A Mind to Murder (Published in 1963) - Authored by PD James - Second adventure for Dalgliesh

Acclaimed writer P. D. James was part of the British Police and Criminal Law Department before she ventured into the world of writing novels. Her background in the Civil Service is very clearly depicted through her skillful writing, which contains rich and vibrant descriptions of her characters. Her writing has clearly evolved with her second novel in the Adam Dalgliesh series, where she has poignantly depicted the character’s personal life.
A Mind to Murder is certainly more descriptive than its predecessor and the story line and plot setting definitely have a ring of authenticity to it. This is because James uses her experience to carefully describe characters and settings in the book. For example, the victim of this book is a hospital administrator in a London Psychiatric outpatient clinic. James herself has enough experience in that field to accurately describe the workings of the hospital and the heartbreak of mental illness, having had to take care of her husband – a physician who was a patient for more than 20 years before his death.
A Mind to Murder is about Steen Psychiatric Clinic – a well reputed clinic situated in London. However its formidable façade crumbles when the hospital administrator, a Miss Bolam, is found murdered in the basement of the clinic with a chisel driven through her heart and totem from the art therapy lab placed on her chest. Miss Bolam is described as a total Girl Scout, who wouldn’t have hurt a fly. Who then could conjure such hatred towards her? Detective Adam Dalgliesh is called in to investigate the murder.




Dalgliesh then has the task of interrogating patients, doctors and other staff of the clinic. He must follow up every clue and solve every puzzle so as to uncover the murderer. This draws him into the world of psychiatry, drugs and deceit. Dalgliesh sifts through the suspects’ anxieties and desires, to uncover which one of them could have an unresolved conflict that led to the murder of Miss Bolam. The story has set pieces of suspects in a closed environment. As a result the reader begins to speculate who the killer could be.
James has developed the character of Detective Dalgliesh in this novel and has shown him to be a widower who is thoughtful and brooding. He is shown to be a child of respectable and notable parentage, and someone who enjoys writing poetry.
James’ study of the human mind and human nature are plainly perceptible in this book. A clear example of this is the inner conflict that Dalgliesh feels when he searches the home of the victim knowing well that it is an invasion of her privacy. Like before, James does not lay all her cards on the table, but reveals them as and when necessary in the book.
The book is a short and quick read with only 224 pages. Overall, A Mind to Murder is interesting and like any good murder mystery one has to pay attention to every detail, unless they want to miss out on a clue.

Ice Station Zebra (published in 1963) - By Alistair Maclean - Intrigue and murder on an Artic station, a spy station against the Soviets

Alistair MacLean is a Scottish writer who specialized in writing thrillers and crime stories. He was third son of a Scottish minister and joined the Royal Navy during the world war two. He was a senior torpedo operator at the height of his career. He was in the thick of the war theater during the world war and saw action on many fronts especially the arctic north. After retiring he started penning his novels based on the war he saw and many of them became best sellers. Maclean never looked back as a writer until his death in 1987.
Ice Station Zebra is a British Meteorological Institute built on an ice floe in the Arctic sea. The authorities get the information that a catastrophic oil fire has swept through the ice station killing many of the crew and depleting supplies. The survivors holed up in the Arctic send an SOS to be rescued at the earliest because of the dwindling food supplies and injuries. Above all the vicious cold keeps the very survival at bay.
USS Dolphin an American Nuclear powered submarine is assigned to bring the survivors back. It is commanded by Captain Swanson a tough but capable officer. He is asked to take in Dr. Carpenter, a cold injury expert and is asked to follow his commands. Swanson hates to be kept in the dark and refuses to accept the order forcing Carpenter to reveal that he is a spy and Zebra to be a listening post against the Soviets.



So Dolphin sets sail and reaches the Arctic where thick ice cover prevents the submarine from surfacing. So they surface far away from the ice station and Carpenter and some crew trek through perilous Arctic landscape. Carpenter and his companions find the fire had indeed created havoc, with the dead burnt to crisp and the survivors at the door step of death. Further investigation reveal that the fire was a case of arson to camouflage murder and enemy spies.
Well so Carpenter treks back to the Dolphin and directs the submarine to a thin strip to surface near the ice station. But sabotage forces the shutting down of the nuclear reactor and the submarine is in danger of going down in the Arctic. Soon accidents happen with chilling regularity and fire engulfs the sub rendering it useless. But the ingenuity and dedication of the crew and Captain Swanson saves the submarine and it sets off to safer climes.
Carpenter unmasks the killers who are Russian Agents and avenges the death of his brother who was the commander of Ice station Zebra. The overwhelming factor in Ice Station Zebra is the bone chilling cold. The men fight mind numbing Arctic storms, frost bite and starvation to rescue others. The cold seeps through the pages,but blazes through the brain to give you an adrenaline rush. If you want a book which is a lean mean thriller minus sex, emotions and jargons you can go for Ice Station Zebra. The warning on the book will be “you will be cold to everything till you finish the book”.