I didn't really enjoy this all that much in the beginning, mainly because I don't share the author's fascination for architecture and interior design, but I really began to get into it. And then, the end, and instead of a clever bit of British detecting, we had something much more American, moee violent, or at least something which didn't seem to fit the rest of the book. I could have enjoyed this more but it was still good.

Nope, I just can’t do this. DNF at 73%. This is easily the most obnoxious, tedious, dull whodunit I’ve ever encountered. About 120 pages too long. James can’t describe a character sitting down without taking three paragraphs to describe the chair. I’m pissed off that I paid money for this.

I read this 1986 novel in the mid 1990s while working my way through almost all of James’ work, especially those involving Adam Dalgleish like this one which were so well done in an accompanying series of television presentations. In this story, two bodies are discovered in a church, one an alcoholic vagrant and the other an English Baronet who has recently resigned from his post as a government minister.

It is the latter’s dysfunctional family, involving an illicit affair, wide political differences and favoritism between their children which helps explain a lot about the motives for the murders and the compulsive behavior and outlook of the murderer. Indeed, the title of the work indicates that he actually enjoyed cutting throats, and part of what I found quite uncomfortable is the correct assumption Dalgleish makes that the perpetrator stripped off all his clothing prior to committing the dastardly deed so as not to be splattered by irremovable traces of blood. The sound of running water while he washes himself off afterwards provides evidence which helps break the case.

Despite the almost off-the-wall aberrations of the murderer’s character, I appreciate James’ writing since it is long (around 600 pages) and highly detailed. Her right-wing attitudes often come through, and though I find these largely abhorrent, they still make for an interesting added feature to her quite caustic and critical portrayal of the society in which she lives.

Recommended.

PD James writes good mysteries, yet for me, her writing lacks compassion. I get caught up in the mystery but then like her protagonist I find myself becoming detached, unemotional, just doing my job. Doing my job like a consummate professional, intellectually challenged, persevering, robotic, searching for clues, trying to solve puzzles.

But then people matter more than the puzzles. Which leaves me intellectually stimulated, yet empty ...like a heartless poet.

I suppose this is my first P.D. James. I thought I had read something by James before, and perhaps I did, but this is definitely my first Adam Dalgliesh novel (which is the 7th in the series). From what I gather, Taste of Death may be the high point or one of the high points in the P.D. James catalogue. At 497 pages it's on the longish side, but James writes with a satisfying literary density that has me recalling another "genre" writer, John le Carré. Different sides of the street, for sure (particularly so, considering P.D. James' theological bent), but there is a matching seriousness at the core of both writers, which elevate their tale-telling.

In this chapter, Dalgleish is summoned to investigate the murder (or is it suicide?) of a former British PM in the vestry of an Anglican church. Nearby is an equally dead tramp. The dead PM holds the razor that did the deeds, but he apparently died (nearly beheaded) before the tramp. Complicating things is Dalgleish's previous relationship with the PM. Although they only knew each other slightly, it's the PM's apparent conversion experience (complete with possible stigmata) that intrigues, even moves, Dalgleish.

What follows is the methodical investigation of a cast of possible and often loathsome suspects. A cold and aged mother, a beautiful but air-headed widower, her partying actor-brother, a tired and faithless priest, a revolutionary or two, and other clever red herrings. I had no trouble spotting the murderer, probably because I was reminded of Caliban, and the literate James doesn't drop such a characterization lightly. That said, there is considerable murk regarding who else might be involved, and other deaths that need explaining by the cerebral Dalgleish and his capable team (who have their own problems). James is excellent at drawing characters, especially those eccentric British ones (I love Romance book writer). Published in 1986, you can't help but be reminded of what gray time it was in Thatcher Britain. Everyone seems a bit depressed, things are fraying and graying everywhere, and one can only sigh at the beautiful but ignored architecture, while knowing there's still a killer to be caught.

I though it was a good book

Read this when it came out and found it on my Kindle. Felt like reading a well-written, grammatically correct and mentally stimulating book.
Set in 1982(probably) and reissued. Seems so long ago now, with public call boxes needing the right money, Sunday shopping had come in, policewomen were suitable for juvenile crime, but as a detective on a murder squad, Kate is at a disadvantage.

Gripping story. I love how cleverly the mystery unwinds and how the detectives are very decent yet still human. It so common for most crime novels these days to have a need to expose police corruption, that it’s refreshing to read a series that show virtuous, intelligent, decent humans just doing a very difficult job.

Always loved Inspector/commander Dalgliesh, also on screen.

Tal vez soy un poco injusto con la valoración, pero me he llevado una decepción enorme.
Un texto frío, sin emoción, con un exceso de páginas evidente, y muy aburrido. No hay manera de engancharse a la trama. Los personajes no tienen ningún interés. Ni el famoso Dalglish tiene encanto.
Cuando parece que fluye, la autora se detiene en algo carente de relación y entonces pierde interés.
La autora sabe que escribe muy bien (y es cierto) y se recrea en exceso en las páginas, por lo que desconectas de la trama. Es como si le dara igual la trama, la aparcase a un lado y se dedicara a otros menesteres. Y ya cuando se da cuenta de que se ha ido por otros temas, decide volver a la investigación, pero el lector ya no está ahí para ella. Está resoplando en su sillón, cansado de leer descripciones repetidas y detalladísimas y historias alternativas de los personajes que no aportan nada.



Perhaps I am a little unfair with the assessment, but I have been enormously disappointed.
A cold text, without emotion, with an obvious excess of pages, and very boring. There is no way to hook into the plot. The characters have no interest. Not even the famous Dalglish has charm. When it seems to flow, the author stops at something unrelated and then loses interest.
The author knows that she writes very well (and she does) and she recreates too much on the pages, so you disconnect from the plot. It's as if she doesn't care about the plot, putting it aside and dedicating herself to other gossips. And when she realizes she's gone for other topics, she decides to go back to the research, but the reader is no longer there for her. He's puffing in his armchair, tired of reading repeated and detailed descriptions and alternate stories of characters that add nothing.

The beginning was a bit stage-y and felt like a bad play, but once Dalgliesh comes to the scene and the lies and secrets start to unravel, I was really intrigued and wanted to know who had done it. Overall a pretty good chapter of Dalgliesh’s investigations.

I had read the author’s dystopian novel, Children of Men, a long time back. But, This was my first Adam Dalgliesh novel. I had heard a great deal about the author’s mystery novels and started the book with very high expectations.

The book starts with the discovery of two bodies in the vestry of a church. One of the victims was a homeless drunk, but the other was Sir Paul Berowne, a wealthy aristocrat as well as a conservative MP.

Thus begins the investigation by Commander Adam Dalgliesh and his team, Massingham and Kate. I liked the character of Dalgliesh – he is a good cop, a good human being and also a poet!

The best thing about the book is the characterization. The narrative is peopled by individuals from all walks of life, and each one has a distinct personality. Oh! Did I mention that the author has done a commendable job of portraying human relationships and how they change over time.

The characters of Kate and Massingham were also quite interesting, especially Kate. There was a silent tension (for the lack of a better word) them, but there was also mutual respect. I liked the fact that the cops were not cardboard cutouts but humans of flesh and blood, with their strengths and frailties. Not only the cops but most of the characters in the novel were quite well fleshed out.

Dalgliesh is not a one man army. He would need the unique strengths and perspectives of his team members.

Dalgliesh had known and respected Sir Berowne before the murder, and had sympathies for him. Sir Berowne was a tragic character himself. In his own words “ Most of the things I expected to value in life have come to me through death. He was a decent man but death used to surround him and his family life was not a very happy one. He had some religious revelation and was seeking a different turn in his life, but his brutal murder put an end to all his dreams.

As the investigation would progress, a lot of unsavory secrets around Sir Berowne’s family and acquaintances would be revealed. There would be multiple potential suspects with strong motives.
Honestly speaking, the book was extremely slow in the beginning. There were multiple digressions and too much of detailed descriptions of places. At times reading it was a task. The book demands your patience and it is not a quick read. However, if you can manage to hold on, you will find the story would slowly become more and more engrossing.

I certainly enjoyed the book and do not regret investing time in it. Then why did I give it a 3 star rating? Actually I believe it deserves a score of 3.5, but I didn’t want to round it off to 4.

By the way, this book features in the list of Top 100 Crime Novels published by the Crime Writers' Association (UK) in 1990.