British master James's 13th Adam Dalgliesh mystery, like its two
predecessors, The Murder Room (2003) and Death in Holy Orders (2001),
focuses at first on a hostile character who threatens to shatter a
longstanding way of life. Acclaimed novelist Nathan Oliver incurs the
wrath of his fellow residents on Combe Island, a private property off the
Cornish coast used as an exclusive retreat by movers and shakers in many
fields.
When Oliver is murdered, Scotland Yard dispatches
Dalgliesh and two of his team to Combe, where the commander checks alibis
and motives in his trademark understated manner. Because the detective's
new romantic attachment is more of a backstory than in The Murder Room, it
intrudes less on the murder inquiry. The solution, which hinges on the
existence of an unknown child, is less than fully satisfactory and also
borrows elements from some of James's recent plots. Devotees more
interested in her hero's personal growth than his deductive technique will
find much to enjoy.
Book
review
This is James' eighteenth book, and is one of Adam
Dalgliesh series.
On the eve of a special weekend with his new love, Emma Lavenham,
Dalgliesh is summoned to handle an especially delicate case at short
notice. He and his team, D.I. Kate Miskin and Sargeant Benton-Smith, are
to fly by helicopter to remote Combe Island to investigate the suspicious
death of a prominent author, and report back immediately. The island is
needed for a secret conference and it must be shown to be secure.
The dead man, aging novelist Nathan Oliver, had been found hanging from
the rails of the lighthouse. The few residents and guests on the island
all had reason to dislike him, but no real obvious motives for murder (the
bruising on his neck does prove it to be murder).
The manager, the accountant/priest, the housekeeper, the cook, the boat
captain, the handyman, the maid, the last descendant of the family who
owned the island and her valet, the teenage maid, the two guests, and the
novelist's middle-aged daughter and his personal copy editor...who could
have hated him so much?
Another tragic death happens before the mystery can be solved; and a
SARS outbreak takes out Dalgliesh, quarantines the island, and leaves
Miskin and Benton-Smith on their own and in charge.
This book is another success for James--a wonderful location and her
usually superbly drawn and realistically motivated characters make it a
must-read this winter. |