Unnatural Causes (Adam Dagliesh Mystery Series #3) [Paperback]

P. D. James (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 31, 2001

A famous mystery writer is found dead at the bottom of a dinghy, with both hands chopped off at the wrists. Superintendent Adam Dalgliesh, with help from his remarkable Aunt Jane, must discover who typed the writer's death sentence before the plot takes another murderous turn.

Unnatural Causes inspired Cosmopolitan to fervently hope, "if we're lucky, there will always be an England and there will always be a P. D. James."

Editorial Reviews

Review

Time The reigning mistress of murder.

People P. D. James is the greatest living mystery writer.

From the Inside Flap

Maurice Seton was a famous mystery writer -- but no murder from his imagination could equal the ghastliness of his own death. When his grotesquely mutilated corpse is found in a drifting dinghy, ripples of horror spread among his bizarre neighbours: the cruel and cynical drama critic, the celebrated recluse, the rakish young heir, the terrified woman waiting for her killer in a lonely house... It is up to Superintendent Adam Dalgliesh and his extraordinary aunt to discover the shocking truth about Seton's past -- before the plot takes another murderous turn. --This text refers to the Unbound edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone (July 31, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743219597
• ISBN-13: 978-0743219594
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #52,210 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

P. D. James is the author of twenty previous books, most of which have been filmed and broadcast on television in the United States and other countries. She spent thirty years in various departments of the British Civil Service, including the Police and Criminal Law Departments of Great Britain's Home Office. She has served as a magistrate and as a governor of the BBC. In 2000 she celebrated her eightieth birthday and published her autobiography, Time to Be in Earnest. The recipient of many prizes and honors, she was created Baroness James of Holland Park in 1991 and was inducted into the International Crime Writing Hall of Fame in 2008. She lives in London and Oxford.

Photo credit Ulla Montan

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Most Enjoyable, March 17, 2007

By 

Brett Benner (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Unnatural Causes (Adam Dagliesh Mystery Series #3) (Paperback)

I actually found it her most enjoyable so far, Having now read them in order I was less than impressed with the first, enjoyed the second, but found this third mystery refreshing and utterly enjoyable. Dalgliesh takes a vacation, visiting his aunt whose neighbors are a variety of writers who are a hilarious collection of characters. When one of them turns up dead in a dinghy with his hands chopped off, Dalglieh becomes a reluctant participant in finding the killer among them. Witty and wonderfully written, it makes me anxious to buy the next book!

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ignore other reviews; this is a fine James, November 22, 2000

By 

Elsie Wilson (Aberystwyth, Cymru) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Unnatural Causes (Adam Dagliesh Mystery Series #3) (Paperback)

Curious that, with such an arresting opening as this book has (a handless corpse floating off the Suffolk coast), i should find it so difficult to get involved with. I think, more than anything, i found it a little tough to tell some of the characters apart at first. Once past that point, however, this became, like just about every other James, the best one she's written. One grows to enjoy the little community she has created, the petty spites and jealousies, the sniping back and forth between these largely unsuccessful (at least in terms of importance) writers, at the death of one of them. Even Dalgliesh, in Suffolk on holiday, so the death is not his case, has trouble in his relationship with the local Inspector in charge of the case, they are overtly polite, but there is tension between them; he cannot hold himself back from doing some investigation on his own, however, and is able to show that murder has been committed, though not prevent another. The actual revelation of method and motive are interesting and unusual, in that James makes use of the murderer's confession to show how it was done. Another classic James and Dalgliesh.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dalgliesh's Vacation, December 23, 2006

By 

J. Brian Watkins (Laie, Hawaii) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Unnatural Causes (Adam Dagliesh Mystery Series #3) (Paperback)

In this third mystery by P.D. James our author skirts the line of getting a bit cute--a little too wry for comfort. Realizing that she set the bar very, very high with her first two books, Ms. James seems to have retreated somewhat from focus on the mystery itself. Instead, this work is focused upon Inspector Dalgliesh; who the reader will note is destined to become one of the most well-known characters of the genre. So, not only does Dalgliesh take a bit of a vacation--so does the author.

Nevertheless, the writing is profoundly good. Inspector Dalgliesh begins to take shape in this book--his skills are evident and one learns more of his background, his likes and his dislikes. Ms. James even takes pains to prune the character back a bit. Though the mystery itself didn't get five stars, the development of Dalgliesh will pay vast dividends in future works. Like the corporations that take a charge against earnings in order to invest for the future, Ms. James' detour in "Unnatural Causes" allows her to focus uniquely upon her protagonist with results fully expected to pay rich rewards in her future installments.