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    Unnatural Causes: An Adam Dalgliesh Mystery
    Unavailable
    Unnatural Causes: An Adam Dalgliesh Mystery
    Unavailable
    Unnatural Causes: An Adam Dalgliesh Mystery
    Audiobook9 hours

    Unnatural Causes: An Adam Dalgliesh Mystery

    Written by P. D. James

    Narrated by Penelope Dellaporta

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Award-winning author P.D. James third mystery in her bestselling series featuring Scotland Yard investigator Adam Dalgliesh is now available!

    Maurice Seton was a famous mystery writer-but no murder from his imagination could equal the ghastliness of his own death. When his grotesquely mutilated corpse is found in a drifting dinghy, ripples of horror spread among his bizarre neighbors: the cruel and cynical drama critic, the celebrated recluse, and the rakish young heir. It is up to Superintendent Adam Dalgliesh and his extraordinary aunt to discover the shocking truth about Seton's past-before the plot takes another murderous turn.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateDec 9, 2008
    ISBN9781415959428
    Unavailable
    Unnatural Causes: An Adam Dalgliesh Mystery
    Author

    P. D. James

    P. D. James (1920–2014) was born in Oxford in 1920. She worked in the National Health Service and the Home Office From 1949 to 1968, in both the Police Department and Criminal Policy Department. All that experience was used in her novels. She won awards for crime writing in Britain, America, Italy, and Scandinavia, including the Mystery Writers of America Grandmaster Award and the National Arts Club Medal of Honour for Literature. She received honorary degrees from seven British universities, was awarded an OBE in 1983 and was created a life peer in 1991.

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    Reviews for Unnatural Causes

    3.5/5

    443 ratings20 reviews

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    • 4/5
      The problem with P.D. James is that she's so good that one ends up cutting her little slack. This novel, one of her first, suffers from the occasional cliche and misstep; having begun with her later work, it's hard to allow her the same latitude as I would another mystery writer! The cliches are largely in characterization -- the sulky unattractive girl, the vapid greedy wastrel, et cetera.The setting here is beautiful, and she does make some of her delicious moments of tension. The mystery is interesting, and the climax gripping.The narration by John Franklyn-Robbins was fine, and he produces a serviceable Scottish accent for our hero.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed P.D. James more the first time I read her novels. This one particularly is quite old-fashioned in style: the eccentric characters are a bit over the top, the denouement long, and Dalgliesh has not yet settled into his character. Still, you can't go wrong with a mystery by James.
    • 3/5
      Interesting period for detective fiction, the 1960s. previously so much emphasis was placed on identifying handwriting. This novel is pre-computers, full of professional writers, and there's a great deal about identifying typescripts, who would have typed them - not the usual broken keys identifying the typewriter, but the style of typing identifying the typist. The suspects even all have to type out two paragraphs for their typing style to be identified.
    • 3/5
      Very early P.D. James, when she was still young enough to feel the urge to put in a bit of gentle teasing of the older generation of British crime writers. Apart from the Suffolk coastal atmosphere and the the in-jokes of the various writers who are lined up as suspects, this one doesn't have a great deal to recommend it: the characters are still largely caricatures, without much depth to them, and the interaction within the little community where the action takes place is more formulaic than natural. But quite ingenious, all the same.
    • 3/5
      A book on someone else's shelf. An English gentleman detective solves a crime while on vacation in the early 60's in southern England. I've seen Dagliesh on PBS but my first such novel. A little over written but w some good words and phrases. Great description of coastal England. Maybe one of her earlier works. The Children of Men was so much better
    • 3/5
      Nice detective story. I sometimes find Dalgliesh a bit annoying, and these stories are slightly old-fashioned, but still, they're a nice read and usually keep you guessing...
    • 3/5
      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.
    • 3/5
      The novel starts beautifully - as a matter of fact, it starts as a mystery novel should start as we find out that fiction and reality have collided. This wonderful symmetry creates a fantastic ambiance in a world where authors and their works coexist in a small village. Unfortunately, whereas there are wonderful moments, such as Dalgliesh's jealousy of Reckless who's in charge of the case or Maurice's careful research for his novels, most of the book seems too complicated and dreadfully contrived - I'm all for some suspended disbelief, but James expects us to believe that fiction will take over reality at all expense. This is particularly true for the ending which is revealed to the reader in the most ludicrous fashion - it was all I could do from rolling my eyes.Nonetheless, James's writing saves the day - her ability to recreate scenes and atmospheres is unparalleled, and it's always a joy to read her stories. Not her best plot, but definitely a gripping story.
    • 4/5
      This is the third of the Adam Dalgliesh series. I've read the first but not the second, but that hasn't lessened the story here at all.Dalgliesh is looking forward to a few weeks of relaxation during his holiday at the seashore with his aunt at her cottage. She lives in a small village that seems to house nothing but writers, a place where everyone enjoys their solitude. But as soon as he arrives a writer is murdered,the corpse mutilated and Dalgliesh finds himself at odds with the local Inspector, who seems to resent Dalgliesh's presence.A good one. Dalgliesh's moods swing between irritated and depressed, yet he always is cool. The suspects are well-written and unlikeable.
    • 4/5
      The third in James's long-running series featuring Adam Dalgliesh. I have read several books from this series, but I have not read them in order. I didn't enjoy this one as much as some of the more recent books in the series, and I'm not sure why. I do like James's writing. There's more going on than just the mystery plot, and I think that's what draws me to her works. Also, she is especially good at providing clues without giving too much away or being too frustrating with the use of obvious red herrings.
    • 3/5
      The Adam Dalgliesh series continues in this book about the murder of a high profile mystery writer who is found dead in a dinghy. Closer examination shows that the victim's hands have been chopped off. Superintendent Dalgliesh wouldn't even have be involved in this murder if he hadn't been visiting his Aunt in Monksmere on the Suffolk coast.The open lands, the steep cliffs, and the raging tides bring the setting off the Suffolk coast to life. Dalgliesh, who is not part of the investigation, must sit back and while the regional inspector handles the process of trying to discover what happens. The autopsy shows that the writer died of natural causes, but then what happened to his hands?Dalgliesh does some of his own investigating and it leads to some interesting developments.This is the third P.D. James book that I have read, and I'm not sure that I am going to continue the series. It may be the style or the out-of-date situations since they are written nearly 50 years ago. It was enjoyable, but maybe not memorable.
    • 3/5
      My enjoyment of this book was not helped by the rather small font and tightly packed lines in the 1980s paperback version I read. I've enjoyed other, more recent, books in the Dalgleish series far more. I didn't really warm to any of the characters in this one, even the detective himself.
    • 4/5
      Short and sharp.Inspecter Dalgliesh is on his own in this one. On holiday in his aut's retreat of Monksmere by the Suffolk coast he is contemplating his relationship with Debora (the only issue that makes this even slightly not readable as a standalone). Monksmere is an isolated village community mostly of writers and others of literery ilk. When Maurice Seldon the almost distinguished dectective writer goes missing, most at first think it is an ill concieved prank to boost flagging sales. When his body is turned up in manner remarkably similar to one of his proposed plots, Dalgliesh knows even if he isn't officially on the case he won't be having a peaceful rest. Written in 1967 and set around about then, it would be improbable nowadays, but just about holds together. The literery characters are all a bit contrived, expecially the cripple who seems an unlikely occupant of such a remote village, but the petty rivalries are all well described. The prose drags a bit in the beginning where all the characters are painstakingly pictured, and Dalglieh's inspired guesswork from zero revealed clues is also annoying.Aided by it's brevity, it's a cleverly constructed case worth reading if you've enjoyed others in the series.
    • 3/5
      Daigleish is on holidays and is sucked into a murder.The ending was a bit of a let-down.
    • 3/5
      England, ca 1967.Adam Dalgliesh er på ferie i Monksmere ved sin tante Jane Dalgliesh. Han spekulerer over om han skal fri til sin kæreste Deborah Riscoe eller om det vil få det hele til at blive til støv. En båd driver imens i land. Ombord er liget af krimiforfatteren Maurice Seton. Liget har fået hugget hænderne af, men hvorfor dog det? Den lokale Reckless undersøger sagen, mens Dalgliesh forsøger at undgå at blive blandet ind i opklaringen.Halvbroderen Digby Seton arver 200.000 pund, men kun hvis han gifter sig. Der er lidt bøsseforskrækkelse blandet ind i historien, som i det hele taget er lidt underlig.Maurice havde en invalid kvinde Sylvia Kedge til at komme og renskrive hans manuskripter og hun er blevet træt af at han stort set behandler hende som et stykke inventar. Hun er ret udspekuleret, så hun står bag hans kones - Dorothy Setons - død, hans egen død og Digby's død.Mordet på Maurice var snedigt udtænkt, for han døde tilsyneladende en naturlig død af et svagt hjerte, men det var udløst af klaustrofobi fordi Digby og Sylvia havde lukket ham inde i en slags ligkiste. Hænderne blev hugget af for at skjule at han havde banket dem til blods mod låget.Til sidst forsøger Sylvia at slå Dorothys elsker Oliver Latham ihjel, mens der raser en kraftig storm omkring huset. Adam Dalgliesh kommer til undsætning og Sylvia er lige ved at slippe afsted med at slå både Latham og Dalgliesh ihjel, men hun ender med selv at drukne.Til alt held har hun efterladt en tilståelse på bånd, så alle tråde kan blive redt ud til sidst.Sjovt nok skræmmer Jane Dalgliesh og hendes koldblodede reaktion på det hele Adam mere end hvad der ellers er sket.Lige så megen held som Dalgliesh har med at opklare sagen, lige så lidt held har han med sit kærlighedsliv, for Deborah Riscoe sender ham et brev, hvor der står at hun tager til New York og at de sikkert ikke ses mere. Hun er træt af bare at være i udkanten af hans liv og i modsætning til ham, så tager hun tyren ved hornene.Ret mærkelig historie.
    • 4/5
      This is the third James book I've read so far. I enjoyed the story but I was a little put off by the 10 page long explanation at the end... really really far fetched. The climactic scene was great however, well written... James is a fine write, the whole book is well written, of course... also, this is only her third book and was written 42 years ago, so I'd imagine that her later books have more plausible solutions...
    • 5/5
      Maurice Seton was a distinguished mystery writer living in the tiny town of Suffolk, England. He may have come to prominence through his books, but no murder that he had ever devised for one of his stories could possibly have been as grisly as his own. When his gruesomely mutilated corpse is found in the bottom of a dinghy, drifting just within sight of the lakeshore, ripples of shock and horror spread among the tightly-knit circle of Maurice's bizarre friends.Scotland Yard Inspector Adam Dalgliesh was supposed to be on vacation, visiting his eccentric Aunt Jane. To be perfectly honest, he is actually looking for some time off; some time away from crime and death. However, it would seem that crime and death never got the message, and Inspector Dalgliesh soon finds himself investigating the murder of Maurice Seton. His primary list of suspects seems to come from the close-knit circle of Maurice's self-described friends; certainly an unusually odd bunch of people, if truth be told.There is a cynical and cruel drama critic, a voluptuous burlesque showgirl, a dissolute young heir, and a young woman who is absolutely terrified that she may become the killer's next victim. Inspector Dalgliesh and his extraordinary aunt Jane are following a tantalizing trail of sin and scandal. And they must make sure that they are on the right track to discovering a dead man's secrets, because if the sleuths are wrong, this perilous plot is bound to take another twisted and murderous turn...I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The mystery itself wasn't too taxing and I found it easy to follow. I also appreciated that there weren't that many characters in the story; I usually find myself getting confused if there are too many characters to remember.Anyway, I know that I have several other books by P. D. James on my bookshelf, but I haven't found them yet; they are so well hidden. I will say that this was the first book by Ms. James that I've actually read, although I have started to read one or two in the past. For whatever reason, I was unable to really get into either book and had to set them aside for a while. Although I would happily give this book an A+! Guess I'll be looking out those other two P. D. James books next!
    • 2/5
      James' British cozy about writers who barely tolerate each other. Dalgleish solves the case. One of James' weaker efforts.
    • 4/5
      I continue to enjoy this series. I'm not well-read enough in mysteries to evaluate it as a piece of the genre, but it is pleasurable fiction with a light and somewhat literary style. Since I feel invested in the series as a whole, I don't mind how slowly Adam Dalgliesh's personality is being drawn out for the reader from one book to another. The setting for this novel is quite a bit different from that in either of the two preceding books, so it avoids feeling repetitive.

      I will say that I enjoyed this novel marginally less than its predecessors. The suspects are sketched somewhat more as grotesques than as nuanced personalities; the final-chapter reveal, while satisfying in its details, is lame in its mode of presentation. On the whole, however, this is an excellent chapter in what has so far been a consistently well-written and surprising series.
    • 3/5
      Somewhat of a disappointment, barely making three stars. Dragged on especially the murder's confession and detailing how the motive and how to in the end.