The Mystery Project

Cover Her Face
P.D. James
Randomhouse

Have you ever wondered what makes a novel a "classic"? I suppose it wouldn't surprise anyone to learn that I think about that particular question a great deal. And I'm not alone. Most of the major publishers have some kind of "best of" product line and a quick search of "classic literature" on the Internet returns thousands of hits. While I could easily find scads of "must reads," I had a much more challenging time unearthing a list of standard criteria that qualifies a novel as a classic. So, faithful readers, I have decided to ask you. In your opinion, what are the characteristics of a classic novel and why. In a future post, I'll consolidate the feedback and report back to you on what everyone has to say. Who knows, maybe we will end up with a publishable DES book list.

As for this week's selection, Cover Her Face, by British author P.D. James, would, I think, qualify as a classic. Written in 1964, the novel tells the story of Sally Jupp -- an unwed mother, social climber, and frankly, a bit of a schemer. Sally, a parlourmaid, is found murdered in her room the morning after she announces her engagement to the son of her employer. Everyone has a motive and it is left up to the famed Inspector Dalgliesh to puzzle it all out.

This book kept me guessing until the very end. Well-written and surprisingly contemporary, James' writing is spare, precise, and very engaging. Three watching the detectives out of five.

One of my Better Blonde Moments


The Gargoyle
Andrew Davidson
Vintage Canada


A few weeks ago, I made a quick trip over to Port Huron to hang out with my best girl, Amy. It was a perfect day -- the weather was gorgeous, the drive was uneventful, and I got there early enough to check out a Target and buy a couple of books.

It was The Gargoyle's cover art that drew me in -- at first glance, it looked like it had been burnt in a fire and I picked it up to take a closer look. Upon reading the publisher's blurb, I discovered that the novel was about a man's descent into hell, his battle with his addictions, and the relationship he develops with a psych patient who is convinced that they were married in the fourteenth century. It sounded like a bit of a mixed bag -- but interesting -- so I thought I would give it a whirl. When I got home, I stuck The Gargoyle on my TBR shelf and didn't give it a second thought.

Flash forward a few weeks. The DES is at the drugstore buying Nyquil for a wicked cold and found herself in the book section. On the shelf is a novel with beautiful cover art of a girl with a pair of wings tattooed on her back. A sacred heart is emblazoned in the middle of the cover and I was so struck with it's beauty that I decided I had to read it. Yeah -- it was the Gargoyle. Same book, different cover. Sigh. Sometimes I'm not so smart.

Happily, it turned out to be a fantastic read and well worth the extra copy. In fact, I think it just might be in the running for the D-E-S book of the year. It was that good. Four smiling grotesques out of five.