Devices and Desires (Adam Dalgliesh Mysteries - No. 8)

A great story..I am never disappointd by any book written by PD James..alas, I was sure I knew the killer, surprised to find I was wrong..Unlike many writers of mystery,PD James knows how to bring her books to a great conclusion.

Would P.D. James have chafed as a Goodreads Author? She would surely have had little time for “Ask the Author,” which sternly limits the number of characters in a response almost as severely as Twitter does. James needs time (and space and characters) to do her work as she (if not all readers) would have it. To insert a telling, anonymous line (but not the first line) from a Michael Drayton sonnet—this is “literary fiction,” after all. Or to remake a (prophetically) incinerated Protestant “martyr,” Agnes Poley, out of an Agnes Prest, similarly incinerated on the same day, in the same year, for the same reasons, but as far west of East Anglia as possible, in Cornwall. James can be terse when she chooses: in the present mystery she wastes precious little time or text on acts of killing (stopping just short of the deed or taking up shortly after). When she chooses, she does not need line upon line of text, as when she lets just a few words hint at what festered behind the “new version of an old horror” in Alice Mair’s paternal relationship (“the shorts high-cut, showing as he walked the bulge of the scrotum, the white legs, matted with black hair from the knees down”). Or when she lets a three-word title, Devices and Desires, speak for more (“We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. . . .” from the Anglican prayerbook) Indeed, that is what several “miserable offenders” in the present tale have done to create James’s latest story.

Adam Dalgleish’s vacation in East Anglia turns into a busman’s holiday, as he struggles to remain an outside observer of multiple murders, involving, not one, but two killers (one a serial killer, the other a copycat). Dalgleish is eclipsed to some extent by Rickards, the local detective inspector, who totes along his own baggage and serves as an interesting foil to his former superior. Alone or together they confront the usual crowd of witnesses and suspects, all in the ominous shadow of a nuclear power plant, which looms large throughout the story, almost as a character in its own right. Unlike other characters, however, the power plant cannot indulge in the extended internal monologues that are so much a feature of James’s style.

The plot unfolds in an individual sort of way. I cannot think of shelves of murder mysteries in which a perpetrator is killed off barely half way through. How many mysteries can you name in which a murderer plots the deed to insure that other characters will have credible alibis? I could have done without the unexpected intrusion of terrorists and MI-5, pretty much out of nowhere, but they beat it relatively quickly, allowing the remainder of the plot to untangle in very satisfying ways, as much because of the “how” and “why” as the “who.”

Devices and Desires by PD James (1920-) is an excellent murder mystery by one of England's greatest authors. James transcends the murder mystery genre to achieve excellence as a fine novelist. Her books are noted for:
a. A complex plot which spend many pages delving into the past lives of the suspects of the murder being investigated.
b. She has created the complex character of Detective Adam Dalgliesh. Dalgliesh is a published poet who is a brilliant detective carefully guiding the reader through the intricacies of a realistic police procedural. He enjoys classical music and is burdened by the early death of his wife Jane and young son. He is a wounded warrior in life's incessant battle against the human spirit. A modern character with depth whom we come to admire through the many books in the series.
c. Her atmsopheric descriptions of the Norfolk countryside and the bleak North Sea coast in this novel make for great reading.
d. James is a thinking Christian who examines the consequences of human sin. Her murderers are conflicted beings who act out of a moment of passionate hatred or who are motivated by the need for revenge or the settlin of old scores.
e. James knows well upper middle class society. Her characters come from the well educated and affluent segment of modern English society.
The Plot of Devices and Desires: A murderer named the Whistler is on the loose among remote villages on the Norfolk coast. James describes the last few hours of a sampling of his victims. All of these persons are women. The Whistler is fond of stuffing pubic hair into the mouths of those he has murdered. He also scratches a large L on their foreheads. The women are not raped.
The local Norfolk police investigate the crimes. Detective Rickards handles the investigation. His wife is due to deliver a baby as he wrestles with mother-in law problems. Dalgliesh assists in soving the crime. Among the suspects are:
Alex Mair-The chief of the Larksoken nuclear power plant.
Alice Mair-Alex's sister who is a noted cookbook author.
Miles Lessingham-a scientist at the power plant.
Meg Dennison-A former London schoolteacher who cares for the retired Copley clergy couple.
Ryan Blaney-A widower who is an artist. He lives in poverty with his children. The daughter Theresa is an important character.
Noel Plascoe-A man who hates the nuclear power plant and his landlord Hilary Robarts. He befriends a young woman Amy Camm and her son Timothy.
Caroline Amphlett-An assistant to Alex Mair. We later learn of her involvement in terrorism.
Jonathan Reeves-A young scientist at the power plot who is sexually conflicted and becomes involved in two keys love affairs -one with a woman and one a man.
An efficient but hated woman named Hilary Robarts is murdered. She was the former lover of Alex Mair.
This is a corker of a good read! One of P.D. James best books. Highly recommended!

PD James' work almost always is richly detailed and layered with compelling intrigue. Those hallmarks are in this book, but here also she tries to be topical (the nuclear issue) and it detracts somewhat from the more interesting elements of the mystery. Moreover, the characters just aren't that interesting.

Classic Brit mystery -- a limited number of people in a confined place, every one of them with a motive. This isn't my favorite P.D. James, but it is still a good read: well written and well plotted. One problem may be that the further I go with Adam Dagliesh, the more wearing his overall perfection becomes.

Another entry into p.d. james country, no humor or lightness, Dalgleish never cracks a smile, most of the characters detest each other, nearly every human relationship is fraught with hatred and contempt. We have the usual weak but good people being used and abused by the stronger ones. As soon as we hear of one person caring for another, we expect betrayal and heartache to follow and it does. We have the inspector and his sergeant with the latter doing the dirty work and the former despising himself for allowing it, yet allowing it because it is useful. It's not Dalgleish this time, but another two policemen. We've seen it all before from James many times.
Most of the characters can't stand themselves or anyone else. I wonder if this reflects reality in Great Britain. They believe in nothing. They are cynical. They speak in long, highly literary, multi phrased sentences. What do they say? That it's all pointless. It's all very grim. No comfort comes at the end, although the murderer is caught. Why bother, Dalgleish seems to be saying. No one cares. And yet they soldier on.
There is something to be said for Agatha Christie's good cheer. And she is not all good cheer. She had a hard headed reality about human nature. But she believed in right and wrong. She was formulaic but so is James. Christie had the advantage of writing about a society that had not yet lost its moorings, where people felt there were standards to adhere to. It was important to catch a murderer. Not so much in James' world.

I read "Devices and Desires" based on the recommendation of a friend. My friend said that the writing of P.D. James reminded her of my book ("The Other Part Of Me"). At first, I thought my friend was nuts - I didn't see any similarity at all. However, after getting further into the book I did begin to notice at times a certain rhythm to the narrative and dialog that did in fact remind me of my book.
While I did enjoy "Devices and Desires" and it did hold my interest throughout, the pace of the plot was much too slow for my tastes.

Devices and Desires is the best whodunnit I think I will ever read. The characters and setting are so believable that the novel envelops the reader, bringing him/her into that ominous world every time the book is opened. The plot is gripping - a work of genius. However, don't read this unless (i) you have a fine command of the English language; and (ii) you are prepared to read what some might deem a 'long' mystery novel.
Otherwise I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone.

The book was initially slow but I kept reading because I know how very good P D James is. Soon enough I was sucked into the story, and kept wondering who'd done it. But as I discovered the story underneath, I was a bit disappointed. Some of it was hard to believe, and too concocted to accept; new material that I as a reader could never have begun to think.

A good mystery should give a few clues here and there during the beginning when the characters and story are set up so that when all is revealed she feels the Aha! Wow! moment. While I was not able to guess the murderer, the back story made this book fall from 5 stars to 3.

There were lots of plot twists, along with murder and mayham and a thick and juicy plot line. The book just didn't grab me the way other suspense/thriller/mystery books have. It begins full of suspense and intruige, but all the other details in the story seem to just fill in the holes until things unravel. I wasn't emotionally involved with the characters and the story was bland and predictable.