James spends almost a quarter of the book introducing us to the characters on the island, setting up the murder, and giving us all the different motives for the various characters. However, that's not quite enough to save this plot that is much less intricate than I'm used to from her, solved in an apparent revelation by Dalgliesh when he's lying ill. Even in James' worst books, her grasp of interesting character interaction makes her a joy to read. In fact, I raced through it as I was wanted to know what happened.

It's not that I didn't enjoy The Lighthouse.

This is complicated by a disease outbreak, one that brings Miskin to the fore and tests her resolve as well as her investigative talent. Motives abound for most of the guests and staff on the island, and it's up to Dalgliesh to find the truth before anybody else happens to fall victim. He brings his assistant, Detective Inspector Kate Miskin, and his new Sergeant, Francis Benton-Smith, to help him. The British government wants to use the island as a place for an important conference in a few months, so they call in Commander Adam Dalgliesh to solve the murder as quickly and efficiently as possible.

When I was done, I was struck by something: this was rather pedestrian.Ĭombe, a lonely island off of the Cornish coast of England where senior VIPs from all over England's aristocracy come to convalesce, is the site of a horrible murder of the acclaimed writer Nathan Oliver. No boring gunshots for her! So I sat down, ready to enjoy some of James' character-building as well as her wonderful prose and thoughtful mysteries. There's always something interesting going on behind it, and she never kills a character the same way. One aspect of James' stories that I've always loved is her refusal to have a basic murder. I had some exposure to Kate Miskin, Adam Dalgliesh's assistant, but I had never heard of Francis Benton-Smith. Thus I came to The Lighthouse unfamiliar with the current status of some of the characters. James mystery novels, though I haven't found the time to read the last few. The Lighthouse: An Adam Dalgliesh MysteryĬlick here to read reviewer Shampa Chatterjee's take on The Lighthouse. The Lighthouse: An Adam Dalgliesh Mystery- book review

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