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Cheverell Manor is a lovely old house in deepest Dorset, now a private clinic belonging to the famous plastic surgeon George Chandler-Powell. When investigative journalist Rhoda Gradwyn arrived there one late autumn afternoon, scheduled to have a disfiguring and long-standing facial scar removed, she had every expectation of a successful operation and a pleasant week recuperating.

Two days later she was dead, the victim of murder.

To Commander Adam Dalgliesh, who with his team is called in to investigate the case, the mystery at first seems absolute. Few things about it make sense. Yet as the detectives begin probing the lives and backgrounds of those connected with the dead woman—the surgeon, members of the manor staff, close acquaintances—suspects multiply all too rapidly. New confusions arise, including strange historical overtones of madness and a lynching 350 years in the past. Then there is a second murder, and Dalgliesh finds himself confronted by issues even more challenging than innocence or guilt.

P. D. James has gained an enviable reputation for creating detective stories of uncommon depth and intricacy, combined with the sort of humanity and perceptiveness found only in the finest novelists. The Private Patient ranks among her very best.

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All I have to say about this book is that I read every word. It's wonderfully written. The only author whose every word I read is James Lee Burke. Usually these British books aren't as good to me as the TV series, but this one was wonderful, great atmosphere and characterization.

Ageless talent in modern times

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Don't get me wrong; P. D. James has written characters specific to some of her books that linger in my memory to this day, years after having read about them in one of her earlier stories. Even the most minor of her characters practically walks off the page in front of you while you're reading one of these novels, and this one is no different in that respect. And her plots are superb. But its Adam Dalgliesh and the few people who are important to him that have meant the most to me since I discovered her novels twenty years ago and got through the third in the series, "Unnatural Causes". Its a joy when the creator of a great character remains engaged and interested in him or her. Dalgliesh and his team have moved with the times as naturally as real people. The rest of the fun has been watching what James has done with her introverted widower hero over the years. He's had his early missteps and successes, his impatience with lesser minds and bureaucracy, his midlife crisis (always early-onset for detectives who see far too much of human nature), and his determinedly solitary life. The last he comes by naturally to a large extent, but James has also given him a romantic and creative side, and we've had long years of suspense wondering if Adam would ever put his internal life at risk again to nearly the extent he risks his physical life. We've seen him wonder if his acceptance of a solitary life was the same as being content with it, and seen him sink into a little transient crankiness at times even as his professional and personal fortunes improved. With the appearance of Emma Lavenham a couple books back you'd think all that kind of suspense about Adam's personal happiness and well being would have been resolved. In the best tradition (think of Sir Peter Whimsey and Harriet Vane), not only is she his spiritual and intellectual match, she has her own life and needs none of his reflected on her to make her feel fulfilled. Their love ought to be a great relief and reward for loyal fans as it is for each of them most of the time. But true to form he's too set in his self-critical ways to stop being the man he's always been, plus romance is an area in which he knows himself the least. His compulsive intellectual restlessness plus a deep seated fear of losing Emma has him second guessing how she'll react to almost everything he wants to spontaneously say or do for her when trouble raises its head. This is a man who literally wants to take his fiancee's hand when she's upset but mentally talks himself out of it, and he does so in a split-second. As we are left once again with more access to his thoughts than to her's, his doubts become our's. How much faith do we have in love, and are women actually tougher than men in a lot of ways? Plus, its fun to watch Mr. Self Control being repeatedly surprised by the kind and extent of his own emotions. This has been a long time coming. As we're catching Adam's fears over how much Emma can stand about him and his job, "The Private Patient" has a strong theme of female strength in the face of male injustice, though that strength is used for a range of goals including good, evil, survival, and simply personal satisfaction. From the background tale of Mary Keyte, burned as a witch in ancient times, to the effects of abusive fathers (one physically, one emotionally) on two adult daughters, the ability of a number of women to take a very long view of what they want and don't want figures prominently in the plot. So its also good to see some movement in the life of Kate Miskin, the longest-serving member of Dalgliesh's little squad and the one most overdue for promotion. Her unrequited feelings for Dalgliesh have never let her make a fool of herself, but they are part of what has kept her professionally static in recent years, something he and she both recognize. Its both sweet and satisfying to see how much she has patterned herself as investigator and interrogator after Dalgliesh, and how effortlessly she's passing on her skills in turn to Benton, the most junior member. Indeed, when Kate questions someone her language and approach at this point in her life could virtually be interchangeable with the dialog James writes for Adam. It makes you wonder if James would write a book or two for Kate Miskin should Adam Dalgliesh be retired. She's written for a female protagonist before in her Cordelia Gray mysteries, though they are stories about a younger woman. Given that Benton's personality and upbringing are as far apart as Kate's and Adam's, we see the strengths of drawing from diversity again at work with Kate and Benton, and have reason to anticipate what their successes might be if Dalgliesh should retire and Kate were to take his place. While I do love some of James' novels better than others, I've never disliked any of them. At an age when many writers of continuing characters have retired or go coasting on past successes she has managed to avoid series fatigue. Some authors we continue to read out of fond loyalty and the pleasure of just being in the same world as much-loved characters. With Phyllis Dorothy James we still get the best there is going. And it would be a very good thing if British television would recast the parts and remake the entire series. The original with Roy Marsden suffered from very low budgets, though he set the bar very high for any actor who tries to take on the part again. In fact I personally can't imagine anyone else in the part. But as with the wonderful Jeremy Brett versions of Sherlock Holmes in the eighties that pulled my loyalty away from Basil Rathbone, it would be wrong to cling to one characterization and miss something equally great that another cast in another generation could bring to these fine stories. The last couple films featuring Martin Shaw are best avoided; he's a good actor but wrong in all ways for Adam Dalgliesh. Maybe its time to let P. D. James pick the actor she'd like to see, eh?

A MODULATED, PRECISE READING

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London born actress Rosalyn Landor is the perfect choice to read a P. D. James mystery. The daughter of an actor/broadcaster Landor grew up with reading aloud, story telling, and that love for the spoken word is reflected in her voice performances. Her readings are well modulated, precise as she carries listeners along to what is in this case a surprising denouement. What lover of mysteries has not read or at least heard of P.D. James? The author of 19 books she spent some 30 years in the British Civil Service and recently celebrated her 88th birthday. One of her many gifts to readers is the creation of Commander Adam Dalgliesh, a consummate investigator who is often given to Holmesian discussions as he presents his thoughts to various characters and suspects. With The Private Patient we visit an impressive old house, Cheverell Manor in Dorset. Once a family home it was sold of necessity to an eminent plastic surgeon, George H. Chandler-Powell, who now operates it as a clinic for the privileged. Rhoda Gradwyn comes to him for the removal of a disfiguring facial scar. She's an investigative journalist (her work is similar to that of a reporter for a supermarket tabloid in the USA). She's with us only briefly as she's soon dead of strangulation, a murder committed by an unknown person wearing latex gloves. While the crime most definitely has affected Rhoda, it also affects the good doctor as who would want to come to a clinic where a murder has just occurred? Commander Dalgliesh is summoned to investigate. He has a great deal to look into considering the clinic staff, the departed's boyfriend, and others who were a part of her life for good or ill. Once again James treats us to her vivid descriptions of setting and extensive vocabulary - the perfect word for every thought and situation. A pleasure to read - do so slowly and savor this author's unique style. - Gail Cooke

"Whoever killed her, I doubt whether she'll be much missed."

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In P. D. James's "The Private Patient," forty-seven year old Rhoda Gradwyn decides to have plastic surgery to remove a disfiguring scar that has marred her face for thirty-four years. Rhoda is a successful investigative journalist who can afford a top physician, George Chandler-Powell. He will perform the operation at the impressive Cheverell Manor in Dorset, where he has a private and very expensive clinic. Rhoda's close friend, Robin Boynton, is a handsome and unfocused dilettante, who is always trying to extract money from her to finance one of his "first-rate investments." He will be staying in a nearby cottage while Rhoda is at the Manor. When Rhoda is murdered, Commander Adam Dalgleish and his Special Investigation Squad are summoned to look into the crime. There is no shortage of suspects, including Sister Flavia Holland, the head nurse, Helena Cressett, the general administrator, Lettie Frensham, her deputy who is in charge of the office, Sharon Bateman, a young woman who performs odd jobs, and Robin's cousins, Marcus and Candace Westhall. Marcus is a surgical assistant and Candace is a former university teacher who helps out in the office. Also in residence are Dean Bostock and his wife Kimberley, both chefs. Unless an outsider committed the murder, which is unlikely, one of these people took advantage of Rhoda's helplessness to end her life. The novel begins in a leisurely manner, with James delineating the personality and history of each character and depicting the setting where the main action is to take place. James is at her best in her analysis of dysfunctional families, romantic entanglements, greed, and emotional insecurity, any of which can drive a person to act self-destructively. James gives special attention to Adam Dalgleish, who is eagerly looking forward to his marriage, and to Detective Inspector Kate Miskin who has secretly admired Adam for years but knows that he cannot reciprocate her feelings. With the help of the local police and Detective Sergeant Francis Benton-Smith, Dalgleish and Miskin attempt to untangle a web of deceit that will lead to the identity of the perpetrator. Although for much of the book James keeps the reader hooked and eager to learn the culprit's identity, the conclusion is disappointingly flat. The detectives' skill hardly comes into play. Although they follow up leads and conduct a host of interviews, Dalgleish and his team turn out to be spectators more than actors in the drama that plays itself out somewhat melodramatically. In addition, there are several subplots that distract from the main story without adding anything valuable. James touches on the grand themes that have always interested her: Why do people often behave so irrationally? Is there an unshakeable moral code that applies in all circumstances? Are we ever justified in taking the law into our own hands? Unfortunately, the author fails to integrate these threads into a coherent whole and the narrative fizzles out at the end. Sadly, the illustrious career of a great detective may end with a whimper rather than with the grand finale that he so richly deserves.

A blissful read and satisfying valedictory

Customer Rating:

This book is a special treat for P.D. James/Adam Dalgliesh fans. It is a wonderful leisurely read, with just the right amount of suspense and a most satisfactory ending. Ms. James has revealed more of herself in this book than in earlier books; there are philosophical reveries about old age, violence, love and death and it is worth reading what this magnificent author has to say on all these subjects.