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Review
—Ottawa Citizen
"P.D. James is an addictive writer, [with] a quality of intelligence, a genuine curiosity about character, and an ability to describe the density of little known lives."
—Anita Brookner
"One of the most compulsive and acutely observed thrillers of the year--a why-dunnit, rather than a who-dunnit; a study of the complex motives that make up the cold mind of a killer."
—Daily Express
"James is assuredly the most gifted crime novelist writing in English today."
—The Toronto Star
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Most helpful customer reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
I'm re-reading P.D. James, and loving it!,
By "justplainnancy" (Minnetonka, MN United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: An Unsuitable Job for a Woman (Cordelia Gray Mysteries No. 1) (Paperback)
I've been re-reading P.D. James this summer, more or less in sequence, a project that I highly recommend. "An Unsuitable Job for a Woman" is number five, and the first of two to feature a protaganist other than Adam Dalgleish. Instead, we're introduced to private detective Cordilia Grey, a plucky and determined young heroine, in her first solo case. The story is impecably plotted, told with a sure hand, not without its humor, psychologically credible -- a pleasure to read. There are certain themes (e.g., the inability to love) and preoccupations (e.g., an interest in architecture) that recur throughout the P.D. James series, as is apparent when you read a bunch of them over a short period of time. Though her later novels are longer and more elaborate, I also admire the more straightforward, meticulously crafted early works. Rereading the series is a great summer project!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
My first P. D. James book,
By
This review is from: An Unsuitable Job for a Woman (Cordelia Gray Mysteries No. 1) (Paperback)
I've come somewhat late to reading P.D. James, since she's been writing mysteries for about 25 years now, and I've been reading books for almost twice that amount of time. She's my father-in-law's favorite author, so I finally decided to read one of her books, and I'm very pleased that I selected this one, because it is excellent! Even though it may have been her first published book, the quality of writing is first class, and the mystery and suspense are just right! At times it was easy to discern where the author was going, but there was always some unexpected twist or turn of the plot that kept you on your toes, and reading until much later in the night than you had originally planned. Now that I've finished this book, I intend to read more of this remarkable author's works, and I expect to enjoy them as much as I have this one.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
ONE OF THE FINEST,
By MOVIE MAVEN (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: An Unsuitable Job for a Woman (Cordelia Gray Mysteries No. 1) (Paperback)
"An Unsuitable Job For a Woman" is not just the best P.D. James crime novel I've read. It is absolutely one of the finest crime novels I've read by any author. It is also one of the finest novels (crime or not) I've read this year.The plot keeps us guessing through a wild ride of surprises that do not stop, not even in the final pages. James' characters are always fully and well drawn, but here she really outdoes herself. From the title character, Cordelia Gray, the sole owner (against her will) of a detective agency, to every suspect, to the police superintendent (James' already famous Adam Dalgliesh) to those "minor" characters who help Gray "solve" (if "solve" is the correct word) this heinous crime and who appear in only one chapter. They are all human beings, complicated and not easily categorized, nor judged. Even the "well brought-up gentleman," Mark Callender, whose suicide Gray is hired to investigate, is as complex a character you'll find in any work of modern fiction, although we never really meet him since he is dead weeks before the novel begins. Gray's empathy with people in trouble, her desire to do right by her client and by the dead man with whom she has no previous history, her knowledge of what is good & moral and what is not all combine to make her a fascinating protagonist. And sadly, very much like the detective Dana Andrews played in the brilliant film noir, "Laura," Gray falls in love with the man whose death she is looking into. I want very much to read the other novels of James in which she appears. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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