When the quiet Little Vestry of St. Matthew’s Church becomes the blood-soaked scene of a double murder, Scotland Yard Commander Adam Dalgliesh faces an intriguing conundrum: How did an upper-crust Minister come to lie, slit throat to slit throat, next to a neighborhood derelict of the lowest order? Challenged with the investigation of a crime that appears to have endless motives, Dalgliesh … explores the sinister web spun around a half-burnt diary and a violet-eyed widow who is pregnant and full of malice–all the while hoping to fill the gap of logic that joined these two disparate men in bright red death…
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This could have been a good mystery except in was loaded with character mental ruminations. So much psychology, philosophy & sociology just overwhelmed the plot. The ending was exciting but by that time I almost lost interest.
Pretty good read. The last fourth of the book seemed a bit contrived. She always gives me interesting characters. By the end, though, I still wondered who they were and what made them act the way they did. I’ve enjoyed others of her books more than this one.
An eye for details that enhance, James exercises my vocabulary. Writing has more substance than typical stream of best sellers.
Read all of her books, always loved her detective mysteries, another great one.