Death in Holy Orders: An Adam Dalgliesh Mystery: 11

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I remembered the setting & the characters Father Martin, Father Sebastian and Eric from my first read. Book takes place at an Anglo-Catholic theological college, Saint Anselm's, on the isolated, wild and windy East Anglican coast. Setting was 5 star & most of the characters were very well drawn. This time around I was bothered though by the very sympathetic portrayal of one of the characters, Father John, a convicted pedophile. There are some hints that perhaps he wasn't guilty at all, certainly there's explanations that he was only accused of fondling, but somehow, today, this is hard to justify. I assume James is trying to portray moral ambiguity, the grayness of guilt in her characters. The only main theme one can pull from this rather pretentious little novel is that pigs do not stink. It seems as though the author is a pig enthusiast and can't bear the thought that so many people think they have an unpleasant odor. I think Tara’s summary, in line with others, that the weaknesses of this book are the motive for murder and excusing of sexual abuse, is exactly right.

This is relevant to the present situation in that it shows that Dalgliesh has a prodigious memory, that he is a keen observer with a penchant for details, and that he has a sensibility that facilitates his development of relationships, perhaps even with potential suspects. James’s detective is not at all the two-dimensional sleuth of most mysteries, a caricature composed of a bundle of idiosyncrasies. He is a self-effacing professional, secure about his position and happy to have aides make crucial, enlightening discoveries. When asked if he is happy, widower Dalgliesh replies: “I have health, a job I enjoy; enough food, comfort, occasional luxuries if I feel the need of them, my poetry. Given the state of three-quarters of the world’s poor, wouldn’t you say that unhappiness would be a perverse indulgence?” It is ruled an accidental death, but the possibility of suicide -- and, of course, of murder -- can not be excluded. There is, in fact, an Arbuthnot resident at St. Anselm's -- Raphael, a student there, and the last of the Arbuthnots -- but unfortunately he is a bastard child, left by his mother at St. Anselm's doorstep as an infant. It appears to have been a natural one, though in this case the reader already knows for certain that it was not.I don't want to give any of the plot away. The drama is set in the East Anglian coast at a Theological College, where men train to become priest. Adam Dalgish is called to investigate, after the death of one of the students and after the boy's wealthy Father insist on knowing what happened to his son. No sooner Adam Dalgish arrives, there are more murders. I have read previous reviewers who mention the paedophile priest. This storyline was only mentioned 3 times in the entire book and was in no way part of the story so do not let you put you off. Despite that, everyone except the 'baddie' who is murdered loves him, including Dalgleish himself and his new love interest so James makes it very clear that we as readers are supposed to side with them: as one character says 'He pleaded guilty to misbehaviour with two young boys. He didn't rape them, he didn't seduce them, he didn't physically hurt them' - so in James' world and that of the book, a bit of covert fondling and illegal touching of young boys is perfectly fine - he might not have 'physically' hurt them, but any psychological trauma from being assaulted by their priest is airily waved away. Secondly the entire motive for the murderer doesn't make a grain of sense. This person had no regard for the person he was benefiting by committing the murders as he made perfectly clear on a number of occasions. That being so, why murder anyone? Listened to the audio version of this; read the book soon after it was published in 2001. I've gone through all the Adam Dalgliesh mysteries and remembered this as one of the best. But, now, on a second round, I was distracted by other things in the story.

Others present include only a few of the students, the Fathers, the resident help, a visiting lecturer, Emma Lavenham, and a researcher, Clive Stannard. Dalgliesh visits Saint Anselm's in a semi-official capacity to follow up the death of a student some time previously as the student's father was not satisfied with the verdict. Whilst there, a visiting archdeacon is murdered. Dalgliesh is assigned the investigation, summoning DI Miskin and DI Tarrant from London to assist, as well as local officers. Initial suspicion falls on one of the priests who run and teach at the college, as the archdeacon was known to be recommending the closure of the college. In this novel, Dalgliesh meets and begins a relationship with Dr Emma Lavenham, a visiting teacher from the University of Cambridge. What I enjoyed about this book was the use of the imagery of the sea in connection with religion. Religion was clearly something that James pondered quite a bit, but she ultimately valued cleverness over religion and even sound ethics:Two more murders follow and, after all present have been questioned, several secrets become known - including the fact that one of the students is unknowingly the son of one of the lay lecturers and that, through his mother, he will inherit the property, should it be closed and sold. Forensic evidence clinches the case against the lecturer and he confesses. The college is closed and the student inherits the proceeds.