaronmjnoy's review against another edition
4.0
Really good mystery and I loved the writing style. For the first in the series focused on a detective, you don't actually follow him very much. Instead, it jumps in and out of various characters' heads which adds to the mystery.
dbenton90's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-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
felicitydisco's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
So excited to finally try this series, and it did not disappoint!
owlette's review against another edition
3.0
P. D. James writes well: I read the first chapter three times (the second time because I needed to get the characters' names and then one more time because I loved how the text transitins from one character's thoughts to another seamlessly). Unfortunately, the murder mystery wasn't interesting at all. I'm hoping that the next book I read from this series will be better.
cook_memorial_public_library's review against another edition
3.0
Recommended by Jo.
Check our catalog: http://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Scover%20her%20face%20james__Orightresult__U?lang=eng&suite=gold
Check our catalog: http://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Scover%20her%20face%20james__Orightresult__U?lang=eng&suite=gold