The Private Patient (Adam Dalgliesh Mysteries)
Cheverell Manor is a lovely old house in deepest Dorset, now a private clinic belonging to the famous plastic surgeon George Chandler-Powell. When investigative journalist Rhoda Gradwyn arrived there one late autumn afternoon, scheduled to have a disfiguring and long-standing facial scar removed, she had every expectation of a successful operation and a pleasant week recuperating.
Two days later she was dead, the victim of murder.
To Commander Adam Dalgliesh, who with his team is called in to investigate the case, the mystery at first seems absolute. Few things about it make sense. Yet as the detectives begin probing the lives and backgrounds of those connected with the dead woman?the surgeon, members of the manor staff, close acquaintances?suspects multiply all too rapidly. New confusions arise, including strange historical overtones of madness and a lynching 350 years in the past. Then there is a second murder, and Dalgliesh finds himself confronted by issues even more challenging than innocence or guilt.
P. D. James has gained an enviable reputation for creating detective stories of uncommon depth and intricacy, combined with the sort of humanity and perceptiveness found only in the finest novelists. The Private Patient ranks among her very best.
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The Private Patient (Adam Dalgliesh Mysteries) Reviews
I've been a fan of hers for 20 years. This is standard fare for P. D. Well written and well edited, something not so common these days. Most of her work never gets to the "page-turner" stage. By comparison, this one moves a little slower and has a bit more character and setting detail. James. Still, a nice relaxed read that I didn't want to stop until I had finished.
James at her best. Not P. The ending was predictable from early on but the story has some interesting twists that make it enjoyable. D.
James's writing is such a pleasure to enjoy. Other than that, it was terrific. I don't feel that this was ever explained. Ms. P.D.
James ever. James is never a disappointment. I was thrilled to see that she had created yet another case for us to share with Adam. So many newer writers simply cannot put a sentence together; they make you feel like you're reading something by a struggling high school student. She is one of the best, and I enjoyed every bit of "The Private Patient." I do wish she had explained why Rhoda "had no further use" for her scar.
Not so with P.D.
Her main character grabbed my interest from the very beginning. While mixing history of a 350 year old lynching and present day mental challenges, James weaves her tale with depth and intimacy. Why she exactly decided to have plastic surgery performed was not really crystal clear which seemed to be the only great weakness in the novel. She is in her 80's and her descriptions of the landscape, the murder locations and the characters retain a solid introspection and clarity. I found the denouement was obvious but the character study and illusions sustained my interest from the first page. Rhoda Gradwyn, an investigative journalist, decides to finally undergo plastic surgery for a very visible facial scar which was given to her by her father when she was a young girl. Two murders were enacted in Cheverell Manor, which is a private clinic owned by a prominent plastic surgeon.
James can continue to write her sophisticated mysteries with the same depth and nuance as she has for years. Rather than allow the scar to ruin her life, she became a successful journalist uncovering weaknesses and foibles in business and creative society. I have read many of her novels and Private Patient did not disappoint me. Among the cast of characters is the staff of the Manor, Commander Adam Dalgliesh and his team and peripheral family and friends who are important to the plot. We do get inside of some of the characters - not quite enough to know all about them, but quite enough to believe their motives. It's hard for me to believe that P.D.
I was anticipating reading this book, but was disappointed. While the plot and writing were good as always, the characters seemed not to come to life, to be uninteresting and unexciting, even when showing emotion (which was rare).
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