Product Description

Venetia Aldridge QC is a distinguished barrister. When she agrees to defend Garry Ashe, accused of the brutal murder of his aunt, it is one more opportunity to triumph in her career as a criminal lawyer. But just four weeks later, Miss Aldridge is found dead. Commander Adam Dalgliesh, called in to investigate, finds motives for murder among the clients Venetia has defended, her professional colleagues, her family - even her lover. As Dalgliesh narrows the field of suspects, a second brutal murder draws them into greater complexities of intrigue and evil.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7513 in Books
• Published on: 2008-09-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 496 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Writing at the peak of her form (which is very high indeed), P. D. James has produced her best book since Innocent Blood. The ideas, energy, and artistry on display in A Certain Justice could keep other, younger writers going for most of their careers; the seventysomething James tosses them off with apparent ease. It's billed as: "An Adam Dalgliesh Mystery," but in A Certain Justice the brooding poet detective takes a backseat to the murder victim--a wonderfully complex and basically unlikeable female lawyer named Venetia Aldridge--and to the equally fascinating Kate Miskin, Dalgliesh's able assistant. Thinking of another young police officer, Kate "suspected that he found something risible, even slightly ridiculous, in the traditions, the conventions, the hierarchy of policing. She sensed, too, that this was a view which AD [Adam Dalgliesh] with part of his mind understood, even if he didn't share it. But she couldn't live her life like that, couldn't be lighthearted about her career..." A Certain Justice would be the perfect mystery to ignite the enthusiasm of people who haven't read any P.D. James. Other examples of her high art available in paperback include The Black Tower, Death of an Expert Witness, A Shroud for a Nightingale, and An Unsuitable Job for a Woman. --Amazon.com

About the Author
P. D. James was born in Oxford in 1920 and educated at Cambridge High School for Girls.From 1949 to 1968 she worked in the National Health Service and subsequently in the Home Office, first in the Police Department and later in the Criminal Policy Department.All that experience has been used in her novels.She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and of the Royal Society of Arts and has served as a Governor of the BBC, a member of the Arts Council, where she was Chairman of the Literary Advisory Panel, on the Board of the British Council and as a magistrate in Middlesex and London.She has won awards for crime writing in Britain, America, Italy and Scandinavia, including the Mystery Writers of America Grandmaster Award.She has received honorary degrees from seven British universities, was awarded an OBE in 1983 and was created a life peer in 1991.In 1997 she was elected President of the Society of Authors.

Customer Reviews

Intriguing Story and Characters but a Tad Slow
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.

One of PD James best - both absorbing and credible
Having been rather disappointed by PD James's last couple of detective novels I approached "A Certain Justice" with some reluctance. But from the first page I was completely absorbed. The novel opens with a court-case, in which we see the eventual murder victim, barrister Venetia Aldridge, conducting an inspired defence on behalf of a particularly repugnant client. Over the next few chapters we learn about Venetia's childhood, and what lay behind her ambition to become a criminal barrister. PD James then goes on to present to the reader Venetia's various colleagues. This is done in her usual customary detailed and sympathetic manner, so that the reader becomes absorbed by the personalities described, their inter-relationships and their secret anxieties. Once the murder occurs, we are quickly reacquainted with our old friend Commander Adam Dalgliesh, with Detective Inspector Kate Miskin in tow. Then follows the usual series of police interviews with the several suspects, and, after some unexpected but credible twists and turns,including a second murder, Dalgliesh succeeds (as always) in identifying the culprit. In this novel PD James' narrative and descriptive skills are at their best, and felt both the setting and the denouement to be more convincing that than those of her last novel, "Original Sin". PD James' many fans are in for a treat.

An excellent read at an excitable pace
Not having read P D James for some considerable time, I had almost forgotten how good her work is. From the first page, I was intrigued by the characters and to the exclusion of all else, found I was reluctant to put this book down and completed it over a two day period. An excellent mystery with believable characters and a plot that was easy to follow. The author's writing is uncomplicated but never simplistic. A lot of "if's and's & but's" culminating in a satisfying ending. Highly recommended.