Reading the Detectives discussion

Although our 2020 PD James challenge is now over, we still have two books to go. As such, we will finish these over January and February at the start of 2021 and open the discussions mid-month, as we do our buddy reads.

In January, 2021, we will be reading The Lighthouse , published in 2005 and the thirteenth book in the Inspector Adam Dalgliesh series.

Combe Island off the Cornish coast has a bloodstained history of piracy and cruelty but now, privately owned, it offers respite to over-stressed men and women in positions of high authority who require privacy and guaranteed security. But the peace of Combe is violated when one of the distinguished visitors is bizarrely murdered. Adam Dalgliesh is called in to solve the mystery quickly and discreetly, but at a difficult time for him and his depleted team. Dalgliesh is uncertain about his future with Emma Lavenham, the woman he loves, Detective Inspector Kate Miskin has her own emotional problems and the ambitious Anglo-Indian Sergeant Francis Benton-Smith is worried about working under Kate. Hardly have the team begun to unravel the complicated motives of the suspects when there is a second brutal killing and the whole investigation is jeopardised when Dalgliesh is faced with a danger more insidious and potentially as fatal as murder.

Please feel free to post spoilers in this thread.

I liked the setting of this book. However, I didn't really think that, even an island which was a retreat for the rich and famous could exist without security.

Finished and I'll be somewhat glad to say good-bye to Dalglish. Several books felt much the same: stone towers, individual cottages, roaring surf, religious overtones. I thought it quite timely that SARS got worked in, but a year or two ago I would have thought the reference needlessly dated the book.

Kate heard Dalglish laugh at the very end! Wow!

The plot was fine. I liked the variety of reasons each suspect had for hating the victim. I have no faith in his secetary's happiness once he's married to the daughter. I wanted her to be guilty.

Kate's development shows promise as she acknowledged Benton-Smith's work at the end. I hope Kate and Piers brief encounter continues in the last book. I would like to think of her warming up to life after we leave the series.

I will be interested to see if James wraps up the series in the next book. Dalglish could be married and Kate ready to lead her own team.

The SARS angle was certainly timely to current events, but I was surprised no one else got sick. He was with others while beginning to show symptoms.

It just didn't seem reasonable to me that the author thought himself entitled to kick the old lady out of her cottage. He certainly had an inflated opinion of his own worth, but why should she be displaced?

I thought it was the cottage he grew up in and he felt it would help him get back his flagging writing powers?

This seems to have had a very mixed reaction, but I quite enjoyed it. I do find Dalgliesh a bit pretentious, but I found this a good listen. I like the narrator of these books, which helps I think.

I listened on audiobook. I must have missed that he was born in that cottage. I kept "hearing" he was born on the island but not where. Thanks for the info.

Was the island run as an entirely charitable exercise, offering free accommodation, and food, and climbing lessons, to wealthy influential persons? It seems unlikely that it could have had any chance of breaking even, paying for servants, food, etc with only three guests - five at the most.

Rosina wrote: "Was the island run as an entirely charitable exercise, offering free accommodation, and food, and climbing lessons, to wealthy influential persons? It seems unlikely that it could have had any chan..."

Yes, it was set up in trust as a charitable exercise as I understood the trust deed.

I enjoyed it overall. It felt slightly mellower than some of the other books and some of the characters were likeable. We're now all experts in corona viruses, I suspect in a different time some of the details on contagion would have passed us by.

Ah - I have now reached the talk between Adam and Jo Stavely, and she says 'It's the silence they're paying for, and it doesn't come cheap.' So clearly, although it's a 'charitable' trust, they do charge the visitors (which is not unreasonable).

Finished this today, and by disregarding the waffle about buildings and their furnishings, found it better than some of the past books.

I also finished it today. I’ll also be glad to finish the series, I think it’s begun to drag as we see the same tropes coming back over and over again - the religious element, the unhappy love affair in the past, the bunch of miserable suspects full of resentment, the isolated coast with the obligatory storm etc.

Still, at least Dalgliesh didn’t get to do the heroic rescue from the deranged murderer this time, Kate got her chance. And as Sandy says, Dalgliesh laughed! Months of tortured silence will have to follow :) I can just see him and Emma spending many happy years sending each other letters about their relationship, while worrying about what the other one hasn’t said.

Pamela wrote: "I also finished it today. I’ll also be glad to finish the series, I think it’s begun to drag as we see the same tropes coming back over and over again - the religious element, the unhappy love affa..."

You are so right Pamela. And you have made me laugh.

Jill wrote: "You are so right Pamela. And you have made me laugh..."

I’m glad about that, we all need a laugh.

I must admit, I found myself laughing this time round rather than being irritated. Especially the endless descriptions for the benefit of those of us who have never been in a kitchen or seen a tea trolley. My favourite such moment of irony was this
“Jo Staveley was in the surgery. It was the first time Kate had seen it, but she had no eyes for the details except for the steel cabinets with their meticulously printed labels.” Just couldn’t resist one little unnecessary detail then...

I doubt Oliver, the victim, was born in Atlantic cottage as I got the impression it was the best one. His father was one of the hired help. I suppose his mother might have moved to have her baby, but the main house would be a better choice. I think Oliver just wanted the best cottage in support of his art and ego.

In spite of all my complaining, I liked this book better than some of the others. It was also a hundred or more pages shorter.

I have finished now and on the whole I really enjoyed this book - I think it flows much better than some of the others, and there are some lovely descriptions of the island.

I also think Adam is becoming more likeable and less cold and distant in these later books, and I liked Kate and Benton in this one too - it was interesting to have Kate leading the investigation.

I was also surprised by the topical SARS element, and was really willing Dalgliesh not to go and visit Emily Holcombe when he was starting to show symptoms - I was glad she didn't catch it!

I didn't quite understand how Dalgliesh worked out that Dan was Oliver's son - it seemed to be one of those unexplained brainwaves like the detectives suddenly arriving at the solution at the end of an episode of Death in Paradise!

He was extraordinary considering he was in and out of consciousness. Maybe that is what happens to you when in that state.

Judy wrote: "I have finished now and on the whole I really enjoyed this book - I think it flows much better than some of the others, and there are some lovely descriptions of the island.

I also think Adam is b..."

I did at one time wonder if the illness had something to do with her, as the German had been seen going in her door.

Judy wrote: "I have finished now and on the whole I really enjoyed this book - I think it flows much better than some of the others, and there are some lovely descriptions of the island.

I also think Adam is b..."

I also liked Kate taking on the investigation and working well with Benton. Unfortunately James didn’t allow her to actually solve the mystery - Dalgliesh did that from his sickbed and then summoned her to be told the result. I didn’t like her being in love with Dalgliesh either.

I actually think Dalgliesh was a bit slow in this one, Dan ‘losing’ the blood test should have rung alarm bells from the start, and especially once Mrs P said how scared he was to go on the launch.

Kate's concerns with her 'humble roots,' seems a bit old-fashioned, but I suppose PD James was old and it was more of a concern. I was surprised, when putting up the thread for the last book in the series yesterday, to realise it started in 1962!

I wished Kate hadn't been in love with Dalgliesh either, but, overall, I enjoyed this. James picked good settings for her books - Dickensian publishing hours, hospitals and islands. They don't always feel that believable, but, perhaps, that isn't the point.

Pamela wrote: "I actually think Dalgliesh was a bit slow in this one, Dan ‘losing’ the blood test should have rung alarm bells from the start, and especially once Mrs P said how scared he was to go on the launch...."

It did seem odd, I agree - I also remember thinking early on that the death of Dan's mother which had happened a couple of weeks before would probably turn out to be important.

But I then forgot all about it as I started being misled by various red herrings, like Jago's sister having died in a similar way to the first victim.

I thought the parts about Kate being in love with Dalgliesh were quite poignant, but agree I'm not all that keen on this development - I'm hoping she will move on in the next book, whether with Piers or someone else. It does seem as if, as with Wimsey, Dalgliesh has become increasingly irresistible to women as the series has gone on! And yes, a shame Kate didn't actually solve the mystery.

Despite the re-hash of Kate's humble beginnings, and the endless un-needed descriptions of familiar things, I enjoyed this book more than the last few we've read in the series. Once you were into the story it felt as though it flowed better, faster.

I really liked that Kate was given charge of the case; could step up and shine her light. But, I really wish she'd been allowed to have a greater part in solving the murder though.

As the story was wrapping up I quickly went to check that there was one more book to go in the series. The ending had the feeling of finishing the series off. Did anyone else get that sense of 'the last book' from the ending?
I'm thinking James might have been thinking to do this as it might be the last she got to write.

I totally agree with your comments, Lesley - I also thought this one flowed much better than some of the recent books.

The way Kate's character has developed makes me wish all the more that James had carried on with the Cordelia Gray series - the 2 books about Cordelia are among my favourites by her, and I think there are some similarities between her and Kate.

And I agree that this one could have been the end of the series. James may have felt it could be a successful wrap-up if she didn't get to another.

Yes, I would agree with that too.

Susan wrote: "I liked the setting of this book. However, I didn't really think that, even an island which was a retreat for the rich and famous could exist without security."

I meant to comment on this earlier - I do agree. I think the lack of security, especially the way it continues after a suspicious death has already occurred, is something where readers have to suspend disbelief while reading this book.

Absolutely, Judy. I am happy enough to suspend disbelief if I am enjoying the story. Some of the PD James books I have really liked and I found this an interesting read, with a good setting. I think the one set in the nuclear power station was actually my least favourite, looking back.