Outsmithing Highsmith
Review of the Knopf Canada Kindle eBook edition (2020) of the original short story as it appeared in the anthology "The Detection Collection" (October 31, 2005).

P.D. James was not known for her short stories, so when The Part-Time Job was offered as a Kindle Deal of the Day on the weekend I snapped it up out of curiosity. This is not an Adam Dalgliesh story (I don't even know if there are any short stories featuring James' regular character), but is instead more of a noir with an anti-hero bent on carrying out a life-long murder vow against the man who once bullied him back during their schooldays. It actually seemed like something Patricia Highsmith would have written i.e. having a murderous anti-hero protagonist.

Saying anything further would be spoilery, so let us just say that the explanation for the title doesn't become evident until the very final page, when it is part of a shocking reveal. ( )

A really good short story less than 10 pages long but complete. Also an essay by the author on mystery fiction. A very quick read. ( )

A short murder mystery where the nature of the murder and its method are cleverly concealed until the last minute. P.D. James is always terrific1 ( )

I am not normally a fan of short stories, feeling that, all too often, one has only just properly engaged with them, and then they are over. I did enjoy this one, however, although I did spot the twist or hook in the end.

It revolves around the victim and perpetrator of bullying at school, and how that can cast shadows deep into a life, and remind ed me in a way of Galloping Foxley, by Roald Dahl.

There is also a companion piece which gives an interesting insight from P D James about female crime writers. ( )