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#5 Platform - The Skull Beneath the Skin
Jan. 18th, 2008 05:14 pmA classic British murder mystery, with a very slight feminist twist.
Book #2: The Skull Beneath the Skin
Author: P. D. James
Provenance: Bookmooch
I read the first of the Cordelia Gray books last year, and I really liked it, partly because of the mystery and partly because of the nice feminist story that comes along the end of it. I found the lead character very compelling, and I liked the style and the feel of the writing, so I went out and got the next (and last) book of the series.
This one, alas, lacks much of the feminist charm side of it that was in the first one. It's still pretty good, though, with the hallmarks of the British mystery: island, remote from the mainland, lots of people with possible motives, no one else possible, and the clues are there to get it if you want to; I guessed who did it, but I didn't get the whole thing, so it worked pretty well.
I wanted a mystery, and I certainly got it, with a very nice writing style and well thought out plot. James is definitely accomplished, and I did enjoy it; the characters are vivid, the descriptions clear and bold, the dialogue believable. I'm not quite ready to move to her main series, but I'm a bit sad that there aren't more of this one.
Next up: Palm-of-the-hand Stories. Short and sweet.
Book #2: The Skull Beneath the Skin
Author: P. D. James
Provenance: Bookmooch
I read the first of the Cordelia Gray books last year, and I really liked it, partly because of the mystery and partly because of the nice feminist story that comes along the end of it. I found the lead character very compelling, and I liked the style and the feel of the writing, so I went out and got the next (and last) book of the series.
This one, alas, lacks much of the feminist charm side of it that was in the first one. It's still pretty good, though, with the hallmarks of the British mystery: island, remote from the mainland, lots of people with possible motives, no one else possible, and the clues are there to get it if you want to; I guessed who did it, but I didn't get the whole thing, so it worked pretty well.
I wanted a mystery, and I certainly got it, with a very nice writing style and well thought out plot. James is definitely accomplished, and I did enjoy it; the characters are vivid, the descriptions clear and bold, the dialogue believable. I'm not quite ready to move to her main series, but I'm a bit sad that there aren't more of this one.
Next up: Palm-of-the-hand Stories. Short and sweet.
