Commander Adam Dalgliesh has just gotten a new case. A Cabinet Minister has been found dead in a church vestry, his throat slashed. Another man, a known alcoholic homeless man, had been found with him, also killed by the same instrument, a straightedge razor. Sir Paul Berowne had been a baronet and Dalgliesh had known him slightly. Berowne had received a letter insinuating that he had been involved in several women's deaths and he wanted Dalgliesh to track down the writer. Now he is dead and Dalgleish is in charge of finding out who killed him.
There are lots of suspects. He married his brother's fiance after his brother's death and that of his own wife. There was no love lost between the two and she was involved in an affair with her cousin. Berowne also had a mistress. He has a mother who is determined that the Berowne family name will go on and a daughter from whom he is estranged and who is dabbling with a group of left wing terrorists. Berowne's brother-in-law despised him although he didn't mind living off him. Then there are the women who died, one by suicide and one by drowning. Had Berowne been involved in either?
This is the seventh Adam Dalgliesh mystery. He is a cerebral detective and recently chosen to head up a major crimes unit that will deal with unusual crimes. His staff is composed of men he has worked with for years and a new member, a woman who comes with a good reputation for taking charge and intelligence. The mystery is slowly revealed and each character has their own reason to want Berowne dead, including the victim himself who had pondered suicide. P.D. James spent thirty years in various governmental roles, including that of the police and criminal law departments as well as serving as a magistrate. This book is recommended for mystery readers.
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