The Lighthouse

This latest by the reigning queen of British mystery translates wonderfully to audio, thanks to a keenly adept rendering by the marvelous Charles Keating. Keating takes on the larger-than-life mantle of poet and super sleuth Adam Dalgliesh and makes it a perfect fit. James's remote setting, an island off the Cornish coast, comes complete with a select group of possible culprits and a victim you'd just as soon murder yourself. Soon tension is at a fever pitch. Factors making James such a well-loved author are the complexity and richness of her plots and characters, attributes that Keating mines to the fullest with his textured interpretations of personality and his perfect timing. About as close to perfect as they come. D.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine

February 6, 2006
If—as some reviewers have speculated—The Lighthouse
marks the end of James's 13-book mystery series about policeman/poet Adam Dalgliesh, at least in this artful and gripping audio version the commander is going out in style. Gifted veteran actor Keating rises above some familiar plot elements and obvious padding to create a convincing atmosphere set on an isolated private island where burnt-out leaders in the fields of business, politics and art go to rest and recuperate. Keating delineates James's many characters sharply and smoothly—from the top men in the police and foreign office who initiate the investigation through the three very different detectives who show up to probe the mysterious death of a noted and much-disliked novelist and find themselves in the middle of another murder. Dalgliesh is even calmer than usual, much of his mind still back in London with his new love interest. Insp. Kate Miskin is also preoccupied by the attentions of a former colleague, and Sgt. Francis Benton-Smith—his eye on the prize of promotion—sees Miskin as a hurdle in the road to success. Dedicated James fans should find this pleasant listening. Simultaneous release with the Knopf hardcover (Reviews, Oct. 17).

October 17, 2005
British master James's 13th Adam Dalgliesh mystery, like its two predecessors, The Murder Room
(2003) and Death in Holy Orders
(2001), focuses at first on a hostile character who threatens to shatter a longstanding way of life. Acclaimed novelist Nathan Oliver incurs the wrath of his fellow residents on Combe Island, a private property off the Cornish coast used as an exclusive retreat by movers and shakers in many fields. When Oliver is murdered, Scotland Yard dispatches Dalgliesh and two of his team to Combe, where the commander checks alibis and motives in his trademark understated manner. Because the detective's new romantic attachment is more of a backstory than in The Murder Room
, it intrudes less on the murder inquiry. The solution, which hinges on the existence of an unknown child, is less than fully satisfactory and also borrows elements from some of James's recent plots. Devotees more interested in her hero's personal growth than his deductive technique will find much to enjoy. 300,000 first printing; author tour.