The Lighthouse (Adam Dalgliesh Mystery Series #13)
by P. D. James
List Price:
Our Price: $2.65
You Save: $12.35 (82%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: P. D. JamesEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2006-10-10
ISBN: 0307275736
Number of pages: 400
Publisher: Vintage
Book Reviews of The Lighthouse (Adam Dalgliesh Mystery Series #13)
Book Review: "Those to whom evil is done do evil in return"
Summary: 5 Stars
If I weren't three weeks into my annual bout with cold viruses I'd be writhing with pleasure at this recent effort by P. D, James instead of snuffling and starting blearily at my monitor. Even in this condition, I can't help but enjoy the intricacies of yet another tightly plotted Adam Dalgliesh mystery. Combe Island, an imaginary setting off the Cornish coast, has had an unusual murder. The Island is dedicated to providing a totally quiet and safe haven for its rich and influential guests, and now the body of a great writer is found hanging off the lighthouse. Dalgleish, with Inspector Kate Miskin and Sergeant Benton-Smith arrive to find the island is a closed room problem with a surfeit of suspects. It seems that Nathan Oliver was loved by no one and hated by more than a few.
I'm not going to bog the reader down with enticing plot tidbits - there are many, as one murder follows another, and I leave it to the reader to take pleasure in each of them. Typical of James, she takes care of all the little details that make her stories stand out. Each character is developed with appropriate touches. The attentive reader will find powerful prose that will leave memories for some time and a mystery can be solved traditionally or by careful attention to character. Thus these stories are not for those who just want a lot of blood and action. Instead, they invite contemplative moments when one is struck by a bit of description or (God forbid) by a poetic segue that open up a line of investigation.
Blended in with the plot are the details of the lives of Dalgleish, Miskin, and Benton-Smith. Each is pleasantly human, with foibles and worries of their own. Dalgleish worries about his romantic life, tires of departmental politics, and has a bout with the flu virus. Benton-Smith wonders why Kate doesn't seem to like him, and Kate has her own romantic complications to straighten out. Intelligent people doing the best job they can in complicated situations. My personal opinion is that James is one of the finest mystery writers at work today, and her characters some of the most compelling. Martha Grimes is probably her closest competition in this genre and a shelf full of both of them is a pleasure indeed.
Summary of The Lighthouse (Adam Dalgliesh Mystery Series #13)
A secure and secluded retreat for the rich and powerful becomes the setting for an unsettling series of murders.Combe Island off the Cornish coast is a restful haven for the elite. But when one of its distinguished visitors is found hanging from the island?s famous lighthouse in what appears to have been a murder, the peace is shattered. Commander Adam Dalgliesh is called in to handle the sensitive case, but at a difficult time for him and his depleted team. He is uncertain about his future with his girlfriend Emma Lavenham; his principle detective Kate Miskin is going through an emotional crisis; and the ambitious Sergeant Francis Benton-Smith is not happy about having a female boss. After a second brutal killing, the whole investigation is jeopardized, and Dalgliesh is faced with a danger even more insidious than murder.Literature & Fiction Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Literature & Fiction Books
Little Womenby Louisa May Alcott
Scribner; Published: 1986-06-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.49
Price in other shops:
The Killing Groundby JACK HIGGINS
HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS LTD; Published: 2007; Hardcover; Book
Saving Fish from Drowningby Amy Tan
4th Estate; Published: 2005; Paperback; Book
Life Expectancyby Dean Koontz
Harpercollins Pb; Published: 2005-08-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.00
Constant Princessby Philippa Gregory
Touchstone/Simon & Schuster; Published: 2005; Hardcover; Book
Wolf of the Plains (Conqueror, Book 1)by Conn Iggulden
Harper; Published: 2007; Paperback; Book
Saharaby Clive Cussler
Harper Collins Pb; Published: 2005-03-21; Paperback; Book
Perelandra (Cosmic Trilogy)by C. S. Lewis
Voyager; Published: 2005-11; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.67
Price in other shops:
The Lord Of The Rings: Part 2 The Two Towersby J. R. R. Tolkien
Harper Collins Publishers; Published: 2001; Paperback; Book
Red Marsby Kim Stanley Robinson
Trafalgar Square; Published: 2001-06; Paperback; Book
Similar Books and other products
A Mind to Murder (Adam Dalgliesh Mysteries, No. 2)by P. D. James
Touchstone; Published: 2001-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.54
Price in other shops:
Unnatural Causes (Adam Dagliesh Mystery Series #3)by P. D. James
Touchstone; Published: 2001-07; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.20
Price in other shops:
Devices and Desires (Adam Dalgliesh Mysteries, No. 8)by P.D. James
Vintage; Published: 2004-05-11; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.25
Price in other shops:
Death of an Expert Witness (Adam Dalgliesh)by P. D. James
Touchstone; Published: 2001; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.98
Price in other shops:
Shroud for a Nightingale (Adam Dalgliesh Mystery Series #4)by P. D. James
PBS; Touchstone; Published: 2001-09; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.46
Price in other shops:
A Taste for Death (Adam Dalgliesh Mysteries, No. 7)by P.D. James
Vintage; Published: 2005-11-08; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.59
Price in other shops:
Death in Holy Orders (Adam Dalgliesh Mystery Series #11)by P. D. James
Ballantine Books; Published: 2007-01-09; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.50
Price in other shops:
A Certain Justice (Adam Dalgliesh Mystery Series #10)by P. D. James
Ballantine Books; Published: 2003-11-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.16
Price in other shops:
The Murder Room (Adam Dalgliesh Mystery Series #12)by P. D. James
Vintage; Published: 2004-11-09; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.70
Price in other shops:
The Private Patient (Vintage)by P.D. James
Vintage; Published: 2009-11-03; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.92
Price in other shops: