Sleep No More: Six Murderous Tales

Written by P.D. James and Peter Kemp

Narrated by Daniel Weyman

No one gets inside the head of the murderer—or makes it a more thrilling read—than the late, great P. D. James. Fast on the heels of her latest best seller: a new, fiendishly entertaining gathering of previously uncollected stories, from the author of Death Comes to Pemberley and The Private Patient.

It's not always a question of "whodunit?" Sometimes there's more mystery in the why or how. And although we usually know the unhealthy fates of both victim and perpetrator, what of those clever few who plan and carry out the perfect crime? The ones who aren't brought down even though they're found out? And what about those who do the finding out who witness a murder or who identify the murderer but keep the information to themselves? These are some of the mysteries that we follow through those six stories as we are drawn into the thinking, the memories, the emotional machinations, the rationalizations, the dreams and desires behind murderous cause and effect.


This selection © 2017 by the Estate of P.D. James.
“The Yo-Yo” written 1996; revised as “Hearing Ghote” in The Verdict of Us All, ed. Peter Lovesey copyright P. D. James 2006.
“The Victim” first published in Winter’s Crimes 5, ed. Virginia Whitaker copyright P. D. James 1973.
“The Murder of Santa Claus” first published in Great Detectives, ed. D. W. McCullough copyright P. D. James 1984.
“The Girl Who Loved Graveyards” first published in Winter’s Crimes 15, ed. George Hardinge copyright P. D. James 1983.
“A Very Desirable Residence” first published in Winter’s Crimes 8, ed. Hilary Watson copyright P. D. James 1976.
“Mr Millcroft’s Birthday” first published as “The Man Who Was 80” in The Man Who copyright P. D. James 1992; revised as “Mr Maybrick’s Birthday” copyright 2005.
Foreword copyright 2017 by Peter Kemp. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
• Release date: Nov 14, 2017
• ISBN: 9780525588184

P.D. James

P.D. James (1920-2014) estudió en Cambridge y trabajó durante treinta años en la Administración Pública, incluyendo departamentos legales y policiales. Publicó su primera novela en 1963, dando inicio a la exitosa serie protagonizada por Adam Dalgliesh. Como reconocimiento a su trayectoria profesional, en 1991 le fue concedido un título nobiliario. Además, entre otros premios, recibió el Grand Master Award, el Diamond Dagger y el Carvalho concedido por el festival de BCNegra. Además, formó parte del Salón de la Fama de la International Crime Writing junto a Arthur Conan Doyle y Agatha Christie. En Ediciones B ha publicado Un impulso criminal, Muertes poco naturales, La octava víctima, No apto para mujeres, La torre negra,La muerte de un forense, Sangre inocente, La calavera bajo la piel, Sabor a muerte, Intrigas y deseos, Hijos de hombres, El pecado original, Una cierta justicia, Muerte en el seminario, La sala del crimen, El faro y el libro de memorias La hora de la verdad: un año de mi vida.

Reviews for Sleep No More

[figgles_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very enjoyable collection of PD James short stories, all with a twist. I found these much more enjoyable than her novels (which doesn't mean the novels aren't good). The characters are just as unlikeable but seem to work better for me in the shorter form, and the frequent use of first person (and often unreliable) narration sparkles. The themes are murder (obviously) but also power, power's outlet of blackmail, desire and revenge amongst the upper middle classes. Justice is rarely done and if so only extra-judicially. Highly recommended. This is the second volume of James short stories - I'm still waiting on the delivery of the first volume "The mistletoe murder". Thanks to Kemper Donovan of the "All about Agatha" patreon podcast as I'd not been aware of the James short stories until he covered "The mistletoe murder" in one episode.

[castlelass · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book is a compilation of six murder-related short stories. I had not read anything by P.D. James so I thought this might be a good place to start. As in many short story compilations, some are more to my taste than others. There is only one traditional murder mystery. The others are psychological character studies of people who have gotten away with murder (which is clear from the outset). My favorite is the first story, Yo-Yo, and my least favorite is The Murder of Santa Claus, a typical “whodunnit” where it is too obvious what the outcome will be. I can see why this author was nominated by one of our group members as an author to read. Her writing is elegant and atmospheric. Recommended to fans of dark stories with unexpected twists.

[jennybeast · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a really fine collection -- with the immediate and all encompassing storytelling of an Agatha Christie tale. P. D. James' mastery of the mystery craft is beautifully shown off here.

advanced reader's copy provided by edelweiss

[delphimo_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Sleep No More by P. D. James contains six short stories which provide hours of fun and laughter and delightful tales of mayhem. One of the stories, A Very Desirable Residence twists and turns so often that the conclusion leaves the reader a little confused. Mr. Millcroft’s Birthday presents a very devious 80-year-old man who plots to have his children transfer him to a better retirement home. The title of this collection, Sleep No More, exposes old crimes that remained unsolved as the now older person prepares to clear his/her conscience. The tales open many questions as to what secrets a person hides and never uncovers.

[sidiki-8 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Thinking PDJames would be different than other British mystery novelists like Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle but the stories were predictable, characters shallow and cliched and the plot sterile. Couldn’t find interest in any of the stories. Just not my cup of tea.

[ldvoorberg · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Darkly delightful! Even though a couple of the stories are set at Christmas, they are spooky enough for Halloween in their cold-bloodedness. No whodunit mystery hear, just bare faced recounting of 6 different murders from the characters' pasts. Brilliantly written as only PD James could. Perfect reads for her fans, short-story readers, and macabre lovers.

[lara335 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Six original tales full of cunning characters, twists, & strong sense of place.

[janerawoof · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was never able to enjoy the author's full-length novels but this collection of six short stories are another story entirely [pun intended] and highly recommended. We know the murderer, but the how's and why's are emphasized. Each story has an unexpected twist or zinger at the end.

[carolfoisset · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Always enjoy PD James and these short tales left me wanting more!

[doondeck · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Enjoyable collection of classic British mysteries.

[brangwinn · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I’m not a fan of short stories, but these short stories by famed mystery writer, PD James, makes me think I’ve been wrong. These are great mysteries most with a twist at the end.

[saroz_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I think the ad copy oversells this one somewhat. True, five of the six stories are devoid of traditional "whodunit?" structure, and the one that remains isn't structured to allow readers in on all the clues (although, it must be fair, a lot of Golden Age mysteries are the same way). The idea that we are getting a glimpse of a murderer's mind - the "howdunit?" and the "whydunit?" - isn't as interesting as it sounds, though: three of the stories are first-person narratives of murder, plodding relentlessly and grimly toward their conclusion. They aren't particularly thrilling, although perhaps some readers other than myself will find them cathartic. One of the remaining two unwraps its secrets in the manner of a Gothic novel, or even a ghost story - fresh horrors with each new layer of the onion peeled away - and it is grim, grim, grim. The whole collection is, despite being a very quick read, quite dark. That matches up to my fading memories of having read two or three of P.D. James' Dalgliesh mysteries - and may explain why I didn't keep going, to be honest.

"The Murder of Santa Claus" is very engaging, although it takes the most comfortable tropes of a Christie-style mystery and makes them anxious and shrill, and "Mr. Millcroft's Birthday" has a wry sense of humor which I enjoyed. The other stories - if I were to be uncharitable - may have gone uncollected, up til now, for a reason.

[poprockz · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Enjoyed every story.

[smik_3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Here is a handful of very clever short stories, each with a good twist in the tail, which often took me by surprise, revealing a culprit that I hadn't suspected, even though, on looking back all the clues were there.

Mostly the stories were 20-30 pages long, easily conquered in a sitting, and very well crafted. Make no mistake - I think the short story is incredibly difficult to pull off, because everything has to tie in, there must be no loose threads. The ending must be believable and complete.

Highly recommended.

[stahl2ricco · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It's funny, I almost didn't read this whole book, short as it is! I really didn't like the first story, "The Yo-Yo", and considered stopping right then. Glad that I didn't! The other 5 stories are pretty good, with lots of twists and turns, and several outright surprises! "The Girl Who Loved Graveyards might very well be my favorite, but like I said, I enjoyed all 5! As for the first one... err...

[phoenixcomet · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A small volume of 6 tales of murder and mystery by P.D. James, excellently written and executed.

[hubblegal-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

There was a reason P.D. James was the “Queen of Crime”. She knew how to capture her readers. I’ve read all of her work and was so pleased to see these new-to-me six stories being published. They were such a very special treat!

I think “The Girl Who Loved Graveyards” was my favorite, if I had to pick a favorite as I loved each of them. This was the most chilling tale. A story of a young girl who fell in love with a graveyard and who couldn’t remember the first ten years of her life.

While some of these stories will give you chills, some of them will make you laugh, like “Mr. Millcroft’s Birthday”. They take place in the 1920’s and 1930’s and have a wonderful old-fashioned feel about them. Ms. James must have had so much fun writing these witty, delightful short stories.

Most highly recommended.

This book was given to me by the publisher in return for an honest review.

[atticusfinch1048 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Sleep No More – A Delightful Collection of Short Stories

This collection of short stories from the late PD James, just reminds us how much she was loved and will be missed. She delivers in each short story something other authors fail to deliver in a full-scale novel. All these short murder mystery stories are pithy, get to the crux of the matter and each one is engrossing.

Each of these stories are a standalone story, all written in beautiful prose, full of twists, most of which you never see coming. Each story an original from someone who was the queen of mystery writers, who knew how to entertain her readership.

PD James may be gone, but this collection is an excellent testament to her talent and writing, and as she always did, reminds me how many women have really made this genre their own. This is in the grand tradition of short mystery stories first started by Agatha Christie and PD James was a true heir to her crown.

I cannot recommend this collection highly enough.