Recently, the library purchased the DVD version of An Unsuitable Job for a Woman which aired on PBS's Mystery! television series in the year 2000. This British series is based on the book (with the same title) written by author P.D. James, who also wrote the Adam Dalgliesh novels. The series revolves around twenty-something Cordelia Grey (played here by Helen Baxendale).
Cordelia's father died of multiple sclerosis while living in Italy and Cordelia was there to nurse him during his final years. Upon returning to England, she gets a job in the office of private investigator Bernie Pryde. It starts out as a temporary position as secretary, but Bernie sees something in Cordelia and takes her under his wing. Poor Bernie tries to teach Cordelia all he knows about being an investigator. In fact, Bernie used to be a policeman, but he was fired from the force because, as Scotland Yard's Chief Superintendent Ian Fergusson put it "Bernie just couldn't handle being a detective".
One morning, Cordelia comes into the office and finds Bernie dead at his desk. He has taken his own life and left everything he had to Cordelia: house, car, and detective agency. After returning from Bernie's funeral, Cordelia and her secretary, Mrs. Edith Sparshott, find a somewhat distraught woman in the office. She has come to engage Cordelia's services on behalf of her employer/lover Ronald Callender. Mr. Callender is a brilliant medical researcher, or so we are told. His son has also recently committed suicide and he wants to know why. This is just the beginning of the first story in series one. Cordelia goes on to investigate a philandering hotelier, an attempted kidnapping that turns out to be an art theft, and finally, she investigates the doctor-boyfriend of Superintendent Fergusson's daughter. These stories are full of twists and turns and just a bit of that wry British humor. The interactions between Cordelia and Mrs. Sparshott are smart, funny, and touching. Mrs. Sparshott tries to mother Cordelia, but the younger woman stands on her own feet and asserts herself without being a bully.
I highly recommend this series if you like detective fiction. Cordelia and her secretary are both more than suited for their jobs as detectives. Cordelia is warm, charming, and whip-smart. Mrs. Sparshott is wise, kind, and every bit as capable as Cordelia in the sleuthing department. These DVDs also include the Mystery! opening sequences with actress Diana Rigg's commentary on the stories.
