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  • Shroud for a Nightingale

  • By: P. D. James
  • Narrated by: Daniel Weyman
  • Length: 10 hrs and 8 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (539 ratings)
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Shroud for a Nightingale

By: P. D. James
Narrated by: Daniel Weyman
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Summary

An Adam Dalgliesh Mystery.

Set in the medical world of hospitals and nursing schools in London, the fourth Adam Dalgliesh Mystery is a thrilling work of detective fiction from the bestselling author of Death Comes to Pemberley and The Children of Men.

The young women of Nightingale House are there to learn to nurse and comfort the suffering. But when one of the students plays patient in a demonstration of nursing skills, she is horribly, brutally killed. Another student dies equally mysteriously and it is up to Adam Dalgliesh to unmask a killer who has decided to prescribe murder as the cure for all ills.

©2014 Faber & Faber (P)2014 Faber & Faber

Critic reviews

"Plenty of scrupulously laid false trails, credible detectives and a totally unexpected ending." ( Sunday Telegraph)
"James manages to invest even a simple mystery with a depth and intelligence that few in her trade can match." ( The Times)

What listeners say about Shroud for a Nightingale

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A gripping murder mystery

Shroud for a Nightingale is one of P D James’s Best and well rounded murder thrillers - faultless story telling, superb narration as ever. Thoroughly recommended for lovers of the genre.... there is no second guessing any of this. Spectacular!

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Formulaic Characters, Inexplicable Story Arcs

Couldn't help but be disappointed by this.

The initial chapter, in which the bones of the mystery are laid out, was passable, but as detectives and suspects were introduced their characters all seemed formulaic, predictable, and stereotypical of the genre, which was unsatisfying and stale.

The protagonist prefers solitude and objectivity in his investigations: quelle surprise. His deputy has a vice for beautiful women: surely not? A prime suspect withholds pertinent information despite being innocent: pourquoi?

The twist of the novel also lacked sufficient groundwork in the former part of the narrative, making it feel very rabbit out of a hat. In trying to leave the reader stunned, James forgets that you need to bring the audience in on the joke before issuing a punchline.

The narration, though adequate, couldn't muster enough energy to bring this lacklustre story to life.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Disappointed

Large chunks of the book missing which is a shame, but still a beautiful story

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Still gripping

Despite being set in pre decimal Britain this novel has worn well. I liked the range of characters and the author's cool and complete command of language.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Magnificent

P D James is the queen of crime fiction. Her books are intricately plotted and the writing sensitive and elegant, never underestimating the intelligence of the reader. Adam Dagleish is a beautifully crafted character, not always likeable but so complex and fascinating. And hurrah for Daniel Weyman who brings this all to life with his wonderfully modulated and expressive voice.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

This has not stood the test of time

it's obvious that PD James hadn't yet found her rythmn with this slow and rather tedious tale about a bunch of girly nurses. Even Adam Dalgleish isn't very likeable and the murderer is pretty obvious.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

A little dated

a very early P D James, pleasant enough background listen, but a little dated. I d like to listen to more PDJ and wanted to listen in chronological order.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Highly Recommendef

Wonderfully written and artfully read. For all detective fiction fans.

Characters are flawed and believable beings, not merely two-dimensional tools.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A cleverly done plot

I have read lots of crime novels and must admit I’m
not enjoying these as much as some of the others. I think it’s because the whole storyline revolves around such a close community and there is no story portrayed outside the hospital (or house in previous books) so tends to be rather dull. There are also lots of characters which I find difficult as I am doing other things whilst listening. Saying all that I am going to listen to the next one since I’ve purchased it. This is the downside of purchasing books when they are on offer without having listened to others in the series. Lesson learned.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Complex story very well told

Liked the story and the characters so well described the vocabulary was also so exact I enjoyed the challenge of remembering some of the words used

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