Cover Her Face (Inspector Adam Dalgliesh Mystery)

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From P. D. James, one of the masters of British crime fiction, comes the debut novel that introduced Scotland Yard detective Adam Dalgliesh. Set in the peaceful English countryside, Cover Her Face is a classic murder mystery. The cocoa discovered at Sally's bedside is found to contain traces of Mr Maxie's sleeping tablets. Martha has been using them to drug Sally's cocoa so that she would oversleep, be discredited and eventually dismissed. It is Mrs. Eleanor Maxie who eventually confesses to the murder of Sally Jupp after Dalgliesh reveals everyone's movements on the night. It is clear, through a process of elimination, that only she could be the culprit. That is the thing I always will most remember about her: what a kind woman she was, how she did her very best to make you feel good.’ Cover Her Face is the debut 1962 crime novel of P. D. James. [1] It details the investigations into the death of a young, ambitious maid, surrounded by a family which has reasons to want her gone – or dead. The title is taken from a passage from John Webster's The Duchess of Malfi: " Cover her face. Mine eyes dazzle; she died young," which is quoted by one of the characters in the novel.

Cover Her Face - Wikipedia Cover Her Face - Wikipedia

The novel was generally very well received by critics although the author later described it as her least favourite among her books. [2] Barzun, Jacques and Taylor, Wendell Hertig. A Catalogue of Crime. New York: Harper & Row. 1971, revised and enlarged edition 1989. ISBN 0-06-015796-8 The novel ends with a later meeting between Adam Dalgliesh and Deborah Riscoe, where it is hinted that a future relationship will develop between them. Deborah later visits Stephen at the hospital where he works and sees her brother talking with Sally. Stephen says that Sally had brought him some of their terminally ill father's sleeping tablets, Sommeil, which she found under old Mr. Maxie's bed. Stephen suspects that Mr. Maxie has managed to deceive his devoted servant Martha, pretending to take the tablets when he is simply concealing them for a suicide attempt. On the day of St. Cedd's church fete, Sally announces that Stephen has asked her to marry him. The following day, Martha complains that Sally has overslept again. On entering the room, Sally's strangled body is found. Detective Chief Inspector Adam Dalgliesh and Detective Sergeant Martin arrive and begin their investigation. BBC Radio 4 Extra continues its celebration this week of the centenary of the birth of renowned crime fiction novelist, PD James.

Boucher, Anthony (24 July 1966). "Criminals at Large". The New York Times. New York . Retrieved 13 April 2017.

Cover Her Face (Inspector Adam Dalgliesh Mystery) Cover Her Face (Inspector Adam Dalgliesh Mystery)

A television version of the novel was produced for Britain's ITV network in 1985. It starred Roy Marsden as Adam Dalgliesh, John Vine as Inspector John Massingham (instead of Detective Sergeant Martin), Phyllis Calvert as Eleanor Maxie, Rupert Frazer as Stephen Maxie, Mel Martin as Deborah Riscoe, Julian Glover as Felix Hearne, and Kim Thomson as Sally Jupp. As the television adaptation was set contemporaneously but the characters' ages had to remain unchanged, Felix Hearne's military service was relocated to Cyprus and a secondary storyline was added about Cypriot drug-dealers. It was filmed at Rainthorpe Hall in Norfolk. Cover Her Face was adapted for television in 1985, starring Roy Marsden, Phyllis Calvert and Mel Martin. Book details The story opens with a dinner party hosted by Mrs. Eleanor Maxie at Martingale, a manor house in the (fictional) Essex village of Chadfleet. Mrs. Maxie's son and daughter, Stephen Maxie and Deborah Riscoe, are both at the party. Serving at table is Sally Jupp, chosen from a local refuge for unmarried mothers to help in the house by Mrs Maxie and now living in with her infant son, Jimmy. Also present at the meal are Steven's former romantic interest, Catherine Bowers; Alice Liddell, warden of St Mary's Refuge; and Dr Epps, the family doctor. The murder of housemaid Sally Jupp reveals a web hidden passions beneath the calm surface of a village in East Anglia. Extra’s celebration continues on Thursday at 6.30pm with Great Lives, as Matthew Parris talks to crime writer Val McDermid about the life of PD James. From 2015.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 country life. Reese, Jennifer (26 February 1998). "The Salon Interview – P.D. James – The Art of Murder". Salon.com. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Published in 1962 this six part adaption was first broadcast in 1985 on ITV and was a instant success paving the way for more PD James adaptions and even more TV detectives such as Morse, Lewis, Endeavor, And Frost and many many others.