The Black Tower Audiobook By P. D. James cover art

The Black Tower

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The Black Tower

By: P. D. James
Narrated by: Penelope Dellaporta
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The fifth mystery in the acclaimed and best-selling Adam Dalgliesh series by “the reigning mistress of murder” (Time), P.D. James.

Just recovered from a grave illness, Commander Adam Dalgliesh is called to the bedside of an elderly priest. When Dalgliesh arrives, Father Baddeley is dead. Is it merely his own brush with mortality that causes Dalgliesh to sense the shadow of death about to fall once more?

©2008 Louis Bayard (P)2008 Random House Audio Historical Mystery Fiction

Critic reviews

"Splendid, macabre" (London Sunday Telegraph)

"The Black Tower is a masterpiece." (London Sunday Times)

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Interesting Plot • Intriguing Storyline • Competent Narration • Compelling Protagonist • Complex Hero
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What made the experience of listening to The Black Tower the most enjoyable?

The Black Tower is one of my favorite PBS movies and the book does not disappoint.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes. It was hard to discern the motive for the killings.

Which scene was your favorite?

The revelation of the murderer and subsequent battle with Adam

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

No

Any additional comments?

No

Outstanding

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After now having read all of “P D James” Adam Dalgliesh stories, this particular one drags on and on until you get to an anticlimactic, mawkish finish.

It is sad since all of the other Adam Dalgliesh stories (w/ the added exception of “Devices and Desires”) have been quite enjoyable!

Drags on and on.

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I think the difficulty is the narrator makes everyone sound so much alike that it is difficult to distinguish what is going on with different charactersAnd therefore the last chapter seemed like a sudden tie up of the loose ends

Narrator issues

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Put off if you're already gloomy. The book is likely to exacerbate your mood by quadrupling it. Or, enjoy anyway!

Caveat: One of Her Best, But...

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I have read other P.D. James novels and I must say that the others were of a better writing quality and kept my attention rivited. But still a good read in the car.

Ok..but not great

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do not like stories written about male investigators being read by high piercing squeeky voice. i wont buy more audible of Dagleisch (?sp) narrated by this wowan. i would rather listen to "text to speech" where the computer voice reads it, where i can choose male voice to read it.

need to match narrator to story hero

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the narrator does not fit the story and takes away from the mood of story. Would prefer males voices for AD.

One of my PD James favorites; however,

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Where does The Black Tower rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

A little above average, but I only download good audiobooks.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Not really. A good portion of the books was telling you about the characters and laying out various red herrings.

Have you listened to any of Penelope Dellaporta’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No.

Any additional comments?

Dalgleish sort of stumbles into the solution rather than detecting it. He doesn't have his usual crew of supporters in this tale - he's trying to recover his health and visit an old friend, but of course a murder presents itself and he has to solve it. He ends up in a bit of trouble at the end, but is able to escape.

Typical P D James.

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This Dalgliesh takes forever to resolve, but the plot is truly interesting. Dalgliesh is characteristically tenacious and intelligent, a handsome hero.

A veritable cliff hanger

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Another excellent P.D. James book ruined by the histrionics of Penelope Dellaporta. The locations and characters are all very interesting. Dalgliesh is a strong protagonist. But then, there is the screeching! Cover Your Ears.

The Black Tower

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