Saturday Review of Books: P.D. James' The Private Patient

I love the fictional character of Adam Dalgliesh. As I mentioned earlier, I totally picture the actor Clive Owen when I read a Dalgleish mystery. (Ironically--and I didn't put this together till just recently--Owen starred in the movie adaptation of James' book, The Children of Men.)

That being said, although I enjoyed The Private Patient and it kept me turning the pages, I'm a bit ambivalent about it.

First let me set the stage for you--this synopsis from amazon.com:

In James's stellar 14th Adam Dalgliesh mystery (after 2006's The Lighthouse), the charismatic police commander knows the case of Rhoda Gradwyn, a 47-year-old journalist murdered soon after undergoing the removal of an old disfiguring scar at a private plastic surgery clinic in Dorset, may be his last; James's readers will fervently hope it isn't. Dalgliesh probes the convoluted tangle of motives and hidden desires that swirl around the clinic, Cheverell Manor, and its grimly fascinating suspects in the death of Gradwyn, herself a stalker of minds driven by her lifelong passion for rooting out the truth people would prefer left unknown and then selling it for money.

My thoughts:

First of all, it's a bit disconcerting that Dalgleish doesn't show up until we're well into the book. This has been true of the two or three other Dalgleish mysteries I've read as well. Since he's my favorite character, I'd like for him to be involved earlier on. Maybe that's just me?

Also, I can't claim to be a conoisseur of mysteries, despite the fact that a few years ago I went on an avid Agatha Christie spree. But I personally enjoy a mystery where I'm really shocked and surprised by who the murderer is, when finally revealed.

That doesn't happen in this book--at least not for me.

Another thing. I had a hard time caring about any of the characters besides Dalgleish and his assistants, Kate and Benton. Most of the characters lacked anything that would draw me to them or make me care about them, including the murder victims.

So why did I keep reading, and actually find the book enjoyable?

Well, I like James' writing style. I DID want to find out who the murderer was. And yes, I really like Adam Dalgleish. He is a character who is three-dimensional...a poet, a detective, a handsome man, an enigma. Dalgleish is just very appealing.

"My" Adam Dalgleish--actor Clive Owen

I would recommend this book to mystery lovers. You may thoroughly enjoy it, and not be bothered by the few things that somewhat bothered me.

That's all despite the fact that when I reached the end of the book, it was oddly anti-climactic. Not a "Wow, that was a great book!" More like an, "Oh...OK."

I'm participating today in Semicolon's Saturday Review of Books. Click on the icon for more info!

Booking through Thursday: Do You Read Reviews?

I'm participating again today in Booking Through Thursday, where the questions are:

Do you read book reviews? Whose do you trust? Do they affect your reading habits? Your buying habits?

The answer? You bet I do!

I have always paid attention to book reviews, even way before I had a blog. I would read the reviews in USA Today (I really liked Deirdre Donahue's reviews), women's magazines and the like.

Since starting blogging, and especially since starting this book blog, book reviews have definitely influenced my reading and buying habits.

A recent case in point: I read (actually bought it, at Borders!) Connie Willis' To Say Nothing of the Dog because of a review I read that was part of Semicolon's Saturday Review of Books, and it kicked off a spree of reading Connie Willis books. (I'm still looking for a couple of them.)

I also got into P.D. James' Adam Dalgleish mysteries thanks to a Saturday Review of Books review.

Those are just a couple of recent examples. I'm sure there are more, and at least 5 books on my Goodreads "to-read" list are there because I read bloggers' favorable reviews.

Now, I wouldn't necessarily avoid a book if a reviewer didn't like it, but it would weigh in my decision...and if a reviewer genuinely raves about the book, I'll definitely be influenced to read it.

How about you?

If you're visiting from Booking Through Thursday, please, please, please leave a comment, even if it's a very short one! I'd love to know you stopped by.



You can participate in Booking Through Thursday here!

I have a crush on Adam Dalgleish

This is actor Clive Owen. No, he's never played Adam Dalgleish, but this is how I picture him!

Thoughts on "discovering" a "new" author

Don't worry, my affections are still securely directed towards my dear husband. But I have a new literary crush, thanks to the fact that for the first time in my life, I'm reading P.D. James.

How have I reached this advanced age as a passionate reader, and not read any P.D. James mysteries? After all, she's hailed as the natural heir to Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers. Her books have been made into numerous British television series (none of which I've seen, either.)

But isn't that the great thing about life? You can go for years reading books, and suddenly find this author that's new to YOU. Suddenly there's this treasure trove to dive into.









The Quintessential Detective Hero

Granted, I'm only on my second Adam Dalgleish book, but he strikes me as the perfect detective hero.

If the British national motto is "Keep Calm and Carry On," Dalgleish definitely fits the bill. He seems to face the most daunting situations with equanimity and cool.

He's the classic strong, quiet type, but he has his sensitive side. After all, he's a published poet as well as a Scotland Yard police officer.

Of course, he has tragedy in his background--the death of his wife while giving birth to their child. But he doesn't dwell on that.

I'm not just guessing that he's handsome; we're actually told that by other characters. "Tall, dark and handsome," in fact. Even alluding to Mr. Darcy of Pride and Prejudice. (Crushing yet?)

My Vocabulary Enriched

And you know what? I thought I had a pretty decent vocabulary. People used to accuse my co-worker Joel Griffith and me of conversing in a different language; no, it was just the language of people who know a lot of big words and like to use them with other people who understand them.

But my vocabulary is practically infantile compared to that of P.D. James. I finally started keeping a pen and notebook next to me while reading her mysteries, so I could jot down words with which I was unfamiliar to look them up later.

Here are some of them:

puissance
apposite
minatory
theurgy
solecism
exophthalmic
etiolated
nugatory
pavane

Granted, I may never use these words, but at least I'll understand them if I ever run across them again.

And it's good to know that at my age, I can still learn something new.

My P.D. James quest continues....

So, I finished The Black Tower and am now in the middle of Shroud for a Nightingale.

I look forward to many more pleasant hours curled up with my latest crush. :)




Come on, movie producers and casting directors. Clive Owen IS Adam Dalgleish! :)

Who is your literary crush? Let me know in my comments section!