A Mind to Murder was originally published in 1963. It is just old enough that it appears quaint and charming rather than out dated. This book takes place three years after Cover Her Face, the first book in the Adam Dalgliesh Mystery series, and Dalgliesh is now a published poet. Through happy circumstance, Dalgliesh learns that Deborah Riscoe, whom he met in the first book, works at his publisher and Dalgliesh is now considering asking her to go to dinner, only to be interrupted by a murder. The first half of the book takes place at the Steen Clinic. Dalgliesh interviews each of the psychiatrists, the nurses, the porters and the secretarial staff most carefully before turning them loose. Because Miss Bolam’s body was found so quickly, Dalgliesh knows that one of the staff must have killed her as the doctors thoughtfully kept everyone in the clinic and locked the doors while waiting for the police to arrive. After Dalgliesh interviewed all of the suspects, I was clueless as to who the murderer was. The rest of the book deals with Dalgliesh following up on hunches and eventually arresting the killer and, of course, I was barking up the wrong tree the whole time. Surprisingly enough, it appears that Dalgliesh was pursuing the wrong suspect for much of the time, as well. This actually made me like the Superintendent a bit more than I did previously as it humanized him.This book is well written and an interesting glimpse of psychiatric practice during the 1960s. These doctors still used the classic psychiatric couches for their patients and some of them used electric shock therapy and LSD to try to cure their patients. P. D. James describes her characters thoroughly and keeps them separate and distinctive with a deft hand. I usually have a difficult time keeping several characters straight in mysteries such as these, but did not experience that with this book. Instead, I became rather captivated by the way that the characters viewed themselves and the way that other characters perceived them. Because the doctors involved are psychiatrists, they are aware of how every action and word selection could give them away and reveal their true feelings. This added an extra layer of pressure to the murderer as they could reveal themselves as guilty to a perceptive coworker at any moment.When I was younger, my parents and grandparents tried to get me to read some of the classic mysteries by P. D. James, Agatha Christie and others, but I saw them merely as old-fashioned, dull and boring. I was turned off by the lackluster graphics on the front covers and the rather old-fashioned prose. Now, I find myself truly enjoying these books and savor the thoughtfully written and superficially simple mysteries. They are beautifully written and much more complex than I was aware of when I first started reading them. The Adam Dalgliesh Mystery series will not appeal to everyone, but I am enjoying them and would recommend them to seasoned mystery readers who are looking for something with a bit more meat than the cozy mysteries, but without the gore and violence found in many modern-day thrillers.
here's a little story for you... so a famous San Francisco lobbyist - a lively raconteur, a darling of the media, and an infamously debauched homosexual - had a birthday celebration. because this was a man who helped build the careers of many politicians, his birthday party was a rather public affair and was heavily attended by the local glitterati, including our illustrious mayor. this turned out to be an exceedingly unconventional event: activities included the carving of satanic symbols on various 'models' and the insertion of a Jack Daniels bottle up the host's anus. naturally, the media became quite absorbed by the spectacle and - in particular - the guest list. reporters began interviewing local politicians and power-brokers, and most of the interviewed denied being in attendance. happily, Mayor Willie Brown had a rare flash of honesty, and in his interview, responded along the lines of:"Well of course I was there. Everyone was there. But by this time tomorrow...no one will have been there at all."the true story above is also a completely spoiler-free clue to solving the mystery of A Mind to Murder - delivered to you free of charge!PD James' early novels featuring detective and poet Adam Dalgliesh are straightforward, old-fashioned murder mysteries. although i missed the complexity and richness of her later narratives, her steady hand at plotting, psychological & emotional acuity, and ability to evoke a very specific atmosphere and setting were apparently intact at the start of her career.
What do You think about A Mind To Murder (2001)?
Though I greatly enjoyed the first of this series of P.D. James, I didn't think this book quite lived up to her talent. There was something repetitive about the characters - Frederica Saxon for example seemed a carbon copy of Deborah Riscoe in her first book. The plot was still well written and the mystery was interesting, but it just didn't have the same strength for me overall. However, that said, it is still a very well written and unique type of mystery. I like how P.D. James goes beyond the standard terse language of mysteries and actually describes the world, characters and events in such a way that you feel you are reading a novel rather than a quick detective story. It's such a unique and enjoyable approach that even her lesser novels are worth the read.
—Stacy
My first P.D. James read. I don't know if it is indicative of all the others. I like the sleuth Dalgliesh, interesting and logical character. I really don't know how I feel about the mystery. It seems like the misdirection (red herring plot) worked better than the actual resolution and the killer seemed rather obvious in any case. Interesting aspect was the accepted use of LSD in psychiatric care. The sleuth and his actual investigation was well written, but the secondary characters seemed flat to me. I don't know if I will read more, but since PD James is such an iconic mystery writer I feel that I should read a couple more before I make a decision to give up on this series.
—Fanficfan44
Damn it. I already own this book. I bought a British edition in London and of course I picked an Adam Dalgliesh book I already own. I'm reviewing the Faber & Faber 2010 edition that I read (but cannot find on GR). __________________________________________When I was in London, I thought it appropriate to read a novel by a British author and to buy said novel in London. So while hanging out at St. Pancras station, I picked up a copy of P.D. James’s A Mind to Murder. I read it before many years ago. Unfortunately, it’s not one of her better Adam Dalgliesh novels. At the Steen Psychiatric Clinic in London, the administrative officer (AO, or in US speak: the office manager) is found murdered. Superintendent Dalgliesh is called to the case, and the investigation ensues. As with all (most?) of James’s novels, the killer is always a character in the novel already known to the reader. If you are an astute reader and pay attention, you can solve the mystery too. That was the case with this novel, although the answer seemed so obvious I was sure I was wrong. I was both wrong and right, which is why her novels are so clever. Overall, though, the crime in this novel is fairly boring and the suspects are also very boring. Also, Dalgliesh and his detectives are generally much more interesting, but in this novel they are barely present. Another strike against this novel is how badly dated it is. She wrote it in the early 1960s and unfortunately that is obvious in how the men treat and think of the women (she’s working now but soon she’ll find a nice strong man and get married and give birth) and many of the women seem rather wimpy and hysterical. Also, it’s fascinating to see that one of the psychiatric treatments offered at this clinic is a good strong dose of lysergic acid. I read this detail a few times before it hit me—lysergic acid aka LSD. Awesome. Being depressed or anxious or whatever is treated by getting high on psychedelic drugs. It’s rather amusing to read this from a 21st century perspective, especially when the psychiatrist who conducts these treatments describes the patients as being unaware of their surroundings during and after their treatments. Ya think? But who knows, maybe LSD is still being used (professionally) to treat depression?This is one of James’s weaker Adam Dalgliesh novels, but the mystery is still pretty good. If you like this, then you’ll love her other books because they are generally much better.
—Kristina
