reviewed by Christy Isinger
When rummaging through the paperback section of many a bookstore not much hope is held out for a good piece of literature. A good story may be found here or decent writing there, but a great piece of literature, which also happens to be a crime novel, is not something one ever expects to find among today’s popular fiction. However a sure bet for a great mystery and a good piece of literature is always found with P.D. James.
James has been writing crime fiction for almost 50 years and her grasp of language, the building of atmosphere, and character development make her mysteries gripping reads. What separates James from other contemporary crime writers is her understanding of the theological. A good mystery writer understands that life is a mystery but also what happens after death is essentially mysterious to us without the gift of faith. One of the great tools that crime novelists possess is the ability to probe the crux of the beliefs of their characters because the characters are almost always faced with death. James has the uncanny ability to let the characters core ideas of life and death speak for themselves, whether it be during a police interrogation or in her marvelous depictions of all backgrounds and types of people throughout her novels. Theological terms are rarely used but different points of view on the soul, life itself, and death are always encountered in James’ novels and in almost every character. The plots of her novels are again almost always based on the belief of human sin causing grave violent effects and how the effects of sin reverberate throughout the lives of every character affected by murder.
Original Sin is an older work from 1994 but is of course an Adam Dalgliesh novel. James’ signature police commander from New Scotland Yard is not an assuming character and rarely has whole chapters devoted to him in any of the 14 books of the series written so far. However, the combination of sensitivity and objectivity when dealing with crimes of all kinds gives Dalgliesh a very likable quality that has proved very successful thus far. Original Sin is set primarily in London, which is beautifully described by James and seems another character. The plot centers on a publishing house and when the managing director and primary partner is found murdered with the company mascot tangled around his neck the usual probing and deeper mystery begins to unfurl.
Without taking away the enjoyment of becoming engrossed with each surrounding character and their questionable motives, it suffices to say that the theme of original sin is not seen until the final chapters. Each character in the book is investigated in one way or another by Dalgliesh’s team with some unpleasant secrets exposed. These secrets however, don’t always relate at all to the truth behind the murder and the untangling of the past sins of the principle partners and the history of the publishing firm are carefully pieced together to discover a riveting motive to such a violent action. Dalgliesh himself speaks little but the closing drama of book speaks volumes to the crippling effects of sin throughout a lifetime. James once again proves that good writing and a good mystery can have both paperback popularity and artistic value.
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