This is an odd and disturbing book. It's been some years since I read PD James. I was impressed all over again by her skill as a writer and her ability to deal with psychological issues. But I was also reminded how bleak her world view is. Of ccourse the story is not exactly a light one, but I found the lengthy descriptive passages a bit heavy handed, as if she were writing a guidebook to the streets of London for depressives. Even in the passages where she relects joy in her characters she makes it clear that it is a rare moment, not expected to be repeated. There were points in the book where I skipped whole paragraphs of description, because I felt they were interfering with the plot. But then, in the last few chapters, I didn't want to miss a word.

One thing she does very well is to introduce the sexual element in unexpected and disturbing ways. Her characters are finely drawn, and their struggles with life well rendered. I ended up thinking that, although the novel was a fine exploration of identity and the need to understand it, these were not identities that I would care to explore very much further.

“And now for something different “ from Lady Phyllis...no famous detective, just dreary people going about their dreary lives with an occasional murder, stalking and betrayal.

Es indudable que P. D. James tiene una habilidad que le permite manejar la estructura narrativa y la focalización de los personajes para crear interés, pero tengo que reconocer que hay momentos de esta novela que me han molestado gravemente, por su escasa repercusión en el conjunto de la novela. No me parece necesario detenerse en la descripción de lugares que ni aportan nada la trama ni vuelven a aparecer, así como detalles de la vida de los personajes secundarios (algunos muy episódicos, como las compañeras de trabajo) que no interesan para nada (¿y a mí qué los juicios de menores a los que asiste Hilda, la madre adoptiva? Todo un capítulo absolutamente superfluo). Sin embargo, no se puede negar que en la tercera parte de la novela todo fluye de manera mucho más concienzuda y es entonces cuando el juego de focalizaciones (saltando de Philippa a Maurice y a Scase) logra su mayor efectividad narrativa.

Innocent Blood is a story of identity and obsession. Phillipa Palfrey was adopted by a well-to-do family when she was eight years old. She is an intelligent young woman, bound for Cambridge. She has always had everything she could want and everything she needs--except a sense of who she really is. She has no real memories of her life before becoming a Palfrey, but as soon as the Children Act of 1975 made it possible for adopted children to find out who their birth parents were (or at the very least, their birth mother), she knew she would want to find out. And as soon as she turned eighteen, she put in her application to do so.

She has grown up with a fantasy straight out of the 1800s--that her mother was a poor servant and her father was a wealthy man who couldn't acknowledge her. But what she finds out after she gets her birth certificate and goes back to the house where her parents lived is nothing like fantasy...it's more of a nightmare. It's no spoiler to tell you that Phillipa was born Rose Ducton--the daughter of a man and woman who were tried for the rape and murder of a twelve year old girl. Her father died in prison, but her mother is still alive and due to be released on parole. Phillipa decides to spend the summer before taking up her place at Cambridge with her mother--finding out who she really is. When contacted, her mother is agreeable to the arrangement and Phillipa takes a flat for three months that they can share while they get to know one another.

Meanwhile, there is someone else waiting for Mary Ducton's release. Someone who has waited nine years. Norman Scase is the father of Julia Scase, the girl the Ductons killed. He and his wife had kept track of their daughter's killers and had promised themselves that they would kill them when they got out--just as they had killed their girl. Martin Ducton, not being able to take life in prison, had robbed them of their revenge, but Mary would not escape. Mavis Scase, Julia's mother, has also died in the interim and Norman vowed that he would complete their plan himself.

The bulk of the story follows Phillipa as she learns that there are several layers of truth to her identity and her mother's version of the events which led to her prison sentence. And she learns that there are reasons why she remembers very little of her life before adoption. In a parallel story we learn the depth of Norman's obsession as he tracks down the women and lays his final plans to kill Mary. This is not a strict whodunnit--it is more of a will-he-do-it? It is most definitely an examination of the motivations behind every action whether it be murder, manslaughter, revenge, or a search for truth. This is not a pleasant or happy book--though the ending does offer some hope. But it is a good character study and a reminder to be careful what you wish for...you just might get it. ★★★ and 1/2.

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.

I tend to read authors in order, so I was surprised that this was not part of her detective mystery series. A psychological suspense story filled with flawed and complex characters. An adopted daughter seeks the truth of her parentage, a father of a murdered child seeks revenge, a wife seeking love and respect, a betrayed man hides behind his work & status. It illustrates how one horrific event ripples out to touch others in both expected & unexpected ways. A fairly gloomy story with a few very small rays of sunshine. As the protagonist, Phillipa Palfrey, changes; it made me think how many of the characters appeared to let evil, deception or tragedy leave a dark stain on them allowing a portal to develop for morally ambivalent to criminal behavior to emerge.

This 1980 classic by the master really knocked me out. Incredible writing, deeply constructed characters, and a plot twist to end all plot twists. I flagged so many passages with post-it notes—that’s how writers learn from the best—the book looks it’s covered with feathers. I gave it a 5 star review.

Things I learned from this book:

1) It is n  alwaysn the fault of the child for getting raped - for being stupid, you know. Or for taking the wrong route.

2) You are supposed to like, empathise with and feel sorry for child murderers.

3) If your husband rapes a little girl, your immediate response should be to give him brandy, murder the girl, and try to protect your husband. Because strength.

4) The poor, poor men rape because they are looking for love and gentleness.

5) Child rape is really okay. It was all nice and gentle anyway!

6) A woman who likes casual sex will also enjoy rape. Then, it would be the poor man who has to get rid of her by giving her presents.

7) If you are adopted, it is merely because your adoptive father wants to have sex with you. Ten years down the line. It's all planned, I tell you!

8) Everyone is unpleasant and disgusting.

9) No one loves anyone else. Except child murderers. They are worthy of love and respect.

10) People don't need to feel passion, anger, despair to take revenge on someone. It's all just a duty. Emotions don't come into it.

11) Emotions are redundant anyway.

12) There is no need for dialogue. People all talk too much anyway.

13) Lengthy descriptions of nothing in particular will make up for a lack of plot and characterisation. NOT.

The book starts off with an adopted woman who is seeking to find her roots. She finds out that her father is a rapist and her mother is a murderer and decides she is stupid enough to communicate her mother and arrange to live together. At the same time, the father of the murdered girl is seeking to exact revenge of a personal nature on the murderess. The premise is interesting enough, but the execution is a very different matter. Only three things happen in this book.

1) Philippa and her mother endlessly doing mundane things and going about their business. No one cares.

2) Scase following them about all over the place, endlessly planning a murder of two most unpleasant people. No one cares.

3) A few of the other characters showing up once in a while and behaving in an artificial manner. No one cares.

I have read psychological thrillers on this theme before, and I had been thrilled. In this book, I could not care about anything, and couldn't care less whether Scase gets to murder them or not. The protagonist is a spoilt brat, not to mention, extremely stupid, but the others are almost as bad. I could also have done without an unnecessary sex scene between adoptive father and adopted daughter right at the end. It just pulled down the already disgusting book down another notch. The end is lame. The story had enormous potential, but execution was pretty bad.

PD James passed away last month, and I chose this book when I read the news and remembered I had a couple of her books lying around. Big mistake. I feel really mean writing this review ... but it's too late now.

This is a story about a girl adopted into the higher echelons of the upper middle class who, nevertheless, dreams of being a true aristocrat; because entitlement is her entire way of life. Once the opposite is proven, she embarks on a few months of poverty tourism, makes fun of everyone who tries to be kind to her, and bangs a Tory. This is somehow the most boring thriller I've read in my life, like an alternative, much crappier version of a "Common People" book adaptation.

No character here is likeable. This is normally not a requirement for me, but these characters seem to be going out of their way to be truly annoying, every single one nose in the air. If pressed, I'd say I like the government worker that asks for tea and the social worker that gets some parsley. The adoptive mom is bland but hey, at least she adopts a dog from a rescue home.

Finally, if you care about morals in any sort of way, this novel becomes just awful when we are told, repeatedly and by different characters, that child rape victims are a) stupid for trusting their rapist, b) stupid for not shutting up, c) unimportant, really, in the grander scheme of the characters' lives.
To cap it off, the epilogue offers a truly creepy, absolutely unneeded "twist" that is in such bad taste that in just 10 words convinced me to never read P.D. James ever again.

I have been collecting quietly PD James novels, but time and other books took priority. So finally I read my first PD James novel.
I decided Innocent Blood would be my first read. PD James is an amazing writer. This is not just a Murder Mystery that I was accustomed to reading. What I found fascinating and in a strange way it was interesting, that I learned to like characters that I should have despised rather than like.
This is a story of revenge, atonement, forgiveness and at the same time a physiological thriller. This book addresses the issues of adoption, families by blood lines and a lot more. This book is not for the faint at heart. Now I understand why PD James has such a large following, she writers much deeper than what I have been accustomed from a murder mystery novel. She is a philosopher, a psychologist and a detective all at the same time. After reading this book I needed something easier to read…
Nevertheless well worth reading and I have no regrets.

Well-written and engaging, Innocent Blood is one of those books in which you can't like any of the main characters, the word, reptilian, comes to mind to describe Phillipa and Maurice (adopted daughter and father). The innocent of the title is a raped and murdered 12 year old girl, Julie. The murder took place a decade ago and the book deals with the lies and distortions that come with this heinous act.

I don't normally write reviews but this book has moved me to write one.

The book is horrid. There is not one likeable character, the plot moves at a snail's pace, the different threads do not get nicely tied up at the end and there is an unforgivable "twist" at the end which only proves that two of the main characters are truly dreadful human beings.

Do not read this book if you are a lover of PD James ... thankfully I'd already read all the Dalgkliesh novels before reading this one.

who hasn't imagined that they were actually a child of mysterious fortune, an heir, a living legacy of romantic adventure? does anyone imagine the opposite - the legacy instead one of squalid violence and tawdry misadventure, straight from tabloid headlines?

this early revelation is only the first of many disconnects between fantasy and reality that the oddly good-humored protagonist suffers. essentially a slow-burning psychological mystery depicting the uncomfortable dance between a murderess, her daughter, and a victim's vengeful father; not a whodunit, but rather a what-will-happen-next. the murderess is a fascinatingly blank character, pathetic and threatening and mysterious, both predator and prey. the mystery is all in the motivation and never in the atmosphere - the latter of which is firmly grounded in prosaic, kitchen sink reality, per usual for James.