Recommendations based on Devices and Desiresby P.D. James

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. A Taste for Death

    by P.D. James
    Two bodies are found in a London church, leading to a complex investigation that uncovers dark secrets and hidden motives.

    In the dingy vestry of St. Matthew's Church, Paddington , two bodies have been found with their throats slashed. One is an alcoholic vagrant , whereas the other is Sir Paul Berowne, a baronet and ... (Wikipedia)

  2. Death in Holy Orders

    by P.D. James
    A detective investigates a suspicious death at a remote theological college.

    Dalgliesh visits Saint Anselm's in a semi-official capacity to follow up the death of a student some time previously as the student's father was not satisfied with the verdict. Whilst there, a ... (Wikipedia)

  3. Cover Her Face

    by P.D. James
    Detective investigates the murder of a young woman in an English country house.

    The story opens with a dinner party hosted by Mrs. Eleanor Maxie at Martingale, a medieval manor house in the (fictional) Essex village of Chadfleet. Mrs. Maxie's son and daughter, Stephen Maxie and ... (Wikipedia)

  4. Lucky You

    by Carl Hiaasen
    A comedic adventure of a lottery winner who finds himself in a dangerous quest for justice.

    Newspaper reporter Tom Krome is sent to the small Florida town of Grange to interview JoLayne Lucks, an African-American veterinary assistant who holds one of two winning tickets to the state lottery ... (Wikipedia)

  5. Well-Schooled in Murder

    by Elizabeth George
    Detective Lynley investigates a murder at an exclusive boarding school.

    Teacher John Corntel asks his former Eton schoolmate Lynley for help when the 13 year old schoolboy Matthew Whateley has disappeared. Initially Lynley refuses, until Deborah St James finds the naked ... (Wikipedia)

  6. Possession

    by A.S. Byatt
    Two modern academics uncover a hidden romance between two Victorian poets.

    Obscure scholar Roland Michell, researching in the London Library , discovers handwritten drafts of a letter by the eminent Victorian poet Randolph Henry Ash, which lead him to suspect that the ... (Wikipedia)

  7. Strip Jack

    by Ian Rankin
    Detective John Rebus investigates a political scandal with deadly consequences.

    A police raid on an Edinburgh brothel captures (seemingly by accident) popular young local MP Gregor Jack. When Jack's fiery wife Elizabeth disappears, and two bodies are found, suspicion falls on a ... (Wikipedia)

  8. All That Remains

    by Patricia Cornwell
    Dr. Kay Scarpetta, Chief Medical Examiner, investigates a series of murders with a common thread.

    In Richmond, Virginia, young lovers are dying. So far, four couples in the area have disappeared, only to be found months later as mutilated corpses. When the daughter of the president's newest drug ... (Goodreads)

  9. The Falls

    by Ian Rankin
    An Edinburgh detective's investigation of a serial killer, with a personal connection.

    A student vanishes in Edinburgh and her wealthy family of bankers ensure Detective Inspector John Rebus is under pressure to find her. A carved wooden doll in a coffin found near her East Lothian ... (Wikipedia)

  10. The Sea

    by John Banville
    A man reflects on his past and reconciles his memories of youth with the present.

    The story is told by Max Morden, a self-aware, retired art historian attempting to reconcile himself to the deaths of those he loved as a child and as an adult. The novel is written as a reflective ... (Wikipedia)

  11. Fifth Business

    by Robertson Davies
    A story of redemption, exploring the power of the past and its effects on the present.

    Dunstan Ramsay, an aging history teacher at Colborne College, becomes enraged by the patronizing tone of a newspaper article announcing his recent retirement, which appears to portray him as an ... (Wikipedia)

  12. Ghostwritten

    by David Mitchell
    A series of interconnected stories spanning across the globe, exploring the lives of seemingly unrelated characters and their impact on each other.

    This section details the actions of Quasar, a member of a millenarianist doomsday cult , attempting to evade capture after releasing nerve agents into a Tokyo subway train. He believes himself to be ... (Wikipedia)

  13. Maisie Dobbs

    by Jacqueline Winspear
    Detective story set in post-WWI London, investigating a mysterious disappearance.

    Maisie Dobbs, Psychologist and Investigator, began her working life at the age of thirteen as a servant in a Belgravia mansion, only to be discovered reading in the library by her employer, Lady ... (Goodreads)

  14. The Talented Mr. Ripley

    by Patricia Highsmith
    A young conman's descent into a life of crime, with deadly consequences.

    Tom Ripley is a young man struggling to make a living in New York City by whatever means necessary, including a series of small-time confidence scams . One day, he is approached by shipping magnate ... (Wikipedia)

  15. The Tobacconist

    by Robert Seethaler
    A young man's coming-of-age story set in pre-WWII Vienna, where he works at a tobacconist and befriends Sigmund Freud.

    When seventeen-year-old Franz exchanges his home in the idyllic beauty of the Austrian lake district for the bustle of Vienna, his homesickness quickly dissolves amidst the thrum of the city. In his ... (Goodreads)

  16. Postmortem

    by Patricia Daniels Cornwell
    Dr. Kay Scarpetta, Chief Medical Examiner, investigates a serial killer in Richmond, Virginia.

    The novel opens as Dr. Kay Scarpetta, Chief Medical Examiner for the Commonwealth of Virginia, receives an early-morning call from Sergeant Pete Marino, a homicide detective at the Richmond Police ... (Wikipedia)

  17. Angle of Repose

    by Wallace Stegner
    A man's search for his ancestors and their stories, leading to a journey of self-discovery.

    Lyman Ward narrates a century after the fact. Lyman interprets the story at times and leaves gaps that he points out at other times. Some of the disappointments of his life, including his divorce, ... (Wikipedia)

  18. Girls' Night Out

    by Liz Fenton
    A girls' night out in Tulum turns into a nightmare when one of them goes missing. Secrets and lies are revealed as they search for their friend.

    From the bestselling authors of, The Good Widow, comes a chilling novel of psychological suspense that will make you think twice about what your best friend may be hiding…, For estranged friends ... (Barnes & Noble)

  19. Die Trying

    by Lee Child
    An intense thriller involving a daring mission to rescue a kidnapped woman.

    While in Chicago, former military policeman Jack Reacher is helping a young woman with an injured leg with her dry cleaning when they're captured at gunpoint by three men and thrown into a car, then ... (Wikipedia)

  20. The Blind Assassin

    by Margaret Atwood
    A complex, interwoven story of family secrets, love, tragedy, and mystery.

    The novel's protagonist , Iris Chase, and her sister Laura, grow up well-off but motherless in a small town in southern Ontario. As an old woman, Iris recalls the events and relationships of her ... (Wikipedia)

  21. Brideshead Revisited

    by Evelyn Waugh
    A nostalgic reflection on a wealthy family and the enduring power of love.

    The novel is divided into three parts, framed by a prologue and epilogue. The prologue takes place during the final years of the Second World War . Charles Ryder and his battalion are sent to a ... (Wikipedia)

  22. The Good Liar

    by Catherine McKenzie
    A psychological thriller about a woman who becomes entangled in a web of lies and deceit after befriending a charming and manipulative man.

    Can you hide a secret with the whole world watching?, When an explosion rips apart a Chicago building, the lives of three women are forever altered. A year later, Cecily is in mourning. She was ... (Barnes & Noble)

  23. Dancing at Midnight

    by Julia Quinn
    Lady Arabella Blydon and Lord John Blackwood's love story unfolds amidst the glittering ballrooms of Regency London.

    Lady Arabella Blydon has beauty and a brain, and she’s tired of men who can see only one without the other. When a suitor tells Arabella he’s willing to overlook her appalling bluestocking tendencies ... (Goodreads)

  24. Belinda

    by Anne Rampling
    A young woman's sexual awakening and exploration of her desires, leading to a dangerous affair with an older man.

    "Who was she?" That was the first thought that came into my mind when I saw her in the bookstore. Who was she really? She's Belinda. She's sixteen years old. She's the object of one man's ultimate ... (Goodreads)

  25. Finding Claire Fletcher

    by Lisa Regan
    A missing person case turns personal for Detective D.D. Warren as she searches for Claire Fletcher and uncovers dark secrets.

    In the first book in bestselling author Lisa Regan’s new series, a one-night stand sets a detective on the trail of a terrifying unsolved crime. With his career on thin ice and fresh ink on his ... (Goodreads)

  26. Snobs

    by Julian Fellowes
    A satirical look at the British aristocracy and their obsession with social status and class. Follows the story of a middle-class woman who marries into the upper class and navigates their world.

    Edith Lavery is a middle class single woman who feels she has reached a time in her life when the only chance of riches, fame and success is to marry a rich man. Her parents, especially her mother, ... (Wikipedia)

  27. Give Me Your Hand

    by Megan Abbott
    Two former friends, now rival scientists, confront their dark past and secrets as they compete for a coveted research position.

    A life-changing secret destroys an unlikely friendship in this "magnetic" psychological thriller from the Edgar Award-winning author of, Dare Me, (,Meg Wolitzer,). You told each other everything. ... (Barnes & Noble)

  28. Getting Over It

    by Anna Maxted
    A humorous and heartwarming novel about a woman's journey to overcome heartbreak and find love again.

    Helen Bradshaw isn't exactly living out her dreams. She's a lowly assistant editor at GirlTime magazine, she drives an ancient Toyota, and she has a history of choosing men who fall several thousand ... (Barnes & Noble)

  29. The Man from Beijing

    by Henning Mankell
    A small Swedish village is rocked by a brutal murder, which leads to a global conspiracy. A thrilling mystery with political undertones.

    In January 2006 the police make the gruesome discovery of the bodies of 19 people who have been brutally murdered in the remote hamlet of Hesjövallen in northern Sweden . The protagonist Birgitta ... (Wikipedia)

  30. Die for Me

    by Karen Rose
    A serial killer is on the loose, and the only way to stop him is for the detective and the victim's sister to work together.

    COME TO ME The first victim is found in a snow-covered Philadelphia field. Detective Vito Ciccotelli enlists the aid of archaeologist Sophie Johannsen to determine exactly what lies beneath the ... (Goodreads)