The Lighthouse by P.D. James

The Lighthouse is an Adam Dalgliesh mystery. It takes place on a fictional island off the coast of Cornwall called Combe. Combe has been set up as a trusteeship, with the purpose of giving famous and/or notable people (such as scientists, authors, and politicians) a peaceful place to spend a week or two in solitude. There are a few provisions: visitors are not supposed to talk about Combe, anyone born on Combe may visit, and members of the Holcombe family (the last owners of Combe) may live on the island. There is only one surviving member of the Holcombe family, an elderly woman named Emily Holcombe. There is only one surviving person born on the island, an eminent novelist named Nathan Oliver. There are a number of staff members on Combe who see to the needs of the guests and run the operation. As the novel opens, there has been a murder on Combe, and Adam Dalgliesh has been called upon to take up the case.

The Lighthouse has several features in common with James's previous works. The writing is elegant, the psychological development is subtle and provides depth, and the mystery is well developed.

Dalgliesh is in love, and his thoughts throughout the novel turn to the woman he loves, Emma, particularly since he was called away just before they were to have had a weekend together. Kate Miskin, A.D.'s second in command, has just begun a relationship with a colleague who left for a promotion, Piers Tarrant. The third officer investigating the case is a new colleague, a man named Francis Benton-Smith.

The suspicious death that brings the detectives to Combe is the death of the novelist, Nathan Oliver. He was on the island with his daughter (who serves as his housekeeper) and his copy editor/secretary. The daughter and copy-editor have been having a secret affair. Nathan Oliver is a highly unpleasant and amoral character. He seems to have no inner life and relies on psychological experimentation to write his books. For instance, to write about a seduction he seduces a young woman and to write about alcholism, he plies a sober alcoholic with wine, inducing a bender. Because of his sheer nastiness, nearly everyone on the island has reason to want him dead.

The other suspects (besides the daughter and copy-editor) include Emily Holcombe (who might want him dead, because he has expressed a desire to move to the island and to live in the house where she is living), her manservant, the island's administrator, the island's doctor and his nurse-and-wife, the island's priest/sub-administrator (who is also the alcoholic Nathan Oliver experimented on), the boatman, the cook, and the laundress. There were also two illustrious guests on the island at the time of the murder--Speidel, a German dignitary and Yelland, an English scientist.

During the course of the investigation, Dalgliesh (as well as Speidel) comes down with the flu, and it turns out to be SARS, so the island is quarantined. Kate Miskin takes the lead on the investigation while Dalgliesh is sequestered in the infirmary. During this time, a second murder takes place, and this time the murdered person is beloved rather than reviled.

All mysteries are neatly wound up by the end of the novel, including the relatively mild question as to whether Dalgliesh and Emma will overcome their mutual reticence enough to tell each other that they want to marry. Overall, this was a highly satisfying mystery and novel.