Customer Reviews

CERTAIN JUSTICE (ADAM DALGLIESH)

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Venetia Aldridge, a bitchy, brilliant criminal attorney with a talent for getting guilty clients off the hook, is brutally murdered in her Chambers. Once again, Commander Adam Dalgliesh steps in to unravel a mystery that, as is the case in almost all James' finest novels, lies buried in the past.

Though A CERTAIN JUSTICE is not P.D. James' most intricately plotted or fast-paced novel (that distinction belongs to the brilliant SHROUD FOR A NIGHTINGALE), it's a great throwback to her early days, during which some of her most compelling books were written. The central character, Venetia, nearly upstages Dalgliesh here, and with good reason: she is probably the most enthralling, fascinating character James has ever created. She is eminently respectable and thoroughly unpleasant, and because of this she has naturally surrounded herself with a gallery of suspects, all of whom have reason to do her in. The way in which James reveals the true murderer, however, is nothing short of brilliant. In fact, the entire plot is a marvel of construction, with every clue scrupulously laid out for the reader. As always, however, the relatively simple details of the crime belie the emotional and psychological turmoil boiling beneath the surface.

What distinguishes A CERTAIN JUSTICE from her more recent books is the quality of the writing. James' technique is as stylish and literate as ever, but so much more readable; she wastes few words on unnecessary details about architecture (as one reviewer aptly pointed out below). The novel is much shorter than A TASTE FOR DEATH, DEVICES AND DESIRES, or ORIGINAL SIN, fine mysteries that were undermined by excessive rambling. At under four hundred pages, A CERTAIN JUSTICE is leaner and cleaner, and also has a thrust and energy lacking in its predecessors. This is truly P.D. James at the peak of her form--an exquisite, beautifully crafted novel that also shows a tremendous amount of grace and restraint.

No reason for me to duplicate what other reviews have adequately described.
The book is well written, engaging, and filled with interesting characters.
But the ending is no better than the work of an amateur.

I disagree with other reviewers on a couple items. A few reviewers say
that the writing is excessively descriptive. Several reviewers say that
she dwells too long with character descriptions which are irrelevant to
the plot. WRT the character descriptions, I entirely disagree. If any
character were described less, these same reviewers would be complaining
that the characters are stereotypes or shallow. These characters are
described as succinctly as possible if they are to be interesting and
believable. Most contemporary writers use the same number of pages to
describe uninteresting and unbelievable characters. The only other
descriptions which I think anybody could complain about would be her
descriptions of "rooms" (furniture, etc.). If you count up the pages, I
don't think they would add up to much. I treat these descriptions just
like observing a room in real life. I'm a typical man who doesn't pay
much attention to "interior decoration"-- so I read through these
paragraphs quickly and don't pay them much attention. I respect why
James writes the paragraphs though. Many readers are very interested in
interior decoration, and James herself obviously is. I wouldn't want a
book to be dummied down on my account. If you don't think getting
involved in interesting characters is a pleasurable experience in itself,
then James is not the writer for you-- television is probably much more
suitable to your tastes.

A couple writers wrote about the hurdle of learning intricacies of
the British legal system. I can agree with this only if the audience
is middle school level or below. I knew nothing about British law
before reading this book. An ounce of common sense, and looking up
about five words in a hand dictionary was all it took to completely
grasp everything alluded to. Once again, if you want entirely
mindless diversion, then James is not for you. If you are like me,
you will enjoy the freshness of experiencing things in an environment
which is new to you.

Some reviewers complained about the (moral) unattractiveness of
the principal characters. I stand with the great majority of readers
who agree that most of the characters are unattractive, but they are
also realistic and (most importantly) engaging. Some naive reviewers
criticize aspects of characters, for example, picking apart Miskin's
indignation. I have news for you... that is how real human beings
are. James is not trying to describe role models, but realistic
people. If you prefer your characters black-and-white, there are
plenty of other authors who can serve that up for you.

I did not like the denouement. Yes, it "made sense", but, as
capably noted by somebody else, it was not "solvable" by causal
reasoning. Trying not to give anything away here... What
disappointed me more than "who did it", was the unoriginal and
unrealistic way that everything was spelled out in the end.
I've seen very similar scenes in more than one Columbo ending. It
is really stupid to think that intelligent criminals would take the
trouble to disassociate themselves from their crime until a certain
date X, then all of a sudden they give every detail to the police
because they are certain they will never be convicted. Ridiculous.
Even if anybody could somehow know that no piece of evidence will
be found in the future, the police have ways to trouble people other
than getting one convicted... in this instance, it would take very
little trouble for the high ranking detective to turn the
murderers's associates against him (by just repeating what the
murderer himself has said). And to think that a lawyer would not
give any mind to these concerns... idiotic.

P.D. James has come a very long way from her 1962 debut novel COVER HER FACE, and her narrative skill has become increasingly powerful as the years have gone by. A CERTAIN JUSTICE is indeed a showcase for that skill, for her uncanny knack for creating believable characters seemingly out of midair, and for the grace and power of her prose. And it is extremely easy to become absorbed in the novel: although the paperback edition runs well over four hundred pages, I wolfed it down in less than twenty-four hours.

A CERTAIN JUSTICE concerns Venetia Aldridge, a criminal lawyer renowned for her skill at defense. But for all her professional renown, Venetia is something of a failure in her private life: high tempered, demanding, and determined to hold others to the same high standard for which she strives, she has a well deserved reputation for coldness and unkindness. Most specifically, she has a need to be in absolute control--and as a result she makes enough enemies both professionally and publicly to fill a telephone directory. And when she is found dead in her offices there are suspects galore.

Throughout the novel James revels in the details of the English court system, painting brilliant portraits of the individuals who move across the surface of the law--and sometimes under it. And as the novel progresses she draws us deeper and deeper still into their lives, their motivations, their worlds. It is a brilliant piece of writing. But it has a problem: the ending stinks. After having skillfully maneuvered us through this unique world and held our interest through two murders and a host of subplots, James essentially cops out by giving us a solution that her detective, Commander Adam Dalgliesh, cannot have logically reached--it is pure guesswork, and frankly James would have done better to simply leave Venetia's murder unsolved than to saddle the novel with such an uninspired conclusion.

One of the novel's several points is that murder cannot always be proven in a court of law and therefore cannot always be punished, and I certainly have no quarrel with that concept. But the person who "did the deed"--let us say that for all the logic involved, James could have just as easily selected another character and pinned it there. The final chapter is a tremendous let down, particularly in light of the exceptional work that precedes it. Four stars for James' impressive narrative style, but you're likely to be disappointed on the final page.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

~ -~
* * * * * P.D James does it again! A beautiful intricately woven plot and fascinating characters make "A Certain Justice" one of her best!
You don't have to be a P.D. James fan; all mystery lovers will enjoy this book!
~ -~
Unusually for the "who-dun-it" genre, we actually get to meet and understand the life of the victim- Venetia, a criminal lawyer. We see the complexity of her life, and by the time she is murdered, we already know of many possible motives. Investigator Superintendent Adam Dalgliesh (a poet with a tragic past) is wonderful as always.
~ -~
This book clearly shows James' strength: - creating complex and believable characters that fill the book. We see the best and worst of each of the people in Venetia's world. As always James manages to surprise us all with the solution. I've never been able to outguess Dalgliesh- her plots are too imaginative and subtly hidden in the glimpses we have of the suspects. . This book is absolutely absorbing.
* * * * *
~ Buy this book, and save it for a long wait at the airport, or a day when you are snowed in. You won't want anything to interrupt you when you read it!

I believe P.D. James is misunderstood by most reviewers and readers. She's not really a mystery novelist, she's a novelist who happens to write mysteries. The current book, A Certain Justice, certainly highlights this circumstance, because the characters are more interesting than the plot, and by the end of the book my reaction, anyway, was indifference towards the solution. I give the book high marks in spite of that because the characters themselves are interesting, and it's their interplay that the book revolves around.

The story revolves around Venetia Aldridge. She's a barrister (a British lawyer who works in courtrooms: those who don't are called solicitors) who specializes in getting criminals off when their crimes would otherwise dictate convictions. She also boasts an abrasive personality, to the point that she has no close friends, and even her lover is somewhat distant and unsure of her. No one really likes her, she abuses her position when she can get away with it, and she has a wonderful ability to antagonize people. And then she gets killed, and of course everyone's a suspect.

Though this is a strangely constructed mystery novel (the killing takes place about 75 pages into the 350+ page book) it's still interesting to see how the detectives go about their job, led by the redoubtable and seemingly unflappable Adam Dalgliesh. The other characters are interesting, though several aren't explored as intimately as you might like. In some ways I think when James wrote her longer books, and explored everyone involved in the crime in detail, she was actually a bit better, but I can see how others would think this had slowed the book down. Regardless, this is a good novel, and is recommended on that level, though not really as a mystery.

'A Certain Justice' is a crisp, fast-paced read. It begins inside a courtroom, with Venetia Aldridge defending young Gary Ashe for the murder of his aunt. The scene is swift and captivating, and begins to raise the first questions about Ashe's innocence. After the verdict, we are ushered into the life of Ms. Aldridge. Introduced to us are her nefarious legal colleagues in the Middle Temple, all of whom seem to have a problem with her. After an interesting time which peels back the layers of Venetia's life, she is found murdered, and the mystery begins.

Commander Adam Dalgliesh of New Scotland Yard, the poetic protagonist of many of P.D. James' novels, is soon on the case. There are more suspects than you can shake a stick at, and the book never ceases to be of interest as the plot progresses. Ms. James has succeeded in bringing to us a very modern, very moving piece of mystery fiction, and it is quite a satisfying read.

The intricate inner-workings of London's court system is the fascinating setting for 'A Certain Justice', and it sets just the right mood for this sober mystery. The characters, even the minor ones, are well-drawn, and the killer's identity is kept under careful wraps until *very late* in the game, adding even more suspense.

The experience of 'A Certain Justice' will most likely go by quickly, as you will have no problem becoming involved in this great police thriller, turning page after page. There is mood, there is action, and there is depth. What else would you expect from P.D. James?

Also recommended: 'Death In Holy Orders' - the 2001 novel by P.D. James - very good!

I never do fail to find a P.D. James novel rewarding, but "A Cerain Justice" has fulfilled even my highest expectations of her art, its quality reminding me of my favorite of her novels, "Innocent Blood." In the lawyer Venetia Aldridge, P.D. James has created one of her more sympathetic figures, despite or precisely because of the fact she is difficult and unloved. James, as usual, throws red herrings left and right, in the process painting a nuanced and compassionate portrait of the ordinary anxieties and petty tragedies of life across a cross-section of contemporary English society. With relative economy of means, she fashions complex, fascinating, and convincing characters (though an English person would best judge their verissimilitude); even the "heroes" show weaknesses and unworthy moments (but, being James' heroes, they are introspective enough to recognize their shortcomings). For some reason, I found the plot rather less contrived than those of some of the other novels (the narrative here feels tighter -- or is it just that I finished the book in two sittings) -- that's not necessarily a criticism in any case -- you be the judge. James' maxim that murder changes everything and that merely catching the murdering can never restore the original balance of things is indeed bleak but far more truthful (and ultimately more satisfying) than the more optimistic viewpoints heard from other novelists. Enjoy this one!

This is one of the best Adam Dagliesh novels P. D. James has written in years, and is a fine return to the halcyon days on novels like A MIND TO MURDER. James seems much more interested in this novel in character development and interaction than she has in recent years, and she thankfully eschews her obsession with architecture which all but overwhelmed A TASTE FOR DEATH and ORIGINAL SIN. Starting the novel by describing the last few weeks in Venetia Aldridge's life allows the reader to be caught up in Aldridge's world, to respect her if not to like her, and to feel a certain stake in solving the mystery of her murder. It isn't hard to figure out who did it, but that's almost always the case with James's novels: the pleasure is in seeing the complicated web of petty hatreds and resentments drawn out among an interesting group of people. And James in this novel is much more sympathetic to her characters than she has been in recent years: you feel that while Octavia, Mrs. Buckley, and Venetia Aldridge herself are pretty objectionable, you don't feel they are as irredeemable as the loathsome aristocrats in A TASTE FOR DEATH.

is the only way to describe A CERTAIN JUSTICE, P.D. James' newest Adam Dalgliesh novel. In comparison with her previous work, I would say the most outstanding facet of this book is the remarkable quality of the writing. While James has always been an accomplished wordsmith, this book seems to be written with even greater literary style, and it flows much more smoothly than ORIGINAL SIN, which at times could become excessively verbose.

The characters are, as usual, drawn realistically and interestingly. It is unfortunate that the story's most fascinating character is also the murder victim. Bold, ruthless, and basically dislikeable, Venetia Aldridge is a skilled criminal attorney who has no shortage of enemies. Angry colleagues, a rebellious daughter, and one dangerous psychopath comprise the impressively varied list of people who come under suspicion when Venetia is found stabbed to death at her desk, horrifically decorated with a bloodstained wig.

The plot is ! not as complex or as elaborate as, say, an Agatha Christie or even one of James' previous novels. Nonetheless, the story is solidly constructed and serves up quite a few ingenious twists before the final revelation of the murderer's identity. Highly recommended.

P.D. James is an author of immense skill. Her mysteries plumb the depths of the human soul and illustrate perfectly the fine line that separates the civilized world from the uncivilized.

A Certain Justice weaves together several complex and compelling storylines. There is a gradual buildup which begins with the commission of a crime and culminates in the unraveling of all the disparate threads that brought said crime to fruition. The characters are complex and believable and though the mystery unfolds slowly, it is never boring. Each character has a compelling story and James does a masterful job of showing how the choices that one makes in life can either lead to a continuation of the abuses of the past or a triumph over them, with Ashe and Kate serving as perfect foils.

Characters are James's strength. Dalgliesh remains rather elusive but the lives and experiences of those who serve under him and those whom he seeks to bring to justice are richly and vividly drawn. James's characters are entirely human and believable and seem as if they could walk off of the page and out into the real world. In short, she is one of the finest mystery writers out there and her novels are always richly rewarding literary works.