The Part Time Job by P.D. James

"By the time you read this I shall be dead. Dead for how long, of course, I cannot predict."

So begins a classic, elegant and very clever short story. It is the tale of a man who was mercilessly bullied for his entire school life and whose urge for revenge dominated his life. He wants his tormentor dead even though both boys have grown up, married and have successful careers.

The story is told in the first person by the bullied boy and explains, in meticulous detail, how he plans to kill his enemy. It shows the thoughts and actions of a disturbed and obsessed man in a calm and chilling way. Intelligent, dark, sharp and extremely well written with a wonderful ending I didn't predict. This is followed by an essay from the author on aspects of crime writing, which is also very interesting.

This is first time The Part Time Job has has been published in book form, to commemorate what would have been P.D. James' 100th birthday on 3 August 2020. A wonderful crime writer.

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Published by Faber and Faber on 16 July 2020.