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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
The game is afoot! Wait, wrong movie. In fact, everything is awry in this 4th book in the Lynley/Havers mystery series. Why is Lord Asherton, Thomas Lynley, Eighth Earl and Detective Inspector of CID, not at center stage as the lead protagonist in this story? He’s a bit offstage, instead of being the one who is in the game for most of the book. Instead, it appears to be mostly forensic scientist Simon Allcourt-St. James who is following up on clues. Where is Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers? She doesn't seem to be on the job or be even known to the Lynleys.
Tumultuous Asherton family surprises are at the forefront. A decade after Thomas’s father died, the entire Lynley family with various childhood friends, lovers and servants are all coming down to the Howenstow residence for a weekend to introduce Deborah Cotter to the family. Thomas Lynley is about to marry Deborah, photographer and daughter of Joseph Cotter, who is a lifelong servant to the St. James’. Deborah has returned to England from America after a three-year absence. Peter Lynley, Thomas’s brother, is a SoHo drug addict, and Sidney St. James, Simon’s sister, is involved with a scientist and drug addict, Justin Brooke.
These two sets of young people have brought plenty of drugs to enliven their visit to dull Cornwall; however, the drugs run out and their party degrades into angry scenes, simmering resentments, wild sex and financial disputes. Thomas hates his mother, Lady Asherton, because she had an affair with Dr. Roderick Trenarrow while the Seventh Earl of Asherton, Thomas’s father, was dying of cancer. The Lady is still dating Dr. Trenarrow, inspiring Thomas to never-ending disgust with his mother. Deborah is pining for Simon, even while kissing Thomas, even though Simon is 11 years older and even though he is handicapped with a ruined leg - ruined by a car accident in a car driven by Thomas.Thomas can’t stop feeling guilty about driving drunk and crashing the car which almost destroyed Simon’s leg, but he is very happy now that Deborah has accepted his proposal. But before too long, he is disturbed by undercurrents between his best friend Simon and his fiancé Deborah. Simon is hiding his feelings with polite affection, but he finds being around Deborah difficult.
Only one person is calm and centered and not guilty of having plotted vengeance in some degree - Lady Helen Clyde. She flows in and out of the chapters soothing savage hearts, but even she can't divert the impending disasters.
Wow. I’m confused. Most of the conflicts above were mentioned in passing in the previous three books, but in ‘A Suitable Vengeance’, they either haven't happened yet or are happening now in this book’s present.
Oh! It’s a prequel! Oh.
Well!
Family drama abounds! Zowie! Have you been noticing all of the clues in the previous 3 books that the backstory for Lynley and his friends is drenched in pathos, trauma and broken relationships? All is revealed in ‘A Suitable Vengeance’. However, I’m still very confused. This is a not a mystery, but a regular novel with chic-lit tendencies. Or is it?
Despite a slow, slightly disjointed beginning of a hundred pages or so, the author Elizabeth George eventually brings into play the sad and ugly death of a Cornwall local which will send the Ashertons spinning out of their more comfortable miseries into the depressed universe the reader has come to know and love from the previous books.
A local man, Michael ‘Mick’ Cambrey. is discovered dead on the floor of the Cornwall cottage he has been renting for himself and his wife Nancy and baby, obviously castrated. He is a reporter at a newspaper which is owned by Harry Cambrey, his father, but he has been keeping his latest investigations secret. Did he uncover a story too deadly to know? Or could the murder have been by an enraged husband, since it is widely known Mick has been in and out of many beds, despite his marriage? Or was it Nancy’s father, John Penellin, or her ne’er-do-well brother, Mark? Mick had been disbursing paychecks when he was murdered and many of the local drug addicts were broke, including Peter Lynley. Could Peter or another addict have murdered Mick for the cash?
As if the Lynleys and the St. James’ didn’t have enough anxiety in their lives!
Hooray!
3.5 stars. This is the 4th book in Elizabeth George's Inspector Lynley series, but really is the prequel to the first book as it provides the back story of Lynley's relationship with Deborah Cotter, Simon St. James, and Helen Clyde. The books are quick enjoyable reads, although set in the late 80s/early 90s so feel a little dated. We shall see how the series progresses.
Reading this from the vantage point of 2023, it takes no time at all to realise Mick and Tina are the same person.
Although this is book 4 in the series, it’s actually a prequel. I had to check twice to make sure I’d got the right book as initially nothing made sense.
And thinking to past and future books, Simon and Lynley have both slept with Helen and Deborah. There’s quite a lot of crude sexual references which is a pity as Ms George has a great grasp of language.
In this book there’s not one likeable character. And poor old Haver’s involvement is limited to a few lines.
Although this is book 4 in the series, it’s actually a prequel. I had to check twice to make sure I’d got the right book as initially nothing made sense.
And thinking to past and future books, Simon and Lynley have both slept with Helen and Deborah. There’s quite a lot of crude sexual references which is a pity as Ms George has a great grasp of language.
In this book there’s not one likeable character. And poor old Haver’s involvement is limited to a few lines.
This was an ok easy read for a time when I needed an easy read, so the soap opera nature of this book didn’t ruin my day, though it wore thin at times. I like the idea of prequels and like actual prequels when well done. This one was just ok. The mystery itself had some interesting bits and even surprises for a change but was marred by massive coincidence, too many people suspecting their brothers and sisters and fathers etc etc to the point of absurdity. Plus a scene of violence bizarrely given a pass and police procedure ignored in favor of outright obstruction of justice that both boggled my mind. Also some unfortunate bits about swarthiness.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Read for book club, it took me a long time to get into it. The first body doesn't even fall until about 100 pages in. I found myself far more intrigued by the Lynley/Deborah/St. James triangle than the actual mystery. And even that didn't seem like it was up for debate until the last few pages. And since this is a prequel, anyone reading it knows that Deborah and St. James end up together. So it wouldn't be a surprise if you read them in publication order. I felt George spent too much time on flowery and dramatic description than she did on making the mystery interesting and exciting. I frequently forgot aspects of the crime because so much time was spent analyzing the personal lives of the characters.
And in the end, it was so nicely convenient that the killer was the man Lynley hates all along.
All this being said, I might give her other books a chance as I've heard they're better. And I do like the characters (especially the fact that Deborah and Simon ended up together), I just wanted a more exciting mystery.
And in the end, it was so nicely convenient that the killer was the man Lynley hates all along.
All this being said, I might give her other books a chance as I've heard they're better. And I do like the characters (especially the fact that Deborah and Simon ended up together), I just wanted a more exciting mystery.
I so enjoyed the last Lynley novel, but this one, not as much. I've always had trouble with prequels, knowing at least some of the plot or resolution to the story ahead of time makes me somewhat anxious. In this case, of course, what I knew was the outcome of the love triangle. In a way, this story was necessary, telling the story of Tommy's past, explaining his family dynamic, and Deborah's and Simon's. The interpersonal angst between the three main characters proved to be nothing more than a distraction, since it had nothing to do with the mystery. However, each of the men had a sibling implicated, giving them all reason to become seriously invested in solving the whodunit.
I casi dell'ispettore Lynley e del sergente Havers fanno ormai parte delle mie letture da ombrellone, oltre che essere entrati a rigore tra le mie ufficiali serie di gialli, svolgendo più che egregiamente il loro ruolo di intrattenimento.
Ma:
in questo caso, mi trovo a leggere un fastidiosissimo prequel, di cui davvero non sentivo il bisogno, in cui i fatti da telenovela di personaggi di cui non frega niente a nessuno, fanno da padrone. Il caso da risolvere (senza dubbio ricco di colpi di scena e dettagli) diviene un mero contorno, mentre la portata principale rimane il gossip un po' sullo stile di Piccoli problemi di cuore.
Ma a chi possa interessare la situazione sentimentale di svariate persone, tra l'altro parecchie anche fastidiose ed insopportabili, che non ricoprono nemmeno un ruolo credibile durante tutta la durata delle indagini, davvero non lo so. Dopo quattro volumi letti, sono giunta alla conclusione che non sopporto Deborah, e mentre io continuo a sperare che il suo ruolo si ridurrà sempre più, l'autrice mi gioca il brutto tiro di rifilarmela ovunque e in tutte le salse: lei depressa, lei innamorata, lei indecisa, lei fotografa (ovviamente sempre presente nei paraggi dei casi di omicidio più contorti della storia d'Inghilterra). Ma soprattutto, qui, in questo lungo ritorno, niente Barbara Havers, che trovo meravigliosamente antipatica, e che ho imparato ad adorare in tutta la sua acidità.
L'unico motivo per cui non vedo l'ora di passare alla prossima indagine, è proprio lei. Come ogni classico investigatore che si rispetti, anche Lynley ha un disperato bisogno della sua assistente, se vuole sperare che io rimanga accodata al suo pubblico.
Insomma, una parentesi nel passato di Lynley del tutto inutile.
Ma:
in questo caso, mi trovo a leggere un fastidiosissimo prequel, di cui davvero non sentivo il bisogno, in cui i fatti da telenovela di personaggi di cui non frega niente a nessuno, fanno da padrone. Il caso da risolvere (senza dubbio ricco di colpi di scena e dettagli) diviene un mero contorno, mentre la portata principale rimane il gossip un po' sullo stile di Piccoli problemi di cuore.
Ma a chi possa interessare la situazione sentimentale di svariate persone, tra l'altro parecchie anche fastidiose ed insopportabili, che non ricoprono nemmeno un ruolo credibile durante tutta la durata delle indagini, davvero non lo so. Dopo quattro volumi letti, sono giunta alla conclusione che non sopporto Deborah, e mentre io continuo a sperare che il suo ruolo si ridurrà sempre più, l'autrice mi gioca il brutto tiro di rifilarmela ovunque e in tutte le salse: lei depressa, lei innamorata, lei indecisa, lei fotografa (ovviamente sempre presente nei paraggi dei casi di omicidio più contorti della storia d'Inghilterra). Ma soprattutto, qui, in questo lungo ritorno, niente Barbara Havers, che trovo meravigliosamente antipatica, e che ho imparato ad adorare in tutta la sua acidità.
L'unico motivo per cui non vedo l'ora di passare alla prossima indagine, è proprio lei. Come ogni classico investigatore che si rispetti, anche Lynley ha un disperato bisogno della sua assistente, se vuole sperare che io rimanga accodata al suo pubblico.
Insomma, una parentesi nel passato di Lynley del tutto inutile.
Real score 4.03. A weirdly placed, but interesting, prequel that answers some of the echoes in the serialised books about the relationships between characters. Although, and I know that books don’t exist without this, why do people make it so hard on each other by communicating so badly? It’s interesting that when I think about this series of crime novels, it’s not usually the crimes that are the main thing.
Okay, I'm thoroughly ensconced in this series now. I found this an interesting placement for this prequel, coming as it does right after the volume that introduces a source of friction between St James and Deborah. The story here describes those two characters' tortuous journey through their relationship, which is painful to read even when I know how it eventually turns out. I guess it goes to show you that the road to love is rocky by nature. Of course there is more to this novel -- mostly it is an exploration of Lynley's family history (which also shows no family is perfect, no matter how it might look from the outside), as he takes Deborah to Cornwall to introduce her to his home and family there as they prepare to marry. Of course people end up dead, and the Fab Four (Lynley, Lady Helen, St James, and Deb) work to unravel the mystery even as Lynley faces some pretty painful stuff from his past, not even knowing that the future he expects may also be at risk. I do love mysteries where there are parallels between the investigators' lives and the crimes they are trying to solve, and these books do that very well. I appreciated the passing reference to Barbara Havers, who is not yet Lynley's partner, but who becomes so important to his life later on. I picked up the next volume even before I finished this -- can't wait to see what the crew gets up to next.