I’ve probably read more P.D.James books than any other. They are the right intellectual depth with interesting characters clearly defined and invariably have a plot that increasingly absorbs the reader’s attention. Innocent blood is no exception, though it deviates a bit from the formula of many of her later thrillers. There is no Adam Dagliesh and the one murder which occurred took place prior to the main events in the narrative – though it dictates to a great extent how the story unfolds. None of the main characters in the book are particularly attractive. Philippa and her foster father, Maurice, are clever, but too smart by half, and lack the ability to have deep feelings for anyone. The author does portray the murderer, - of a young child - Mary Ducton, in such a way that the reader is not altogether unsympathetic and we are almost hoping she will escape the revenge planned for her by Norman Scase, the young child’s father. But, cleverly, it is revealed near the end that the murderer also gave up on her daughter – Philippa – instead of attempting to raise her. So it’s not an altogether unsatisfying finish for the reader when Mary preempts Scase and takes her own life. But we have mixed feelings because Philippa clearly was a very difficult child to handle. Yes, almost Shakespearean tragedy, as someone noted !

Excessive adjectives.

An early, and as a result, underdeveloped novel by Dame James. The characters are parodies of specific types, and although the premise is interesting it isn't thought provoking.
MILD SPOILERS TO COME
Part of the problem is just how 1970s self-consciously experimental the novel is. Most of the action is driven by Phillipa's existential identity question, her adoptive father is a clone of BF Skinner who learns to get... in touch with his... feelings about his daughter, the adoptive mother is a cartoonish empty-nester bored homemaker of a type not seen since the mid-80s, the actual mother is a cypher, and the meandering stalker seeking revenge feels like the only truly developed character.
After a lot of wandering about and manufactured tension the novel tries for a happyish ending with a bloodless murder and a spot of pseudo-incest. The question is, who was invested enough at the end to be offended?
Turns out pretty much every reviewer on this site.
The controversial items include:
1. The apparent mooting of child abduction/rape/murder: This is (properly) a key issue for many readers, although I would argue that the general position that this is utterly unforgivable kind of misses the point of James making that the crime. Of course James isn't forgiving child murder, it's the absolute horror and depravity of what her parents did to that child, and what they did to Phillipa herself, that piqued her father's interest in raising her and illustrates his successes in getting her past those traumas and to a qualified success as an adult. It's that Phillipa is capable of being horrified by the many demonstrated lies by her mother about their past even after Phillipa had demonstrated her willingness to overlook anything in pursuit of her 'true' identity that truly proves that she is emphatically a victory of nurturing over nature.
2. The squicky ending where the adopted father and daughter do the nasty is viewed as unnecessary by many. Not if you see the goal of the novel as a demonstration of the ambivalence of the moral standing of the characters. Philippa was demonstrated to be morally superior to her mother, but the man who pulled her up to his level is also a deeply amoral and flawed character, and created her entirely in his own image. This endpoint is quite a come down from her assumed moral superiority while redeeming and forgiving her mom. In capsule form this novel was a tale of teenage rebellion with a reversion.

It's a standard 1970s novel in it's themes but aside from its unique treatment of those themes, it is also more literary and observant than the usual.

Sharp writing, genuine suspense, and I had no idea where it was heading. I thought I knew, but was disabused of my preconceived notions. Not sure how I felt about the ending. I'll have to sit on it for a bit.

Amazing. I have read James' Inspector Dalgliesh novels for years, and liked them. But this really steps out of the pack.

Philippa Palfrey was adopted by a prominent, well-off couple. Her adoptive father is a big name in politics and is used to having things go his way. He gets his wish when Philippa uses her intelligence to succeed in school and to be welcomed to Cambridge. But Philippa is obsessed with finding her real father (she has been told her mother is dead), about whom she knows nothing.

As soon as she is legally able, at age 18, to seek out her parents, she does so. And finds out that her mother is in prison for murder.

It's a shock but now Philippa needs to get to know her mother. She takes the unusual step of inviting her mother, when she is released. to stay with her for a couple of months, in an apartment in London.

Her mother agrees to the plan, although she is cautious, wants to make sure Philippa really wants to go through with it. The two get along well from the start, taking time to fix things up, to keep everything clean, to explore London together. The murder hangs over them but Philippa has almost forgotten it.

In this novel James explore the "nature vs nurture" argument, and I was afraid she would go down a simplistic road. But she doesn't. It's powerful and thought-provoking, and ultimately, in its way, hopeful.

“MURDER’S RIPPLE EFFECTS”
Ms. James (1920-2014) created well-rounded characters and vivid environments but ‘Innocent Blood’ does not have any happy campers. It is an interesting but downbeat story. The book centers upon the rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl, parthenophilia, and the various people impacted by it. I had read a handful of the author’s short stories, enjoyed all of them, and decided to give one of her novels a go. I didn’t bother reading the book’s blurb on the back cover and I kind of wished I had. Events take place during a London summer of 1978.
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I have mixed feelings about ‘Innocent Blood.’ It is not a murder mystery as I was expecting but would fall more into the category of fine literature. The novel is a character study of the victims beyond just the little 12-year-old who is raped and murdered. The story involves revenge, identity, class, redemption, and the consequences of our actions. The book is completely devoid of humor and has very little suspense. There are large passages of the thing that are so mundane I almost slipped into a coma. I didn’t care for any of the central characters. Hell, I found most of the people either annoying or repulsive. Scenes of rape and violence are handled in a delicate manner. The thing is Ms. James was one hell of a writer and it does have some segments I found engrossing, especially the last seventy pages of this near-400-page work. Mercy, the story is a major downer.

Such a cleverly constructed crime novel and highly rated by forensic psychiatrist and psychotherapist, Dr Gwen Adshead. I was gripped by this tragic tale which showed so well the mind of the victim as well as that of the perpetrator, and the consequences...life long harms of "insecure attachment" in childhood. There were surprising twists and turns along the way which added to the fascination. I was gripped.

The one book of P.D. James' that I had previously read was awful. In Death Comes to Pemberley, she took a beloved set of characters, paired them with a bland murder, and profited from the genius of Jane Austen by exploiting her characters with a shitty story. I honestly wouldn't have picked up this book had I not read about it on a list describing books with great plot twists. It was a mistake.

This book follows Philippa, who was adopted at the age of 8 by a rich couple who did nothing but adore her. Unfortunately, their love and kindness did nothing for her, and Philippa has spent her life resenting them and daydreaming about her real parents, who she imagined to be next to royalty. When she turns 18, Philippa is legally allowed to inquire about the identities of her parents. Her father has passed, and her mother is in jail for a horrific crime. Philippa couldn't care less about the crime, because all she really cares about is the fact her real mother is alive, and she quickly rushes to her side, being a real bitch to her adoptive parents in the process.

This book is full of themes that can appeal to a lot of readers: entitlement! Exploitation! Pedophilia! With a cast of characters that are as dull as they are unlikeable, how can you resist picking up this book?

There really wasn't a big plot twist. Everyone lies. The storyline was endlessly boring. Much like in Death Comes to Pemberley, I felt like I was trudging along through my read. Avoid this book, and in the meantime I'll avoid everything else by P.D. James.

An excellent psychological thriller from an excellent crime writer. Much more complex characters and darker themes than what you get in ordinary thrillers.

Quería algo distendido para leer en vacaciones e intercalar con literatura un poco más densa. Sin fascinarme, me gustó. La trama es interesante y lo suficientemente rebuscada y morbosa para atrapar la atención. Es cierto lo que dicen varios lectores; que todos los personajes son desagradables y que uno no se inclina por la suerte o desgracia de nadie (quizás con la excepción de Hilda que creo qeu es el personaje más frágil e inocente). Sin embargo, me gustaron los personajes tal como son y me parecieron creíbles. Evitaré los spoilers pero la falta de capacidad de amar de la protagonista es la misma carencia de su madre biológica y la que en definitiva en mayor o menor medida parecen sufrir todos los personajes y es justamente ese sentimiento de desapego que en términos freudianos por contratransferencia terminan produciendo desapego en nosotros. Hay algunos puntos débiles que me decantaron por tres estrellas y no cuatro. Algunos personajes aparecen sin pena ni gloria y no se entiende el papel que juegan (el visitante social por ejemplo), pasajes demasiado largos que no construyen ambiente ni contribuyen con la intriga (las eternas conspiraciones de uno de los personajes para irrumpir a escondidas en una casa) y aunque hay que decir que P.D. James escribe muy bien, en algunos momentos es cursi (el final es un buen ejemplo). Con todo, es una entretenida novela para pasar el rato y con buena prosa.

I've read all of the Adam Dalgliesh series and liked them all. I love the way Ms. James wrote, all of the description of the surrounding and character development, are great. But something this book, albeit well written just didn't keep me as interested as the Dalgliesh series, perhaps I just missed him.

I really liked this book, until the very end, when there is a disturbing revelation tossed off like it's not a big deal. It was all far too Freudian for me! That said, on the whole I enjoyed the read. Just when I thought I knew all the answers, the author reveals that not all is as it seems. Also, even though I had big issues with the novel's protagonist, I did end up feeling sympathy for her--or really just sad for her. She's one mixed up young woman with serious daddy issues! Overall, I liked this book much better than I thought I would, as it is not really a mystery but rather, a crime novel.