»A Taste for Death / The Murder Room

I have been reading more P D James, whose stiff and thrilling detective novels feature haughty antagonists, a steely yet mysteriously charismatic detective, and evocative London settings.
Her mystery-writing lessons unravel the icy tone and meticulous research of her books. P D James excels at the sort of mystery that Agatha Christie pioneered, with a closed group of suspects and a geographically restsricted setting. She often further closes her group by involving family members, typically from a mildly dysfunctional upbringing. After the aristocratic London of A Taste for Death and the suburban setting of The Murder Room, I am next going to unpack my copy of Original Sin for its Docklands setting.