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2024-05-21 2:18 pm

The Murder Room: A Novel

by P.D. James

Paperback, 2004

Collections

Fiction (all), Novels/novellas

Tags

fiction, novel, mystery, acquisition date: 09/2007, hc, author: J, read status: 5, collection: crime fiction, acquisition source: Manlius Public Library sale

Genres

Series

Adam Dalgliesh (12)

Publication

Vintage (2004), Paperback, 432 pages

Description

The Dupayne, a small private museum on the edge of London's Hampstead Heath devoted to the interwar years 1919-39, is in turmoil. The trustees--the three children of the museum founder, old Max Dupayne--are bitterly at odds over whether it should be closed. Then one of them is brutally murdered, and what seemed to be no more than a family dispute erupts into horror. For even as Commander Adam Dalgiesh and his team investigate the first killing, a second corpse is discovered. Clearly, someone at the Dupayne is prepared to kill, and kill again. The case is fraught with danger and complexity from the outset, not least because of the range of possible suspects--and victims. And still more sinister, the murders appear to echo the notorious crimes of th epast featured in one of the museum's most popular galleries, the Murder Room. For Dalgiesh, P.D. James's formidable detective, the search for the murderer poses an unexpected complication. After years of bachelorhood, he has embarked on a promising new relationship with Emma Lavenham--first introduced in Death in Holy Orders--which is at a critical stage. Yet his struggle to solve the Dupayne murders faces him with a frustrating dilemma: each new development distances him further from commitment to the woman he loves. The Murder Room is a story dark with the passions that lie at the heart of crime, a masterful work of psychological intricacy.… (more)

Media reviews

The Village Voice

The éminence grise of British detective fiction, James delivers another ruminative puzzler, generous in character, graceful in prose.

— 4 more

James writes with such ease and juggles her plots and characters with such control that none of this gets out of hand. . . Alas, James's efforts to inject suspense into Dalgliesh's romantic life are less effective. . .

There is no mistaking P. D. James's latest mystery for the work of a younger writer. . . Her characters are confused by euros and annoyed by mobile phones. . . Despite her elegiac frame of mind, Ms. James has not lost her taste for a good throttling.

It's a general rule of fiction that authors are happiest creating characters closest to their own age. This is because all fiction is broadly autobiographical. Male novelists in their early 20s create wincingly convincing teenagers but - by their 60s - are sketching adolescents who are merely

embarrassing sexual fantasies. As an octogenarian novelist, James is showing similar difficulties of characterisation. . .

I've never really got Dalgleish. His combination of policing skill and artistic sensibility - he's an acclaimed poet - has always struck a false note for me, especially given that he's so emotionally constrained. . . In The Murder Room, even his detective skills are more assumed than demonstrated.

Several people, Dalgleish included, comment on his ability to get people to tell him things. Yet in this book, you have no idea why. All he seems to do is enter a room, ask a question and the admissions come thick and fast. . . Once she does begin, though, she doesn't relent until the genuinely chilling climax. Patrician, eccentric, but still a delight.

User reviews

LibraryThing member Crowyhead

This is a really masterful mystery -- it's not for nothing that P.D. James is one of the most highly regarded mystery writers out there. It's interesting to compare this to some of her earlier mysteries; most of the other Adam Dalgliesh mysteries I've read in the past are among the earliest, and

while they are great, there's a qualitative difference between this book and the older titles. The characters are more developed and complex; hardly anyone is completely sympathetic or unsympathetic, whereas in some of her older books I often felt that everyone was extremely unlikeable. This is a gripping mystery that had me in a state of tension, not only over who was the murderer, but over who might be the next victim.

LibraryThing member AuntieClio

This was my first Adam Dagliesh mystery and I loved it. A small museum with a concentration on the inter-war years of 1919-1939 features The Murder Room, which itself specializes in infamous murders. Two murders occur which look like they're copy cats of two from The Murder Room.

At issue is the

longevity of the Dupayne Museum. It was left to three siblings who all must approve renewing the lease or risk losing the museum altogether. Two of the siblings are trying to convince the third to change his mind and save the museum. Then the first murder occurs, and things are no longer straightforward. Of course, things are not straightforward, it's a murder mystery.

After reading The Murder Room, I now understand James' popularity and am happy tp jump on that particular bandwagon.

LibraryThing member the.ken.petersen

P D James spends copious amounts of time setting up her stories: the first 150 pages contain no suggestion of a murder. Just when one begins to feel frustrated, the novel begins to take off and, from then, one finds oneself gripped right through to page541.
The tortuous entrée is necessary because,

once the crime has been committed, the writing is pared to the bone. Commander Dalgleish is surprised to be called in to a museum of the thirties where one of the owning family has been burned to death in his car. Needless to say, this is not as straight forward as it initially seems. An excellent crime.

LibraryThing member mstrust

The Dupayne Museum is situated right outside London and houses a collection of artifacts about the years in between WWI and WWII. It also contains The Murder Room, filled with evidence of the most famous murders of the era.
The Dupayne children, all in their 40's-50's, have never loved each other or

the father who founded the museum. When the lease on the property comes due, Neville announces that he has no intention of signing to keep the museum open and that he would rather see it close and be done with it. Guess who's the first to die?

LibraryThing member reading_fox

Well done but fundamentally average who-dunnit police procedural.

An oddball museum is run by three siblings and the terms of trust require unanimous agreement on all decisions. When the lease comes up for renewal the dissenting elder brother is found in a burning car. The Inspecter Dalgliesh is

called in to investigate. The list of possible suspects quickly mounts up from the lowliest garden boy through to the surviving brother and sister. Dalgliesh and co gently question their way through them all, until they are confident of the name and merely need sufficient proof. Meanwhile Dalgliesh's love life interupts the story.

It is well plotted, the eventual suspect is entirely unobvious even upon occasional re-reading but in retrospect there are sufficient clues for an astute reader to at least keep up with the detectives. The voice of the story moves about Kate Miskin is the usual 'main' character but we also spend a lot of time with the various witnesses especially housekeep Tully Clatton. The continual cycling of new detectives onto the team provides it's usual distractions which serve to maintain continuity between this and the previous books. It is quite possible to read the series out of order, or even just as standalone works.

James' pacing is generally slow and descriptive, so the story rolls along without much dramatic tension or gore or violence. The characters are all fairly rounded with plenty of human quirks - which sets up a few nice red herrings before the true culprit is revealed.

Enjoyable but nothing special.
....................................................................................................

LibraryThing member nbmars

A disappointing effort from P.D. James, in spite of the presence of the likeable Scotland Yard Commander Adam Dalgliesh. The action centers around The Dupayne, a boutique museum devoted to England's interwar years of 1919 to 1939. Three siblings are the trustees of the museum, but one of them,

Neville Dupayne, will not agree on the lease extension that all three of them must sign. Neville is soon extinguished in flames, followed by two other victims in what appear to be "copycat" murders from the Dupayne's "Murder Room." The plot, the characters, and even the language seem more tired than the usual James book. I would like to say that the ending parodied the movies made in the interwar years, but I didn't get the impression James was enough on top of her game for that to excuse the trite treacle of the epilogue. (JAF)

LibraryThing member BudBarclay

Outstanding mystery by the indefagitable James. This one has quite a bit of suspense at the end. It makes you want to read every book in the series. This is my third and I plan to read them all.

LibraryThing member whimsicalkitten

Robert Dalgliesh solves murders at the Dupayne Museum and manages to move forward his affair with Emily

LibraryThing member beckyclayton

This is the first of P.D. James' novels that I've read -- so I'm reviewing this as a newcomer to her writing and to the Dalgliesh series. That said, I'm not a newcomer to detective fiction, having read all of Sayers' work, most of Chandlers' and some Hammett too.

James writes with an omniscient view

of the characters in the story. There is a definite division to the psychological profiles and history of each character (revealed to the reader but not to Dalgliesh) and to the murder investigation itself (lead by Dalgliesh). I don't know whether she does this in all of her books, but in my experience, most detective fiction reads from the viewpoint of the detective: the reader knows as much as (or maybe even less) about the suspects than the detective, but rarely ever more.

That said, I enjoyed the fresh perspective. James creates believable characters, and the pace of the story was just right. Some might find the pace a little slow -- the first murder doesn't happen until after page 100 -- but I found that the back story and lead-up to the murder was an interesting novella in its own right. I didn't guess the murderer, but then, I almost never do.

LibraryThing member LaBibliophille

PD James has been writing mysteries featuring Adam Dalgliesh since 1962. She has managed to keep his image contemporary while maintaining his essential character. He is a detective with New Scotland Yard. In the earliest books, Dalgliesh was a Constable. He has risen through the ranks and is now a

Commander, in charge of a unit which investigates cases of a sensitive nature, generally involving the wealthy and well-born. In each of the earlier books featuring Dalgliesh, James has doled out bits of personal information about him. Faithful readers by now have a good idea of the type of person he is. In addition to being handsome, he has had a number of books of poems published.

The Murder Room concerns three murders which take place in a fictional London museum, The Dupayne. The museum is devoted to British history during the years between the two World Wars. One of the rooms in the museum is devoted to notorious murders that occurred in that timespan, hence the title of the book. The first victim is a trustee of the museum, Dr. Neville Dupayne. The other trustees are his siblings, and they disagree on the future of the museum.

As with many good murder mysteries, there are connections between the characters (and they are all suspects) that don’t become apparent until later on. And of course these connections are vital to the solution of the crimes.

As much as I enjoy murder mysteries, I usually am not able to guess whodunit. However, this time I was able to figure it our fairly early on in the book (although I admit my reasoning was faulty). I still enjoyed reading this.

Adam Dalgliseh fans who feel they have gotten to know and like him over the years will be pleased at the progression in his private life. This is quick, fun, easy read. Enjoy!

LibraryThing member phoenixcomet

Neville DuPayne is murdered at the family museum which focuses on the inter-war years in Britain. Adam Dalgliesh is assigned the case for a speedy resolution. An engaging listen.

LibraryThing member MusicMom41

It has been many years since I have read a P.D. James mystery and I’ve almost forgotten how much I enjoy her. Although it’s probably not her best effort it still shows why James is tops in her field. She writes novels that are mysteries, rather than mystery novels. This story is about a museum

whose focus in the inter war years (between WW I and WW II) which will continue its existence only if all three trustees, the surviving children of the founder, agree to sign the extension for the lease. One brother opposes doing this—guess who gets killed! I did guess that before it happened (doh!) but I did not guess the killer until almost the very end. The title refers to an exhibit in the museum and the murderer sets up his crimes to look like murders that are depicted in the exhibit. I thought this created a clever atmosphere. Also in this book Dalgliesh has a “love interest” whom he met in the last novel. I just bought that one—I seem to be reading the novels I’ve missed in reverse order. There is at least one more—just previous to one I bought yesterday—which I haven’t read. I’d better savor these—James is in her 90’s now so there might not be many more to come in this series!

LibraryThing member kdaugherty

Another great book by P.D. Jakes. She keeps you spellbound, guessing, and wanting to turn the pages. This book is a thriller that is hard to put down.

LibraryThing member ImBookingIt

I really want to be able to give 1/2 stars. I enjoyed this more than the large number of books I've read recently and given 3 stars, but not as much as the 4 star books.For me, this book was a somewhat uneven listen. Parts of it were quite compelling, and other parts were not keeping my attention.

I actually started listening 3 times, this time I stuck with it.I enjoyed the characters, although there were too many that had brief portraits and were wallpaper the rest of the time.The plot had its ups and downs as well. The ending of the mystery didn't quite come together for me.Not one of P.D. James' best works, but not bad, either.

LibraryThing member JimBrewington

British. Great vocabulary, descriptions, characters. No humor. Some of the reading required a plow.

LibraryThing member kalobo

Reminded me of all the Agatha Christie's I read back in high school, though I found it a bit drier and lacking her humor.

LibraryThing member camharlow

Slow to start, with detailed descriptions of places and characters, the pace increases once the crime has been committed and the investigation, lead by Adam Dalgliesh, gets under way. Suspicion falls on six main people, all of whom have a reason to have committed the murder. Although the

questioning of the suspects is recorded in the book, not all of the background investigation is; and it is the latter that leads to the unmasking of the perpetrator.
As the investigation proceeds, James details how the private lives of the police can be complicated by the need for their job to take precedence.
I would recommend this book to those who prefer a more classical, less pacey crime novel.

LibraryThing member JoAnnSmithAinsworth

Usually love her stories, but got bogged down in description and back story in this one.

LibraryThing member bakersfieldbarbara

P.D. James has written another wonderful "Adam Dalgliesh Mystery" and we readers are the lucky ones, one more time. Ms. James seems to get better with age, and I was unable to stop reading this book until the end. A family is being torn apart by a decision of what to do with their late father's

pride and joy, a museum of the dead. As Adam Dalgliesh does his best to solve the crimes being commited in the style of the Murder Room, Ms. James keeps us on our toes with her finely crafted prose, playful wit and keen eye for detail. Never pass up a chance to read a book written by Ms. James, but especially this latest, and as I find, her best.

LibraryThing member liznightingale

Good, easy read but now Adam D's greatest fan - bit dull!

LibraryThing member Bookmarque

That last bit is going a bit far. First, it wasn’t a struggle, Dalgliesh, Kate and Piers all figured out who it was early on, but had to get evidence that would stand up in court. Secondly, it’s hardly true that the case kept him from commitment. It kept him from his date but not his commitment

to her or his feelings for her. I believe the days of Adam as bachelor are numbered. I’m a bit sad about this. His emotional distance and solitude added mystery and strength to his character. He wasn’t like the rest of us who crave company and affirmation and love. He was strong and didn’t need it.

Now we find out he does indeed have feet of clay. I was a bit disappointed at the ending – it was a typical happy ending with the two lovers meeting on a train platform and then going off together. The joy and affection were noticeably restrained, but other than that it was commonplace.

LibraryThing member MrsLee

Since this was an audio book, I'll review the narrator first, Charles Keating. He was a superb reader. I enjoyed every voice and intonation. I will be looking for other audio books read by him.
The mystery was good, as always with P. D. James. It takes place in a museum focused on the time between

the two great wars. James develops her characters in an interesting way. It is not easy to guess the suspect because all of the characters are empathetic, all of them have not much to lose. So, there are no cheats. She really is very good about writing individuals. I'm not entirely satisfied with the motives or means in this book, but by the end, the murders just aren't very important. Mostly you want to keep reading about the people.

LibraryThing member EssFair

Good entry into the Dalgliesh series. Dalgliesh solves two murders originally linked by location only. In the process, he uncovers secrets his suspects would prefer to keep private. The solution is unexpected. One important sub-theme are passions that are kept hidden from others—these include

Adam’s growing feelings for Emma

LibraryThing member Eyejaybee

This is another book that I suspect I bought and ready very soon after its publication, which I see was twenty years ago. I was, after all, a great fan of P D James, and viewed her then as representing the more literary end of the crime fiction spectrum.

Her prose is certainly very well crafted,

but revisiting this book two decades later I found it heavier going than I had recalled. While James’s prose remains as lucid as ever, I was also far more sensitive to the air of petulance that underpinned so much of what she wrote. There is also a hardness, almost veering towards intolerance, about a lot of the attitudes underpinning the book.

As always, her characters are slightly removed from reality, and in fact reminded me of some of the casts encountered in Iris Murdoch’s novels. As it happens. My mother know both of them, although my recollection is that she never, or at least seldom, met the two of them together: that would certainly have been an interesting gathering, and I would have liked to see how the two novelists interacted.

Commander Adam Dalgleish was one of those giants of fiction who never seemed to age. He was still going strong in this novel, written in 2003, more than forty years after his debut in Cover Her Face in which he had already ascended to Detective Chief Inspector so must have been significantly more than ten years into his police career. Does that matter? Well obviously almost certainly not. Although it does mark James out as belonging to an older school of crime fiction that expected its readers to suspend disbelief. One of the appealing aspects of some of Adam Dalgleish’s more recent counterparts, such as Hieronymus “Harry” Bosch in Michael Connelly’s novels, or Sir Ian Rankin’s thrawn John Rebus, has been the way in which they have aged in real time, having to combat the challenges that ageing throws at them.

Yet enough cavilling. The characters might be slightly odd, and the setting (a museum on Hampstead Heath focusing on the years between the two World Wars) rather bizarre, but the plot itself is sound. Although he may have been preserved in literary aspic, Dalgleish remains an empathetic character, and he seems more readily believable than many of the other characters. Inspector Kate Miskin is also a finely drawn and highly plausible character.

I enjoyed returning to this novel, and may well revisit some more of P D James’s work soon.

LibraryThing member NellieMc

I decided to read all of the Adam Daigliesh mysteries in one fell swoop and am glad I did. First, they are classic British mysteries all well-deserving of the respect P.D. James has earned for them and all are a good read. However, what is interesting is to watch the author develop her style from

the early ones to the later ones. And, in fact, A Shroud for a Nightingale and The Black Tower (the fourth and fifth in the series) is where she crosses the divide. The later books have much more character development -- both for the players and the detectives -- make Dalgleish more rounded and are generally much more than a good mystery yarn -- they're fine novels that happen to be mysteries. The first three books (Cover Her Face, A Mind to Murder, Unnatural Causes) are just that much more simplistic. But read any or all -- she's a great writer and they are definitely worth the time.

Awards

501 Must-Read Books (Emma Beare, 2006)

Language

Original publication date

2003-11-18

Physical description

432 p.; 8.06 inches

ISBN

1400076099 / 9781400076093

Local notes

crime fiction collection

Other editions

The Murder Room (Adam Dalgliesh, #12) by P.D. James (Ebook)

DDC/MDS

823.914

More

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