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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.914
EAN num: 9781400096473
ISBN number: 1400096472
Label: Vintage
Manufacturer: Vintage
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 480
Printing Date: November 08, 2005
Publishing house: Vintage
Release Date: November 08, 2005
Sale Popularity Level: 11483
Studio: Vintage
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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, subsequent 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 blue death. . . .
From the Paperback edition.
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Rated by buyers 
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PD James, in this excellent 1986 murder mystery, proves once again that she is a master of her craft. James couples the best characteristics of writers like Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers, without some of their blemishes. Her plots are less contrived than Christie's, and her characters have more depth than Sayers'. James builds plots that lead towards the ultimate climax in a very logical way, so that if the reader is observant, they may uncover the truth before the very end of the book. I personally find this style of mystery much more rewarding than those that rely on a `twist' at the end, or a jarring change of direction from a single clue.
James writing style is precise, detail oriented (sometimes too much so) and filled with careful observations of character, including those who play only a perfunctory role in her books. She is honest in her writing, as open about her characters' faults and vices as their more admirable traits. Characters are also developed logically, especially her protagonist Dalgliesh.
In this novel, there is as special focus on Kate Misken as she is introduced as the very first female member of the Special Crimes Unit. I enjoyed seeing her character developed, but did find it at times to be slightly out of sync with the pacing of the novel. Understandably James wanted to present Kate as a well rounded character, and the special emphasis she receives is not overly distracting.
If you enjoy James, or a good mystery that is also well written, you can do much, much worse. This is probably one of my favorite Dalgliesh novels, right up there with "The Murder Room" and "Death in Holy Orders." It has certainly increased my own taste for death, if only in the realm of fiction.
Rated by buyers 
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Page turning mystery stories had lost their appeal for me, until I was recently introduced to P.D. James via her Adam Dalgliesh mystery novel, "A Taste for Death". My renewed excitement for the murder genre is the result of enjoying the vivid writing and thoughtful character development of P.D. James. Her detailed mystery plots are creatively woven inside the fabric of engaging characters who often lead ordinary lives, before being caught in a net of intrigue. "A Taste for Death" is especially interesting for London lovers, who will find a sense of place evident in every chapter of the book's page turning plot. A new found respect for the whodunit is likewise revitalized by the originality of the very simple clue leading Dalgliesh to the killer - and the curious insight the clue brings to the lives of two innocent characters. Identifying the killer is only the beginning of the book's fast paced ending, as P.D. James introduces Inspector Kate Miskin's ordinary life into the plot. Miskin's reluctant call to family duty suddenly becomes the matrix for riveting emotion and death defying action. This P.D. James novel left a taste for reading many more murder mysteries by this gifted writer. My introduction to smart Adam Dalgliesh will result in reading many more enjoyable novels.
Rated by buyers -
Here is one of the best mysteries I have had the pleasure to read. Though I still have a few remaining works of Ms. James on my list, this book has a resonance that few authors manage to achieve. The characters and the themes blend to create a work that is greater than the sum of its parts. At its heart, this is the story of a man who after achieving everything for which he has sought finds himself curiously unsatisfied with both life and the rewards of his efforts. Accordingly, solving the mystery not only means finding out who did the deed, but why our victim was distraught and unsatisfied despite tremendous achievements. Readers of this author will immediately recognize that her protagonist struggles with related issues and the pages of this book are devoted to the creation of several like-minded characters who each add their perspective to what is in reality an endeavor to solve the mystery of life itself; where can one find true happiness and satisfaction?
I believe that the special quality of this book is found in its characters; I should think that the mix is so broad that any reader can find at least one with whom to identify. It does no harm to the mystery to remark that though the victims could not be further apart in terms of social standing and achievement, the author teaches that we are all ultimately equals in death. The author also manages to keep multiple story threads open and believable--this is far more difficult a task than it sounds. Until I encountered P.D. James, I found mysteries to be much like old episodes of Star Trek--if the character who transports to the surface is not one of the regular cast you instantly know that the character has but moments to live. Likewise, too many mystery novelists betray the story early in the book or else they create characters that are incapable of stirring the emotions of the reader--flaws thankfully avoided by P.D. James.
The best fiction encourages one to think about one's own life; it encourages and suggests how we may better ourselves and the world in which we live. This book leaves its reader a better person for having encountered the story; if not, it is not the reader who is without excuse.
Highly Recommended.
Rated by buyers -
A police procedural set in London in the seventies (I think- UK publication date is 1986- typewriters and illegal abortions and no DNA) involving the solemn and saintly Adam Dalgliesh.
PD James offs her victims quite soon but after that can be slow going until you get involved in the whodunnit. If you're new to PD James I'd recommend persevering thought the very first 20 pages and then you'll be hooked. You'll be in for a long ride at 460 pages.
My usual blasphemous criticisms of her ladyship. There's so much description of architecture it gets like reading Pevsner at times. For example "Between the windows, mounted on incongruous corbels which looked more Gothic than neo-classical were stone caryatids, whose flowing lines reinforced by the typically Soanian pilasters ..... "
She has a tin ear for dialog. The educated upper classes address each other in long formal speeches. The lower classes say "I reckon" a lot and have apostrophes to show that they leave off the g's in their present participles. There's almost no humour (except slightly in the very first sentwnce).
Rated by buyers -
"A Taste For Death" can perhaps be considered the very first of the more modern novels in the Adam Dalgliesh series. It is in this novel that readers see the special murder investigation squad form and that readers are introduced to Kate Miskin. As always, James has crafted an intriguing mystery, filled with a wide cast of characters and twists that throw the reader off the case.
When two men are found dead in the vestry of a declining church, it seems a straigtforward case of murder-suicide. Yet one of the men was Sir Paul Berowne, a baronet and a political figure, causing the police to bring in Adam Dalgliesh and his investigating team. The straightforward case of murder-suicide is too tidy for Dalgliesh, and he must prove it to be murder, with little cooperation from anyone connected with Sir Paul Berowne.
Dalgliesh and his team must wade through stories shaded with every degree of self-preservation and deception in order to uncover the truth. But learning the identity of the murderer is not enough without one shred of evidence to connect that person to the crime. Dalgliesh and his team are thoroughly worried that their very first case might end in failure. Add to that the three mysterious deaths that Sir Paul may have been involved with, and the detectives have a more complicated case than they could have imagined.
As always, James has written a first-class mystery complete with the requisite twists and turns. It seems as if every character had a perfect motive to want Sir Paul dead which makes it hard for the reader to uncover the real offender. Her novels are always a joy to read, not only for the mystery, but for the detail she lovingly gives to people and places, and for the development of characters readers will encounter time and again, or for only a short chapter or two.
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