Varke i čežnje

Devices and Desires (1989) by P. D. James is one of the best novels in the series about Commander Adam Dalgliesh (8th in the series). The action takes place on the secluded coast of Norfolk, in Larksoken, where a new nuclear power plant provokes fierce protests from local activists and environmental groups.

In this tense environment, a series of murders takes place: a twisted serial killer called Whistler strangles young women, leaving their bodies on the beach. Dalgliesh, who is there on vacation after the death of his wife, soon becomes involved in the investigation with his team.

The novel intertwines several layers: a police search, conflicts over nuclear energy, family secrets, love intrigues, moral dilemmas and inner longings of the characters. The key characters are: a scientist from the power plant Alex Mair, her brother, a local doctor, activists, and especially complex portraits of victims and suspects. James masterfully builds atmosphere – the cold coast, the wind, the isolation – and delves deeply into the characters' psychology, ethics and social tensions in the 80s.

The style is typical James: elegant, intellectual, with rich descriptions, quotations from poetry (Dalgliesh is a poet) and a focus on moral ambivalences, not just "who's the killer".