P.D. James

He looked more like a professional rugger player than a lawyer, though not when he wore his wig. Then the face became an impressive mask of judicial gravitas. But, thought Langton, wigs metamorphose us all; perhaps that's why we're so unwilling to get rid of them.

They had been married for thirty-two years. Did he really know so little about her?

It had been the good-looking young detective and the woman officer who had interviewed her, and she had sensed that they were quietly sympathetic. But that of course had been deliberate. They had set out to get her confidence and they had succeeded. She was amazed now how much she had confided to them.

You're going to have to, Xan. You may have to kill her, too.

Was there a place for him in this modern world, where systems mattered more than people?

He had disciplined his mind not to speculate; speculation in advance of the facts was always futile and could be dangerous.

When my turn comes I propose to take my lethal capsule comfortably in bed at home and preferably on my own.

We can experience nothing but the present moment, live in no other second of time, and to understand this is as close as we can get to eternal life.

The street and the houses had a perfection which was almost intimidating. No weed, thought Kate, would surely dare to push its unsanctified tendrils through these carefully tended small lawns and flower beds.

I didn't love him, but I liked him being in love with me.

If that was what she wanted to believe, why not let her?

Darling, you can't promise that...but I like to hear you say it.