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kathydavie's review against another edition
5.0
Fourth (publication-wise) in the Inspector Lynley mystery series set in modern-day London, A Suitable Vengeance is so incredibly well titled as vengeance abounds throughout the story. Tommy’s anger with his mother, Deb’s anger with Simon, Peter’s anger with Tommy, Justin and Mick’s actions, Sidney’s emotions, Mark’s activities…it’s endless.
The Chronology of the Series
A Suitable Vengeance is, chronologically, first in the series as it tells the tale of Deborah’s return from school in America with her engagement to Tommy during her visit with Tommy’s family in Cornwall. ALL of which takes place well before A Great Disappearance in which Barbara Havers is collecting Tommy for a case from Simon and Deborah’s wedding.
The Story
So, that said, lordy, what a convoluted, swirling tide of clues is this. The primary story is of Simon’s desperate and undeclared love for Deborah set against her and Tommy’s involvement, which leads us to the family weekend at Tommy’s estate in Cornwall, Howenstow---Tommy has proposed and Deborah is to meet the family.
And what a weekend to remember. The local Lothario is murdered with a particularly nasty cut with more murders following and all the suspects are connected to Howenstow. Tommy may be Scotland Yard but we’re not on his patch. And this is where I get frustrated with George. Tommy is a Detective Inspector with Scotland Yard and he is screwing up all over the place not behaving like the policeman he is. He does nothing to secure the initial crime scene. He withholds evidence. He searches for evidence on his own. Why not hire on some divers to search the sea for the case instead of having a couple of the lads diving with masks and snorkels??
My Take
I guess I’m expecting the world especially with how masterfully George pulls all these red herrings into a simple cohesive solution. George is amazing in her attention to detail, the situations she creates, and the tension she builds (even though I have a pretty good idea of how things will end as I’m already three stories into the future when I read this story).
The Cover
The cover is rather painterly with a very suitable subject---the rocks off the Cornish coast which play such a role in opening the case.
The Chronology of the Series
A Suitable Vengeance is, chronologically, first in the series as it tells the tale of Deborah’s return from school in America with her engagement to Tommy during her visit with Tommy’s family in Cornwall. ALL of which takes place well before A Great Disappearance in which Barbara Havers is collecting Tommy for a case from Simon and Deborah’s wedding.
The Story
So, that said, lordy, what a convoluted, swirling tide of clues is this. The primary story is of Simon’s desperate and undeclared love for Deborah set against her and Tommy’s involvement, which leads us to the family weekend at Tommy’s estate in Cornwall, Howenstow---Tommy has proposed and Deborah is to meet the family.
And what a weekend to remember. The local Lothario is murdered with a particularly nasty cut with more murders following and all the suspects are connected to Howenstow. Tommy may be Scotland Yard but we’re not on his patch. And this is where I get frustrated with George. Tommy is a Detective Inspector with Scotland Yard and he is screwing up all over the place not behaving like the policeman he is. He does nothing to secure the initial crime scene. He withholds evidence. He searches for evidence on his own. Why not hire on some divers to search the sea for the case instead of having a couple of the lads diving with masks and snorkels??
My Take
I guess I’m expecting the world especially with how masterfully George pulls all these red herrings into a simple cohesive solution. George is amazing in her attention to detail, the situations she creates, and the tension she builds (even though I have a pretty good idea of how things will end as I’m already three stories into the future when I read this story).
The Cover
The cover is rather painterly with a very suitable subject---the rocks off the Cornish coast which play such a role in opening the case.
whimsicalmeerkat's review against another edition
2.0
[b:A Suitable Vengeance|234232|A Suitable Vengeance (Inspector Lynley #4)|Elizabeth George|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51HVAW066FL._SL75_.jpg|1896269] is the fourth book in [a:Elizabeth George|1402383|Elizabeth George|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1235518043p2/1402383.jpg]'s Inspector Lynley series, but chronologically it occurs years before the first three. In it we see the main characters much younger and gain far more insight into the tangled relationships of Lynley, Deborah, and St. James. Given how much those relationships make me want to shake each one of the players hard, this was my least favorite so far. The mystery itself was interesting, but bizarre in a way that did not redeem the book. I did enjoy the revelations regarding Lynley's relationship with his family, but again, those did not do enough to redeem the book. Not weak enough to put me off the series, but not what I would call good.
writer595's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
juliabodson's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this. I found the personal lives of Lynley, Helen, Deb, and Simon to be somewhat a of a stretch, but the mystery itself was really good. Many twists and turns. I couldn’t figure it out til the end!
shirlee2024's review against another edition
3.0
Good to get the back story. I'd been wondering. However, a bit too much romance for my taste.
e_clair301's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
retiredlibrarylady's review against another edition
4.0
This reminded me of trying to read the Narnia series in order; you actually have to read a later one first to make chronological sense of the series. This should come first, because the action in the book comes before the first three; the subsequent ones follow what is the third book.
This fills in the story of Lynley, St.James, Deborah, and Lady Helen, but it actually goes back in time. We have no Havers, and no Nkata (he only appears briefly in books 1 and 2). The story is set in Cornwall, mostly in Lynley's family estate. Lots of murder but no Scotland Yard. We learn a lot of Lynley's backstory and how Deborah ends up with Simon.
This fills in the story of Lynley, St.James, Deborah, and Lady Helen, but it actually goes back in time. We have no Havers, and no Nkata (he only appears briefly in books 1 and 2). The story is set in Cornwall, mostly in Lynley's family estate. Lots of murder but no Scotland Yard. We learn a lot of Lynley's backstory and how Deborah ends up with Simon.
annnniiiika's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
jefftstevens's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
At first I did t get why this book had been written out of sequence, being set three years before the first novel. However, it fills in the background of Lynsey, Lady Helen, St. James and Deborah perfectly. It’s strange with only a brief interaction with Havers though. Great story.