Review: The Private Patient ****
Published Date:
05 September 2008
By Jack Doyle
Journalist Rhona Gradwyn is rich, with plenty of enemies, having made her career turning people over.
When her facial scar is removed by a Harley Street surgeon at his Dorset manor house, leaving her groggy and weak, her murderer seizes the opportunity. So begins the latest gripping tale from the queen of detective fiction, starring her poet-detective Adam Dalgleish and his team. Unusually, in a harrowing scene, James describes the moment of death from the point of view of the victim. Then we're into the slow unwinding of the rich, intricate plot, as the swarm of motive and incentive confuses and misdirects.
The end seems difficult and incomplete and there's the suggestion Dalgliesh may not continue much longer, a hint the octogenarian James may be winding him down.
However, by the evidence of this book, there should be a few more cases yet before retirement.
PD James, Faber and Faber, £18.99
The full article contains 157 words and appears in n/a newspaper.
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Last Updated:
05 September 2008 10:41 AM
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Source:
n/a
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Location:
Yorkshire
