Ease Reading-Find Your Next Favorite Book

Hot Search

Adam Dalgliesh #2

A Mind to Murder

p.d. james

... Show More
On the surface, the Steen Psychiatric Clinic is one of the most reputable institutions in Lindon. but when the administrative head is found dead with a chisel in her heart, that distinguished facade begins to crumble as the truth emerges. Superintendent Adam Dalgliesh pf Scotland Yard is called in to investigate and quickly find himself caught in a whirlwind of psychiatry, sex, drug and deceit. Now he must analyse the deep-seated anxieties and thwarted desires of patients and staff alike to determine which of their unresolved conflicts has resulted in murder and stop a cunning killer before the next blow.

225 pages, Paperback

First published January 1,1963
Series
Adam Dalgliesh
Places
england, 

This edition

Format
225 pages, Paperback
Published
May 20, 2002 by Gardners Books
ISBN
9780571204151
ASIN
0571204155
Language
English
Characters More characters
  • Adam Dalgliesh

    Adam Dalgliesh

    Adam Dalgliesh (pronounced "dal-gleash") is a fictional character who has been the protagonist of fourteen mystery novels by P. D. James; the first being Jamess 1962 novel Cover Her Face. He also appears in the two novels featuring James other...

  • Dr. Paul Steiner

    Dr. Paul Steiner

    Consulting psychiatrist at the Steen Clinic....

  • Miss Enid Bolam

    Miss Enid Bolam

    She is the administrative officer of the Steen Clinic....

  • Dr. James Baguley

    Dr. James Baguley

    A psychotherapist at the Steen Clinic. Dr. Steiners colleague....

  • Mrs. Amy Shorthouse

    Mrs. Amy Shorthouse

    The domestic assistant at the Steen Clinic. Her husband had once been treated by Dr. Baguley....

  • Jennifer Priddy

    Jennifer Priddy

    The junior typist at the Steen Clinic....

More editions

About the author

Profile Image for p.d. james

p.d. james

... Show More
P. D. James, byname of Phyllis Dorothy James White, Baroness James of Holland Park, (born August 3, 1920, Oxford, Oxfordshire, England—died November 27, 2014, Oxford), British mystery novelist best known for her fictional detective Adam Dalgliesh of Scotland Yard.

The daughter of a middle-grade civil servant, James grew up in the university town of Cambridge. Her formal education, however, ended at age 16 because of lack of funds, and she was thereafter self-educated. In 1941 she married Ernest C.B. White, a medical student and future physician, who returned home from wartime service mentally deranged and spent much of the rest of his life in psychiatric hospitals. To support her family (which included two children), she took work in hospital administration and, after her husband's death in 1964, became a civil servant in the criminal section of the Department of Home Affairs. Her first mystery novel, Cover Her Face (1962), introduced Dalgliesh and was followed by six more mysteries before she retired from government service in 1979 to devote full time to writing.

Dalgliesh, James's master detective who rises from chief inspector in the first novel to chief superintendent and then to commander, is a serious, introspective person, moralistic yet realistic. The novels in which he appears are peopled by fully rounded characters, who are civilized, genteel, and motivated. The public resonance created by James's singular characterization and deployment of classic mystery devices led to most of the novels featuring Dalgliesh being filmed for television. James, who earned the sobriquet “Queen of Crime,” penned 14 Dalgliesh novels, with the last, The Private Patient, appearing in 2008.

James also wrote An Unsuitable Job for a Woman (1972) and The Skull Beneath the Skin (1982), which centre on Cordelia Gray, a young private detective. The first of these novels was the basis for both a television movie and a short-lived series. James expanded beyond the mystery genre in The Children of Men (1992; film 2006), which explores a dystopian world in which the human race has become infertile. Her final work, Death Comes to Pemberley (2011)—a sequel to Pride and Prejudice (1813)—amplifies the class and relationship tensions between Jane Austen's characters by situating them in the midst of a murder investigation. James's nonfiction works include The Maul and the Pear Tree (1971), a telling of the Ratcliffe Highway murders of 1811 written with historian T.A. Critchley, and the insightful Talking About Detective Fiction (2009). Her memoir, Time to Be in Earnest, was published in 2000. She was made OBE in 1983 and was named a life peer in 1991.

Readers also enjoyed

Community Reviews

Rating(3.9 / 5.0, 100 votes)
5 stars
27(27%)
4 stars
38(38%)
3 stars
35(35%)
2 stars
0(0%)
1 stars
0(0%)
100 reviews All reviews
Profile Image for Kimberly .
FloraG
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
... Show More
I have given this book a 4 stars but think it is probably closer to a 3.5. I did like it but can't say I felt much affection for Dalgliesh. Maybe he will be someone who becomes more likable as we get to know him better. Set in a Psychiatric Clinic treating moneyed patients, a murder of the administrator takes place, placing all the staff there under suspicion. All of whom, it turns out did not like her, and feel no real sense of loss. Dalgliesh manages to whittle down the number of suspects, due to the usual type of motives, money,revenge and keeping her quiet. We do manage to get plenty of information about these suspects, so as to give us plenty of food for our own deliberations, which is something I appreciated, however at the end I was still struggling to make my mind up. Which to me was a good way for it to end, as I enjoyed the puzzle.
0 0 Reply
Profile Image for Kimberly .
Soceguera
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
... Show More
I liked this more than my first P.D. James. I'll be reading more from her. Yes, the storyline is generic, the sexism and mistreatment of psychiatric patients is rife, but that blackmail machine - pure gold.

You kids and your LSD. I'm surprised anyone survived the 1960s.
0 0 Reply
Profile Image for Kimberly .
ironcladgranite
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
... Show More
לסקירה מפורטת בעברית, קישור לבלוג שלי -

https://sivi-the-avid-reader.com/a-mi...
0 0 Reply
Profile Image for Kimberly .
chaseroosh
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
... Show More
This second installment of the Adam Dalgliesh series is a better murder-mystery story. The administrative officer at a Psychiatric Clinic is brutally murdered at the premises and the Superintendant Adam Dalglish is called upon to investigate her death. The investigation draws Dalgliesh to a web of lies, deceit, adultery, and blackmail and he must use his intelligence and experience to work against time to catch the murderer before he either strikes again or slips away.

This was a better story than the first in the series. The premise was interesting and the characters were more complicated. Dalgliesh doesn't quite attain the end to his satisfaction, but even this part failure had an attraction. The story had its share of clues and some deliberate red-herrings, but since Dalglish was set on first to find the motive, it was not very difficult to guess the criminal. I'm happy to be right there. However, the plot twist which was introduced at the end was unimpressive. The author must have wanted to increase the suspense and take the readers by surprise, but it destroyed the balance so carefully maintained up to that point.

I also had a bit of an issue with the presentation of the story as the interviews of each possible suspect were made one after the other in a quite tedious manner. Dalglish admits he being weary and so we readers were too. Then again that is how it is done in reality, but a bit of a fictional diversion wouldn't harm and would be most welcoming. Despite these flaws, I'm interested in this series and am looking forward to the next.
0 0 Reply
Profile Image for Kimberly .
mozeco
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
... Show More
I didn't like this second in the series as much as the first. We get to know Dalgliesh a bit more, but I really bogged down in the initial investigation the night of the murder-interminably long and drawn out. The setting of a psychiatric clinic was ok, not my favorite type of place but it was unique. The last quarter of the book really became interesting and ended rather well. Looking forward to the next for this challenge.
0 0 Reply
Profile Image for Kimberly .
Akagi-kun
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
... Show More
I actually listened to the CD version, but it wasn't listed. As always, it took awhile to get into the book since the first part of any of Ms. James' books sets the stage for what happens. It takes a little while to remember the characters just like when one meets a group of people. But like all of Ms. James' mysteries that I've read, the story gathers momentum like a stone rolling downhill and becomes thoroughly involving. Also like all of her mysteries, there is irony and the effect of the story is not sacrificed to provide a happy ending.
0 0 Reply
Profile Image for Kimberly .
2SugoiToActSugoi
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
... Show More
There are few crime and mystery authors whose books I reread (for reasons obvious), and PD James and Agatha Christie have a prominent place among them. This was a reread for me, but seemed like a new story, as I read it a long time ago and had totally forgotten the circumstances leading to the murder. I quite enjoy PD James' style. I like reading about Dalgleish and team. The background for this mystery is a private psychiatry clinic, whose administrating officer is found dead in the records room. The suspects are naturally her co-workers as it was almost closing hours and all the patients present at that time had no access to her. I thoroughly enjoyed the book.
0 0 Reply
Profile Image for Kimberly .
rusaggi
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
... Show More
The plot centres around a murder at a psychiatric clinic in London. First published in 1963, this is the second of the series featuring detective Adam Dalgleish and we learn a little more about what makes him tick in this book, including his fear of failure despite never having allowing a murderer to slip through his grasp.
I thought the first 70 pages dragged a little as Dalgleish interviews each of the suspects in turn but the pace picked up and the writing at the denouement was very good indeed. This is what raised it from a 3 to a 4 star review.
0 0 Reply
Leave a Review
You must be logged in to rate and post a review. Register an account to get started.