Rating: 3.5/5 stars

This is the sixth book in PD James's Adam Dalgliesh series. I don't have much to say about this book. It isn't one of my favorites of the series, but it is a solid entry. There wasn't any standout characters for me as there have been in previous novels which could be why I didn't quite get into it. However, I still like this a lot more than I did the third entry into the series, Unnatural Causes.

This book follows Commander Dalgliesh and DS Massimo as they investigate the death of an unpopular, but brilliant forensic pathologist.

One of the main reasons that I began to read PD James was that while I think her writing is gripping and really pulls you into the mysteries, with a few exceptions, I really wanted to see her progression with female and queer representation in her books. As you go through her library you can see how Miss James changes the way she handled the representation for both women and the queer community.

I think this is one of the better representations she's had so far for both female and queer characters. It grows with every book and I am curious to see how well she's able to represent both of these groups in her later work as I read. ( Please note I am talking about representation for the time that it is written. It is in no way great rep for current times, and I wish it were way better, but I do read with that critical thinking hat on.)

The mystery here is a bit of a locked room mystery so that gives it some intrigue, and the reveal of what happened wasn't cheesy, but it is definitely not one of the top ones so far in the series for me.

Recommend though.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars