Customer Reviews

Death of an Expert Witness (Adam Dalgliesh Mystery Series #6)

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P.D. James' work occasionally collapses under its own weight as the author strains to combine psychological novel with crafty murder mystery--but DEATH OF AN EXPERT WITNESS shows the writer at her best, creating a memorable setting in rural England, a host of very believable characters, and a complex plot, with all aspects of the work coming together in seamless fashion.

Dr. Lorrimer is a forensic scientist employed at a police laboratory, well respected by the scientific community and a bastion of authority in the witness box. Unfortunately, he is also a singularly unpleasant man: bitter at being passed over for promotion, petty in his dealings with underlings, vindictive in his personal relationships. So it is hardly surprising when he is murdered--but the circumstances are something of a shock: he is clubbed to death in the middle of his own laboratory, a situation that seems to indicate one or more of his co-workers is involved. And Chief Inspector Dalgliesh has an abundance of suspects from which to select.

James' detective Dalgliesh is a rather dour creation, and in some James novels he can become a tiresome companion--but here James balances his darkness against the demands of the overall novel to considerable effect. The result is a stylish, atmospheric work with an intelligent plot and a satisfying conclusion--a book to keep mystery fans sitting up all night. Recommended.

This is an old P.D. James that I had somehow missed when I read her continuously in the mid-1990s. Although I love the James character Cordelia Gray, who appears in all of the "Unsuitable Job for a Woman"-type mysteries, my favorite James character is Inspector Dalgliesh. Since BBC/PBS did a series of "Mystery" episodes years ago based on the Dalgliesh character, I have him firmly fixed in my mind as the troubled Inspector (aren't they all?) who is also a brilliant poet and lover of all things fine in life. This book is a Dalgliesh book, not his best (that would be "A Taste for Death" or perhaps "Shroud for a Nightingale"), but even the worst Dalgliesh (I can't think of one) would be better than the best of most other people. This one takes place at a forensic laboratory where criminal and other evidence is processed and gives us a bit of a glimpse into how the Brits do Crime Scene Investigation (CSI). These are country people, not slick American city types, and that's OK. The countryside hides lots of interesting characters who have all sorts of motivations. Keep in mind that this was first published in 1986 and the world has changed rather tremendously since then!

The first 60-65 pages were difficult to get through, because the main character is absent from them. When he does enter, Inspector Dalgleish is not developed nearly as much as he is in other books. We learn very little about him in this book. On the other hand, the search for the murderer is straighforward and interesting. There was the sense that enough clues were provided to the reader to identify the guilty party.

P.D. James has established herself as one of the definitive mystery writers of her generation and has established Adam Dalgliesh as one of the premier detectives within the literary world. 'Death of an Expert Witness' is a classic example of James' intelligent writing and thoroughly engaging plot lines that keep the reader guessing up until the end. Surely this is one of her best Dalgliesh mysteries.

The expert witness in the title refers to Dr. Edwin Lorrimer, a much respected forensic biologist who leads a solitary life in rural England. Although admired by colleagues for his work and intelligence, Lorrimer is severly disliked as a person. The introductory book introduces us to several characters that inhabit Chevisham and their various reasons for disliking Dr. Lorrimer - and perhaps even their motives for killing him. When he is found dead in his laboratory, all signs point to someone on the inside, and Adam Dalgliesh is called in to piece together the mystery surrounding his death.

The cast of characters is well written and believable; their supporting roles are thoroughly realized and move the plot along at a brisk pace. Dalgliesh is a master at tracking the little things that move humans to murder and the reader follows in his footsteps, searching for the clues even as he seeks them out. As usual, there is a hint of melancholy in Dalgliesh's actions and in the novel's bittersweet ending; the reader has come to empathize with the vivid characters who may or may not be guilty.

Though it pales in comparison with James' more recent work, DEATH OF AN EXPERT WITNESS, one of the best of her early novels, deserves to be judged based on its own merits. This is an excellent detective novel with interesting, believably drawn characters and an intriguing setting. James' descriptions of the goings-on at a forensic laboratory make the story even more engaging and realistic. The plot is complex, moving steadily toward the sharp climax, and the writing is, as usual, flawless. A great read.

I find P.D. James' stories adapt better to television than they do novels. She is a fine writer and I admire the heck out of her ability to render a story's setting as important (and usually moreso) than any of the characters who inhabit the spaces of her creations. However, in this novel, as in the three others I've read, I felt slightly bored because it was as if the settings, being so lovingly, artfully described, overpowered the events and cried out for adaptation to the screen, and simply failed when confined to the single dimension of the flat page. James is a better screen writer than a novelist. She tells a fine story and tells it with imagination, but I can't help but confess, I find her books a little slow moving and dull. Here I wanted to find out more about the crime lab and its experiments. I also wanted to follow the life of the young girl who is the featured character at the very start, but alas, she drifts into the background soon after the opening pages, and we don't encounter her again except as a prop at the very end. I think Death of an Expert Witness needed a few more sub-plots and deviations from the main story. It was too little mystery and too much verbiage. Sorry...

Perfect. In this sixth of her Adam Dalgliesh mysteries, the author has achieved a flawless blend of the requisite elements. Dalgliesh is now a fully developed character and is given a sidekick that provides a fine complement to Dalgliesh's naturally dark character. I would also note without any spoilers that a grasp of Dalglish's background adds greatly to the enjoyment of the work. Our author is now able to avoid providing excessive and distracting detail regarding her protagonist as well as provide themes and plot lines that resonate with the Inspector's experience. Suffice it also to say that there is a strong and unifying theme running throughout the book that neatly ties everything up in an edifying and powerful manner. As befits first-rate fiction (of any genre), the book provides a worthwhile lesson in the nature of the human condition.

In short, a Forensic Biologist is whacked over the head with a mallet in his own police laboratory. Thus, the investigation of other murders must be put on hold while the police sort out their own business. The setting is well-matched to the events, the characters are diverse and excellently drawn, the plot moves nicely--but what sets this book apart are the constant red herrings. Upon encountering what appears to be a significant clue, you have not yet finished congratulating yourself on solving the mystery before your speculation is revealed to be flawed.

What makes this a masterwork is that the diversions and complications appear entirely natural. Nothing is out of place and the book is seamless in its relentless march to the ultimate revelation, the tragedy of which is developed in much greater detail than in prior works.

Thus far, my favorite P.D. James mystery. Highly recommended.

I would recommand the death of an expert because it has all the suspence that a murder mystery fan would enjoy.

The plot is that a Dr. Lorrimer who was murderd in his own lab, Now Detective Adam Dalgliesh, will try to solve the cold murder, but people in the fens don't like the unplesent doctor, so this complicates the whole senario, because theirs a lot possible suspect.

The book provides you to think while you read and this written back in 1977. The plot is complex and also the climax is sharp.

Unlike othere murder mystery books or movies the story does not have any flawss at all becaues it is well thought and well written. SO if you found this book don't hesiten (i don't know if i spelled hesitent right, oh well) to buy it.

This is my third James novel. The present work was written over 30 years ago by a James in her prime. It is short and compact; and, it has a nicely balanced structure with good characters. It is written with straightforward and simple prose and it is a compelling read that is hard to put down. In short, it is what one can describe as a masterpiece as are some of her other early novels.

The book opens with the literary hook: a murder in a field in the countryside. But it quickly switches to a second murder in a science laboratory.

The novel has an interesting set of characters, and as in other James novels, there are half dozen suspects with various financial and emotional motivations to be involved with the killings. The mystery unfolds slowly, and the reader is given a few clues just ahead of the Dalgliesh. By the way, Dalgliesh does not play a dominant role in the book.

Readers will not be disappointed, and the book demonstrates the fame and ability of James as a crime writer. Most will want to keep the book and set it aside to read again in the future. Also, the book demonstrates again that more is not always better than less. In the elaborate 550 page slow moving story told in The Murder Room, the author has a 95 page introduction and no crime until around page 130. We wait as Dalgliesh does not enter the investigation until almost page 200. Thankfully, all of that type of writing is missing here. The story is well underway and the reader is fully engaged by page 10. James tells a well balanced and a compelling tale in half the space.

This is a masterpiece.

"Death of An Expert Witness" by P.D. James (1920-) is one of the older books in the Detective Adam Dalgliesh detective tales of murder and mayhem in Great Britain. As with all of James' excellent novels this one is elegantly written evocative of both the East Anglia area and also presenting well drawn three dimensional characters. A worthy read for a rainy night!
The Plot: Dr. Edwin Lorrimer is the expert but little liked forensic scientist employed at a small lab located in the gloomy fen country of East Anglia. He is murdered by being bludgeoned to death with a heavy club. Dalgliesh must investgate the case interviewing the employees at the lab. Many of these persons had reason to hate Lorrimer! Along the way the reader discovers secret love affairs and hatreds among the small knit forensic community. This is a fine book by Britain's greatest living author of murder mystery fiction. Recommended!