Play Audiobook Sample
A Certain Justice: An Adam Dalgliesh Novel Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(3.01) - 3,352 listener ratings
Quick Stats About this Audiobook
Total Audiobook Chapters:
Longest Chapter Length:
Shortest Chapter Length:
Average Chapter Length:
Audiobooks by this Author:
Publisher Description
It begins, dramatically enough, with a trial for murder. The distinguished criminal lawyer Venetia Aldridge is defending Garry Ashe on charges of having brutally killed his aunt. For Aldridge the trial is mainly a test of her courtroom skills, one more opportunity to succeed--and she does. But now murder is in the air. The next victim will be Aldridge herself, stabbed to death at her desk in her Chambers in the Middle Temple, a bloodstained wig on her head. Enter Commander Adam Dalgliesh and his team, whose struggle to investigate and understand the shocking events cannot halt the spiral into more horrors, more murders... A Certain Justice is P.D. James at her strongest. In her first foray into the strange closed world of the Law Courts and the London legal community, she has created a fascinating tale of interwoven passion and terror. As each character leaps into unforgettable life, as each scene draws us forward into new complexities of plot, she proves yet again that no other writer can match her skill in combining the excitement of the classic detective story with the richness of a fine novel. In its subtle portrayal of morality and human behavior, A Certain Justice will stand alongside Devices and Desires and A Taste for Death as one of P.D. James's most important, accomplished and entertaining works.
Download and start listening now!
"I chose this book because one of my friends recommended it to me. A lawyer named Venetia Albridge is defending a young man who is accused of murdering his mother. To everyone's surprise, she is soon found dead and everyone is suspicious of the boy. I liked the author's style because she made everything sound mysterious. My favorite quote was "When we did talk it was personal". This was my favorite quote because I like the mystery and emotion in it. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read mysteries."
— Anna (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
-
“A skillfully rendered tale of moral justice.”
— Globe and Mail -
“A whacking great whodunit.”
— Calgary Sun -
“A superior murder mystery.”
— Amazon.com, editorial review -
“A page-turning journey…along the darker, twisted byways of human intentions.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Awards
-
A New York Times bestseller
-
A USA Today bestseller
A Certain Justice Listener Reviews
-
" When only a good old-fashioned murder mystery will do, P.D.James doesn't disappoint. In this one, from the late 90s, it seems that everyone who knew the victim, a coldly brilliant criminal defense lawyer, had motive to kill her. Intricate, well written and satisfying, as always. "
— Abby, 2/16/2014 -
" Love the P.D. James. "
— Danette.p, 2/12/2014 -
" It is part of you style to find that nobody has a happy situation. Love is rare. Parents reject their children, nothing positive happens, competition is in every comment or reaction. James seems to delight in the mystery that Dalgliesh solves but cannot prove and so we get a partial justice. These are enjoyable reads and I suspect that this kind of dark, unhappy world is considered necessary for good mystery novels. Rankin seems to paint something of this in the Rebus stories. Cronwell has much the same gloom in her novels. "
— Richard, 1/25/2014 -
" Not a book that's going to blow your mind or anything but it's well crafted, reasonably believable, and rewards paying attention but doesn't require it. "
— Chris, 1/21/2014 -
" I adore whodunits and PD James is very good especially with his so fallible sleuths. "
— Mita, 1/18/2014 -
" P. D. James writes really well, though I think I prefer her earlier mysteries to her later ones. The book was 1/4 of the way through before the mystery proper started (i.e. the murder), and there didn't feel like enough exposition and figuring out clues before the mystery was wrapped up. "
— Duckpondwithoutducks, 1/10/2014 -
" enjoyable PD James murder mystery with multiple suspects. "
— Lillian, 1/8/2014 -
" The plot was gripping, and readers had insight into the villians head, but as a reader I felt detached from the detective and his team. More recent crime thrillers get you inside the heads of the detectives. This is a different style of mystery than I prefer. "
— Bree, 1/6/2014 -
" Ah, P.D. James--masterfully plot. And masterfully told. Have read more than once. "
— Angie, 1/3/2014 -
" it's fun to read. but it's too long. "
— Yesenia, 12/21/2013 -
" Book is about 3 characters woven into one story. I love the Jackson Brodie character in previous stories but felt I was going over old ground with this one. Still enjoyed the read. "
— Noreen, 12/4/2013 -
" The usual juice James murder mystery. "
— Rebecca, 12/2/2013 -
" Another awesome book by one of my all time favorite authors. Man I love her. "
— Maggie, 11/28/2013 -
" Dalgliesh gets involved in a murder that takes place in lawyer's chambers. Couldn't really get into this one. "
— Elaine, 11/27/2013 -
" A Certain Justice was fine for reading with a cold, but I'm not sure I would have had patience to finish it if I'd been healthy. The book is long and detailed but not especially compelling, and most of the many characters are rather thinly drawn. "
— Lisa, 11/22/2013 -
" Great writer! Love the plot twists and British sleuths! "
— Kristin, 11/18/2013 -
" So slow... The main hero was interesting enough, but this novel just didn't move. It was a labor for me to finish and, in the end, I don't think that it was worth it. "
— Scott, 10/20/2013 -
" Okay. I'm still onboard for these Dalgleish books, but . . . this was gruesome. Not nearly so much fun when things are so graphic, in my opinion. "
— Jjanovyak, 10/15/2013 -
" good, now the movie "
— Guisela, 9/26/2013 -
" Not my favorite PD James book... was a bit slower than some of the others... but I can now say I've read all her Dagliesh mysteries. "
— Heidi, 7/11/2013 -
" "Chilling, Awesome Suspense!!" "
— Thomas, 6/6/2013 -
" Good old Adam Dalgliesh, read by Simon Prebble. What's not to love? It was a bit slow at times though. "
— Inger, 2/4/2013 -
" Not one of my favorites of hers. "
— Kate, 12/28/2012 -
" Read only 75 pages. Story never took off. Too slow to develop interest. "
— Hapzydeco, 7/17/2012 -
" P.D. James doesn't flinch in gruesome detail, whether of crime or character. Reading her books are thus like looking at a wreck: a horrible scene from which the reader can't look away. "
— Victoria, 3/1/2012 -
" Excellent crime novel. Well written and plotted crime story where adam dagliesh and his assistants solve the murder of a barrister in her chambers. My first of the series and will be reading the rest of the series. "
— James, 2/23/2012 -
" Probably the best Inspector Daglish book I have read thus far. An incredibly fast read which sucked me in very quickly and didn't stop until the end. "
— Naomi, 2/21/2012 -
" Ah, P.D. James--masterfully plot. And masterfully told. Have read more than once. "
— Angie, 5/18/2011 -
" Your typical P.D. James murder mystery. A great "vacation" read for poolside and airplane time. "
— Julia, 4/14/2011 -
" Ah, what a tangled web she weaves! Another great British detecive mystery. "
— Margery, 2/27/2011 -
" Dalgliesh gets involved in a murder that takes place in lawyer's chambers. Couldn't really get into this one. "
— Elaine, 2/1/2011 -
" Book is about 3 characters woven into one story. I love the Jackson Brodie character in previous stories but felt I was going over old ground with this one. Still enjoyed the read. "
— Noreen, 1/13/2011 -
" Not a book that's going to blow your mind or anything but it's well crafted, reasonably believable, and rewards paying attention but doesn't require it. "
— Chris, 1/1/2011 -
" She's alwaya good, and I really liked this one. Not the typical sevn people stuck together and one is a murderer. "
— Katrina, 12/31/2010 -
" Typical P D James mystery. I liked it. "
— Saugat, 12/27/2010 -
" P.D. James doesn't flinch in gruesome detail, whether of crime or character. Reading her books are thus like looking at a wreck: a horrible scene from which the reader can't look away. "
— Margaret, 11/21/2010 -
" A bit macabre. As usual, filled with strange people. After reading this one, I realized that at some previous time I had also read "The Murder Room." "
— Roberta, 11/13/2010 -
" As usual, PD James delivers an absorbing study of complex human interaction, the nature of evil and the response of the (British) legal and justice system. "
— Jan, 10/13/2010 -
" Another awesome book by one of my all time favorite authors. Man I love her. "
— Maggie, 9/2/2010
About P. D. James
P. D. James (1920–2014), English crime writer, was the author of numerous detective novels, many of which were New York Times bestsellers. She spent thirty years in various departments of the British civil service, including the Police and Criminal Law Departments of the Home Office. She has served as a magistrate and as a governor of the BBC. In 2000 she celebrated her eightieth birthday and published her autobiography, Time to Be in Earnest. The recipient of many prizes and honors, she was named Baroness James of Holland Park in 1991.
About Penelope Dellaporta
Penelope Dellaporta is a published narrator. Some of her published credits include Agatha Christie’s The Secret Adversary and Edith Wharton’s The House Of Mirth.