Devices and Desires

By: P. D. James

Narrated by: Penelope Dellaporta

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Featuring the famous Commander Adam Dalgliesh, Devices and Desires is a thrilling and insightfully crafted novel of fallible people caught in a net of secrets, ambitions, and schemes on a lonely stretch of Norfolk coastline. • Part of the bestselling mystery series that inspired Dalgliesh on Acorn TV

“Taut.... Absorbing.... Better than her best.” —The New York Times Book Review

“A masterful writer.... Devices and Desires seems to be that highly prized work–a terrific tale of suspense and detection that also delivers the satisfaction of a mainstream novel.” —The Wall Street Journal

Commander Dalgliesh of Scotland Yard has just published a new book of poems and has taken a brief respite from publicity on the remote Larksoken headland on the Norfolk coast in a converted windmill left to him by his aunt. But he cannot so easily escape murder. A psychotic strangler of young women is at large in Norfolk, and getting nearer to Larksoken with every killing. And when Dalgliesh discovers the murdered body of the Acting Administrative Officer on the beach, he finds himself caught up in the passions and dangerous secrets of the headland community and in one of the most baffling murder cases of his career.

PD James Observations Beyond Plot

Beyond the satisfyingly intriguing plots of her “who-dunnits,” I enjoy most the insightful and entertaining observations on people’s inner and outer lives that PD James provides throughout her stories. She makes the settings come alive as well and play a vital part.

Windmill of My Mind

Although I liked A Taste of Death better than this title, this was a fine tale. Adam Dalgliesh goes to settle his Aunt Jane’s estate and stays in her windmill home. Of course, he encounters murder. The philosophical passages are absorbing. Dalgliesh is as perceptive as the listener would expect. There is one episode that I would have preferred left out. See if you can determine which one. Listen with mostly pleasure!

Well done.

I love P. D. James and this is one of her very best. Thank you Ms. James.

A complex riveting story

PD James is a master of the complex mystery with many twists and turns and red herrings in evidence. All her books are wonderful.

Different than most

This book had multiple stories that eventually wove together, separate investigations, and some endings that only the reader knows about, but not the detectives it was a bit wordier than the other Dalgleish novels, which is saying alot since they are all pretty wordy The narration is good, although a bit dramatic. This was not one of my favorites, but worth a listen because a less than perfect P D James is still a reslly good book