Original Sin Audiobook

" This is the James book that I came closest to disliking. It really is okay. The reason why is because the ending does not make sense; it isn't fully believable in the terms of one character, a character that James, for once, did not do a good job on. If you have never read P. D. James before, don't start with this one. Start with The Murder Room or A Certain Justice. "

" Not one of my favourite P.D.James. I suppose as a writer myself, the idea of murder in a publishing house appealed but the denouement when it came was so subtle and not a little too contrived. None of the characters had much to like about them and there was a lot of "head hopping" (different characters points of view within one scene) that gets quite tedious. Characters were introduced and then never referred to again. As for the police, I always find Dalgleish a little pompous and sanctimonious and I am not sure Daniel Aaron's final actions were consistent with his character. Still, she is a master of her craft and they are always enjoyable reads. I give her full marks for not telegraphing the murderer. I was suitably surprised! "

" I read this mystery over a long time which I'm sure lessened my desire to solve the mystery, yet I still enjoyed the story. I really liked the setting: a small publishing house. This was my first time reading James and I'd definitely read her books again, she's a good writer with great characterization. "

" Very good. Probably one of the least complex PD James but still layered with excellent characters. "

" Lovely! How could I not love this book? Mystery, London, publishing milieu, the Thames as a recurring character. Wonderful. Smart as a whip. "

" I identified with these characters - not least because they worked in publishing - so I liked this best of the Dalgliesh mysteries I've read so far, but the modern British context isn't as interesting to me. I guess I like the bonus education that comes with reading historical fiction. "

" Not one of her best. "

" The most sci-fi of the James canon, this is is the one in which the human race has become infertile. It's fine, but for me just doesn't have the oomph of her mysteries. "

" Competent, literate mystery: murder at the Peverell Press "

" Great mystery, but almost too much background detail leading up to the pertinent clues and suspects. "

" I read this type of book compulsively but that doesn't mean that it is "life changing". I enjoyed the complexity of the plot; not so much the character development. "

" A classic detective story that takes place in London. Very good "

" James is the best when it comes to murder, and this is a classic. Sadly only a few people get axed, but the suspense is excellent. "

" Wonderfully gripping until the end which is a true cop-out. "

" Good story but soooo long because of excessive descriptions (such as what a customer looked like including clothes although the customer occupied one paragraph in the entire novel. "

" Unexpected plot twists, surprise ending. Excellent! "

" A very good crime mystery, even if some if the characters and locations were a bit hard to believe in. "

" I liked this PD James quite a bit--great characters, although I figured out the killer and that is unusual "

" Very well done on Audio. "

" I always enjoy PD James. She writes well and has an exceptional grasp of English. This novel was an interesting foray into a area of history she doesn't write about frequently. If you enjoy a complex, well written murder mystery you will always enjoy reading PD James. "

" This book was excellent! I've been reading P.D. James' books in the order that she wrote them, and her writing and plotting move to another level with this book. The last part of the book is beautiful. "

" A mystery. I don't remember any more about it. I like James. "

" Did not finish this pondering murder mystery after devoting 2 weeks to it. Good writing, but I think I'm a victim of modern day lack of attention span. Actually, I just don't like mysteries. "

" I love P.D.James's novels - so well crafted. "

" Solid British murder/mystery from a master of the genre. "

" Wonderfully gripping until the end which is a true cop-out. "

" Another great one. This time I almost guessed it! Wow. Also, nice and long. "

" A lot of repressed British characters. Hard to keep track of all the players. "

" A classic English murder mystery. Very English, complete with lavish descriptions of London, gardens, buildings, etc. Interesting characters, with the "usual" unexpected story twist at the end. "

" There were very interesting parts interspersed w/ some boring parts. "

" Fascinating and well-written but sometimes too much detail. "

" Not one of her best. "

" Not really my kind of book. "

" This one was so slow, plodding. Alot of character description. The plot, the who done it got pushed off to the end. Nearly all the clues came together near the end. 75% covered all the different characters being clueless as to who, what did the deeds. Suspense was weak. "

" I have liked all of the mysteries by P. D. James that I've read and this one I thought was one of her best. The characters are complex and the central mystery intriguing. The ending was unexpected and ironic. "

" I like James' writing--it is very rich and detailed. This story was very bittersweet. "

" I have liked all of the mysteries by P. D. James that I've read and this one I thought was one of her best. The characters are complex and the central mystery intriguing. The ending was unexpected and ironic. "

" It has been years, but Original Sin still stands out in my memory as the best mystery I have ever read. Unlike some genre fiction, it is wonderful literature as well as "mysterious". "

" My first rendezvous with P.D. James. I wasn't disappointed. It's a nice leisurely read with a TON of character development. "

" This is the 6th PD James I have read. I thought it moved a little slowly but I really enjoyed the ending so, would recommend. "

" Terrible. Just awful. I thought I liked PD James but this was barley readable. About once every 80 pages there'd be a nice passage but otherwise just boring with too strange an ending that came out of nowhere. Bleh. "

" James doesn't write just mystery stories. She elevates the genre to literary novel. She's great. "

" This one was so slow, plodding. Alot of character description. The plot, the who done it got pushed off to the end. Nearly all the clues came together near the end. 75% covered all the different characters being clueless as to who, what did the deeds. Suspense was weak. "

" Another good PD James - quite a decent twist I didn't expect. "

" Too many characters and a lot of superfluous padding. Tried to get into it but it didn't engage me. Had to check back for names and links but all the while I just wanted to skip to the end and get it over with. "

" This one was so slow, plodding. Alot of character description. The plot, the who done it got pushed off to the end. Nearly all the clues came together near the end. 75% covered all the different characters being clueless as to who, what did the deeds. Suspense was weak. "

" A very good crime mystery, even if some if the characters and locations were a bit hard to believe in. "

" This is the best so far for James. lot's of suspects. Ending is a blow away. Dalgliesh is right up there with Pendergast. As a fan of James, you will love this one. "

" James doesn't write just mystery stories. She elevates the genre to literary novel. She's great. "

" just started this book...not sure what to think yet. Well, gave up on this book in that I just could not get into it. Moved on to next book. "

" There were very interesting parts interspersed w/ some boring parts. "

" I love P.D.James's novels - so well crafted. "

" Wonderful plot. I liked it. "

" This one seemed laden with extraneous details and not much excitement. Her character development was very thorough, as usual. "

" I love PD James and her rich--rich as plum cake--descriptions of London, the river, her imagined publishing house in its lush Venetian-like setting. I did wonder if the Nazi part of the plot didn't need more of a setup, but it worked. "

" I just don't like James much. What can I say? "

" Full of gruesome deaths and unsympathetic characters. The worst P.D. James book I've read so far. "

" Very good. Probably one of the least complex PD James but still layered with excellent characters. "

" This book was probably one of my favorite by PD James...Jame writing can sometimes drag on, but this one was constant action and getting to know very quirky characters. "

" Murder at a publishing house. As usual, PD James builds up an interesting environment - but her murderers and endings leave a little to be desired. "