In 1930s mysteries, all sorts of motives were credible which aren’t credible today, especially motives of preventing guilty sexual secrets from coming out. Nowadays, people sell their guilty sexual secrets.

Meaning of the quote

In the past, mystery stories sometimes used secrets about sex as a reason for why characters might do bad things. But nowadays, people are more open about their private sexual lives and will even sell information about them.

About P. D. James

P.D. James was an acclaimed English novelist best known for her mystery novels featuring the detective Adam Dalgliesh. She rose to fame with her compelling crime fiction and was honored as a life peer by the British government.

More about the author