by
P. D. James
ISBN: 0-684-15267-3 Order from: Amazon.com Barnes & Noble.com
Another competent Inspector Dalgleish mystery, marred somewhat by the toy-like treatment of the suspects, and the cold detachment of the detective.
Reviewed by David on June 12, 1998
Genre: Mystery (English Village)
Synopsis: A small village houses one of the foremost police forensic laboratories in England. The scientists' investigation of the evidence of a local murder is interrupted when one of their number is found killed in the lab. The investigation of this murder is taken over by the Scotland Yard's commander Dalgleish.
Short Review: Once again, James produced a skillful mystery which follows flawlessly on the great English tradition of the village murder. The first section is spent describing the personnel in and around the well-known forensic lab: the senior scientists, brilliant but subject to jealousies and fears; the junior staff and clerical help, insecure and in awe of the scientists; and the surrounding villagers, conservative and full of gossip.
When one of the most disagreeable characters is found dead, Commander Dalgleish along with his trusty assistant arrives at the scene. Dalgleish performs the detection brilliantly, but once again, despite hints of deep emotion, he appears too detached to allow much sympathy. His assistant is sketched very lightly, and serves mostly as a reflector, to emphasize Dalgleish's detachment and skill.
Some of the suspects are portrayed well enough to engage the reader, but the book overall suffers from lack of sympathetic characters and from following the detective story formula too rigidly. This novel is better than James's Cover Her Face, but still lacking in emotional attraction.
Note: the current paperback version of Death of an Expert Witness is available.
Overall: 5.5; Plot: 5; Characters: 3.5; Style: 6; World-building: 4; Originality: 4;
Charles Scribner's Sons, 1977, Cloth, 322 pages
ISBN: 0-684-15267-3 Order from: Amazon.com Barnes & Noble.com