Unnatural Causes by P.D. JamesMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Another step on the journey to get to know Adam Dalgliesh. In this installment, we get to meet his aunt, Jane, who shares many characteristics with her nephew. They are both taciturn, comfortable in their own company, and rather detached observers of other people's behaviour. They are rather the mirror image of Christie's Jane Marple and her nephew, Raymond West.
As so many good mysteries are, this one is set in a small community where everyone knows one another at least a passing fashion. They have what is usually called history—grudges, friendships, dependencies, and prejudices. We sort through all these potential distractions with the help of Dalgliesh, who regularly vacations in the area and has pre-knowledge of the cast of characters. I was forcibly reminded of M.M. Kaye's Death in … series.
Dalgliesh is not included in the investigation officially; he is peripherally involved and too valuable a resource to be excluded. Indeed he and Inspector Reckless don't particularly like one another and tend to be like roosters, puffing themselves up to look more impressive when they are in the same room. In this way, Adam has taken on the expert amateur role of Jane Marple.
James is very aware of the romance of being a mystery writer and explores her own field through this group of published and aspiring writers. I wonder if she found it amusing? Perhaps some of these unpleasant people were based on the real thing? A friend of mine uses her fiction to kill off the people that annoy her. A good use of imagination, surely.
I find that I like Dalgliesh, despite his reticence to engage with humanity. Investigating homicides must tend to estrange a person from general society.
View all my reviews
No comments:
Post a Comment