A Certain Justice

P.D. James

1/3/2000  2/4/2000

Murder in Court...or more appropriately, in Chambers. That can send a chill down your spine. Venetia Aldridge, an English criminal lawyer, is found dead in her office in Chambers. She was stabbed, then the body was posed in a bizarre way. Who killed her? An ex-client who was upset when Aldridge was not able to win an acquittal? Her daughter or boyfriend that Aldridge did not approve? A fellow lawyer or other coworker in Chambers?

When the book opens, Aldridge is defending a young man for the murder of his aunt. She is able to win an acquittal for him. Yet she has no respect for the man and believes he easily could have killed his aunt. She is appalled when her 18 year daughter starts dating that same young man and announces they are to marry. She starts looking for ways to be able to break the couple apart. She is murdered before she is able to do that.

This mystery twists and turns, showing us a dark side that many of us prefer to ignore. Commander Dalgliesh of Scotland Yard faces this murder head on and has his special team helping him. One of his team members find herself facing a past she would like to forget.

There are a lot of undercurrents in this book. The suspects are numerous, even in a fairly tightly regimented area. There are hidden secrets that are slowly revealed. It holds your attention as you try to figure out who done it.

Nefret provided the following review 2/4/2000

I do need to say up front, this book is not for everyone. It contains some graphic and violent areas. That being said, I think it's an excellent book. It is dark but the whole book, in my opinion, is a perfect example of "what goes around, comes around." I especially like the ending, which is not your typical one. It kept me guessing and I finished it feeling very satisfied w/ the book as a whole.

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Cover Her Face
A Mind to Murder
Unnatural Causes
Shroud for a Nightingale
The Black Tower
Death of an Expert Witness
Taste for Death
Devices and Desires
Original Sin
A Certain Justice
Death in Holy Orders
The Murder Room
The Lighthouse