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A Certain Justice (Mass Market Paperback)

by P.D. James (Author)
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (50 customer reviews)
List Price: CDN$ 10.99
Price: CDN$ 9.89 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over CDN$ 39. Details
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Product Description

From Amazon.com

Although A Certain Justice begins with news of a murder, the victim isn't set to die for another four weeks. Publicly respected but privately loathed, Venetia Aldridge has far more enemies than a brilliant London criminal lawyer should--and at least one of them is determined to do her in. Venetia plies her superior trade in courts that harbor "the illusion that the passions of men were susceptible to order and control," but her past and private life are exceedingly unruly. Her married lover is intent on giving her up; her daughter loathes her; her fellow barristers are determined that she not become the next head of chambers. Even the cleaning women seems to have something on her.

The outline alone of this complex novel would take pages (as would the eclectic inventory of players), but P. D. James makes us admire far more than her brilliantly developed plot. James in fact creates a crowded gallery of surprisingly decent suspects, along with one suitably vile creature--who happens to be Aldridge's last client.

A superior murder mystery, A Certain Justice is also a gripping anatomy of wild justice. James's characters can be overcome by hate, but she is equally concerned with love's manifestations--human, divine, destructive, and healing. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.



From Library Journal

Previously released in unabridged format by Random House and narrated by Michael Jayston (Audio Reviews, LJ 2/1/98), this version features Simon Prebble, the maestro of the audiobook market. In this taut, riveting mystery, Adam Dalgliesh is called in to investigate the grotesque murder of a distinguished Inner Temple trial lawyer. Well-defined and intense personalities of the main characters and knowledge of the British justice system make this latest Dalgliesh novel realistic. It showcases James's ability to portray many diverse characters and keep the listener captivated until the last word. Though either version will be a sure winner with mystery fans, the Recorded Books version is blessed with the talented Prebble.ATheresa Connors, Arkansas Tech Univ., Russellville
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews

50 Reviews
5 star:
 (18)
4 star:
 (17)
3 star:
 (9)
2 star:
 (3)
1 star:
 (3)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.9 out of 5 stars (50 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Justice is a justified injustice at times, Oct 27 2001
By Jacques COULARDEAU "A soul doctor, so to say" (OLLIERGUES France) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: A Certain Justice (Mass Market Paperback)
This detective story is a lot more than a detective story.

1- It is a new stage in the English genre. Sherlock Holmes was an outsider competing with the police. Hercule Poirot was Belgian, so twice an outsider. Here Dalgliesh is a member of Scotland Yard. This book is, in a way, a vindication of Scotland Yard.

2- It contains a deep reflection on social determinism. Both one of the criminals and one of the coppers (a man and a woman) were born and raised in a socially derelict apartment complex and neighborhood for the poor. They both had the same choice, and they chose two different ways.

3- It advocates a certain vision of managing people. Dalgliesh is both strict on basic rules with his subordinates, but also extremely humane, even with unprovable criminals. « It is better for a useful man to continue to be useful than to spend years in gaol ».

4- It displays a deep understanding of human justice and perticularly that fundamentally British principle that it is better to let a criminal go free than to imprison an innocent. This principle is surprisingly original, and also irritating for the judicial system, in foreign countries, in Europe or the USA. Any doubt about the guilt or the value, the force of a piece of evidence has to benefit the accused, no matter what. We suddenly think of Mumia Abu Jamal's case which exposes the radically opposite functioning : contradictory testimonies should benefit the accused. In this case the textimony that does not support the guilt of the accused is overlooked, if not purely negated.

5- Finally, this book is Dickenbsian because it gives us a phenomenal description of the psychology and the social background of all characters, policemen, policewomen, suspects, criminals, etc... We have here a fully developed social tableau of modern time Great Britain.

A masterpipece in the genre. When the British set themselves to doing something good, they are excellent. And the detective story genre is one field of absolute perfection for them. Three details though. The keyring of the first victim is overlooked during most of the investigation. A drawback. A jacket belt that is not in the proper place at the end. A shortcoming. What about the never answered question : « Why did he ask me to inquire about the spectacles she was wearing ? » A flaw. But such details do not reduce the value of the book as a fantastic description of modern British society.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU

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1.0 out of 5 stars Flowery and Slow, Nov 6 2009
By Alexander Gluskin (Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This was my first book by P.D. James, and it will be the last one. Her flowery lan-guage with strong preference for long and archaic words makes reading difficult for an average reader and slows down the pace of the book. Whenever a character travels from point A to point B, the author insists on listing every singly street along the way. For someone who does not live in London, it says nothing and slows down the action even more. Adam Dalgliesh shows up only after 170 pages, and when he finally does, he proves to be a pale cardboard character without emotions, motivation, or anything else to keep my interest. I was looking forward to meeting him, but I got bitterly disappointed. All in all, I got so bored that I did not even finish the book.
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2.0 out of 5 stars A bit overdone, Jun 8 2002
By Moe Spooka (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: A Certain Justice: An Adam Dalgliesh Mystery (Paperback)
I had high hopes for this book, and was certainly interested in the "large print" aspect, but was dismayed to find that the publisher chose to make the print SO large that only one letter would fit per page. While this did heighten suspense in that longer words required quite a bit of page-turning, I feel that Random House may have gone a bit overboard.
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 		 Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Deliciously complicated
This book is delightfully complicated and devious, with twists and turns to keep a person riveted and guessing throughout. Read more
Published on Aug 11 2002 by I Love Books

4.0 out of 5 stars One of P.D. James' Most Engaging Works
'A Certain Justice' is a crisp, fast-paced read. It begins inside a courtroom, with Venetia Aldridge defending young Gary Ashe for the murder of his aunt. Read more
Published on Aug 9 2001 by Matthew Gladney

3.0 out of 5 stars Suspects, Suspects, Suspects.
I must admit, this was a different type of Mystery for me. Just an average person, I can normally figure out the "who and why" well before the end of the book. Ms. Read more
Published on Aug 7 2001

4.0 out of 5 stars Fiendishly clever
Venetia Aldridge is a distinguished barrister. When she agrees to defend Garry Ashe, accused of the brutal murder of his aunt, it is one more opportunity to triumph in her career... Read more
Published on Aug 3 2001 by F. G. Hamer

3.0 out of 5 stars Suspects, Suspects, Suspects.
I must admit, this was a different type of Mystery for me. Just an average person, I can normally figure out the "who and why" well before the end of the book. Ms. Read more
Published on Aug 3 2001

3.0 out of 5 stars Suspects, Suspects, Suspects
I must admit, this was a different type of Mystery for me. Just an average person, I can normally figure out the "who and why" well before the end of the book. Ms. Read more
Published on Aug 1 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars Thinking person's Agatha Christie
It starts off in classical whodunnit style with a nasty person bumped off in posh British surroundings. The PD James gimmick is to probe her characters in depth. Read more
Published on May 5 2001 by D. P. Birkett

4.0 out of 5 stars PD James at her best!
What a rewarding experience! I didn't think James could better her earlier works but boy, was I wrong! Read more
Published on April 27 2001 by Hari

3.0 out of 5 stars It's a matter of personal taste
I didn't love the book: this is only my second P.D.James book, but I should say I found that entering her fiction worlds is so freezing cold. Read more
Published on Mar 25 2001 by Todesca Tommaso

5.0 out of 5 stars Praise for P.D.
This rolling murder mystery takes you from the chambers of Venitia Aldridge to the squat where Ashe, a former client, runs away to with the Venitia's daughter Octavia. Read more
Published on Feb 28 2001 by Matthew A. Sackel

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