The Lighthouse by
P.D. James
hbk out October 05
Published by Faber
at £17.99
For over 40 years, P.D. James has been a standard-bearer for the traditional, well-
made detective novel and the ageless Adam Dalgleish returns again in this enjoyable
mystery. The setting is Combe Island, off the Cornish coast, a privately owned
sanctuary for the stressed-out and wealthy. As Agatha Christie demonstrated many
years ago, this kind of locale is ideal for a whodunit, since it provides a closed circle
of suspects and although James roots her story firmly in the present day, many of her
plot devices (some of which require plentiful suspension of disbelief) belong in spirit
to the classic era of detective fiction. The suspects are carefully established, and each
is equipped with a motive for the murder of the novelist Nathan Oliver – although a
weakness is that the actual culprit remains a somewhat shadowy figure for most of the
book. There is little physical action until near the end of the book, but the set-up is so
interesting that this does not matter. One disappointment is that the book has been
slackly edited, resulting in uncharacteristically clunky prose: an example is on page
214: 'a row of chairs…were ranged in an uninviting row.' I mention these flaws
because James is an important enough writer to be judged by the high standards she
has for so long maintained. This is by no means her best book, but nevertheless it
ranks as a very satisfying read.
(
Martin Edwards
- author of the highly acclaimed Harry Devlin Mysteries)
The Lighthouse by
P.D. James
