Oliver made a habit of using the stories of the people in his life for the characters in his novels, without regard for their emotions or welfare. Even his daughter and his assistant may have had reason to wish him dead. Since Oliver has often visited the island he is well-known to the staff and permanent residents, and may have been known by the other guests as well. The isolation of the island contains the characters and the action, much like the traditional snow bound country mansion in any number of mystery novels.Īs it becomes more and more unlikely that there is no outsider involved, the investigation focuses on those in residence on the island. This is considered a suspicious death - and we discover that there are many on the island that have reason to dislike Nathan Oliver. When Nathan Oliver is found hanging from the lighthouse, Adam Dalgliesh and two of his staff are literally dropped on to Combe Island to investigate. Most of the staff has been there for many years, along with Emily Holcombe, the last remaining family member of the original owners of the island.

He is on the island now along with a few other guests and a permanent staff, including a doctor and a priest. He visits quarterly, along with his daughter and his assistant. Nathan Oliver, having been born on the island has unlimited access for his lifetime. It is a place to spend time in contemplation and, or, recovery.

This is an isolated island, privately owned, a retreat for the rich and famous - used more by heads of state and corporations than celebrities. Now after a lengthy gap I was quite happy to get to know Commander Adam Dalgliesh again and thoroughly enjoyed an escape to the fictional island of Combe, just off the coast of England. I think I had become tired of the lack of progress in the life of her hero, Adam Dalgliesh. Although I had read each one of her earlier books as it was published year after year, I had not read the most recent books by this author. There wasn't a lot of choice - some good books I'd already read - some true junk - and only one paperback I thought would provide an escape for a few hours - The Lighthouse by P. In a panic, I made a quick dash to the tiny bookshop in the Vancouver airport. Coming home from a recent trip west to visit family, I discovered I’d already read the book I planned to read on the plane.

The lighthouse book pd james