The Murder Room

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This is an excellent book about an amazing group of people and well-written to boot. I must confess that I snagged it off the shelf because it is a "detection"-themed book, but never looked closer than the title/subtitle; as a result it took me a while to figure out that it was not fiction! But, in my defense, I thought that the author was just doing a superb job of story-telling, which, of course, he was. It launched The Murder Room after Gollancz's success with itsscience-fiction and fantasy library,the SF Gateway, in 2011. In this volume, Dalgliesh is called to investigate the death of a brilliant forensic scientist who was found murdered in his own laboratory. Though talented and well-respected, the man was said to be intensely unpleasant – with no shortage of people who might have liked to see him dead.

Born in 1920, she has spoken of an awareness from childhood that the world around her was in mourning. Later, her husband was badly affected by the second world war and she was effectively widowed by its legacy. Her sensitivity to the possibility and impact of death seems to me inseparable from the dates of her birth and marriage. Although we know James as a crime writer, she is, at a significant psychological level, a war novelist, and the Duprayne Museum in the new book pays tribute to this. Freud would enjoy it. Carefully crafted . . . [with] richly portrayed characters. . . . P. D. James can still spin an intricate web of psychological suspense that demands the reader’s attention and involvement. . . . James tells this tale in lucid language, with a wry eye on people and their faults.” — San Antonio Express-News However, there are some really obvious issues of factual accuracy and consistency. Leisha Hamilton becomes "tall" (in the chapter where Walter visits her at work to confront her) after Capuzzo has described her several times as "petite and charming." At another point, Capuzzo describes an ancient Greek tragedy focusing on events around the Trojan War as having been written or taking place "seven centuries ago"; the Trojan War took place circa 1250 BCE and the play in question was first performed around 458 BCE. Richard Walter is described as visiting "from Pennsylvania" when the narrative strand that focuses on him has not yet covered his move to that area, and the reader should still be assuming that he's coming from Michigan. And when he's introduced, Walter is described in a way that makes him sound like he's British, so it's jarring to learn a few chapters later that he's actually originally from Washington State.Mrs Faraday: “University was obviously out of the question, even one at the bottom of the league tables where they’re so desperate to keep up the numbers that I’m told they’ll take people who are barely literate.” (OK, so this is true.)

I am, to be honest, finding P D James more hard going than I had anticipated although, to be fair, it may be reading the series one after the other, which is highlighting some of the more annoying aspects of her writing – including a wealth of detail about everything. James sets the scene minutely; from musing on what even minor characters feel, to the objects on a mantelpiece, it can, frankly, become a little too much irrelevant information. That said, I do like her writing and this was an interesting setting, with a good cast of characters. A perfectly cozy read for a cold, foggy night when you feel like curling up with a cup of tea.” — Entertainment WeeklyThat's due in no part to the strong characterisation of lead policeman Commander Adam Dalgliesh, the impeccably polite and restrained policeman-poet. It's easy to imagine him working alongside Miss Marple. His stiff formality could make him a bit of a cold fish but in this volume, we see a somewhat unexpected romantic side to him which is rather endearing. The Murder Book” is amazingly the eighteenth (!) in the series, which just goes to prove how much readers love reading, Mark’s grisly police procedurals. Take a Look at Our Summary of November Highlights, Whether You're Looking for the Latest Releases or Gift Inspiration In a true crime story, I expect the author to provide evidence. Capuzzo gives the reader dialogue I doubt happened (how many people these day use the word 'whilst?'), ascribes emotions to people, and frames it in language more suited to Victorian romance than non-fiction (baleful glares and flashing eyes). My b*llsh*t detector was pegging the needle. With writing like this, I find Capuzzo's evidence unconvincing.

The Dupayne Museum is an eclectic collection of English memorabilia from the period between World War I and World War II. The murder room of the title refers to a room displaying relics of murders that occurred during this period. The Dupayne Museum is the property of three siblings, who are in the midst of a family row over whether or not to renew the lease on the building that houses the museum. When Neville Dupayne is killed in a manner mirroring one of the murders displayed in the Murder Room, Commander Dalgliesh is called in to investigate. In ceea ce priveste actiunea, Adam se intalneste cu un prieten jurnalist care il duce sa viziteze muzeul Dupayne ce are o sala dedicata celor mai celebre crime din anii 1920-1930. Aceasta adaposteste articole din ziare, fotografii si obiecte autentice de la la fata locului. Aflam despre cazuri celebre precum:Nu i-am considerat niciodata curajosi pe criminali, Ryan. Sunt mai degraba lasi. Cateodata, ai nevoie de mai mult curaj ca sa nu ucizi." Am observat din experienta ca oamenii sunt fie cinstiti, fie necinstiti si, oricum ar fi, nu ai cum sa-i schimbi." And has there ever been a more stilted and repressed love affair than the absurdities of Dalgleish and Emma? He has to cancel a date at the last minute and rather than call her to apologise he writes her a note and posts it from London to Cambridge. And without them ever having kissed or slept together, he proposes marriage in another ridiculously self-conscious letter... and waits at the end of the train platform while Emma reads it - talk about arms-length love!