A Certain Justice |
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Baroness P. D. James
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Pages: 496 (Paperback)
ISBN: 057123948X
Pub: Faber and Faber
Pub date: 2008-09-04
Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 39235
Editorial Review:
Although A Certain Justice begins with news of a murder, the victim isn't set to die for another four weeks. Publicly respected but privately loathed, Venetia Aldridge has far more enemies than a brilliant London criminal lawyer should--and at least one of them is determined to do her in. Venetia plies her superior trade in courts that harbour "the illusion that the passions of men were susceptible to order and control," but her past and private life are exceedingly unruly. Her married lover is intent on giving her up; her daughter loathes her; her fellow barristers are determined that she not become the next head of chambers. Even the cleaning woman seems to have something on her. The outline alone of this complex novel would take pages (as would the eclectic inventory of players), but P. D. James makes us admire far more than her brilliantly developed plot. James in fact creates a crowded gallery of surprisingly decent suspects, along with one suitably vile creature--who happens to be Aldridge's last client. A superior murder mystery, A Certain Justice is also a gripping anatomy of wild justice. James's characters can be overcome by hate, but she is equally concerned with love's manifestations--human, divine, destructive, and healing.
Reader Reviews:
WELL REASONED (0/1 people found this helpful)
P D JAMES IS QUITE PSYCHOLOGICALLY INCLINED, SO HER BOOKS ARE NOT JUST MYSTERIES BUT ALSO INTERESTING IN OTHER WAYS
The best of thrillers (1/1 people found this helpful)
Having read many of the more recent thriller writers, (including the well known forensic 'genre') I was totally gripped by this book, not only by the story but with the realisation that I was reading a writer whose command of the English language is formidable and that my previous reads were OK but nothing in comparison with the sheer enjoyment of PD James's skill. I shall be reading all her books now.!
Great value book (0/1 people found this helpful)
The hardback book I wanted is now only available new in paperback form so I had to buy a used book. This supplier provided one in excellent condition at a reasonable price - very highly recommended!
A Certain Justice (0/0 people found this helpful)
Interesting first half soon gives way to tedium. Some good characters, though the male policemen are rather indistinguishable from each other. The last part of the book is dreadful, the author spending far too much time with Octavia and her boyfriend. Very difficult to care about what happens to them. I've read other James's. Some I haven't liked, some I have but this was very disappointing. It just doesn't go anywhere. At the end I just felt I'd wasted my time. By the time you get to the reveal at the end, you won't care.
Intriguing Story and Characters but a Tad Slow (12/12 people found this helpful)
Venetia Aldridge is a top notch criminal lawyer. She hardly ever looses a case and is able to find the holes in any argument. Her personal life isn't so rosy, however. She is basically estranged from her daughter and considered a problem by her co-workers. Her life really begins to unravel when her daughter announces her engagement - to a man Venetia has recently gotten off for murder. But when Venetia is found dead in her office two days later, it's up to Adam Dalgliesh and his team to figure out who killed her. And with all these motives and suspects, it won't be easy.
I'd heard much about P.D. James, but this was the first time I'd actually read one of her books. I found the writing style engaging and would have a hard time putting it down once I started. On the other hand, I'd have a hard time picking it up again. The beginning especially seems to give us too much background on our characters, stuff we don't need to learn until later if at all. This really slowed the story down for me.
The more I got into it, the better I enjoyed it, however. There were some nice twists along the way with an intriguing sub-plot. The last couple of chapters did seem a little anti-climatic considering what had gone before, but I was surprised by who the killer turned out to be. Using multiple view points greatly added to the story most of the time, although it did confuse me some as far as timeline goes.
I can understand why P.D. James has such a fine reputation. She can paint a picture with words like few other writers currently writing. While she may be a tad too slow for my normal taste, I'm certainly glad to see what all the talk is about. Her reputation is well earned.
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