Customer Reviews

Devices and Desires (Adam Dalgliesh Mystery Series #8)

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Adam Dalgliesh has come to the Norfolk headland, Larksoken, to finalize the property left to him by his recently deceased aunt. He is on unofficial business, and not there to help the local officials sort out the case of the serial killer known as The Whistler. Though touted as "An Adam Dalgliesh Mystery", it is not really. He is a minor character, there more to give continuity than to contribute to the novel.

Dalgliesh stumbles on a murdered victim, copycat-killed to look like The Whistler's work and becomes the sounding block for Inspector Rickards as he sorts through the likely candidates and motives. The victim is not well-liked and therefore the list of suspects would be rather large except for one thing: The Whistler's particular signature was known by only a few people.

As is unique in this genre and yet typical of all P. D. James novels, the characters are well-rounded and well-known before the actual murder takes place. (It was page 154 before the crucial murder was committed.) James delves deep into the mind of these people, and I felt I knew them--even cared for some of them--and was disturbed as I saw bits and pieces of evidence. There were several characters that I just did NOT want to be the murderer!

Also typical of James is the realism and complexity of the plot and characters. I have yet to have read a mystery by her that did not satisfy me as a reader, and yet at the same time stirred my emotions in some fashion. I vividly remember one of her novels, in which the perpetrator did not come to justice. I agonized over that one for days. Devices and Desires does not have anything that traumatic, but still left me hung-over in the plot for a day or two later.

On a side note, in this novel Larksoken is home to a nuclear power plant. Written in 1989, James uses this as her vehicle to air both sides of the nuclear power question. It is intelligently done and she reaches no conclusion, gives neither side her full approval.

I can not recommend P. D. James highly enough to anyone who enjoys mysteries. She writes an intelligent, entertaining, realistic novel involving characters that come alive. Devices and Desires was no different and despite a lack of Dalgliesh persona, was another excellent read that kept me turning pages well past midnight.

Many people want Hilary Robarts dead. First of all, there's Ryan Blaney, the struggling artist and single father who she has been trying to evict from his cottage. Then there's Alex Mair, her former lover, who won't marry her and wants her out of the way so he can move to London. And finally, there's Neil Pascoe, against whom Hilary Robarts has drawn up a libel lawsuit. Which one of these people, if any, actually killed her?

On September 25th, Robarts' body is found on the beach by no less than Adam Dalgiesh, in Norfolk to deal with the personal effects of his aunt, who has recently passed away. The death is suspiciously simlar to the deaths of several other young women killed by someone dubbed "The Whistler." However, Hilary's death is different- someone has broken into her cottage.

"The Whistler," so called because he (or she) has been known to whistle after the deaths of his victims. He stalks only at night, and kills only young women. The manner in which he kills the women is too graphic to be discussed here. It is soon obvious that the Whistler has a mission and a goal- and that is the Larksoken power station, an anathema to many people in the Larksoken community. Are the Whistler's killings related to the death of Hilary Robarts? Or is her death a more personal matter?

P.D. James is one of my favorite mystery writers because she pays attention to the histories of each of her characters- from Adam Dalgliesh, who lost his wife at childbirth, to Alex and Alice Mair, brother and sister, who share a very dark secret between them. James knows her characters inside and out, which makes her books such a joy to read. She also knows the complexities of human nature, so that the death of a character is no surprise- for example, in Devices and Desires, James set it up so that we would all know beforehand who would be killed. Yet the way in which the crime is solved is intricate. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes to read mysteries.

Another entry into p.d. james country, no humor or lightness, Dalgleish never cracks a smile, most of the characters detest each other, nearly every human relationship is fraught with hatred and contempt. We have the usual weak but good people being used and abused by the stronger ones. As soon as we hear of one person caring for another, we expect betrayal and heartache to follow and it does. We have the inspector and his sergeant with the latter doing the dirty work and the former despising himself for allowing it, yet allowing it because it is useful. It's not Dalgleish this time, but another two policemen. We've seen it all before from James many times.

Most of the characters can't stand themselves or anyone else. I wonder if this reflects reality in Great Britain. They believe in nothing. They are cynical. They speak in long, highly literary, multi phrased sentences. What do they say? That it's all pointless. It's all very grim. No comfort comes at the end, although the murderer is caught. Why bother, Dalgleish seems to be saying. No one cares. And yet they soldier on.

There is something to be said for Agatha Christie's good cheer. And she is not all good cheer. She had a hard headed reality about human nature. But she believed in right and wrong. She was formulaic but so is James. Christie had the advantage of writing about a society that had not yet lost its moorings, where people felt there were standards to adhere to. It was important to catch a murderer. Not so much in James' world.

P.D. James is not simply a "whodunit?" type of writer, she adds so much cynicism and insight that her books have so much depth as a result. Adam Dalgleish is visiting his late aunt's windmill and cottage and is drawn into a murder spree revolving around the East Anglian seaside. The nuclear power plant dominates the scene, and casts a gloomy shadow over the setting of the novel. James is as incisive as ever, studying the motivations of all the suspects involved, but also peering disturbingly into their personal lives and all the inner demons which haunt many of them. Certainly there are many red herrings in this book, it adds to the enjoyment, and the ending was unexpected (which is something I always expect from P.D. James!) James is unsentimental in her portrayals; the misguided Hilary Robarts, the secret between the Mair siblings, Meg's escaping from the political correctness of her previous life, Blaney's wretched existence with four children, the somewhat pathetic anti-nuclear pamphleteer, and so on. The minor characters, from some of the early victims of the Whistler, to the Sgt. Oliphant of the local police who would be a scary fellow to be interrogated by, come to life in these pages and again add much depth to this novel. If one is starting out with P.D. James, this book is a great place to start. It's where I did, and I've read them all since I was captivated this first time.

Mystery writer Agatha Christie (1890-1976) is celebrated for meticulously crafted plots that suddenly draw themselves to a logical but completely unexpected climax: the disclosure of the criminal. P.D. James has expressed a great distaste for Christie's work, which she considers gimmicky and unreal, and although she began her writing career with a novel very much in the Christie style (the 1962 COVER HER FACE), she soon began to drift in a very different direction, emphasizing characters who move through tangles of events that are not always fully understood by those who must endure them.

Published in 1989, DEVICES AND DESIRES is in some ways very typical of James' mature work, presenting us with a collage of characters whose preconceptions prevent most of them from fully understanding both the nature of the crime and its ultimate resolution. Commander Adam Dalgliesh takes a brief holiday in Larksoken, a sparsely populated coastal area notorious for the activities of the "Norfolk Whistler"--a vicious serial killer. When Dalgliesh makes contact with local authority, however, he stumbles into a murder that seems less the work of the Whistler than of someone who would like the police to think it is.

The victim is Hillary Robarts, acting administrative office for a controversial nuclear power plant--and a woman whose arrogance has earned her both open and covert dislike in both her workplace and the community. Among those who openly dislike her are Mike Lessingham, a plant engineer who seems to blame Hillary for the recent suicide of a friend; Neil Pascoe, who has run afoul of Hillary in his anti-nuclear-power protests; and artist Ryan Blaney, a recent widower with four small children who rents a small cottage that Hillary owns--and from which she wishes to dispossess them. Those who covertly dislike her include Alex Mair, a nuclear power scientist, whose affair with Hillary has worn extremely thin; and Alex's distinctly cool sister Alice, who may be more protective of her brother than she seems. Although all are shocked when she turns up murdered, none seem particularly grieved.

As in many James novels, the solution to the crime is not so much a matter of detective work as it is grouping in the dark until instinct points the way. When the solution arrives it a mixed one, with the local authorities of one opinion and Dalgliesh of another. Unlike some later James novels, however, DEVICES AND DESIRES does indeed present a plausible solution in fine form; it tends to suffer, however, from an excess of subplots, at least one of which---concerning espionage---is extremely far fetched and smacks of exactly the sort of plot manipulation that James herself so loudly decries.

Exceptionally well written, the book is not so much a murder mystery as it is a study of the various characters and how they react to the crime, but it has enough of "classic murder mystery" going for it to appeal to fans whose tastes run in either direction. Recommended.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

* * * * * P.D James does it again! Elaborate plot, subtle clues, rich fascinating characters make this a great mystery.
You don't have to be a P.D. James fan; all mystery lovers will enjoy this book!
~ -~
The book starts out with a nicely chilling episode: - a murder about to happen. James manages to sustain the mysterious and tense atmosphere throughout the book. Investigator Superintendent Adam Dalgliesh (a poet with a tragic past) is wonderful as always.
~ -~
James' strength is creating complex and believable characters that fill the book. We are given glimpses into the life of the suspects and their motives throughout the book. 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 story. This book is a little longer than most, but it is worth the time to read and delve deeper into the characters minds and motives. . This book is definitely addictive.
* * * * *
~ This isn't my favorite PD James- I prefer "A Taste for Death"
But even second best for P D James is far above the usual mystery. I definitely recommend this book with 5 stars * * * * * for an absorbing read

DEVICES AND DESIRES is one of P.D. James' longer novels, and probably the most shameless example of the fine author's tendency to ramble unnecessarily. Though one wishes that James had exercised a bit more restraint, the fact that this is still head-and-shoulders above most detective fiction, and still an incredibly absorbing story, is a testament to her undeniable skill.

Scotland Yard Commander Adam Dalgliesh takes some time off and moves into the windmill cottage of his deceased aunt. And of course, there's something rotten in Norfolk; in addition to the usual Jamesian network of convoluted relationships, tense rivalries, and dangerous liasons (this book isn't titled DEVICES AND DESIRES for nothing), there's a mysterious strangler known as the Whistler murdering young women in the area. A serial killer may seem more appropriate for a thriller than a formal detective story, but the ingenious way in which the author uses the Whistler as a mere catalyst for a very

English murder is possibly one of the most original and clever twists ever conceived in the genre. James may waste words, but she still knows how to plot a good mystery.

Unfortunately, the execution (so to speak) doesn't work nearly as well; the main plot gets buried in a multitude of meandering subplots. James throws in an overcomplicated story thread dealing with espionage and political intrigue that might make a fine novel on its own, but feels out of place in this one. James has always made her setting as important to her novels as the characters, but the nuclear power station isn't one of her best (certainly not as effective as the publishing firm in ORIGINAL SIN, or the legal chambers in A CERTAIN JUSTICE). Rather than adding a subtle layer of meaning or metaphor to the narrative, the setting basically allows the characters to deliver heavy, ham-handed commentary on the virtues or evils of nuclear power that have almost no relevance to the story at hand. Ultimately, too much of DEVICES AND DESIRES is extraneous and contrived; too much of it is stagey and hokey to be convincing. Three-quarters of the way through, you may feel like taking a pair of scissors and cutting out all the unnecessary parts (it'd probably end up half as long and a much improved effort).

What saves DEVICES AND DESIRES, ultimately, are the gifts that the author has always brought to her work--a brilliantly realized sense of time and place, wonderfully vivid characters, and prose so well-written it comes close to poetry. P.D. James is one of those authors with such a natural flair for the English language, her writing is always a pleasure to read. Even when she rambles.

There's no one quite like P.D. James writing police procedurals today. With her Superintendent Adam Dalgleish, the poetry-writing, very sensitive, and brilliant policeman, James is able to get right to the heart of the matter in "Devices and Desires," as she not only lets Dalgleish solve the murders, but addresses some critical social issues as well (the environment being one of them!). Her story is long, but is paced with lots of action and in no time the final scenes appear, with the usual James manner of tying up all the loose ends. This is an exciting book!

A different sort of mystery (and how often one can write that for a James!) in that the murderer one thinks is going to be the main problem suddenly isn't, and the real solution to the major crime is hidden in layers that are opened only by the omniscient author to the reader; none of her characters, not even Dalgliesh, knows all that we do by the end of the book. Dalgliesh is not actually the investigating officer in any of the mysteries here; truth be told he's more of a suspect ~ certainly a witness ~ in the major crime. Visiting his aunt's cottage, his since her death, in Norfolk, he becomes imbroiled in a mystery that could be part of the repetoire of a serial killer he has a slight interest in. The characters range around the headland which contains his cottage and mill, a nuclear power station, and several other habitations. Everyone has something to hide, including Dalgliesh and the investigating officer Rickards; some are more successful at concealment. The only thing i disliked about the plot was the sudden intrusion of MI5 in the last pages. Its appearance has something of the nature of a deus ex machina, and i am not too sure that the precense of the two men adds anything other than a mild explanation; nothing necessary, in other words. It reminds me of another James where the end comes only in the written confession of the murderer; there, as i recall, i did not object so strongly. The flurry of "fake" endings leads one to wonder if perhaps James doesn't write herself into a corner, concetrating so hard on the characters and their actions, that she loses track of the plot and cannot find a way out? The blessing is that those characters really do carry her books; i am not overly upset over a minor plot flaw.

Devices and Desires by PD James (1920-) is an excellent murder mystery by one of England's greatest authors. James transcends the murder mystery genre to achieve excellence as a fine novelist. Her books are noted for:

a. A complex plot which spend many pages delving into the past lives of the suspects of the murder being investigated.

b. She has created the complex character of Detective Adam Dalgliesh. Dalgliesh is a published poet who is a brilliant detective carefully guiding the reader through the intricacies of a realistic police procedural. He enjoys classical music and is burdened by the early death of his wife Jane and young son. He is a wounded warrior in life's incessant battle against the human spirit. A modern character with depth whom we come to admire through the many books in the series.

c. Her atmsopheric descriptions of the Norfolk countryside and the bleak North Sea coast in this novel make for great reading.

d. James is a thinking Christian who examines the consequences of human sin. Her murderers are conflicted beings who act out of a moment of passionate hatred or who are motivated by the need for revenge or the settlin of old scores.

e. James knows well upper middle class society. Her characters come from the well educated and affluent segment of modern English society.

The Plot of Devices and Desires: A murderer named the Whistler is on the loose among remote villages on the Norfolk coast. James describes the last few hours of a sampling of his victims. All of these persons are women. The Whistler is fond of stuffing pubic hair into the mouths of those he has murdered. He also scratches a large L on their foreheads. The women are not raped.

The local Norfolk police investigate the crimes. Detective Rickards handles the investigation. His wife is due to deliver a baby as he wrestles with mother-in law problems. Dalgliesh assists in soving the crime. Among the suspects are:

Alex Mair-The chief of the Larksoken nuclear power plant.

Alice Mair-Alex's sister who is a noted cookbook author.

Miles Lessingham-a scientist at the power plant.

Meg Dennison-A former London schoolteacher who cares for the retired Copley clergy couple.

Ryan Blaney-A widower who is an artist. He lives in poverty with his children. The daughter Theresa is an important character.

Noel Plascoe-A man who hates the nuclear power plant and his landlord Hilary Robarts. He befriends a young woman Amy Camm and her son Timothy.

Caroline Amphlett-An assistant to Alex Mair. We later learn of her involvement in terrorism.

Jonathan Reeves-A young scientist at the power plot who is sexually conflicted and becomes involved in two keys love affairs -one with a woman and one a man.

An efficient but hated woman named Hilary Robarts is murdered. She was the former lover of Alex Mair.

This is a corker of a good read! One of P.D. James best books. Highly recommended!