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Contrary to the past happenings, Combe Island now provides a peaceful and secluded heaven to the world-weary who have sufficient authority and can afford the price. The peace and security of the remote and almost inaccessible Combe is shattered when highly acclaimed author, who is a guest there, is found dead. The novel opens with Adam Dalgliesh being hastily summoned to investigate the murder. Time and discretion are of paramount importance as the ace sleuth and his team tries to unravel the threads of the crime. Famous novelist Nathan Oliver is proving to be an unpopular guest. He is indirectly in confrontation with many, including another guest and scientist Mark Yelland. Residents Emily Halcombe, the last remaining member of the family who owned the island; Jo Staveley, the doctor’s wife; Adrian Boyd, the now reformed alcoholic Anglican priest; Jago, the boatman, and Padgett, a handyman who is planning to leave after the recent death of his mother, are all wary of the author and dislike him. The unfolding plot reveals the complexities and underlying subtleties of their relationships. As the investigations proceed, myriad facts and history inextricably linking the residents and guests come up. Oliver is allowed to visit the island as he wishes, as he was born there. He is there with his daughter and editor, who are having an affair. When a furious Oliver finds out, he orders them to leave the island. The next morning, missing Oliver is discovered hanging from the island’s historic lighthouse. It is found that another guest Dr Speidel, a German diplomat, is the son of a Nazi officer who died under tragic circumstances while visiting the island during World War II. The diplomat adds more than one twist to the tale. He also brings deadly SARS with him. He falls ill. Dalgliesh too is threatened as he falls prey to the worrisome virus. Health authorities put the island under quarantine and then a second murder takes place. With Dalgliesh out of action, his two associates, Detective Inspector Kate Myskin and Anglo-Indian Sergeant Francis Benton-Smith, must discover the murderer post-haste as the remaining residents are under threat from one amongst them. James sets up the
storyline brilliantly as the mystery reaches a crescendo. The climax is
swift as Kate Myskin and Francis Benton-Smith forge a working alliance,
forgetting their differences and prejudices. James is at her best in
presenting her latest literary masterpiece of classic crime. |
THE
latest Adam Dalgliesh mystery by classic crime writer P. D. James is an
absorbing fare. The action is set on rugged Combe Island off the Cornish
coast. With a small set of characters, James weaves a powerful and
superbly structured plot. Thorough in detail, The Lighthouse
begins slowly but gains momentum after the first few pages. James, as
her style, takes time to make the reader aware of the setting of the
place and characters. She subtly and lyrically weaves the background of
principal players in the plot. With loving detail, she makes Combe
Island come alive with its ruggedness and bloodstained history.