Unnatural Causes: The classic murder mystery from the 'Queen of English crime' (Guardian)
About this ebook
'A legend.' VAL MCDERMID
'P. D. James took the classic crime novel and turned up the dial.' MICK HERRON
'The most ingeniously undetectable murder method since Dorothy L. Sayers.' SCOTSMAN
PERFECT FOR FANS OF VAL MCDERMID, RUTH RENDELL AND ELLY GRIFFITHS
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An unfinished manuscript. A murder stranger than fiction.
Battered by the conclusion of a particularly brutal murder case in London, Superintendent Adam Dalgliesh has escaped for a hard-earned break, which he plans to spend taking long walks with his aunt and doing a little bird-watching in the Suffolk countryside.
But all hope of peace is shattered by murder, when the mutilated body of local crime writer Maurice Seaton is discovered floating in a dinghy near Dalgliesh's rural idyll. Faced with such a macabre crime, Dalgliesh feels compelled to join the investigation - but as he delves into the dead man's secrets, the case seems poised to take another murderous turn . . .
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'Cleverly plotted . . . full of telling detail.' Edmund Crispin, Sunday Times
'Wonderful evocative writing - a thriller of the highest calibre. Just loved this book and would recommend to anyone who enjoys superbly crafted detective fiction.' 5* reader review
'A very engrossing whodunit with a real sense of location and character. It left me wanting to visit Suffolk and hear a wind coming off the sea, so fierce that you cannot stand upright against it . . . Thoroughly enjoyable.' 5* reader review
**Now a major Channel 5 series**
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READERS LOVE THE ADAM DALGLEISH SERIES:
'Adam Dalgleish is one of the best characters in modern detective fiction.' 5* reader review
'If you are not already an Adam Dalgliesh fan, I urge you to become one . . . James can describe a scene or delineate a character with precision and depth, like no other writer I have read . . . I usually stay up all night to read a P. D. James novel once I start one.' 5* reader review
'I would never give less than 5 stars to any P. D. James book. She is one of a kind, always constant, always wonderful writing, always great characters, and always a good mystery that you cannot put down.' 5* reader review
'P.D. James writes mysteries for ordinary people. Her characters are relatable and her hero is dynamic. But don't expect cell phones or computers. Her stories are strictly old school, which is what I love about them.' 5* reader review
'Crime writing at its very best!' 5* reader review
PRAISE FOR P. D. JAMES:
'P. D. James is the crème de la crème of crime writers. Her books are shrewd puzzles, full of wit and depth.' IAN RANKIN
'Nobody can put the reader in the eye of the storm quite like P. D. James.' SUNDAY EXPRESS
'One of the literary greats. Her sense of place was exquisite, characterisation and plotting unrivalled.' MARI HANNAH
'James manages a depth and intelligence that few in her trade can match.' THE TIMES
'There are very few thriller writers who can compete with P. D. James at her best.' SPECTATOR
'The queen of English crime.' GUARDIAN
Ratings and reviews
About the author
P. D. James (1920-2014) was a bestselling and internationally acclaimed crime writer best known for her books starring poet-detective Adam Dalgliesh. She wrote nineteen novels as well as several short story collections and works of non-fiction. Her work has been translated into thirty-six languages, and has sold millions of copies worldwide. Among many international prizes, awards and honours, she received the highest honours in both British and American crime writing: the CWA Diamond Dagger for a lifetime contribution to the genre, and the Mystery Writers of America Grandmaster Award. She was inducted into the Crime Writing Hall of Fame in 2008.
Beyond her writing, she worked in the National Health Service and then in the Home Office for over thirty years, first in the Police Department and later in the Criminal Policy Department, and made use of all this experience in her novels. She served as president of the Society of Authors for sixteen years, and was a Fellow of both the Royal Society of Literature and of the Royal Society of Arts. In 1983 she was awarded an OBE, and she was made a life peer in 1991. She died in 2014.
