Book Review - "A Mind to Murder" by P.D. James

In December, I ranked the mystery novels of P.D. James. The post was the culmination of many years reading and ranking and I was ultimately satisfied with the results of this experiment except for one title. Ranked number 16 of 17 books was James’ second novel, A Mind to Murder, originally published in 1963. I had to admit that I felt uneasy about this position: I had only read the book once, in the summer of 2021, and in that time, I had managed to forget most of it. I vowed to revisit A Mind to Murder and determine whether this ranking was ultimately justified or if my list warranted a redux. I was fascinated at what I discovered.

A Mind to Murder is not only James’ second-published novel, but also the return of Adam Dalgliesh, now promoted to Superintendent status at Scotland Yard. Dalgliesh, introduced here attending a literary function to promote the release of his second volume of poetry, is called away from this social gathering to investigate a grotesque murder at the Steen Clinic in London. The Steen, we learn, is a prestigious psychiatric clinic catering to a select group of wealthy patients all of whom are treated by a staff of psychologists and psychiatrists whose skill is matched only by their discretion. Yet, someone has stabbed to death the clinic’s administrative director, Miss Bolam, who is discovered dead in the basement records room with a chisel in her heart and a crude wooden carving lying on top of her body. It falls to Dalgliesh to sift through the complex web of professional and personal relationships inside the Steen Clinic to uncover the identity of the cold-hearted killer.

Having now read almost all of P.D. James’ novels (Children of Men and Death Comes to Pemberly still outstanding), I think it is fair to suggest that there is a formula to her books – the Adam Dalgliesh mysteries especially. James habitually takes time to build up the setting of her mysteries, filling out the world with a group of characters, and usually singling out one of these people as the perspective victim. The reader is presented with a deep dive into the – to cull a phrase from one of James’ later books – the Devices and Desires of these characters, exploring their often-fraught relationships and ultimate motives for murder. Only then, once this foundation has been well-laid, does the murder actually take place, Dalgliesh arrives on the scene, and we follow the police procedure from start to finish. There are exceptions that prove the rule, and A Mind to Murder is one of those outliers. In my copy of the book, the body of the clinic administrator, Miss Bolam, is found on page 18 and Dalglish is arriving to begin his investigation only a couple of pages later. In this way, A Mind to Murder is a unique inverse of the standard Jamesian formula. We do learn more about the characters that populate the novel and James does her customarily excellent job in fleshing them all out, but a good deal of police procedure and active investigation has already taken place before we are privy to all the habitual psychological insight.

All of this is liable to make the reader feel like they have plunged into the deep-end of the pool when reading A Mind to Murder. There are a lot of names thrown at you in the opening pages of the book and even a seasoned mystery reader like me had some difficulty in keeping them all straight. I was especially pleased, then, when the narrative slowed down and I was able to get a handle on who all these characters were and came to grips with which ones were essential to the narrative and which were not. (Though James is harkening back to the Golden Age tradition of a closed circle of suspects, she rounds out the cast list of her books with characters who are still afforded a good deal of page real estate but who are never seriously considered as potential murderers. In stark contrast, think how Agatha Christie does not delve into the world of the other train carriages in Murder on the Orient Express and you have summed up one of the key fundamental differences between these two Queens of Crime.)

I was also pleasantly surprised by how strong the mystery plot of this novel is too. In time, we learn that Miss Bolam was not well-liked by the staff of the Steen Clinic and there are plenty of tantalizing motives that are considered before the truth is revealed. Dalgliesh is on fine form in this book; indeed, we see rather more of him than we did in James’ debut, Cover Her Face, and his investigation feels much more active. In the novel’s closing stages, he uncovers a nasty blackmailing scheme which proves that the prestigious sheen of the clinic has harbored far darker secrets than anyone could have anticipated. And as Dalgliesh’s investigation reaches its zenith, the pace of the novel picks up dramatically. Though James’ books are usually rather quiet and contemplative, one of the most under-appreciated elements of her writing is the breathless suspense which she can manifest as situations become dire for her characters, and here she brilliantly juxtaposes Dalgliesh’s summation of the case with the criminal preparing to kill again. Toss in a neat last-second reversal which justifies Dalgliesh’s nagging suspicion that he has overlooked a crucial bit of the case throughout, and we have one of the most pleasing endings to a P.D. James mystery that I can think of.

Despite the fact that the novel features an elegant, multi-layered plot, compelling cast of characters, and a strikingly portrayed setting in the heart of London, the book never seemed ripe for adaptation. When the Dalgliesh novels were first being adapted for television starring Roy Marsden, it took the creative team 12 years before they tackled A Mind to Murder. The new Dalgliesh series starring Bertie Carvel hasn’t adapted it at all despite the fact that that show has already tackled later, weightier books. Perhaps the novel is a product of its time: patients being treated with LSD is a major component of the plot as are the other antiquated practices of the Steen Clinic which were certainly considered cutting edge at the time of the book’s initial publication. It makes sense, perhaps, that that Roy Marsden version changes so many aspects of the novel’s plot that to call it a straightforward adaptation feels disingenuous. The action is transposed from London to the Suffolk coast (strikingly photographed on location), eliminates and combines characters, and introduces a second murder and a third attempted murder. While these changes are hardly gratuitous, far less successful is the introduction of a half-baked spy plot and Dalgliesh mourning the death of his partner who was killed during a hostage situation. What’s more, the adaptation’s mud-soaked finale taking place on a boggy tidal island is embarrassing for all involved. (Also, not for nothing, Marsden, usually impeccably dressed throughout the series, is encumbered here in an unflattering double-breasted suit that does nothing for him as a performer.)

A Mind to Murder was a really pleasant re-read. I can see how fans of traditional Golden Age Detective Stories are especially partial to this book; along with Cover Her Face, this book feels the most apiece with that earlier tradition. While I think James’ debut features a set of better-fleshed out characters, A Mind to Murder already feels like the product of a more assured writer. It comes highly recommended from me and you can now find my newly-revised ranking list below.

P.D. James Novels Ranked

1. A Taste For Death

2. Shroud For a Nightingale

3. Original Sin

4. Death of an Expert Witness

5. Unnatural Causes

6. Cover Her Face

7. A Mind to Murder

8. A Certain Justice

9. Innocent Blood

10. The Murder Room

11. The Skull Beneath the Skin

12. Devices and Desires

13. Death in Holy Orders

14. The Black Tower

15. An Unsuitable Job for a Woman

16. The Private Patient

17. The Lighthouse