One of my goals in 2020 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.
I have several copies of The Black Tower by PD James. They mostly came from book sales, as I recall. At the point in April when I read this book I was on a roll of reading! I read this book in less than 24 hours, something I haven’t done since I was young.
On the day that Detective Dalgleish is told he doesn’t have cancer after all, he makes a serious decision to quite the police force and change his life. But first he must visit a friend who has written for help.
James’ writing is so effortlessly inviting, so smoothly enticing, I’m always surprised at how easily I’m sucked in to each book. Especially since the plot of the last three I’ve read are basically exactly the same. In this book, a small isolated town near the sea is rocked by death and suicide. But were either of them natural? Although I have read other books by James with this basic plot, this one was unique bc she had put the seed of doubt in the mind of her main protagonist. It was interesting to read about a detective actively trying to discourage his detective nature. It’s an interesting literary device to have a hero so torn over his role in the proceedings. If you’ve read any of PD James’ other novels, I would suggest this one as an interesting balance But one that still contains all of her amazing talents for writing and engaging the reader. This book has it’s fair share of mystery, intrigue, and suspense. I would highly recommend The Black Tower for those who are already fans of Detective Dalgleish, those who love detective novels with strong male leads, people who like suspense, and those who like mysteries set in small communities.
Have you read any of the Adam Dalgleish books? Do you read them in order? Or as I do, when they come your way?