Product Description

When a young girl is found murdered in a field, the scientific examination of the exhibits is just a routine job for the staff of Hoggatt's forensic science laboratory. But nothing could have prepared them for the brutal death of one of their own. When the senior biologist is found dead in his laboratory Commander Dalgliesh is called to the bleak fens of East Anglia, where the murderer is lying in wait to strike again.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #43804 in Books
• Published on: 2006-01-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Customer Reviews

Not one of her best I'm afraid!
I love P. D. James but this just wasn't one of her best stories in my humble opinion. I realised who'd done it from the start & the actual motive was sketchy plus the second murder just didn't ring true! An excellent writer such as P. D. James should not have made inconsistency errors but there were a few in there (I can't point them out here because I don't want to spoil the plot!!) If you're a fan, by all means buy it : you won't be disappointed but if you are new to James then try Cover Her Face or An Unsuitable Job for a Woman first!

James (and Dalgleish) score another victory!
P.D. James fittingly wears the crown as "queen of the mystery writers"! And in "Death of an Expert Witness" the title is clearly shown and deserved. Again, James brings in Chief Inspector Adam Dalgleish of Scotland Yard, and once again, this venerable, brilliant, and honorable investigator is in good form. James usually presents a model in human behavior--she's good at this--and gives Dalgleish the full run to work out the inconsistencies, the red herrings, and finally the truth of the case. Dr. Lorrimer is a cold, efficient, dislikeable scientist; now he is a cold, efficient, and dislikeable corpse. Dalgleish must find out why he was killed--and it is more than merely because he was disliked. What did he know that panicked his murderer? After all, he was cold, efficient, dislikeable, and very knowledgeable, "an expert witness," as it were. Bring along a dictionary, as James' vocabulary is challenging--but not distracting--and her works are refreshingly intelligent and worth the effort it may take!(

Rather basic and uninvolving
I was recommended this by fellow crime fans who regard James as the keeper of the legacy of Christie and Sayers. All I can say is that this is a great disappointment. The story is basic and the two murders in the book are not linked so there is no acceleration is the plot such as in Christie's "Mrs McGinty's Dead". The writing style is pretty bland, the motive's of the key suspects are explained but this takes up about half the book and the whole thing ends rather abruptly. Not one of her finest.