The Murder Room (James, Pd (Large Print))

This book has been feted as the pinnacle of James' writing. If that is true, I would not read another novel by her. For me, it just lakcs something as a crime novel, there is nothing to mark it out as a particularly rivetting read.
It lacks Rankins gritty realism, and exposes on the seedy life of Edinburgh, it lacks Christies awesome ability to tease the reader with clues. Dalgiesh is nothing special as a protagonist, but I felt the suspects were in fact well fleshed out, and there was a good sinister atmosphere pervading proceedings.
You will, as usual, alter your opinion as to the culprit, but the revelation at the end felt somewhat sloppy and rushed, and I almost did not care who the villain was. There was a little too much backstory, included for the development of the main characters, which detracted from the murder plot, which itself was dragged out a bit too much.

A gripping and atmospheric murder mystery (5/6 people found this helpful)

As a confirmed P D James fan I enjoyed this book for its strongly-drawn characters, taut plot and the tension that James maintains in the early part of the book. The people and places come to life very vividly and the blending of historical fact with fiction is skilfully done. Having said that, I didn't think this was one of James' strongest novels. The denouement felt perfunctory and the themes and plot are similar to the ones in her earlier novel 'Original Sin' which I found a more exciting book overall. I also felt that the killer's motives when revealed at the end were somewhat weak and unconvincing.

Still, it's an enjoyable read and Adam Dagliesh and his colleagues remain engaging characters.

Hmm... (8/10 people found this helpful)

I'm not sure if books full of minute description of everything are my cup of tea. However, that's just me, and if you are that sort, then James has done a good job in that department.

The story, on the other hand, isn't the most exciting or mysterious I have ever read. Although my opinion changed on who the murderer could be a couple of times, the person it was was the first person I suspected, so I can't say I was overly shocked with the outcome.

On the whole, it was entertaining enough, but James' writing style isn't my reading style.

one of PD James' most enjoyable books (8/8 people found this helpful)

Adam Dalgliesh is called in to investigate the murder of one of the trustees of the Dupayne Museum.
This is one of PD James' most enjoyable books, because the characterisation is so good. Time (and pages!) are taken to set the scene and introduce the characters. It is time well spent as the characters are easily distinguishable, believable and sympathetically written. The plot is that of a typical British who dunnit. It is easy to read, but what sets this book apart from the standard crime novel is the quality of the writing, which was superb. A book not to be missed by anyone enjoying good British crime fiction.

The Murder Room, P.D. James (16/17 people found this helpful)

One morning, by chance, Commander Dalgliesh has opportunity to visit the Dupayne, a small private museum on the edge of Hampstead Heath. It deals with the inter-war years, 1918-1939, and its most renowned exhibition is The Murder Room, a display of artefacts and information on the most notorious murder cases of the day. However, within a week Dalgliesh will have cause to return to the Dupayne, but not for recreational purposes this time. This time, he will be investigating a brutal murder.

Dr Neville Dupayne, one of the three trustees of the museum, it being passed on to him and his brother and sister upon the death of their father, is found dead in a burning car near the museum, in a scenario exactly mirroring one of the cases featured in the bizarre Murder Room. And there is no lack of people with a motive, for the Dupayne is coming up for renewal of it's lease which, under the conditions of their late father's will, must be signed by all three trustees or will become void, and Neville is the only one who refuses to sign. Yet there are several people whose futures have a strong stake in the future and continued running of the museum...

Then, mere days later, another body is found, once again killed in an identical manner to one of the cases from the Murder Room...

Perhaps not quite James's strongest novel, this is still a very good book, and will undoubtedly follow on the immense success of her last, Death in Holy Orders. As a novel, it is traditional in its form, but with James that means nothing, certainly not that you are in for anything like a "cosy" mystery. Content within the boundaries of the genre, she finds those limits not limiting at all, instead using them as foundations and support for an incredibly worthy novel that tells us much about the human condition and the society we, in England at least, live in. It is impeccably written (of course), socially interesting, with a strikingly strong sense of morality, and I doubt that there is a writer at work today who can more subtly but fully evoke a setting. Too, the eerie nostalgia of the museum itself is mirrored beautifully in both the story and the narrative prose itself.

Her characters are incredibly strong and she draws them with almost astonishing subtlety; they slink from the page fully-formed and ready for our judgement. They range from the sympathetic to the cold, from calculating to warm. Never are any of them less than human.

The Murder Room doesn't quite dazzle with brilliance like novels by Ruth Rendell, Peter Robinson, or even some of James' other books, but it is still an outstanding example of its genre, and it certainly proves that only British novelists can write perfectly about Britain. It leaves foreign imitators languishing by the wayside. It's an intelligent, very literate book which should please all her fans and lovers of such novels. In the end, she presents a solution that is very satisfying not for that it is a bolt from the blue, but for that it is entirely sensible. She has you working out complicated solutions to the mystery, then presents you with an entirely plausible one that you never really even considered, which is an admirable trait indeed in a world of fiction that is far too full of gratuitous unreality.

The Murder Room (James, Pd (Large Print))

P. D. James

Reader Reviews:

Just Doesn't Cut The Mustard (0/3 people found this helpful)

A gripping and atmospheric murder mystery (5/6 people found this helpful)

Hmm... (8/10 people found this helpful)

one of PD James' most enjoyable books (8/8 people found this helpful)

The Murder Room, P.D. James (16/17 people found this helpful)

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