Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #88280 in Books
• Published on: 2005-10-06
• Binding: Paperback
• 503 pages

Synopsis
When Commander Adam Dalgliesh visits Larksoken, a remote headland community on the Norfolk coast in the shadow of a nuclear power station, he expects to be engaged only in the sad business of tying up his aunt's estate. But the peace of Larksoken is illusory. A serial killer known as the Whistler is terrorising the neighbourhood and Dalgliesh is drawn into the lives of the headlanders when it quickly becomes apparent that the Whistler isn't the only murderer at work under the sinister shadow of the power station.

Customer Reviews

Excellent whodunnit, excellent novel
This is the second PD James I have read and quite different from the superb Innocent Blood. This is basically a whodunnit but what is really excellent is that the format and assumptions change as the story moves on. With the rather sinister backdrop of a power station,the tale involves a serial killer but doesn't stop there. The strong characters and relationships make this more than a run-of-the-mill crime thriller, from the businesslike control of Alex Mair to the rather feckless Neil Pacoe. The last whodunnit-type story I read was by Peter Robinson and, although reasonable, that really throws PD James's genius into bold relief: in Devices and Desires, violence is horrifying yet never voreuristic, the police talk like rounded characters not TV cut-outs and the people act with quirky humanity not dull cliches. Rickards is great as the rather downtrodden detective and Dalgliesh brilliantly understated as his rival, each struggling to get on with the other. To say more would probably give too much away but I highly recommend this.

A Brilliant Read
I REALLY enjoyed this book! Although I am fairly new to P.D James, "Devices and Desires" is my favourite one so far (I have also read "Original Sin", "Shroud for a Nightingale" and "Murder Room") The author's descriptions of the Norfolk landscape are so atmospheric and they set the tone for this dark novel. I thought the first murder was written in brilliant, chilling detail, in fact the description of the "Whistler" was scary, frankly!
I liked the way the novel progressed at an organic rate and it flowed well. I also liked James' exploration of nuclear power and the effect of Larksoken as an accepted part of the landscape, albeit grudgingly by some.
It was also refreshing to have Dalgliesh isolated from his London home and placed in a much less familiar territory. I was quite pleased there were no references in this book to his love life, as in "Muder Room"- which I felt detracted from the story and was of little interest.
I would highly recommend this book!