Devices and Desires

I can't track down my review of The Black Tower, the last time my dad and I watched an adaptation of one of P.D. James' Adam Dalgliesh mysteries. I do remember being dissatisfied, largely because Dalgliesh seemed so uncertain of himself. He couldn't decide if he wanted to be involved in the investigation or not, when he was involved, he lacked conviction, it was all very irritating.

That isn't an issue in this story. Whatever it was that had Dalgliesh down in The Black Tower isn't in evidence here. He's visiting the countryside to settle the affairs of a deceased aunt, and winds up in the middle of a series of murders committed by "The Whistler". Adam may be on leave, but he agrees to help Chief Inspector Rickards with the investigation.

Besides that, there are a host of issues at a nearby nuclear plant. Plant manager Alex Mair is eagerly awaiting a transfer. Hilary Robards is demanding Alex marry her, much to his sister's consternation. There's a young scientist who can't calm down about the direction the plant is going, and is justifiably worried about a computer virus attacking their systems, which Mair dismisses. Robards is also not terribly popular with the locals, as she's considering evicting a drunk artist and his family from their home. There's also a young couple living in a trailer campaigning against the plant.

And then Robards turns up dead, seemingly another victim of The Whistler.

There are a lot of threads. Relationships, old and new, plots, schemes, ugly past histories. There's even a subplot about the approaching birth of Rickards' first child, and his wife going to stay with her mother (at her mother's insistence, of course, because mother-in-laws are a pain in the ass, amirite?)

The psychological profile on The Whistler suggested they were a loner with a hatred of women. Well, James made sure to include a lot of people who different things in their past you could see as shorthand for "hates women". It was kind of spooky after awhile. Oh, so this lady had a domineering housekeeper raise her because her mother was too busy off jet-setting? Throw it on the pile with the guy whose mum made fun of him for being soft and sent him off to stay with relatives every time she found a new beau.

I like Dalgliesh more here than in The Black Tower. Not only because he acts as though he really wants to help catch the killer. In general, there's more opportunity for him to show his good nature. He's constantly giving people rides, offering advice, acting as a sounding board for their problems, and trying to offer solutions, even if the solution is just, "Why not take a day to think it over first?" There's a real sense in his actions that he thinks a helping hand at the right time can keep things from escalating to where you need a policeman.

At the same time, he doesn't always have the right words. There are a few occasions where someone confronts him, or says something too forward, and he doesn't know how to respond. Typically, he ducks his head (which Roy Marsden does a lot anyway, probably because he's very tall), and smiles awkwardly. In those cases, he usually doesn't say anything, or mumbles out something inoffensive. Like a lot of people, there are situations he doesn't feel comfortable in.

The character I most enjoyed was Theresa Blainey (played by Lisa Ellis). With her mother recently deceased, and her father living in the bottle (and too proud to accept help), Theresa has to do most everything. My guess is she can't be more than about 13, 15 tops, but she works as a servant for the Mairs, does the shopping, looks after her three siblings, and bears it all quietly. She doesn't bother pleading with her dad, because she sees it's a waste of time. She sees the work that needs doing, and sets to doing it. But you can see the strain it puts on her, and her attempts to deal with that without troubling her dad. Still trying to protect him, when it ought to be the other way around.