Original Sin

this was my first experience of PD James. good characters, some sharp dialogue, credible plot up to the pretty implausible deus ex machina ending, but please, P.D, what's with the outdated vocabulary? i had to keep checking the publication date because i was getting confused. It was published in 1994, and characters are still writing on portable typewriters? they have names like Esm�, Marjorie and Velma? The police are "the fuzz"? It really began to annoy me, to the point where the book was damaged by it. if the characters are stuck in the 1950s, then why should I respect the rest of it as being convincing? I'm presuming of course that it wasn't actually set in 1953, but there are references to AIDS and motorbikes and Docklands, so there's surely no excuse for the Esm�s and Velma's. An unnecessary flaw that a good editor should have ironed out.

enjoyable read ruined by an implausable ending (4/6 people found this helpful)

I do feel that three stars might be a little harsh when it comes to this book as I enjoyed most of it. The plot and the characters are intriguing and the author's sense of place is as good as ever. The problem however, is the ending (which I am not going to ruin for you.) All the carefull structuring comes crashing down as a number of the characters (and one in particular) start acting in a way that defies belief. I get the impression that P D James had no idea how to finish the novel and the cheap ending we are left with comes close to ruining the whole book

Left me absolutely dumbfounded (3/6 people found this helpful)

I like nothing more than a book or this sort, a wronged person going after justice in the form of an eye-for-an-eye etc. She makes the reder feel a wonderful compassion for the killer, and all the time since she revelaed the denouement, felt myself willing the 'killer' (i put it in quotation marks because i beileve a killer who is justified should not be classified under th heading killer, but the term 'doer of things which should have been done oh so long ago......') to suceed in their quest for justice.

The writing is wonderful, the atmosphere eerie, the characters done in the detail reminiscent of a painting, the plot interesting, the setting so realistic (One of the main hallmarks of P. D. James) all come together to make this a winning novel.

The Sin is hardly Original, but the Book is! (4/5 people found this helpful)

For Superintendent Adam Dalgleish, there are just too many coincidences, too many "practical" jokes, too many deaths, and too many suspects. In P.D. James' "Original Sin," this quintessential investigator has his hands full. And James, herself, is at top form in this London thriller, all asea with several subplots at once. Intriguing they are, too. Someone is bumping off the partners of Peverell Press, a venerable publishing company now on shaky financial legs that rests on the banks of the Thames in a real ediface complex called Innocent House, an opulent Venetian-type of building that is at once a landmark as well as a nest of intrigue, murder, and mayhem, going back a couple of generations to its founder.

As one after another body is found, the pieces begin to come together, although not easily nor fast. Dalgleish and his two assistants, Kate Mishkin and Aaron Daniel, have their own personal concerns to sort out as well. James has created a host of

excellently developed characters, as she usually does, and the reader is caught up in the problems and affairs of them all. Finally to solve the case, Dalgleish and company have to look back for their answers, all the way back to World War II France. The climax comes powerfully in "Original Sin" and as usual James leaves her readers, not necessarily on a joyous note, but one that is pensive, sometimes even remorseful. But what a read. In literature, and especially with P.D. James,

Revenge or Justice? (3/4 people found this helpful)

A practical joker is afoot at Innocent House, a Venetian-style palazzo on the Thames that houses England's oldest independent book publisher, Peverell Press. This engrossing crime drama effectively plays out against the self-contained setting of Innocent House. Poison pen letters are circulating, rare illustrations are being lost, important proofs are being tampered with, and minor mischiefs abound; added to the mix is the disconcerting fact that two of Peverell Press' authors and one editor have died in less than twelve months. Then, another death occurs, this one with bizarre overtones. Is it natural death, suicide, accident or murder? Is it the work of the malicious prankster, or perhaps one or more of the various people associated with Innocent House who harbor animus against the victim? Enter Commander Adam Dalgliesh and his Special Squad.

P.D. James has written that, for her, "... one of the fascinations of detective fiction is the exploration of character under the revealing trauma of a murder enquiry." In 'Original Sin,' James deftly explores a diversity of complex characters (the directors and those among the staff at Innocent House who are central to the plot, as well as several sharply delineated secondary characters) as they undergo the sagacious questioning of Dalgliesh and his team.

Besides the splendid palazzo, James treats the reader to another strikingly effective mood-setter: the River Thames itself, arcane, enduring and somewhat sinister, the compelling secrets of its dark past forever threatening to surface before our eyes (and in one memorable scene, they do). Architectural descriptions and historical anecdotes weave seamlessly throughout the narrative, as another bonus.

Further, there is an interesting look at a small London publishing house as it evolves from the "preserve of gentlemen" (Henry Peverell and Jean-Philippe Etienne) to the present-day leadership of a 21st Century Machiavellian (Gerard Etienne).

P.D. James has expressed the view that rather than feel sympathy for the murderer, the reader should feel empathy and understanding. Here in 'Original Sin' she has provided such a murderer. It is the reader's ability to empathize that makes this murderer's motivations credible.

At its heart, 'Original Sin' is about redress. In this instance, we learn that revenge (which the killer calls "justice") is not sweet, that it sometimes requires multiple acts of murder, and that it may necessitate sacrificing the innocent. The lucky reader, however, gains this harsh lesson by way of the impeccable prose of this distinguished writer.

P.D. James

Reader Reviews:

could do better (0/2 people found this helpful)

enjoyable read ruined by an implausable ending (4/6 people found this helpful)

Left me absolutely dumbfounded (3/6 people found this helpful)

The Sin is hardly Original, but the Book is! (4/5 people found this helpful)

Revenge or Justice? (3/4 people found this helpful)

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