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The Lighthouse

By P. D. James

(32)

| Hardcover | 9780676977790

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Book Description

A subtle and powerful work of contemporary fiction.

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 thContinue

A subtle and powerful work of contemporary fiction.

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.

Commander 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 Sergeant Francis Benton-Smith is worried about working under Kate. Hardly has the team begun to unravel the complicated motives of the suspects than there is a second brutal killing, and the whole investigation is jeopardized when Dalgliesh is faced with a danger more insidious and as potentially fatal as murder.

This eagerly awaited successor to the international bestseller The Murder Room displays all the qualities that lovers of P. D. James’s novels the world over have come to expect: sensitive characterization, an exciting and superbly structured plot and vivid evocation of place.

Critics

  • The pleasure of guessing wrong

    The closed-circle Agatha Christieian detective story has rather fallen out of fashion in favour of the ‘crime novel’, the essential difference being that while every detective story is a crime novel the reverse is not necessarily the case. As the doy ... (read full critics)

    spectator published on Fri, 17 Sep 2010

  • The Best Reviews: P. D. James, The Lighthouse

    "Entertaining Dalgliesh police procedural" The other affluent residents on Combe Island off the Cornish coast are outraged by the behavior and disregard of their feelings and property by renowned novelist Nathan Oliver. The staff detests him even mor ... (read full critics)

    thebestreviews published on Thu, 16 Sep 2010

6 Reviews

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  • 1 person find this helpful

    There are several amazing things in P. D. James's books:

    i) People - even police officers - don't swear. When in trouble, they make tea. "Hey, there's a dead man over there! / Oh dear, I'm shocked... let's have tea, shall we?"
    ii) Building architecture and room furniture are always described to a ... (continue)

    There are several amazing things in P. D. James's books:

    i) People - even police officers - don't swear. When in trouble, they make tea. "Hey, there's a dead man over there! / Oh dear, I'm shocked... let's have tea, shall we?"
    ii) Building architecture and room furniture are always described to a boring level of detail. Moreover, there's always a fireplace with people sitting on high-backed chairs before/beside the fire. Can you imagine something more uncomfy? Before a fire, I'd rather sprawl on a sofa.
    iii) Apart from a more or less casual partner, all people seem to live in isolation (hey! is there something like a close friend out there?). Even colleagues do not know anything about each other.
    iv) In "The Lighthouse", toward the end, there's a bit of action, but P. D. James makes it unlikely.

    Is this helpful?

    Massimo Ortolano said on Jun 30, 2010 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

  • A small island in front of the Cornish coast, a murder, a lighthouse. Nice plot, well written. Nothing extraordinary, just what you would expect from a classic thriller.

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    mathias said on Nov 20, 2011 about the Others edition | Add your feedback

  • Between Victorian and Windsor chairs

    The book is ok...it catches your attention at the beginning but i must say the ending is a little bit "fantastic" suddenly they know who the killer is after questioning many suspects who wait them sut in their windsor and victorian chairs next to their chimney.

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    Lebasi Rotenqui said on Oct 8, 2011 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

  • When I finished the book, I didn't want to begin another book for a while because I didn't want to break the spell the book had me under. The entire book just made me feel comfortable, cozy . . . I can't quite find the word I want, but I liked the feeling. P.D. James creates a world of her own, and ... (continue)

    When I finished the book, I didn't want to begin another book for a while because I didn't want to break the spell the book had me under. The entire book just made me feel comfortable, cozy . . . I can't quite find the word I want, but I liked the feeling. P.D. James creates a world of her own, and whatever it is that she does, I really like it. Murder mystery rises to a whole new level in her books.

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    Missmath144 said on Aug 13, 2011 | Add your feedback

  • intriguing and warm. beautifully written. It has to be one of my fav PDJames books

    The beautifully flowing language with honest observation and insights reminds me why I love her writings so much. I remember being repeatedly enchanted by her sharp yet warm-hearted remarks when I was reading The Mur ... (continue)

    intriguing and warm. beautifully written. It has to be one of my fav PDJames books

    The beautifully flowing language with honest observation and insights reminds me why I love her writings so much. I remember being repeatedly enchanted by her sharp yet warm-hearted remarks when I was reading The Murder Room. However, Death in the Holy Order failed to impress me; it seemed to have lost its magic. (It’s still a good read. Don’t get me wrong.) This time, The Lighthouse never ceased to amaze me from the beginning to the very end. James’ gentle voice leads us to the mind of the characters, including AD and his team. Her precise analysis of her characters’ states of mind and motives, for me, is the most enjoyable part of the book. She also squeezed in one of Auden’s line “Those to whom evil is done / Do evil in return.”

    I highly recommend this one. (but to get the most of it, it’s advised to read at least Death in Holy Orders and The Murder Room first.)

    Is this helpful?

    Ashley H. said on Jul 24, 2009 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

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