Murder most intricate

摘要

As he neared the house, down the quiet autumnal streets of Holland Park in west London, Commander Adam Dal-gliesh felt a shiver of apprehension. It was the same slightly nervous curiosity he experienced when entering a country church, pushing at the heavy door to find darkness, sweet with incense, that filled nave and chancel but also held, at its heart, a mystery. That was, he knew, an analogy his creator P.D.James would relish. The season was her favourite, when the light faded early and council leaf-carts lurked like tumbrels in the parks between the borders of brown, withered plants. Her Regency house stood white and elegant among the almost leafless trees. He rang the bell, noticing as he did so that every lower window was criss-crossed with a metal grille. This world-famous author of 18 murder mysteries evidently feared for her own security. The warmth of her welcome, too, was preceded by the sound of a key turning several times in the lock.