Customer Reviews

Cover Her Face (Adam Dalgliesh Mysteries, No. 1)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Sally Jupp is unexpectedly attractive--and an unwed mother in an era when such still carries considerable stigma. After a sterling record at a home for "fallen women," she finds work as a maid for the aristocratic but somewhat impoverished Maxie family, and once installed shows another aspect of her personality: a perverse pleasure in creating unpleasantness for virtually every one who crosses her path. The Maxie family is largely impervious to her machinations... but when Sally goes so far as to tantalize a proposal of marriage from the Maxie son, her game of troubling the water turns lethal, and Scotland Yard's Inspector Dalgliesh is on the job.

This 1962 effort was P.D. James' first novel, and at the time it drew enough praise to immediately place among the foremost mystery writers of the day. And indeed there is much to be said for it: the story is well-constructed, the characters well drawn, and the crime is appropriately mysterious; on the whole it is a fast and fun read. But not all P.D. James fans will be impressed. Although there is more than a hint of the distinctive style and convolutions James will bring to her later work, it borrows a great deal in construction from Agatha Christie and not a little from Dorothy Sayers in terms of literary style, and Inspector Dalgliesh is not as well developed here as he will eventually become.

On the whole, I recommend the novel--but I recommend it to established fans of P.D. James, who will be interested to see her working in the "classic English murder mystery" style and enjoy comparing this debut work to the author's later and more impressive work. First timers would do better to select one of the many novels that find James at the peak of her form--with DEATH OF AN EXPERT WITNESS or A TASTE FOR DEATH particularly recommended.

This is P.D. James' first published book and our first introduction to Inspector Dalgleish. It is easy to see why this book was considered a bold entry into a tough field of really terrific British crime fiction. One of the hallmarks of the writing of P.D. James is her insistence on describing every scene in excruciating detail, but then again, those details enable her to build the story to a conclusion that surprises, but we should have seen all along. This is a fairly unusual story about the murder of an enigmatic housemaid and about the depths of people we assume we know ...and it plays out nicely. Although it was written in 1962, it has a definite timeless quality to it, like so many of the books by P.D. James and Ruth Rendell. For all of their detailed narrative, they never seem to mire you in a period of time unless it is intentional and noteworthy.

P.D. James' first mystery. Of all her books, this is the one that adheres most closely to the conventions of the Golden Age mysteries of the 1920s, complete with an English country house, a locked-room murder, and a final confrontation between all the suspects and the detective (Adam Dalgliesh) at the very end. Such theatrical, Christie-esque devices are certainly entertaining, though this isn't exactly serious literature, which James usually writes. Dalgliesh isn't quite fully developed yet; nor are many of the other characters. Nevertheless, this is a satisfying mystery and a remarkable debut for one of the world's finest authors.

There could be no better introduction to Adam Dalgliesh, P.D. James' enormously loved and admired detective. "Cover Her Face" is the novel that first introduced this hero to the literary world and showcases some of James' best handiwork at writing and creating mysteries. A quick and enticing read for any James' fan.

"Cover Her Face" begins in Jame's trademark style. The reader is introduced to a wide cast of characters, all with a motive (and perhaps a means) to commit the crime that will unfold shortly. In this case, it is the murder of Sally Jupp, a young unwed mother who stirs up the quiet and conservative Maxie household. When she is found murdered the morning after the annual church fete, Adam Dalgliesh of Scotland Yard is called in to investigate. He is certain that this was an inside job and that the murderer remains in the Maxie hosuehold.

James' allows the mystery to unfold slowly. Just as the reader met every character with a motive, the reader is in the same room with them as they testify to their innocence to Dalgliesh. Several characters even perform their own sleuthing, which causes the reader not to entirely know just how much of that information Dalgliesh himself as heard, or (as is more likely) if he knows more than what's been told to these amateur sleuths. "Cover Her Face" is a landmark and must-read work in the Dalgliesh series.

For fans of P.D. James' equisite mystery novels, Cover Her Face is a must read. I read this immediately after I finished James' Devices and Desires -- the first James' novel I picked up on a whim and which forever changed my impression of mystery novels. For James is not only a mystery writer but a novelist. Her characters and scenes have all the vividness and complexity of a fine novel. So while Cover Her Face may seem rigid and unoriginal to the non-James fan, for fans they will instantly recognize a great mystery novelist in the making. Plus, this mystery -- which unravels in an English manor home -- has witty characters wrapped into a mesmerizing plot. A must read! Enjoy.

The supreme joy of reading is to discover a new author with the talent to not only to transport you to an undiscovered world but with the skill and imagination necessary to teach one new lessons about the real world and one's place in it. Having so discovered P.D. James' talent, I have commenced to read her work from start to finish.

Nothing betrays an author's intent and goals so much as the difference between the first novel and the latest novel. Some are trapped in themes and characters that never diverge from their initially successful iterations. Others reach a plateau; their masterpieces are regrettably followed by the mediocre results of the now-powerful author's ability to disregard the pleas of editors. Having recently read "A Certain Justice" I knew that I had to see where James began.

"Cover Her Face" is as British as anything I have read. A distrust of new ways, respect for tradition, a rewarding of virtues and punishment of vices. The mystery develops nicely with an immediate great house full of suspects. The characters are finely drawn, believable and the author has the confidence to leave the reader to follow the characters without providing every internal thought. To say more is to risk spoiling the mystery. Suffice it to say that this book lays a firm foundation for the good Inspector Dalgliesh and reaches a conclusion that as with all good mysteries does not betray itself untimely but which makes perfect sense in the end.

This story takes place in the 1960's. It is about a British family who has two maids. The main characters in the story are Sally Jupp, Mrs. Lidell, Dr. Epps, Catherine Bowers, Deborah Riscoe, Felix Hearne, Dr. Stephen Maxie, Mrs. Maxie and Martha Bultitaft.
Dr. Maxie has just proposed to his housemaid, Sally Jupp. The engagement was very surprising and disapointing to all of his family and friends. Many people are even mad enough to kill Sally. Sure enough Sally is found dead the next day behind the bolted door leading to her room. Among a houseful of suspects Detective Adam Dagliesh must find her killer. Using only interviews and two minor clues see how Dagleish solves the mystery.
I liked this book because of how all the characters had a huge part in how Dagliesh figured out who the killer was. And another reason why I liked this story was because I liked to see how Dagliesh uses what he already has to track down who the killer is.
I really like this book and recommend it. But i do think it was more of an adult book because of the language and the vocabulary.I think this book would be appropriate for people over the age of 14. This was one of the best books I have ever read so if you see it somewhere go ahead and start reading!

Somehow, I missed reading any of James' books, but I hope to rectify that soon! This book was well written - an intriguing mystery with a satisfying ending that didn't disappoint the reader. A young, lovely maid with an unsavory past is found dead in her bed - after making a startling announcement to her employers and their friends. Enter Adam Dalgliesh, detective extrordinaire, to sift through the evidence and come up with the solution. A good read - I recommend it to mystery lovers!

Cover Her Face starts with an introduction to the characters and establishing motives to kill the victim, who in this case is Sally Jupp, a housemaid who likes to keep secrets. Sally is an unwed mother (scandalous!!!) who has been given a job with the Maxies. The morning after Dr. Stephen Maxie proposes to her, she is found dead in her room, brutally strangled, and possibly drugged.

Call in Inspector Adam Dalgleish to root out the doer of this dastardly deed! There is a locked door, a missing bottle of pills, a moved ladder, a houseful of suspects, and a few suspects that aren't in the house but still have motives for Sally's death. There are some red herrings and a lot of surprises.

This book was thoroughly enjoyable. It's the second PD James book that I've read (the first is Original Sin) and it was fun. The author delves into the minds of all the characters, even the murderer, though you can't tell who did it. When the final unveiling happened, I thought to myself, "I knew it!" Of course, I had been convinced at one time or another of the guilt of everyone in the book, and at the end, I was leaning toward another person, but still...

I must confess to never really being a P. D. James fan. Several years ago I began to read one of her books (can't remember which one) and found it so dull that I put it down and didn't read another of her works for many years. Figuring that her first book might be a bit more easily read I picked it up, and enjoyed it very much. It's rather the typical English murder mystery that was being published in the '50s and '60s, when this one was written. It involves a murder at the home of relatively wealthy folks, with a locked door mystery, and abundant suspects. The ending was the usual "gather all the suspects into one room and have the detective unravel the crime scenario for them". Even though it is typical, she did put a bit of her own spin on the tale, and that's probably what made it stand out at the time of publishing. There's really nothing in it to make one think that this writer was a great new talent, but it is enjoyable none the less.