Book Review: Death in Holy Orders

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Death in Holy Orders     Amazon US PB Amazon US TPB Amazon US HC Amazon UK HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada TPB Amazon Canada HC
P. D. James
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Police Procedural
Series: Inspector Adam Dalgliesh # 11
Knopf, May 2001, $25.00, 415 pp.

The coroner's jury concluded that St. Anselm's Theological College student Ronald Treeves died accidentally. However, his adoptive father has doubts about his son's death. He uses his political influence as a major businessman with government ties to persuade senior officials of New Scotland Yard to investigate what really happened to Ronald. His superior, Harkness, sends Commander Adam Dalgeish to the school located in East Anglia.

Though he expects to find it was nothing but an accident, Adam enjoys the idea of visiting St. Anselm's, a place he once attended. However, Adam quickly revises his idea of a working vacation when someone beats to death an unpopular Archdeacon. Now Adam believes that Treeves is right when he insists his son was murdered and the law enforcement official knows he has his work cut out to catch a clever but vicious killer.

As expected in a P.D. James' who-done-it, everyone has a motive, a means, and an opportunity though in DEATH IN HOLY ORDERS some of the suspect's motives seem a bit stretched. Faced with a plethora of potential culprits, Dalgeish shows why his investigations are fun to observe. The story line is well written and the villain is a good opponent for Dalgeish. The Grand Dame of the British police procedural, Ms. James continues to provide her fans with a fresh mystery that will send new readers seeking previous Dalgeish novels (see A CERTAIN JUSTICE).

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner