Customer Reviews

Cover Her Face

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This story takes place in the 1960's. It is about a British family who has two maids. The main characters in the story are Sally Jupp, Mrs. Lidell, Dr. Epps, Catherine Bowers, Deborah Riscoe, Felix Hearne, Dr. Stephen Maxie, Mrs. Maxie and Martha Bultitaft.
Dr. Maxie has just proposed to his housemaid, Sally Jupp. The engagement was very surprising and disapointing to all of his family and friends. Many people are even mad enough to kill Sally. Sure enough Sally is found dead the next day behind the bolted door leading to her room. Among a houseful of suspects Detective Adam Dagliesh must find her killer. Using only interviews and two minor clues see how Dagleish solves the mystery.
I liked this book because of how all the characters had a huge part in how Dagliesh figured out who the killer was. And another reason why I liked this story was because I liked to see how Dagliesh uses what he already has to track down who the killer is.
I really like this book and recommend it. But i do think it was more of an adult book because of the language and the vocabulary.I think this book would be appropriate for people over the age of 14. This was one of the best books I have ever read so if you see it somewhere go ahead and start reading!

If you enjoy a good old-fashioned mystery where you are left guessing right until the end as to who committed the crime, this is a great book for you. Well written.

Actually, I would give this 3.5 stars if I could. P.D. James paints a vivid picture in her careful attention to details of setting and characters and in creating the mood of the story. This story is suspenseful but not in a contrived way. Told from an omniscient observer perspective (the reader hears not only the words but also the thoughts of all the main characters), James still leaves one guessing "who dun it" right to the very end, and pulls off a surprise. Also, Adam Dalgleish takes his place in my hall of fame of great all-time detectives. This was my first P.D. James novel and I believe it was her first as well. If this represents the quality of her writing, and I think we can assume she only gets better with practice, then she well deserves the accolades she receives as the reigning queen of murder mystery.

I was excited to see that P.D. James had a new book out, but once I started reading I realized that it was originally published in the 1960s. It is a dated, conventional mystery, nothing like her more recent work.

When housekeeper, Sally Jupp, is murdered at the Maxie family's manor house, the family is naturally under suspicion. But as Detective Chief-Inspector Adam Dalgleish investigates, it appears that others might have had a motive for killing the secretive and manipulative Sally.

It's been ages since I read a P.D. James novel, so I wanted to find out if I liked her books as much as I did twenty years ago. I picked up Cover Her Face from my long-neglected TBR pile, and by the end of the short book, I decided the answer is no, or at least not as much as I used to. Part of the reason is that my tastes have changed. I prefer much faster-paced novels than I did back then. Also, as a writer I'm much more aware of POV switches, pacing, and character development than I used to be.

Aside from my change in preferences, this 207-page story simply didn't say enough about Dalgleish. He's so fully in control of his emotions and not overly communicative that he's pretty dull. Granted, this might well be the character's trademark appeal for some. The point of view switches several times on a page in places, which I found disruptive. Still, few writers can beat James's skill for describing people, places, and things with razor-sharp clarity. At the end of the book, Dalgleish's gathering of all suspects in the house to share the murderer's identity reminded me of the old Thin Man movies. Still, I'm not giving up. There's still plenty to learn from this author.