Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.41 AVERAGE
3.41 AVERAGE
Just One Evil Act by Elizabeth George was both fascinating and at times painful to read. It could easily have been subtitled "The unravelling of Barbara Havers" and unravel she does. A tightly wound bundle of denial, anger, fear, loss and recklessness, Havers comes dangerously close to losing everything and completely antagonizing the few friends who have stood by her. And yet I found a certain amount of resolution in this novel, at least in the end. Nothing was completely new here; both Lynley and Havers have been through tough times and Barbara, rather rightly or wrongly has felt betrayed by Lynley for a long while, although this betrayal was unintentional and probably not even reognized by Lynley or acknowledged by Havers. In fact there have been signs throughout the last few novels that Havers was spiralling out of control and it is a sign of George's mastery to have managed this long, convoluted saga with Haddiyah and Azarh so well. In the end I'd like to hope that Havers and Lynley are both beginning to heal now, although I'll also admit I wouldn't mind seeing Salvatore lo Bianco again either.
Long time Elizabeth George fan. Just One Evil Act left me shouting (literally since I 'read' the unabridged audio) multiple times.
I'm disappointed at the direction one character took (sorry but I hate spoilers in reviews). The ending was - odd or something. I honestly lack words.
Every time we went to Italy I felt like George was really wanting to either start a new series in Italy or wanted to write a standalone. If either was the case I wish the author had done so rather than slogging through the mess that this novel is.
I'm disappointed at the direction one character took (sorry but I hate spoilers in reviews). The ending was - odd or something. I honestly lack words.
Every time we went to Italy I felt like George was really wanting to either start a new series in Italy or wanted to write a standalone. If either was the case I wish the author had done so rather than slogging through the mess that this novel is.
No. Just--what? No.
If this were not an Elizabeth George novel, I probably would have given it a 3. But I come to her books expecting more than just "Liked it." I just wrote a completely fawning description of her work on my blog, where in particular I mentioned how moving and haunting her subplots and one-off characters are. And here we have...some dull PI and his dull employees, a nice Italian police detective with a nice mom and even a nice ex-wife, and a caricature of a tabloid journalist. Oh, and Lynley's dating a commoner. Yawn.
My only concern was, given her willingness to kill of Lady Helen, that Hadiyyah's life might really be in danger. Once she survived, who cares about the rest? Okay, I was also concerned that Sgt. Havers would lose her job. Instead, her job is saved, but she's accidentally sold her soul to the devil, and the only piece of joy in her life is forever gone. Swell.
I was--this is hard to say--bored for much of the book. Bored. By Elizabeth George. I can only hope this was some sad aberration.
If this were not an Elizabeth George novel, I probably would have given it a 3. But I come to her books expecting more than just "Liked it." I just wrote a completely fawning description of her work on my blog, where in particular I mentioned how moving and haunting her subplots and one-off characters are. And here we have...some dull PI and his dull employees, a nice Italian police detective with a nice mom and even a nice ex-wife, and a caricature of a tabloid journalist. Oh, and Lynley's dating a commoner. Yawn.
My only concern was, given her willingness to kill of Lady Helen, that Hadiyyah's life might really be in danger. Once she survived, who cares about the rest? Okay, I was also concerned that Sgt. Havers would lose her job. Instead, her job is saved, but she's accidentally sold her soul to the devil, and the only piece of joy in her life is forever gone. Swell.
I was--this is hard to say--bored for much of the book. Bored. By Elizabeth George. I can only hope this was some sad aberration.
I maintain that at this point Elizabeth George has ceased writing mystery novels in order to systematically torture her characters for the waiting public. Does that make it a psychological thriller? Or just an uncomfortable adventure. Meh. Technically there is at least one murder. Still, I love Lynley and Havers, though I don't know that I believe Havers capable of her behavior in the book (yes, E.G. I get that that is your point. I can still resent you for it.) Thanks for throwing us a bone in the presence of the Italian Inspector. I hope to see more of him in the future. Gah. I wish I could quit you.
I probably would have rated this book higher, were it not for the author obviously having a dreadful case of verbal diahrea. The book was far too long!! 719 pages of a story that could have been told in half that many. The story itself was quite good and the characters were very intriguing. But by page 500 or so, I could barely force myself to finish reading this book. Perhaps somebody should inform Elizabeth George that, in most cases, less os definitely more.
This was a selection for our mystery book club.
I gave it 100 pages before admitting that it didn't grip me at all, especially not enough to plow through the remaining 600+ pages. I even flipped to the last few chapters to see how it ended, but wasn't engaged with that, either.
I hate to give up on books, but at my age, there are too many books and not enough time. If I'm not involved with a book after a certain point, I have learned to let it go.
I'm sure other people enjoyed it. I was not one of those people.
I gave it 100 pages before admitting that it didn't grip me at all, especially not enough to plow through the remaining 600+ pages. I even flipped to the last few chapters to see how it ended, but wasn't engaged with that, either.
I hate to give up on books, but at my age, there are too many books and not enough time. If I'm not involved with a book after a certain point, I have learned to let it go.
I'm sure other people enjoyed it. I was not one of those people.
Barbara Havers seems to be continually skating just this side of losing her job. This is something that stresses me out, since she is my favorite character in this series, and I like the interplay between her and Lynley and others on the team, especially when things are "business as usual". Business as usual hasn't happened in quite some time though, what with one thing and another, which I find that I miss.
This one had me on edge nearly the whole time, reading breathlessly, waiting for catastrophe (and, let's face it, Elizabeth George can deliver catastrophe) - I think there were about two instances in the book where I felt like I could relax. However, it was also very enjoyable - Italian scenery, Lynley's life slowly being pieced back together, Barbara sodding it all to hell and wearing her slogan covered t-shirts, if not with style, than with great carelessness. Isabelle Ardery is proving to be an interesting character. I would also hope to see more of the Italian inspector, who appreciated Barbara Havers the way she deserves to be appreciated.
All in all, a very complex and satisfying installment in the series. Sigh. Now I have to wait another 2 years for the next one...
This one had me on edge nearly the whole time, reading breathlessly, waiting for catastrophe (and, let's face it, Elizabeth George can deliver catastrophe) - I think there were about two instances in the book where I felt like I could relax. However, it was also very enjoyable - Italian scenery, Lynley's life slowly being pieced back together, Barbara sodding it all to hell and wearing her slogan covered t-shirts, if not with style, than with great carelessness. Isabelle Ardery is proving to be an interesting character. I would also hope to see more of the Italian inspector, who appreciated Barbara Havers the way she deserves to be appreciated.
All in all, a very complex and satisfying installment in the series. Sigh. Now I have to wait another 2 years for the next one...
challenging
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Oh my God!!! Barbara is the character I hated the most ... Like ever... Compared to all the characters I have ever read. The story was also dragged unnecessarily with a forced or flat ending. I hated the ending ..
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Brilliant! Great characters, super good story. For those who found the book disappointing or could not finish, I suggest you check your expectations (not all about Lynley) and attitude at the cover and start over. The story is intricately woven, characters that you just hate and some you love. It's new and better insight into Thomas Lynley's long-time partner Barbara Havers. Barbara! What are you thinking! LOVED it!!