Comparison Of Adam Dalgliesh And Quentin Altman

In P.D. James’ “Great Aunt Allie’s flypapers “ and Jeffrey Deavers’ “Copycat,” the audience is introduced to two entertaining and quintessential Police detectives: James’s Adam Dalgliesh and Deaver’s Quentin Altman. They are both quintessential in that they both adhere to three elements of Police Detective fiction: the detective is a police detective, the detective must utilize evidence, and justice is not always achieved. However, the ways these two detectives satisfy these elements of police procedurals is different.

Detectives Dalgliesh and Altman are both attached to police forces, but they utilize their connections differently. Adam Dalgliesh, a Superintendent with the London Metropolitan Police, does not utilize his police

connections because the case is old, personal, and “QUOTE.”. For these reasons, Dalgliesh investigates the case on his own, though he does utilize his job title and connections to assist him solve the case. On the other hand, Quentin Altman, a Detective for the Greenville Police, is working when he takes the case in “Copycat.”. Because he is working the case for the force, he has to utilize his police connections. Using those connections means that Forensic results, case files, and evidence are more readily accessible than they would be otherwise.
Yet, whether the audience is shown the detective utilizing his connections or not, both detectives collect evidence and witnesses to solve their cases.

For instance, the evidence Dalgliesh collects is still useful to his investigation, even if he is not working for the Metropolitan Police while he solves the case. He speaks to expert “Aubrey Glatt . . . a wealthy amateur criminologist” and the witness “QUOTE MAURGAURITE GODDARD.”. Aubrey Glatt assists Dalgliesh with the particulars of the case ________________________. Marguerite Goddard is absolutely essential to solving the case because she knows exactly who committed the crime. Altman, however, has the opportunity to use evidence besides expert and witness testimony. “Copycat” is set more recently than “Aunt Allie’s Flypapers,” Altman has technology available to him Dalgliesh did not possess. For instance, Altman utilizes the Forensics Department to prove that the writing in the library book is the same hand as the suspicious fan letter sent to the author. Because of modern forensics and the fact that all of the evidence he collects will have to stand in a court of law, there is more emphasis on physical evidence and the integrity of the evidence. To ensure the integrity of the evidence: “[Altman] pulled on his own latex gloves and slipped the book into an evidence envelope” (Deaver. 360). But, evidence, even reliable evidence, does not ensure

justice.
Authors of Police Procedurals portray a view of justice closer to real life. The perpetrator is not always found and at times decent people are blamed for crimes they did not commit. In “Great Aunt Allie’s Flypapers,” there is restitution served to the culprit. The actual perpetrator was too young to understand what he had done. There was, however, a witness to the crime. Aunt Allie forces the witness to pay her, thereby issuing justice. Marguerite Goddard tells Dalgliesh, “’I’ve paid, Mr. Dalgliesh. For sixty-seven years I’ve paid’” (James 181). A court of law may not have found the witness guilty, but that does not affect the fact that the crime was paid for. Yet, in “Copycat,” justice is not served at all. The story leads the audience to believe that a dedicated, dead sergeant was the culprit of the prior serial murders and the attempted murder of the author; “Fletch bobbled the case intentionally– because he was the killer, probably destroying any evidence that led to him” (Deaver 374). At the end of the story, after Altman believes he has solved the case, the narrator reveals that it was not the detective who committed the crime. The narrator goes on to explain who the perpetrator was and how he covered his tracks. In detective stories where the detective fails to solve the crime the detective has the presence of mind to recognize their failure and admit fallibility. However, the audience is given no indication that Altman suspects his suppositions may be wrong. The audience may know who committed the crime, but it is still not as satisfying as a closed case or even an acknowledgement of failure from the detective. ___________________________________________________________.
Dalgliesh and Altman are realistic police detectives who perform their jobs well. They search for and utilize evidence, even making sure that their evidence is reliable. However, both detectives achieve justice to different degrees. Dalgliesh may not achieve justice through the courts, but justice had already been served.