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Innocent Blood

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Innocent Blood

By: P. D. James
Narrated by: Kaite Scarfe
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About this listen

Innocent Blood is a standalone thriller and chilling mystery from P.D. James, the best-selling author of Death Comes to Pemberley and Children of Men.

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 enters a new and terrifying world and soon comes to realize she is not the only one interested in her parents' whereabouts.

Innocent Blood is both a mystery and a thriller, a superb novel that explores the themes of self-identity and the meaning of life.

P. D. James was a best-selling and internationally acclaimed crime writer. She was the creator of Adam Dalgliesh and Cordelia Gray and their long and successful series of mysteries. Her works include Cover Her Face (1962), An Unsuitable Job for a Woman (1972), Innocent Blood (1980),Children of Men (1992), and the Jane Austen-inspired Death Comes to Pemberley (2011).

James was born in Oxford in 1920. She won awards for crime writing in Britain, America, Italy, and Scandinavia, including the Mystery Writers of America Grandmaster Award. She received honorary degrees from seven British universities, was awarded an OBE in 1983, and created a life peer in 1991.

In 1997 she was elected president of the Society of Authors,and stood down from this role in 2013.

©1980 P.D. James (P)2015 Faber Audio
Detective Fiction Mystery Police Procedural Thriller & Suspense Traditional Detectives Women Sleuths Women's Fiction Exciting Suspense
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Critic reviews

"A fascinating psychological study of blood ties, guilt and revenge." ( Sunday Telegraph)
"As a crime novel it is a peak of the art." ( The Times)
"I found my heart racing as the climax neared." ( Evening Standard)
"As suspenseful and tautly written as any of her detective stories – the psychological twists and turns will tantalize the reader as cunningly as a well-placed clue." ( New York Times)
"Remarkable...could be read as a mainstream novel, and a considerable one." ( The Times)

What listeners say about Innocent Blood

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Another well written and well constructed story

As usual James brings intelligent writing and an unexpected ending. A good listen with great narration

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Very gripping story

Katie Scarfe brings it to life excellently! P.D. James is a imaginative and complex story teller.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A page turner

Gripping story, a little different to the usual story. No central detective involved. I wanted to know what happened in the end, the reading was especially good.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Descriptions, story, and characterisation - fantastic!

Phillipa was such a complex fascinating person. I love the literary skill and use of metaphors and description of a time in London when I was a child.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

interesting and enjoyable book

But the leading character was so unlikable ! i didn’t care what happened to her 🤷‍♀️ interesting topic and well read.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Gave up halfway through

I love James's writing, even given her major flaw, which is to make every character philosophically intelligent and middle-class, with few distinctive idiolects. However, I gave up on this one halfway through. It was not only improbable in its central relationship but so depressing in its tawdriness.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Intelligent and riveting story

This book kept me awake until the early hours as I couldn't bear to turn it off! Quite a different type of story from the usual P D James fare and hasn't dated (apart from the rents in London), although written in 1980.

Actually, I didn't like any of the characters- especially the principal, Philippa, a real cold fish - so it's a tribute to the quality of the writing that I was riveted by their fate.

The narrator is simply excellent in an understated way that fits the style of the novel to perfection. It's a complex story, told from various points of view, about dreadful past acts, revenge and deceit (I told you I didn't like them) but also forgiveness and hope.

An original book and one I thoroughly recommend to anyone who enjoys a well-plotted absorbing psychological novel.

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Great story

Thoroughly enjoyed listening to another of James. She is an amazing writer. Such very small details are so lovely.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

INNOCENT BLOOD

Listening to this audio book it in made me think about the all the adopted children and if they thought anything like this girl.
it was an intriguing book with some amazing twists

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Disappointing!

Firstly, I'm a great PDJames fan. I've read and re-read the Dalglish and Grey books but I couldn't read all the way through this, I just found the main character too irritating. Admittedly she was an adolescent but she was so self-obsessed and naive I wanted to slap her! I confess I did something never done before and skipped the last third of the book just 'peeking' at the last few chapters to see how things were resolved, hurriedly I felt!

To be fair the narrator was better than competent, I couldn't give her four stars but definitely 3.75.

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5 people found this helpful