Death of an Expert Witness Summary
P. D. James

Death of an Expert Witness Summary

Death of an Expert Witness by P. D. James takes place in Chevisham, England, sometime in the late twentieth century. Dr. Edwin Lorrimer (the "expert witness") is murdered in his workspace at Hoggatt's Lab, a forensic crime lab. Further on in the book, a middle-aged woman, Stella Mawson, is also murdered by the same man, Dr. Kerrison. Commander Adam Dalgliesh, a Scotland Yard Detective, using the few clues available, must eliminate numerous persons with the motive to kill Lorrimer to finally bag his man.

Scotland Yard is called in on the murder because of the conflict of interest. Because Dr. Lorrimer is not well-liked and is even hated by some, the list of those Lorrimer has insulted or alienated is quite long, although several, such as Kerrison, Bradley, Mawson, and Howarth particularly hate Lorrimer. One must add to the fact that many of the potential suspects are either police officers... View more of the Death of an Expert Witness Summary