P.D. James was considered one of the modern grande dames of
mystery fiction, being awarded numerous honors for her writing, including being
named a Baroness.Critics lauded her
books as elevating mere mystery to Literature.While this implied criticism of their genre annoyed mystery readers, it
gave others a good excuse to dip into the adventures of Inspector Adam
Dalgliesh or Cordelia Gray.
Besides her novels, she wrote non-fiction, including an excellent
book Talking About Detective Fiction in which she discusses classic
authors and books, and short stories. Four of the latter comprise this
collection; two feature Dalgliesh.The description says these are “uncollected stories” which is not the
same as “unpublished.”I recall reading
at least one of the Dalgliesh stories before, probably in some anthology.
The title story is set at Christmas, 1940, when a young
widow is invited to her estranged grandmother’s estate for the holiday. Told in hindsight, the bleakness of wartime
Britain comes through strongly in the dark, forbidding house where a select
group has gathered. Of course, ere long one of the company will end up dead in
a traditional country house murder setting.
“A Commonplace Murder” involves a clerk who slips back into
his place of employment after hours and ends up becoming a voyeur.This reader found echoes of both Hitchcock
and Christie in this tale.
“The Boxdale Inheritance” is one of the Adam Dalgliesh
stories, set early in his career.Adam’s
gentle godfather is due to inherit a considerable sum of money, but the elderly
gentleman has concerns about how the wealth was acquired.
In the final story, Dalgliesh is on his way to visit his
aunt only to be waylaid by a reported suicide.
James fans should take great satisfaction in these fine
stories, and those unfamiliar with the author may find their appetites whetted for
her novels.All are excellently done
with strong plotting, well-defined characters, and vivid settings.
It seems to be a truth universally agreed upon that a beloved novel must have sequels, even if the original author is disinclined to produce such; hence the host of books employing Miss Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy in roles of courtship (yes, again), marriage, parenthood and zombie slayers.
When I first heard that P.D. James was going to add to the multitude of books about Mr. and Mrs. Darcy, I vacillated between excitement and apprehension. I do love Pride and Prejudice but I have not loved any of the sequels. They’ve all missed the mark for me in some way, and most dreadfully. I have also greatly enjoyed P.D. James’ two mystery series, especially the Adam Dalgleish. I hoped Pemberley wouldn’t prove to be Baroness James’ Waterloo.
As the book opens, everyone is anticipating Lady Anne’s Ball, a tradition begun by Mr. Darcy’s mother. Guests—including Mr. and Mrs. Bingley—will be arriving, silver must be polished, flowers arranged, food prepared, entertainment arranged, rooms readied, and so forth. On the eve of the ball, everything is disrupted by the arrival of an hysterical Lydia, Elizabeth’s silly and self-centered sister, crying that her husband is dead. A search party is sent out into the night, where Wickham is found alive but blood-covered and kneeling beside the dead body of his friend, Captain Denny. Wickham’s drunken assertion that he’s killed Denny doesn’t help matters one whit, especially as he later says he didn’t actually bash Denny’s head in, but proving either claim is a matter for the trial.
While I can’t say this book is an utter triumph, I do think that it comes closest to sustaining the tone of the original of any that I have read. What it doesn’t do—and frankly, can’t do—is recapture the intensity of the courtship between Darcy and Elizabeth. They’re seen here as a settled married couple, still in love with one another but now more bound by duty and obligation to family and dependents than to passion. I found it an entirely believable situation. Some authors have sought to enliven their sequels by having characters repeatedly casting aspersions on Elizabeth’s character, thereby forcing Darcy to rush to her defense as a declaration of love or have some other occurrence to drive a wedge between the two lovers in order for them to continually break up and reconcile, a sort of “As Pemberley Turns.”
James is also constrained by the need to explain some social differences between the times that Austen would not have needed to do as well as treat certain characters a bit differently. For example, servants are presented more as individuals than they were in Austen’s work, partly to explain situations and relationships. (I can foresee a time when children all receive schooling via computer in their homes and a future author, writing a story set in 1970, would feel it necessary to explain who the school bus driver is and why parents blithely send children out to get on a bus with a comparative stranger.) Also, social relationships are much more important and reflect on both parties: the fact that Wickham isn’t received at Pemberley isn’t a simple social snub, but an indictment of his character.
On the plus side, James does much better than most at hinting at Austen’s humor throughout the book, with little social observations enlivening the descriptions and action. For example, she writes about Elizabeth’s acceptance as Mrs. Darcy: “Within a month a consensus had been reached: the gentlemen were impressed by Elizabeth’s beauty and wit, and their wives by her elegance, amiability and the quality of the refreshments.” Some mystery fans have complained about the solution, but I see it as a reflection on how things would have been resolved in a novel at that time, before certain mystery conventions were accepted. I do feel she has a solid grasp of the characters and can believe in the futures she has postulated for them, and she doesn’t endlessly retell the story of Elizabeth and Darcy except in those details which pertain to the story at hand. (The phrasing used ends up being just a bit contagious, rendering it somewhat dangerous for one to read before one undertakes the task of writing a review or even a shopping list lest it seems one is being paid by the word as was Dickens.)
Is this a book to treasure? Maybe not, but I wouldn’t be adverse to reading it again and that’s more than I can say for most of the Austen homages.
Once again, we're going to highlight the most requested books at the Bristol Public Library. These are the ones with the most reserves for Main and Avoca, not for the system as a whole so that we're listing what local folk really want. As usual, there are some repeats from last month's listing, but most are new-- with at least one surprise entry. Here's the countdown:
11. Unnatural Acts: A Stone Barrington Novel by Stuart Woods has Stone being hired to help steer a billionaire's son toward a better path. Naturally, things don't go quite as planned. This book will be released in April.
10. Stay Close by Harlan Coben is a standalone thriller by one of the best writers in the genre. A seventeen year old murder comes back to haunt the cop who failed to solve the case, and a woman who thought she'd left her past in the past.
9. Rainshadow Road by Lisa Kleypas is the first in a trilogy by this up and coming contemporary romance writer. Lucy was doubly betrayed: not only did her fiance dump her, but his new lover is Lucy's own sister. Sam, a local vineyard owner, strikes up a friendship with her but just as Lucy begins to believe she has feelings for Sam, she makes a devastating discovery.
8. Unwritten Laws by Greg Iles is now slated to be published in December, 2012. This sequel to The Devil's Punchbowl was delayed when Iles was injured in an accident.
7. Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James continues the story of Elizabeth Bennett and Fitzwilliam Darcy. Austen fans and James fans are lined up for this one!
6. The Adventures of Tintin is a collection of three of the comic books by Belgian artist Georges Remi who wrote under the name Herge. Tintin has been a European star for decades--the stories began in the late 1920s and continued until Remi's death in 1986-- but many Americans weren't aware of his existence until the recent Spielberg film. Tintin is a young reporter who travels the world with his dog, Snowy, and becomes involved in numerous exotic adventures.
5. 11th Hour by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro is the newest title in the Women's Murder Club series. It's due out in May.
4. Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult is the latest best selling book from an author who takes contemporary issues and frames them as unforgettable family dramas.
3. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins is the third and final volume in the enormously popular "Hunger Games" series. You do need to read these in order, so start with Hunger Games and then Mockingjay before reading this one.
2. Deadlocked by Charlaine Harris is the newest book in the Sookie Stackhouse series. It will be out in May.
And the number one book on reserve is:
1. Guilty Wives by James Patterson and David Ellis is a non-series thriller. Patterson's winning streak continues unabated!
