The
Private Patient
An
Adam
Dalgliesh Mystery
P.
D.
James
Vintage
(Trade Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-307-45528-9 (0307455289)
ISBN-13: 978-0-307-45528-4 (9780307455284)
Publication Date: November 2009
List Price: $15.00
Synopsis (from
the publisher): Cheverell Manor is a beautiful old house in Dorset,
which its owner, the famous plastic surgeon George Chandler-Powell,
uses as a private clinic. When the investigative journalist, Rhoda
Gradwyn, arrives to have a disfiguring facial scar removed, she has
every expectation of a successful operation and a peaceful week
recuperating.
But the clinic houses an implacable enemy and within hours of the
operation Rhoda is murdered. Commander Dalgliesh and his team are
called in to investigate a case complicated by old crimes and the dark
secrets of the past. Before Rhoda's murder is solved, a second horrific
death adds to the complexities of one of Dalgliesh's most perplexing
and fascinating cases.
Review:
Scotland
Yard Commander Adam Dalgliesh investigates the murder of an
investigative reporter in an isolated, secure manor house, in The Private Patient,
the 14th
mystery in this series by P. D. James.
Rhoda Gradwyn may have the title of investigative journalist, but she's
really a gossipmonger. And she's very good at her job. At the age of
13, she was hit in the face with a broken whiskey bottle, courtesy of
her irate, abusive, and drunken father. The attack left a grotesque
scar on the side of her face. Thirty-four years later, she decides to
have plastic surgery to remove the disfiguration. When her doctor,
George Chandler Powell, asks why now, her cryptic reply is that she no
longer has need of it. Rather than have the surgery in London, she
elects to have the procedure done at Chandler Powell's private clinic
at his home, Cheverell Manor in Dorset. It's private and her security
can be guaranteed. Or so she thinks. Two days after the surgery, she is
found dead in her bed, strangled. Dalgliesh and his team are called in
to investigate, and they immediately focus on members of Chandler
Powell's household and clinic staff. Which leads Dalgliesh to wonder if
Rhoda Gradwyn was, in fact, the sole victim here. Might someone be
trying to discredit the doctor as well?
The list of suspects is surprisingly long, from Chandler Powell's
surgical assistant, nurse, secretary, and bookkeeper to his household,
even his sister. And there were also several patients in residence at
the time. It seems no one was particularly fond of Rhoda, most fearing
that upon leaving she would give a scathing report on her stay there.
Still, no one has a solid motive. But as Dalgliesh digs deeper, it
becomes apparent that there is more to this murder. Why did Rhoda
choose this particular physician? Why choose the manor clinic over a
more convenient London hospital? Did one dictate the other? Hidden
secrets and old crimes are just a few of the bewildering and
captivating aspects of the case.
The
Private Patient is
in many ways an exceptional manor house-style mystery. The characters,
even the minor ones, are fully developed, vital and vibrant, the
location appropriately moody and atmospheric. The keenly developed plot
includes twists that are as unexpected as they are unpredictable. There
are hints that this may be Dalgliesh's final case, and if so, it's a
grand way to end a long, distinguished, and memorable career.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of The Private Patient and to Random House for providing a trade paperback edition of the book for this review.
Review Copyright © 2009 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Have you read The Private Patient? How would you rate it?
Mysteries in this series …
Cover
Her Face
Scribner (Hardcover), January 1962
ISBN-10:
ISBN-13
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Mind to Murder
Scribner (Hardcover), January 1963
ISBN-10:
ISBN-13:
Unnatural
Causes
Scribner (Hardcover), January 1967
ISBN-10:
ISBN-13:
A
Shroud for a Nightingale
Scribner (Hardcover), September 1971
ISBN-10: 0-684-12372-X (068412372X)
ISBN-13: 978-0-684-12372-1 (9780684123721)
The
Black Tower
Scribner (Hardcover), August 1975
ISBN-10: 0-684-14263-5 (0684142635)
ISBN-13: 978-0-684-14263-0 (9780684142630)
Death
of an Expert Witness
Scribner (Hardcover), November 1977
ISBN-10: 0-684-15267-3 (0684152673)
ISBN-13: 978-0-684-15267-7 (9780684152677)
A
Taste for Death
Knopf (Hardcover), November 1986
ISBN-10: 0-394-55583-X (039455583X)
ISBN-13: 978-0-394-55583-6 (9780394555836)
Devices
and Desires
Knopf (Hardcover), January 1990
ISBN-10: 0-394-58070-2 (0394580702)
ISBN-13: 978-0-394-58070-8 (9780394580708)
Original
Sin
Knopf (Hardcover), December 1995
ISBN-10: 0-679-43889-0 (0679438890)
ISBN-13: 978-0-679-43889-2 (9780679438892)
A
Certain Justice
Knopf (Hardcover), December 1997
ISBN-10: 0-375-40109-1 (0375401091)
ISBN-13: 978-0-375-40109-1 (9780375401091)
Death
in Holy Orders
Knopf (Hardcover), May 2001
ISBN-10: 0-375-41255-7 (0375412557)
ISBN-13: 978-0-375-41255-4 (9780375412554)
The
Murder Room
Knopf (Hardcover), November 2003
ISBN-10: 1-4000-4141-4 (1400041414)
ISBN-13: 978-1-4000-4141-1 (9781400041411)
Lighthouse
Knopf (Hardcover), November 2005
ISBN-10: 0-307-26291-X (030726291X)
ISBN-13: 978-0-307-26291-2 (9780307262912)
The Private Patient
Knopf (Hardcover), November 2008
ISBN-10: 0-307-27077-7 (0307270777)
ISBN-13: 978-0-307-27077-1 (9780307270771)
Omnimystery
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Location(s) referenced: Dorset, England.
