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| Source: Wikipedia |
As a child, I fed on mystery
stories. Be they Famous fives or Secret Seven... I joined hands with the Three
Investigators, deciphering clue after clue and wished from the bottom of my
heart that I had a boyfriend as charming as Ned Nickerson from Nancy Drew. As I
grew up, my diet changed and I was introduced to Agatha Christies, Erle Stanley
Gardeners and Marry Higgins Clark who kept me on the edge of my seat and biting
my nails till there were none left.
And then came along P.D. James;
an author whom I had not read until now. When I did pick up Black Tower, the
sole Adam Dalgliesh novel that I have read so far, I was brim with expectation
and my hopes were pinned high. That is probably also the reason why when I
finally placed this book down I was a tad bit disappointed.
The Black Tower is a mystery that
is triggered off by a letter that Commander Adam Dalgliesh receives from an
elderly chaplain, Father Baddeley. Recuperating from a misdiagnosed illness,
Adam finds the letter as an excuse for a perfect getaway from his professional
life to take a break and decide what he really wants from his life. With that
in mind, he sets off to Toynton Grange an isolated nursing home along the coast
of England. What he discovers on reaching the home is not something he had ever
anticipated. Father Baddeley and a patient from the home are dead, having died
presumably of natural causes. There is nothing about the place or the situation
that cries foul but the letter Dalgliesh had received makes him wonder if there
is more to it than what meets the eye. He decides to stay back to sort out
Father Baddeley’s books which have been left to him as a legacy. In the short
duration of his stay, the bodies start piling up with not enough reasoning to
term them as murder. But the sheer coincidence of death and a detective’s mind
suffice for Dalgliesh to carry out his own private investigations, solve the crime
and unmask the terrible evil that has been residing in the heart of Toynton
Grange.
P.D. James is like no other
mystery Author I have read before. Most Authors specialize in developing the
analytical abilities and detective mindset of the protagonist to unravel the
suspense that has been built, P.D. James does no such thing. In fact if
anything, Adam Dalgliesh seems slow in comprehending the setting of the crime
and not much emphasis is given to how he goes about solving the mystery. While
there are sprinkles of his investigations here and there, he spends most of his
time either regretting a mistake he makes or just getting to know his suspects.
Not often does the author give you a peek into how the detective arrives at his
conclusion and nails down the guilty.
What P.D. James does do is develop
a deep sense of personality of each character she introduces in the book. She
develops a vibrant scene of potential malice, dark thinking and diabolic
feelings in each character thus thickening the plot and building the suspense.
However the lack of investigation and the final outcome do not seem to do
justice to the hype she so successfully builds up.
If there is one thing that stands
out for me about this author is a skill which impressed me beyond
measure and at the same time frustrated me at some junctures throughout the
book- Her ability to weave together words and metaphors such that they lead to
vivid descriptions and paint distinct images in your mind. While this writing
style of detail and imagery overwhelms you with her creativity, it tends to
throw you off track at times when all you want to read is a straightforward
explanation for the suspense that has been created. It forms a pleasant
experience, pondering over her usage of language and the way she plays with
words but when it pops up in the middle of a cliff hanger, it tends to confuse
and take away the focus from the actual mystery at hand.
If anything her writing style
made me wonder if sometimes an author needs to draw a line as far as over usage
of writing creativity is concerned
The Black Tower was overall a
good read, however I wouldn't call it an edge of the seat thriller which
boggles your mind even after the mystery has been solved
Seeta! If you have not tries Ngaio Marsh yet I urge you to do so. She has the language of P.D.James but does more than justice to the detection as well.
ReplyDeleteOk, I was wondering how you would react to this review because I knew you had read P.D James before. Glad you agree with me :) Marsh is now next on my list!
ReplyDeleteActually I very seldom react to reviews Seeta :) Reading is a personal experience and people do take away different things from the same book - sometimes things that the author did not even realize that she had put in. So, reader's perspectives are their own and need not match each other.
DeleteWhere I have reactions is only when a reviewer uses words like 'plot, narrative, characterization' etc. without a conception of what they all mean OR on the one-size-fits-all basis. I see very few who can differentiate between whether they like a book because of the tale OR because of the way it is told. Very few who know the difference between a story idea and a plot. Very few who understand that there are very many styles of narrative and all of them good. Very few who can transcend their own set idea of how characters are to be built and see if the characters seem real or not regardless of HOW the author has gone about doing it. BUT those are reactions that I ensure do not see the light of the day...normally! :)
Loved the thoughts you have placed out here. I agree to each his own.. esp as a reader we tend to interpret a book differently... I wonder if we ever really get what the Author truly had on mind. Off late I have read more reviews about the tale than about the way it was told.. in fact most of the reviews I read only sing praises about the books and the Author.. It makes me wonder how anyone can like all the books they read..?
DeleteThere are books which impress you with the writings style, there are books where the tale surpasses everything else and there are books which do neither nor anything else. But there always are such books yet there are readers who seem to like it all. That boggles my mind. I find it hard to comment on such review posts and while I like penning down my views of a book I have read, I try not to get there..
I think I can rely on you to let me know if I ever do :)
I've read a few P.D. James ( though missed this one ) and you've rightly said that her use of words and metaphors is really unique , and the combination of poet and detective is also quite uncommon.
ReplyDeleteI would still like to read a few more of her works and not write her off with this one.. but like I said every genre needs a writing style, this book made me wonder if hers could do justice to mystery and suspense..
DeletePD James can be a hit and miss. Sometimes I dont think she knows where she is going with the story. I have read two and had a completely opposite experience with both her books.
ReplyDeleteReally bad - http://shadesofwords09.wordpress.com/2012/01/05/death-comes-to-pemberley/
Really good - http://shadesofwords09.wordpress.com/2010/03/18/a-job-unsuitable-for-a-woman/
Have you tried Michael Innes - if not you MUST read Death at President’s Lodging
I think I agree with you, though I am yet to read more of he work.. this book was def. one that made me wonder if she had really thought out the story :) am gonna read your reviews today and also keep an eye out for Michael Innes. Btw check Suresh's comment above about Ngaio Marsh, have you read her work?
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DeleteYes - I have read Nagio Marsh..I think again there are some good ones and some average ones. All ideal though for a relaxing few hrs of reading
DeleteInteresting review. I get what you mean..in terms of the frustration at not being able to understand the reason for the suspense. Its like being denied a tasty morsel of meat..
ReplyDeleteWorth picking up ?
Normally nothing beats nostalgia though.. at one point, i did pick up an old Agatha Christie.. and realized that I used to enjoy it much more than I do now :)
Have you read Colin Forbes ? I like him..
Not sure if this particular one is worth picking up but some of her other books have been good. A friend just recommended one above "A job unsuitable for a Woman".. I plan to pick it up from the library if available :)
DeleteNope hadn't readColin Forbes.. now thanks to this review I have three new authors to read :)
I have not read him.
ReplyDeleteInteresting review.
I need to find time first then this book. :)
She has good language so its def. worth a read.. :) Lady, you are so busy with your travel takes, I can completely understand the lack of time :)
DeleteFrom the way you describe I wonder if it is similar to the Name of the Rose and maybe G.K. Chesterson's Father Brown stories.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read either... makes me wonder if I read enough at all :(
DeleteCertainly not Chesterton TF! PD James leans towards the literary in her writing - with Dalgleish being a poet as well - and, more often then not, her literary leanings quite take over the tale leaving no room for the whodunit. Chesterton tends to be a bit preachy - as may be expected with a priest detective - but he has a fine hand with the analytic end as well.
DeleteI should have called Suresh to the rescue much earlier! If anyone would have read both the Authors in mention, it would be him :)
DeleteBtw a priest detective? now that is a new one for me, should read Chesterton soon!
Ah! Interesting. Not sure if PD James would be to my taste.
DeleteSoumya Mukherjee I love James.try Ruth Rendal, Ian Ranklin and Galbreith( Rowlings nom de plume) same ilk. cerebral crime fiction with human interest and realism thrown in.Interestingly, other than Ranklin, all others are women
ReplyDelete