The beginning was not promising - an unusually clumsy device used to exposition-dump at the beginning (journal entries) isn't the kind of thing we usually get from PD James. But it grew into a very satisfying story. This one wasn't so much about who-dunit but more about figuring out why they did it, and whether enough evidence would be obtained for an arrest, which had become a fraught question due to the resolution of Dalgliesh's last case.

Another well crafted mystery with a series of murders and intrigues set at a private school run by the Anglican church near London. Again the protagonist detectives wend their ways through the hints and clues and ultimately the crimes are solved. It was a good book to read. Not too easy to solve and the characters ran true. Adam Daglgleish may have discovered new love, which I guess will be good altho I have only read two books so I am not sure his personality needs it. We'll see.

When you finish a mystery, do you ever look back to see where the author steered you wrong? Usually I have trouble spotting it, but this time I realized it - how clever you are, P.D. James! I spent most of the book thinking I'd have to get to a certain point in the story, only to discover (when I looked back) that I didn't realize what the full story was.

A pleasurable read!

Typical mediocre mystery fiction.

This book was as predictable as it was long. From the first scene portrayed in the book, the conclusion is obvious. It seems as if James is trying to sneak little clues in so when the reader finishes (shocked, of course, at the outcome "I NEVER saw that one coming!") he can return to the beginning and discover the subtle clues that in fact verify the conclusion. The problem is, her subtle clues are a few shades less than subtle.

James seems intent on playing mind games with the reader, as if we would second guess our hypothesis every other page: "Uh oh, HE can't have done it, he doesn't even HAVE a brown cloak! Wait a minute!"

The only main theme one can pull from this rather pretentious little novel is that pigs do not stink. It seems as though the author is a pig enthusiast and can't bear the thought that so many people think they have an unpleasant odor.

Character development suffers, particularly on the part of the hero, commander Adam Dalgliesh. The reader comes to be more enamored with the (rather perverse) sub-characters than with the protagonist.

James' feeble attempt at inserting a romantic element is sickening. Dalgliesh is first drawn to a "ravishingly beautiful" murder suspect, feeling a strange attraction that, we are told, he has not felt since the death of his wife.

Poorly done. Long. Dragging. Lame climax.

For me, this is altogether the best Dalgliesh book in the series so far.

Un classico giallo che piu' classico non si puo'. Un ambiente circoscritto, un seminario religioso, una cerchia ristretta di persone, un misterioso avvenimento del passato e un volitivo investigatore. La trama non poteva essere di conseguenza particolarmente originale, tuttavia, tra qualche affanno di troppo, si fa apprezzare. Nota negativa, il finale piatto in una maniera sconcertante.

It was extremely well written and interesting but felt that it built up for the whole book and then all of a sudden spilled who the murderer was.

Definitely one of the lesser P.D. James books for me, with an aspect that troubled me morally.

The setting - a secluded old estate by the sea, with a few quaint old cottages for commoners - seemed overly familiar. So did the participants - a collection of well-off academics who only enjoy high culture. The characterisation felt black-and-white. Main character Dalgliesh was annoyingly self-righteous, distant and superior, but the writer never showed that in a negative light. Dalgliesh' love interest and pals were also without any flaws. At the same time those considered antagonists in the story seemed to be without redeeming qualities.

Nothing awfully inventive about the plot either, the ending was an anti-climax, and the motivation behind the deaths was not built in a fully convincing manner.

The pace seemed to drag on throughout. There were ramblings about religion and morals that felt as if James just wanted to force a few of her own random musings into a murder mystery. I found myself leafing through many parts of the unnecessarily long 600-page book.

I used to quite enjoy the timeless, escapist environment of James' books, but now it felt she's unable to keep up with the times. It all felt very old-fashioned for a book published just a decade ago. It could've easily been set at any time in the last century, if there hadn't been a few jarring mobiles thrown in.

However, what especially bothered me was the outdated and rather bizarre stance on morality. A female is considered unfeeling and selfish for having casual sex, while everyone feels sorry for a man who went to prison for "just" (!) fondling children. I kept waiting for the molester to get his comeuppance; that would've been a nice twist, to prove even holier-than-thou Dalgliesh wrong. But, it never came, so there was no need for that disturbing "kind-hearted molester" aspect to be there - except the author seemingly trying to make her own opinion known. I just thought that kind of an opionion could've been left out from a book like this.

I'm a very sporadic James reader, but this book still was frustrating, since some of her work is excellent. Now this book makes me wonder if Mrs. James - who was 80 when she wrote it - should retire and tour grand English estates instead.

Wow what a story, extremely well written and beautifully conveyed, this story of 4 different deaths and how then all intertwine is a must read. I was drawn in from the first page and really felt a part of St Anselm’s college. P.D James’s Death in Holy Orders; is a must read. The character building and scenario setting make you feel apart of the investigation, I couldn’t put this book down...so many twists and turns, that in the end all came together for a beautiful ending with a nice twist to the main story. This book kept me guessing the whole way through which is what I truely liked about it. This very clever story has moments of heartbreak and moments of absolute hilarity. I can’t wait to read more of this Adam Dalgliesh series. An amazing book and a great read.

This one's really not so great but after reading a fair few books in the AD series, some remarks:

- P.D. James is obviously in love with her creation, the man Adam Dalgleish and he obviously embodies everything she could want in a man which is to say a very boring bastard indeed with nothing much to say and who probably reads The Telegraph

- Her contempt for the working class is actually quite funny in a way how you don't really question your racist nan. It's amazing to me how every time we're re-introduced to Kate and reminded of her past we're told the council block stairs stank of piss hahahaha i'm cracking up as I type this. The working class must all smell like piss to Ms James

- The ACTUALLY QUITE FUCKING STRANGE way the pederast is given a free pass in this book IS actually taking the piss, not just smelling of it

The motivations of 'Kane' in this book are really REALLY not thought through, but I guess i learned a bit about a very particular aspect of British law along the way.

4/10 could do better

All the virtues PD James is known for are on full display in this very complicated murder mystery set at a theological college by the sea. The number of deaths might be excessive. The prose, the character portrayals, the backstories of each person's psyche, the details of the Anglican faith, police work are all written out completely by a person with intimate knowledge and great control. Indeed, detective work and diary writing are a bit synonymous with how PD James operates. Dozens of characters are in the cast and when they each first appear, they are word painted and described to be individualized. This is both amusing but sometimes also a little dull. The main protagonist, the hero detective Dalgliesh, is a complicated person. Another virtue of the novel is how PD James has tender compassion for the lives of several characters who otherwise would be harshly judged by society or institutions or other people. Solving the mystery, turns on an excavation of past events that took place well before the present. I think Iris Murdoch would have liked this book.

Alors, tout d’abord pour moi ce livre mérite un 4. J’ai adoré l’intrigue et les personnages qui donnent envie de lire la suite. L’ambiance de l’école est glacante.
J’ai plus qu’adorer le personne de Emma qui je trouve est tout pile assez mis en avant, et le personnage de l’inspecteur n’est pas trop présent. Je trouve que lorsque l’inspecteur est trop présent les autres personnages qui sont acteurs passent à la trappe.
Jusqu’au bout on ne s’attend pas à cette fin qui est géniale. Dans ce livre je dois avouer que les personnages les plus attachants sont les prêtres et les morts...
Je conseille ce livre à tout ceux qui aiment les romans policiers !!