Innocent Blood
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By P. D. James
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Philippa Palfrey, adopted as a child, believes herself to be the motherless, illegitimate daughter of an aristocratic father. At eighteen she exercises her right to find out the truth. What she discovers will change her life forever. Philippa embarks on a thrilling investigation, enters a new and terrifying world and soon comes to realize that she is not the only one interested in her parents’ whereabouts.
From the bestselling author of Death Comes to Pemberley, Children of Men and Death in Holy Orders, Innocent Blood is both a mystery and a thriller, a superb novel that explores the themes of self-identity, blood ties, guilt and revenge. P.D. James has been influential as a crime writer for many years and her writing is often compared to the work of authors such as Val Mcdermid, Ian Rankin and Peter Robinson. ‘A fascinating psychological study of blood ties, guilt and revenge’ Sunday Telegraph TweetReviews
Published in 1980 this might be hard to get hold of now, but do find a copy if you can because it would be worth the effort. It's almost Dickensian in style, full of fabulous descriptions and vivid detail. It’s the story of Philippa Palfrey who, on finding out that she was adopted, embarks on a search for her birth parents. It doesn’t take long for her to learn that those who delve into the secrets of the past must be prepared for the unexpected. The story does take a while to gather momentum but when it gets going it’s completely gripping. I talked about this at one of our book group meetings and someone else admitted that she’s read this book three or four times and wouldn’t consider getting rid of the copy on her book shelf. It’s that good!
Juno, Oundle Crime
