Reviews for Crime times three

The average rating for Crime times three based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2011-06-28 00:00:00 Clara Sletter P.D. James always comes up as a recommended mystery writer, and I had a hankering for a mystery, so I decided to check out her longest running detective, Adam Dalgleish. All the single editions of the first book were checked out, so I got this omnibus edition, and of course I felt compelled to read all 3. I'm glad I did, too, because I liked the 3rd one best. The first 2 are good literary puzzles. James does that thing where you're in 2nd person but the narrator takes on the voice of the character gradually, without going into first person. It's hard to do, and she does it well. So her mysteries are like ensemble character studies of whichever place each murder occurs. The 3rd one really hits its stride, though. It has more atmosphere and I felt like James was more confident in characterizing Dalgleish. But I wish she'd describe the physical characteristics of everyone. She picks and chooses. I try not to guess the killer when I read mysteries because I am either totally wrong or I guess the killer and then change my mind and get frustrated when I learn I was right in the first place. It's hard not to guess when you're reading these because everyone in the book is talking and guessing, but I didn't feel compelled to put all my chips on one suspect, and I liked that. I learned a word, too: exophthalmic. James has a thing for blondes with protruding eyes. Apparently.

Review # 2 was written on 2011-10-08 00:00:00 Thomas Dinges she reigns in character development within a mystery plot line!