A Certain Justice (Inspector Adam Dalgliesh Mystery)

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Despite its unconventional beginning, A Certain Justice is, in most respects, patterned like the classical British mystery on which James’s books are modeled. One-fourth of the way through the book, the murder is committed, and then the detectives take charge. Their investigations uncover a great deal about the lives of everyone connected with Aldridge, but, eventually, they find out who killed her as well as who committed a second murder obviously connected with the first. In the last section of the novel, however, James abandons the traditional mystery format for sheer suspense. In “The Reed Beds,” Ashe takes Octavia to a remote area of Suffolk, where he will surely kill her if someone does not arrive in time to save her. Unfortunately, this episode results in still another killing, for which the dead Aldridge must bear some responsibility since it was she who arranged for Ashe’s release; fortunately, however, Octavia is saved.

The conclusion of the book did flirt with an Unsatisfactory Ending Alert™, but I honestly can't used that tag for P.D. James as the novel was completely satisfactory otherwise. In the end, A Certain Justice is still achieved. This is the best murder-mystery novel in the Dalgliesh series so far. Here, James has combined a clever and complicated plot with just the right amount of suspense to keep you on edge. A clever and successful barrister is found dead in her chambers, stabbed at the heart, and Dalgleish and his team are drawn into a complicated web of retribution, vengeance, rivalry, and envy. When however the prime suspect dies, the story takes a different turn, making it even more complex and puzzling. Interestingly, this second murder creates a separate murder-mystery by way of a subplot. The two were interconnected of course, yet could be enjoyed as separate murder-mysteries. It was an interesting experiment of James and a highly successful one in my view. After the appalling discovery of a second body, the race is on to find the murderer. Dalgliesh and his team discover a scandalous society at the heart of the museum.

Like most British mysteries, the situation is so claustrophobic (is that because everyone is conscious of England being an island?) that you wonder why more of the ants in this particular literary bottle (in this case, a group of lawyers) aren't killing one another. MY THOUGHTS: This is only my second PD James. I did not enjoy the first at all and was reluctant to read this. But it is faster paced and more intriguing than her book I read previously. She will not become one of my favourite authors. I find her a little predictable, and her writing style too formal for my liking. Even though I say this is faster paced than my previous read by this author, it is still slower than I like. It is ironic that Aldridge does not see the parallel between her own defiance of tradition and Octavia’s refusal to fulfill her mother’s rather conventional ambitions for her daughter, ambitions which, if misguided, do, nevertheless, prove that Aldridge does love Octavia. It is significant that the only twinges of guilt Aldridge ever feels about anyone or anything are aroused by Octavia’s accusations of neglect. It is also ironic that it is this sense of guilt, combined with her real concern for Octavia, that takes Aldridge to Chambers that fatal night and makes her murder possible. Thematically, too, James combines the traditional and the contemporary. Through her alter ego Dalgliesh, she makes it obvious that she sees a clear distinction between good and evil, and her own life story offers proof of her belief in duty and in the power of love. However, she is only too aware that, even for a believer, life is filled with mystery. This is nowhere more evident than at the end of the novel, when, though a couple of killers are dead, Dalgliesh accepts the fact that one murderer cannot be touched by the law. Perhaps he has already been punished enough. In any case, both James and Dalgliesh must accept the fact that, in this world, there is no “certain” justice but merely the imperfect attempts of imperfect human beings to arrive at a certain degree of right. Dalgliesh and Miskin attend the murder scene of Rita O’Keefe, whose nephew Garry Ashe emerges as chief suspect. At his trial, defence barrister Venetia Aldridge smoothly secures an acquittal.

Principal photography for the first series was going to take place in December 2020 but was postponed to 2021. The project received funding from All3Media International and Northern Ireland Screen. [5] James's writing is often described as "intelligent" and this novel has done immense justice for that compliment. No ordinary author could have created such an intricate murder-mystery. It was very cleverly thought and properly executed. Up to now, I've enjoyed most in the series and have appreciated her as an author, but A Certain Justice took that appreciation a step further into admiration. Miskin and new recruit Tarrant impart the tragic news to Octavia, who gets defensive. The housekeeper confirms that both she and Garry were home all night.Dalgliesh won’t permit Miskin to treat Garry as a suspect. Edgar Froggart – a former teacher at Venetia’s father’s boys’ school – presents Dalgliesh with his copious notes on Venetia’s cases. Dalgliesh, James’s master detective who rises from chief inspector in the first novel to chief superintendent and then to commander, is a serious, introspective person, moralistic yet realistic. The novels in which he appears are peopled by fully rounded characters, who are civilized, genteel, and motivated. The public resonance created by James’s singular characterization and deployment of classic mystery devices led to most of the novels featuring Dalgliesh being filmed for television. James, who earned the sobriquet “Queen of Crime,” penned 14 Dalgliesh novels, with the last, The Private Patient, appearing in 2008. Pawlett Court Chambers is the sort of setting we’ve come to expect from Dalgliesh –– archaic, picturesque, claustrophobic, and featuring an elite and insular set of characters/suspects, mostly at each others’ throats. There’s even a Chapel in the complex, a recurring feature for Dalgliesh, who’s drawn to places of worship.

Miskin recovers the missing paperknife. Dalgliesh questions Carpenter, Caldwell, Langton and Drysdale. Drysdale reveals that Venetia begged him to speak to Octavia, desperate to prevent her engagement to a highly unsuitable suitor. After a young woman’s body is found in a quarry, one of the forensic team working on the case is murdered and sinister secrets emerge. Once that scenario is established, however, PDJ seems to forget almost all the suspects and we barely see them again. Dalgleish and his team seem to have someone in mind based on alibis but they don't share their thoughts with us and I have no idea whether they had identified the right person or not. To be honest, the ending manages to be both overwrought and an anticlimax and I'd kind of lost interest by then. As was the case with the introduction of a Jewish detective in the last book, this time we open with Kate and new-boy Piers on a shooting range, so we know immediately how the book will end.

Next morning, receptionist Valerie Caldwell finds Venetia dead at her desk, covered in blood. Dalgliesh inspects the crime scene. Pathologist Kynaston suspects the blood was poured over Venetia hours after she died. The star is a member of the National Youth Theatre and Theatre Royal Stratford East's acting cohort. Dalgliesh thinks that the murderer could be connected with someone that Venetia successfully defended. She took on unpopular clients such as terrorists.