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  • Cover Her Face

  • By: P. D. James
  • Narrated by: Daniel Weyman
  • Length: 7 hrs and 12 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (934 ratings)

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Cover Her Face

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

From P.D. James, one of the masters of British crime fiction, comes the debut novel that introduced Scotland Yard detective Adam Dalgliesh. Set against the English countryside, Cover Her Face is a classic murder mystery filled with James's trademark plot twists, intrigue, and suspense.


Though the Martingale manor house has hosted the annual St Cedd's Church fête for generations, this year feels different. On top of organizing stalls and presiding over luncheon, the bishop and the tea tent, Mrs Eleanor Maxie now also has to contend with the news of her son's sudden engagement to the new parlour maid, the sly and sensuous single mother, Sally Jupp.


Sally has quite a reputation as a ruthless social climber, and no one at Martingale seems too happy about the engagement. But the Maxie family barely has time to contend with her wily ways-on the following morning the whole village is shocked by the discovery of Sally Jupp's body.


Investigating the violent death at the manor house, Detective Chief Inspector Adam Dalgliesh becomes embroiled in the complicated passions beneath the calm surface of English village life.


In Cover Her Face, award-winning P.D. James (author of Death Comes to Pemberley and Children of Men) methodically plots a complex story of family secrets and suspicion. The book was later adapted into a TV miniseries starring Roy Marsden as the inspector protagonist.


Meet the dark and brooding Dalgliesh-a gentleman, a poet, and a gifted detective-and read the novel that launched P.D. James's career as the world's pre-eminent crime writer.

©2015 P. D. James (P)2015 Faber & Faber
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Critic reviews

"A classic story of English rural murder." ( The Times)
"The greatest contemporary writer of classic crime." ( Sunday Times)
"There are very few thriller writers who can compete with P.D. James at her best." ( Spectator)

What listeners say about Cover Her Face

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A Brilliant Story

A great read = full of excitement and
Thrills.
I have listened to it twice will listened
to it again.

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

Modern Agatha Christie with psychological portraits of possible murderers.

I have enjoyed my first P. D. James novel. Village characters with stylistic echoes of Jane Austen and Agatha Christie and a traditional plot development.

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

good reads

I am re visiting PDJames as 2 series back on TV.enjoyed the book, didnt for 1 minute guess who the guilty person was, almost a first. also enjoyed last few words of final chapter.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Good story, excellent whodunnit

I struggle with James on audiobooks, but with this one a little less than most.


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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Enjoyed thoroughly!

For some reason have never read this author before but glad I did so now, beautiful writing and so wonderfully well read;ew readers earn 5 stars from me but this one certainly did. The combination of a good story and a good reader is a true pleasure.

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15 people found this helpful

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What can one say?

A master (well - mistress!) at work! Cleverly and competently plotted with just the right characters in just the right places! Beautifully read by Daniel Weyman - one feels that one is in safe hands, all the way through!

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A trip down memory lane

I read this book many years ago but glad to say I couldn't remember the ending.
it is a much slower pace than modern books of today but still very enjoyable and relaxing to listen to while crafting.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Oddly outdated

Very much still in the tradition of Christie, Marsh et al. Fortunately the style adapted as the series progressed, even if Dagleish has never aged.

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it's early

This is an early P D James book and as such is interesting.
All the features we expect and love are here, a closed community of an upper class family in the loved old home, a few working class characters. A introduction by the end of which you want to murder the victim as do all the others in the story.
The story moves along and it looks like all of them have killed her, but in the finale Dalglish declares the murder to have been committed by.......

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18 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Cover Her Face

Good story, but a bit dated now. Definitely a product otherwise decade in which it was written.

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1 person found this helpful