The plot of the novel is another area where James has subverted the traditional conventions of cosy crime fiction. The Skull Beneath The Skin is in contrast to the typical ending of Christies’ novels in which the guilty are punished and order is restored to the world. In this text, the most vulnerable is found guilty, and the solution of the puzzle does not suggest the restoration of an acceptable moral order and so the end of the novel is one of uncertainty. Nobody has been brought to justice, however Cordelia is safe, and her life, it seems, will continue on as before. This is a direct reflection of the change of context between novels and due to James’ late twentieth century perspective, particularly with the abundance of violence in the media, the audience had come to accept that the world can not be perceived as an orderly place. Indeed the murder in the novel has been solved but restoration of world order has not been achieved as a result. A main quality of James’ plot conventions is the intensified use of the ludic element. This is conveyed mainly through Clarissa’s mysterious death threats that come in the form of quotes from The Duchess of Malfi. These notes provide the readers with clues to the puzzle which allows them to play along and solve the crime at the same time or even before Cordelia. The use of intertextuality seen constantly throughout the text links to the ludic element of the novel and creates a more credible atmosphere. Conversely, James does not completely reject the plot conventions of traditional cosy crime fiction using subtle techniques such as when Cordelia discovers that Clarissa is dead, the novel describes Cordelia knocking on the door to Clarissa's room and that "there was no answer". This almost text book pattern to signify that a murder has taken place allows James to pay tribute to her ‘Golden Age’ predecessors.