A Taste for Death (Adam Dalgliesh Series #7) Book

I had read the author's dystopian novel, Children of Men, a long time back. But, This was my first Adam Dalgliesh novel. I had heard a great deal about the author's mystery novels and started the book with very high expectations.

The book starts with the discovery of two bodies in the vestry of a church. One of the victims was a homeless drunk, but the other was Sir Paul Berowne, a wealthy aristocrat as well as a conservative MP.

Thus begins the investigation by Commander Adam Dalgliesh and his team, Massingham and Kate. I liked the character of Dalgliesh - he is a good cop, a good human being and also a poet!

The best thing about the book is the characterization. The narrative is peopled by individuals from all walks of life, and each one has a distinct personality. Oh! Did I mention that the author has done a commendable job of portraying human relationships and how they change over time.

The characters of Kate and Massingham were also quite interesting, especially Kate. There was a silent tension (for the lack of a better word) them, but there was also mutual respect. I liked the fact that the cops were not cardboard cutouts but humans of flesh and blood, with their strengths and frailties. Not only the cops but most of the characters in the novel were quite well fleshed out.

Dalgliesh is not a one man army. He would need the unique strengths and perspectives of his team members.

Dalgliesh had known and respected Sir Berowne before the murder, and had sympathies for him. Sir Berowne was a tragic character himself. In his own words " Most of the things I expected to value in life have come to me through death. He was a decent man but death used to surround him and his family life was not a very happy one. He had some religious revelation and was seeking a different turn in his life, but his brutal murder put an end to all his dreams.

As the investigation would progress, a lot of unsavory secrets around Sir Berowne's family and acquaintances would be revealed. There would be multiple potential suspects with strong motives.
Honestly speaking, the book was extremely slow in the beginning. There were multiple digressions and too much of detailed descriptions of places. At times reading it was a task. The book demands your patience and it is not a quick read. However, if you can manage to hold on, you will find the story would slowly become more and more engrossing.

I certainly enjoyed the book and do not regret investing time in it. Then why did I give it a 3 star rating? Actually I believe it deserves a score of 3.5, but I didn't want to round it off to 4.

By the way, this book features in the list of Top 100 Crime Novels published by the Crime Writers' Association (UK) in 1990.