🕵️♂️ Book Review: The Part-Time Job by P.D. James (Kindle Edition)
A chilling, compact tale of revenge and restraint—P.D. James delivers a masterclass in psychological suspense with this darkly clever short story.
🧠 Overview
Originally written in 2010 and published in book form in 2020 to mark what would have been P.D. James’s 100th birthday, The Part-Time Job is a 17-page Kindle short story that showcases the legendary crime writer’s talent for subtle menace and moral ambiguity. Known as the “Queen of Crime,” James steps away from her famous detective Adam Dalgliesh to explore the mind of a man who has waited decades to exact revenge on a childhood bully.
Told in the first-person past tense, the story reads like a confession—quiet, calculated, and disturbingly calm.
🔍 Plot Snapshot
- 📚 The narrator, a locksmith by trade, has harbored a deadly grudge against Keith Manston-Green, a school bully who tormented him for years
- 🧠 Over time, he meticulously plans the perfect crime, using skills inherited from his father and honed through his part-time job
- 🕰️ The story unfolds slowly, revealing the narrator’s obsession and the chilling precision of his plan
- 🧩 The ending delivers a satisfying twist, leaving readers with a mix of admiration and unease
“I wasn’t in any particular hurry to kill him. What was important was to make sure that the deed was done without suspicion settling on me.” — The Part-Time Job
💬 Reader Reception
- ⭐ Goodreads rating: 3.87/5 from over 1,300 readers
- 📖 Readers praise the story’s tight structure, psychological depth, and elegant prose
- 🧾 Many consider it a “small, dark treat” and a fitting tribute to James’s legacy
- 💬 “Deliciously diabolical. You can almost hear the Queen of Crime chuckling as you reach the end.” — Crime Fiction Lover
⚠️ Considerations
- 📄 Short format: At 17 pages, it’s a quick read—best enjoyed in one sitting
- 📚 No detective: Unlike James’s Dalgliesh novels, this is a standalone psychological tale
- 🧾 Dark tone: The story explores obsession and vengeance with chilling calmness
🏁 Final Verdict
The Part-Time Job is a brilliantly restrained revenge story that highlights P.D. James’s mastery of character and suspense. With its quiet intensity and elegant execution, it’s a must-read for fans of psychological crime fiction and a fitting tribute to one of Britain’s greatest mystery writers.
