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Commander Adam Dalgliesh of Scotland Yard goes to Larksoken, Norfolk to sort out the cottage he has inherited from his late aunt. On a walk, he finds the body of Hillary Robarth, Acting Administrative Officer of the local nuclear power plant. A serial killer known as “The Whistler” has committed several murders in the area and this one has the same m.o. Dalgliesh helps local police with the investigation.

I listened to the audio edition of Devises and Desires, published by BBC Worldwide Ltd. It is number 8 in the (Adam Dalgliesh Mysteries) series by P.D. James. We follow Commander Adam Dalgliesh of Scotland Yard as he goes to Larksoken in Norfolk to clear out his late aunt’s cottage he has recently inherited. Acting Administrative Officer of the local nuclear power plant Hillary Robarth is found strangled on the beach close to Dalgliesh’s cottage. This is made to look like one of “The Whistler”’s works, but it’s a copycat. “The Whistler” was already dead at the time of the murder.

Devises and Desires was first published in 1989, 3 years after the Tsjernobyl nuclear disaster. The exciting and relevant plot includes nuclear and environmental issues which was very real and present in people’s minds at the time and is engagingly dealt with in the plot.

Main character is Scotland Yard Commander Adam Dalgliesh is the analytical character who manages to help tie up all lose ends in this story. As a hero he comes across as slightly quiet, but seems very dependable and stable. One I could put my trust in. He is my favorite of the story.

Secondary character Dr Alex Mare is Director at the nuclear plant. He had an affair with the victim 3-4 months ago, which seems to have not quite ended. He strung the victim along ever since, while having a new affair with the wife of a local environmental activist. I find him really unsympathetic and my least favorite in this story.

My favorite part of this story was the entertaining and enjoyable way the dialogue was acted out by British actors. It felt reminiscent of a radio play where I could make out the visuals myself.

P.D. James managed to include a mix of issues like environmental extremism, blackmail, adultery, gay-lesbian and suicide among others. There were quite a few twists along the way so my suspicions went in a different direction. The ending was a complete surprise to me.

The audio edition of Devises and Desires, is the exciting #8 installment in the (Adam Dalgliesh Mysteries) series by P.D. James. The plot has a nuclear and environmental theme highly relevant today and the audio edition was expertly acted out by British actors. I enjoy P.D. James’ work so much; I am on a quest to pick up on the remaining ones I have not yet read.
Fans of P.D. James will enjoy this work, as will readers of crime fiction. Similar authors to explore might be Elizabeth George or Colin Dexter.
Thank you to Kristiansand Folkebibliotek for lending me the audio edition which gave me the opportunity to share my honest review. All opinions are completely my own.

Rating: 4 stars / 5
Main reasons: Relevant plot, Interesting characters, Great dialogue

Det er noen år siden jeg leste Devices and Desires, men jeg er enig med deg at det var en sjeldent velskreven krim med gode forankring i svært så aktuelle samfunnsspørsmål.