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3.41 AVERAGE
3.41 AVERAGE
Loved it. Like all of her books, it's always like visiting an old friend, and when I'm done, I'm sad.
Have loved Elizabeth George's early wok, but the last three have been disappointments. This one was too long, especially since there was no story, no mystery. EG should go back to letting her Scotland Yard detectives investigate the murders of strangers, not their intimates. I won' be buying any more EG mystery novels, so I guess I won't know who killed Winston's long lost sister.
I picked this up at a discount bookstore without realizing it was book #18 in the Inspector Lynley series. Oops. Luckily, it didn't really seem to matter. Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers was really the main investigator in this particular book as the crime hit close to home for her. When her next-door neighbor's daughter is kidnapped, Barbara does whatever she can to help the handsome professor find his child. She crosses lines she knows shouldn't be crossed, but she justifies her actions by assuring herself she's taking risks for all the right reasons.
I will admit when the kidnapping mystery was resolved I wondered what the next two hundred plus pages were going to be about. I mean, we had our answer and things seemed fairly well laid out for the inspectors involved. That's when the author throws another mystery into the mix, which carries the book to its final conclusion.
I will admit when the kidnapping mystery was resolved I wondered what the next two hundred plus pages were going to be about. I mean, we had our answer and things seemed fairly well laid out for the inspectors involved. That's when the author throws another mystery into the mix, which carries the book to its final conclusion.
Good story but way too long. Too much Italian without translation.
I have not had a good reaction to George's books after she killed off (you know)in What Came Before. I hated that book and how senseless it was and how utterly hopeless the protagonists were. I also didn't really like the books after that, although there were a few that seemed to take us back to Lynley and Havers as they were. Finally, in this book, we have come back to Havers and Lynley and it was a fantastic read. Havers is stunningly absorbing, again, and Tommy is getting his groove back. The work George put into the writing of this book must have been torment. For the first time in a while, I think she has crafted a book worthy of the early ones. Hope the next is up to this one.
Elizabeth George's ability to lay bare the inner lives of her characters - the workings of their minds and hearts - shines in the latest Lynley and Havers novel. What do you do when the mind says you should follow one path, but the heart urges another? How far are you willing to go, and what will you sacrifice? All the characters, especially Barbara Havers, must confront these questions, and make difficult choices. The book is a bit bloated, and at times the numerous subplots detract from the main story. It is maddening, comical, heartbreaking, and yet hopeful. Highly recommended.
Wonderful, perfectly constructed mystery/suspense. Elizabeth George at her best.
I don't know why the fictional characters (Linley et al) like Barbara. I find her awful.
Unfortunately for this one I found Barbara irrational to the point of being annoying. I appreciate her persistence and strength, but she came off as loyal to the point of irrational in this one sadly. She's normally my favorite character but I couldn't get behind her methods in this one. I get it. She's fiercely loyal. But even when she's lied to she keeps on blindly diving ahead. The whole thing with the reporter was gross as well. This woman NEVER learns.
Lynley was the saving grace in this one, and honestly I'm coming to like Isabelle as well. It took me a while, but she was smart and capable in this one and I really appreciated her efforts. She is definitely flawed, but she's brilliant.
Lynley was the saving grace in this one, and honestly I'm coming to like Isabelle as well. It took me a while, but she was smart and capable in this one and I really appreciated her efforts. She is definitely flawed, but she's brilliant.
Just when I think it’s over, it’s not. I love the character development of these books. The care taken to describe characters is wonderful. This one felt like it didn’t need to be as long as it was, but I still enjoyed it.