A Certain Justice: An Adam Dalgliesh Mystery - Softcover

James, P.D.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0345398750 ISBN 13: 9780345398758

Publisher: Knopf Canada, 1998

Synopsis

In a masterful new Adam Dalgliesh mystery, P.D. James enters the labyrinthine world of the law, forging a deeply compelling human drama from the complex passions that lie behind both murder and justice.

About this title

Review:

Although A Certain Justice begins with news of a murder, the victim isn't set to die for another four weeks. Publicly respected but privately loathed, Venetia Aldridge has far more enemies than a brilliant London criminal lawyer should--and at least one of them is determined to do her in. Venetia plies her superior trade in courts that harbour "the illusion that the passions of men were susceptible to order and control," but her past and private life are exceedingly unruly. Her married lover is intent on giving her up; her daughter loathes her; her fellow barristers are determined that she not become the next head of chambers. Even the cleaning woman seems to have something on her. The outline alone of this complex novel would take pages (as would the eclectic inventory of players), but P. D. James makes us admire far more than her brilliantly developed plot. James in fact creates a crowded gallery of surprisingly decent suspects, along with one suitably vile creature--who happens to be Aldridge's last client. A superior murder mystery, A Certain Justice is also a gripping anatomy of wild justice. James's characters can be overcome by hate, but she is equally concerned with love's manifestations--human, divine, destructive, and healing.

Review:

" "A Certain Justice" has all James' hallmarks: elegance of language, a stellar sense of place, exquisitely defined characters, and a skillfully rendered tale of moral justice." -The Globe and Mail " Immensely satisfying in both its intricate plot and complexity of characters.... An emotionally powerful puzzler [and a] page-turning journey ... along the darker, twisted byways of human intentions." --"Publishers Weekly" starred review " Meticulously-crafted, original, suspenseful ... ingenious ... A whacking great whodunit by the reigning queen of mystery.... A certain great read." --"The Calgary Sun "" Irresistible.... Yet another sterling example of how [P.D. James] has been able to elevate the traditional mystery to something approaching literary art." --"Winnipeg Free Press "" Gripping reading... With virtuoso ingenuity, James weaves a wonderfully intricate whodunit." --"The Times Literary Supplement "

About this edition

• Publisher: Knopf Canada
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0345398750
• ISBN 13: 9780345398758
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• Edition number: 2