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P.D. James is a little wordy, but her Adam Dalgliesh series is excellent. If you like British mysteries this is a good one.
What can I say more than that this PD James novel was the most instrumental novel to keep the spirit of Agatha Christie alive.The debut of Inspector Dagleish is a must-read. And one must remember the Gilbert & Sullivan quote, "A policeman's lot is not a happy one".
The mystery was intriguing, though the focus seemed to be primarily on the psychology of the house full of suspects instead of on the actual mystery. I did like the mystery, though I expected to see and hear more from the main character, Inspector Adam Dalgleish. The story flowed (and sometimes bounced) between points of view of most of the people/suspects in the story, as well as Inspector Dagleish. Still, I did enjoy the book, and it was a quick read. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series, and hoping that the main character (Dalgleish) shows up a bit more as we go along.
I was warned by a friend that "it's very British," but I didn't realize that she meant: (a) the entire town would be introduced in the first chapter, and I would have to remember their names, relationships, and feelings toward one another, or (b) a surprise character would be introduced near the end to send the story in a new direction. "The greatest living mystery writer" (from the back flap). I enjoyed those old Roy Marsden TV productions, and James' "Children of Men", so I picked up several of the Dalgliesh paperbacks. Not in my book. I'm surprised that the rest of the Dalgliesh books got published after this snoozer. How unfortunate for me. [.].
The author delves into the minds of all the characters, even the murderer, though you can't tell who did it. There are some red herrings and a lot of surprises.This book was thoroughly enjoyable.
Sally is an unwed mother (scandalous.). who has been given a job with the Maxies.
Cover Her Face starts with an introduction to the characters and establishing motives to kill the victim, who in this case is Sally Jupp, a housemaid who likes to keep secrets. There is a locked door, a missing bottle of pills, a moved ladder, a houseful of suspects, and a few suspects that aren't in the house but still have motives for Sally's death.
The morning after Dr. Stephen Maxie proposes to her, she is found dead in her room, brutally strangled, and possibly drugged.Call in Inspector Adam Dalgleish to root out the doer of this dastardly deed.
It's the second PD James book that I've read (the first is Original Sin) and it was fun. When the final unveiling happened, I thought to myself, "I knew it." Of course, I had been convinced at one time or another of the guilt of everyone in the book, and at the end, I was leaning toward another person, but still.
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