This mystery, featuring Scotland Yard’s Commander Adam Dalgliesh, was my first introduction to crime writer P. D. James, and it was such a great read that I am a little regretful at not having started sooner.
The body of a young girl is discovered in a field, and the forensic team from Hoggatt’s Laboratory East Anglia is called in to investigate. In a surprising twist, the central murder of this story moves from the murdered girl to one of the forensic scientists - shadowed in the macabre killing of a plasticine doll by Nell. I thought it was a brilliant idea to have the murder set amongst forensic experts - we are constantly pitted against a killer who has expert knowledge of the human body, and thereby knows all the ins and outs, what pitfalls to avoid, and how to throw someone off the trail, always avoiding the common mistakes an ordinary killer would be likely to commit.
When the story started off, a lot of people were introduced very quickly, and with all the relations and back-stories, it was actually a little confusing in the beginning. The characters, however, were interesting and distinct enough to become memorable very quickly, and things really started to fall in place. Also, precisely because there were so many characters with so many stories that when wrap up time comes, all those stories click so perfectly into place - making for a far richer experience.
Settings and the atmosphere are very big factors for me, and this narrative had a truly memorable setting in rural England - making a small English village come alive and literally surround me. What was an added stroke of genius (and I don’t come across this very often) was the way the writer described the distinct smells inside each house; it made the reading experience very, very real.
I also really liked the small diversions that the story takes, when conversations turn to some deeper questions about life in general; be it Freeborn’s comment to Dalgliesh on “Management. The new science”, which he sees as pointless and in no way any more useful than general administration; or Copley’s conversation with Middlemass regarding the fallibility, yet, necessity of the jury system; or Massingham’s view of the purpose - or lack thereof - of Life; or Nell’s startlingly deep thoughts on murder and retribution; or (and this one really touched a nerve) the simple yet brutal comment on loneliness - as seen through the eyes of a prostitute … In the flurry of the madness caused by an unnatural death, these brief moments really made me stop and consider.
I’m in two minds as to how I feel about the final reveal. While the identity of the killer was definitely unexpected, I’m not sure I am entirely convinced by the killer’s motive … then again, as they say, the most terrifying weapon is love, not hate, and the ending was certainly bittersweet.
This was a very good story, told superbly, and I will be reading another one of her books very soon.
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