P. D. James, Devices and Desires

This twenty-year-old novel proves once again that P. D. James is truly a master of the mystery genre. In this installment of the Adam Dalgliesh mystery series, her protagonist finds himself on England's sparsely populated headlands to attend to matters of his deceased aunt's estate. Meanwhile England's latest serial killer is on the loose. And his latest victim is an employee at the near-by nuclear power plant that dominates the headland. Though Dalgliesh is off-duty while out in the country, his proximity to events, and his discovery of what seems like the latest victim while walking along the beach involves him in the mysterious events.

This book, like all of James's mysteries, is filled with well-developed characters that give verisimilitude to her stories, that give real humanity to the victims, to those touched by the killings, and even to the suspects. This serves both to give depth to the narrative and to heighten the tension of the mystery, as it makes suspects more interesting but also keeps you guessing as to who the real perpetrator may be. Devices and Desires also contains some great dialogue that probes deeper issues, such as the detective's relationship to death, or the possible continuing relevance of the category of sin, or the possibility of justice in a world full of twisted devices and desires that enmesh our lives.

This mystery does not disappoint. It is well written, thoughtfull, and entertaining, and comes to a satisfying conclusion. I highly recommend it.

P. D. James, Death Comes to Pemberley

I think this book is an absolute literary triumph. In her latest novel, the venerable P. D. James weds her immense skill in crafting character-driven mysteries with her own passion for Jane Austen. She picks up six years after Pride and Prejudice leaves off (spoiler alert for those of you who haven't yet gotten to that classic--which you should, by the way; you will here learn how some of the relationships resolve in that earlier work), focusing on the home of Elizabeth and Darcy. But tragedy strikes on the eve of Pemberley's grand ball, and Elizabeth's brother-in-law Wickham is the suspect. By many twists and turns, we are brought back into the somewhat twisted world of these characters that Jane Austen formed, this time in search of a killer.

I was amazed at how well James is able to pick up the story from Pride and Prejudice. She deftly works her story in a way that seems so natural it was often hard to recall as I was reading whether events she referred to were in her work or in Austen's original. And I think she picked up on the perfect "seam" from P&P, with the tenuous entrance of Wickham into the Bennet family with all of the past baggage and conflict that he brought to that first story but which was left unresolved at the end. After reading Death Comes to Pemberley, it almost feels as if P&P is incomplete without James's masterful extension. This homage fit seamlessly with the original for me, and I loved it.

John Sanford, Wicked Prey

Lucas Davenport is a complex hero. And Wicked Prey is another in Sanford's series centered around this Minnesota detective. Also figuring prominently in this book is Lucas's soon-to-be adopted child Letty, whom he came upon in an earlier novel (Naked Prey) in her own tragic situation, and who proves to be a strong, or at least interesting, though maybe somewhat implausible, protagonist as well. The two of them find themselves (mostly without the other's knowledge) caught up in a complex plot surrounding some brutal attacks during the Republican National Convention in St. Paul in 2008. Letty has been targeted for retribution by one of Davenport's old foes. But she improbably befriends the hooker who is caught up with the small-time criminal, and thereby weaves herself into an interesting situation. Lucas, meanwhile, is tasked to investigate brutal attacks on two big-time money men who are making off-the-books cash contributions to various political players on behalf of interested parties. This makes for an action-packed adventure for Davenport and his crew, as they chase down the leads and all the while try to figure out why the attackers seem to be hanging around. Is some bigger job in the offing?

This book moves at an almost frantic pace that carries the reader along into a world of violence, dirty politics (on both sides of the aisle), and jigsaw-like detective work. It is a solid detective novel with a colorful and imperfect hero. Sandford certainly conveys the roughness of his character, and of the underworld he investigates, and while this does lend some verisimilitude to the book, it is at least worth noting.

J. Mark Bertrand, Pattern of Wounds

I love to read fiction, as well as non-fiction (and Tony Reinke's Lit! gives some good reasons for Christians to do just that, though for me, one key reason is simply that I love to read a good story). And I love to read fiction that engages with Christian themes, which sometimes means reading "Christian fiction," though that's a difficult category to nail down for sure. When offered a review copy of Mark Bertrand's second book, I thought it looked intriguing and decided to take it on, and I'm glad I did.

Pattern of Wounds is the second "Roland March Mystery" from Bertrand. I haven't yet read the first, but my interest is certainly piqued. In this relatively classic who-done-it, a girl is found brutally murdered and grotesquely positioned near her landlord's swimming pool. The pursuit for the killer starts out routine enough, but quickly intertwines with one of March's earlier cases which is now being challenged on appeal, and is soon intertwined with a possible serial killer case connecting dozens of deaths around Texas. Suspects come and go, and the case heats up when March's wife is brutally attacked in his house. The action builds to a series of discoveries that break open the case.

Pattern of Wounds is published by Bethany House, putting it squarely in the traditional "Christian fiction" world, but it breaks out of the mold in a number of ways. The most prevalent way is that its main character, Roland March, isn't a Christian but is instead a skeptic, sometimes ignoring and sometimes wrestling with his wife's faith. And while Christian themes are present, in sometimes powerful ways, it's not preachy, and there are no facile or obvious conclusions drawn. March comes off as an honest character, and an authentic one. And the book is better for it.

I greatly enjoyed Pattern of Wounds, a thoughtful, plausible, and authentic murder mystery with much to offer. I'm glad to recommend it.

Thanks to Bethany House for the review copy.