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Friday, March 14, 2008

New offering from P D James

Hat tip to Philip on the yahoo group, British Mysteries, as he's just posted that P D James will have a new Dalgleish book out in September, called The Private Patient.

Update
Draft blurb:
"When the notorious investigative journalist, Rhoda Gradwyn, booked into Mr Chandler-Powell's private clinic in Dorset for the removal of a disfiguring and long-standing facial scar, she had every prospect of a successful operation by a distinguished surgeon, a week's peaceful convalescence in one of Dorset's most beautiful manor houses and the beginning of a new life. She was never to leave Cheverell Manor alive. Dalgliesh and his team are called in to investigate the murder, and later a second death, which are to raise even more complicated problems than the question of innocence or guilt.

A new detective novel by P D James is always keenly awaited and The Private Patient will undoubtedly equal the success of her world-wide best-seller, The Lighthouse. It displays the qualities which P D James's readers have come to expect: a masterly psychological and emotional richness of characterisation, a vivid evocation of place and a credible and exciting mystery. The Private Patient is a powerful work of contemporary fiction."
Update 2: The Private Patient will be out in the US in November.

Update 3: Read the Euro Crime review of The Private Patient.

9 comments:

  1. Anonymous8:32 pm

    ooo, this is exciting!

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  2. Anonymous8:44 pm

    Just how old is Dalgliesh now, do you think? I am sure I started reading him (about him) when I was a teenager and that was in the Bronze Age.
    Who is oldest, Dalgleish or Wexford?

    (I think I have never quite forgiven PDJ for having a budding romance between D and Cordelia (forget surname) in Unsuitable Job for a Woman (Cordelia's debut). Then I think years went by before Dalgleish resurfaced in another book, and it was as if Cordelia had never been. Some years later, there were hints between D and Inspector Kate Miskin, but I think those never came to anything either. (Disclaimer: I have not summoned up the energy to read the last couple of Dalgleish books, having found them getting increasingly turgid with all that religious introspection and slow pace.)

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  3. Anonymous9:13 pm

    Well, things are most certainly different now! Though I shall let you read the books to find out why... (Actually, the only one of the last three that was damn good was Death in Holy Orders, the other two were a little lacklustre. And those are the two these... significant developments, happen in.)

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  4. Thanks for this Karen. James is one of the authors I look for

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  5. It displays the qualities which P D James's readers have come to expect: a masterly psychological and emotional richness of characterisation, a vivid evocation of place and a credible and exciting mystery.

    Revealing.

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  6. Maxine I think Wexford is older the first Rendell was in 1964!
    Has the man been nkept at the same rank for 44 years?

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  7. Maxine and Uriah,

    Dalgliesh is definetely the oldest one. He was "born" in 1962, two years before Wexford. Both are in pretty good shape after all those years tracking down criminals.

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  8. The first place I look for new releases is at Amazon. Some of the publishers' websites (in this case, Random House) are no help. Ranting aside, I so look forward to any P.D. James/Dagliesh book. I'm interested in knowing what your readers have to say about Martin Shaw vs Roy Marsden as Dagliesh.

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  9. Anonymous9:49 pm

    Wonderful to hear P D James's new book is coming out.

    One the DVD "Holy Orders" Ms. James
    descripes the movie Innocent Blood
    and clips from the movie are shown.
    The movie was shot in London and Westminister Cathedral. The plot is of a man who wants to kill a woman and her husband that killed his little girl. He follows the woman and her daughter. The daughter found out who her mother was and goes to the prison and arranges for them to live together.
    I would love to have a copy of the movie, But it must be made so he can be shown in the USA.
    Thank You,
    Maggie

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