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hinesight's review against another edition
4.0
Elizabeth George has her groove back. I really disliked the prior two novels, but this is back to what I'd come to expect from her. Really good; I hated for it to end. Most satisfying.
candacesiegle_greedyreader's review against another edition
5.0
After the disappointing "Careless in Red" Elizabeth George is back in character with the kind well-developed, complex, can't-put-it-down book her readers look forward to. In "This Body of Death" Lynley is still on compassionate leave. but is called back to the Met to help his temporary replacement, the ambitious Isabelle Ardery.
The novel begins with excerpts from a report about a murder in the 1990s. Two boys snag a toddler from a shopping center, torture, and kill him. Based on the case of Jamie Bolger, chapters are interspersed throughout George's book. This was a shocking crime (the version George creates is less appalling that the real killing), not only for the horror of the murder, but because of the British government's treatment of the killers, who were given new identities and released after the minimum sentence. (Google James Bolger and you'll see that one of his killers is back in the news again). It is this kind of detail, combined with George's interest in British social conditions and her knack for incorporating unusual aspects of English culture that make her books so satisfying.
It's also interesting to see Lynley making poor choices and behaving more like a mere mortal. The always-appealing Barbara Havers has a big role (Isabelle Ardery makes her buy a professional wardrobe and get her teeth fixed--Barbara in Top Shop is worth the price of the novel!)
"This Body of Death" is Elizabeth George at her best.
The novel begins with excerpts from a report about a murder in the 1990s. Two boys snag a toddler from a shopping center, torture, and kill him. Based on the case of Jamie Bolger, chapters are interspersed throughout George's book. This was a shocking crime (the version George creates is less appalling that the real killing), not only for the horror of the murder, but because of the British government's treatment of the killers, who were given new identities and released after the minimum sentence. (Google James Bolger and you'll see that one of his killers is back in the news again). It is this kind of detail, combined with George's interest in British social conditions and her knack for incorporating unusual aspects of English culture that make her books so satisfying.
It's also interesting to see Lynley making poor choices and behaving more like a mere mortal. The always-appealing Barbara Havers has a big role (Isabelle Ardery makes her buy a professional wardrobe and get her teeth fixed--Barbara in Top Shop is worth the price of the novel!)
"This Body of Death" is Elizabeth George at her best.
nancy33's review against another edition
3.0
Good mystery, but just a little too long to get to the end.
therealkathryn's review against another edition
3.0
With authors with long series, I sometimes feel as if they want to fill the book with additional characters and storylines to make their long-time characters a smaller part of the book. That definitely seemed true with this book and while it was a good read, it felt too long and in need of some editing. That said, it was a decent read and had a good twist at the end.
missmim's review against another edition
3.0
George is much more in the groove with this one, getting us back to the Lynley-and-Havers we know and love. I found that even though I knew one of the big spoilers early on (honestly, I don't think George was trying to hide it all that well), I still wanted to know how things would get resolved and was really satisfied with the outcome. It's one of those books where I find myself re-reading passages now that I know how it all turns out. The story of the child murder that begins the book is absolutely horrific (it's based on the real-life murder of James Bulger, which was so vile it's hard to believe human children are capable of such a thing), but the overall question that George poses, whether a child who committed a heinous crime can ever lead a normal life, can ever be truly rehabilitated, is one I've been going over in my mind ever since.
maw539's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Set over two timelines this book tells the horrific story of three ten years old who kidnap and murder a toddler as well as the murder of a young lady in a cemetery. The story shows you the lives of several different characters, giving few clues as to who is the 'bad guy' and who is not. While Lynley is a likeable character, his female colleagues are full of faults and failings which I found disappointing. The underlying theme, does a child who commits a heinous crime deserve a fresh start once their punishment has concluded, is an interesting one that this book considers.
mg_in_md_'s review against another edition
5.0
The chapter with Havers & Nkata interviewing Yolanda the Psychic quite possibly made this book for me! As always, a complex story & riveting mystery featuring some of my favorite characters. And now onto my FirstReads copy of "Believing the Lie!" :)
showell's review against another edition
3.0
This book has elements of the Elizabeth George magic, but also disappointments. The good: I continue to enjoy Lynley's character and story arc. His grief is playing out over time in a way that feels true to me. Even the questionable judgement with respect to his personal life rings true. I hate to see him do it, but at the same time I can accept it in the context of a man who was so thoroughly devastated by sharp sudden grief that any path forward seems better than staying caught where he was.
The main mystery was compelling as well. In true George style the characters in that mystery were complex, well drawn, and people that even if you didn't much care for them, you were interested to see what became of them.
Now the bad: the psychiatric reports of the horrific crime in years past. Yes I see why that mattered in the end, finally, but the reports themselves were a slog and preachy to boot. That bit of backstory could have been handled better. It reminded me of What Came Before He Shot Her and all the things I didn't care for about that story (mainly to do with preachiness).
Also, Barbara Havers in this book read like a caricature of herself. Deborah and Simon felt perfunctorily sketched as well, but it was the treatment of Barbara that really bothered me, perhaps because it's been a while since Deborah and Simon were at the core of any of these books in the way Barbara has been. Unlike in the past books, this time around Barbara was reduced to little more than a chronically terribly dressed and unappealing fried food eating chain smoking female sergeant from the lower classes who has a hopeless blind loyalty to Lynley, a willful disgust of anything that smacks of taking care of her own appearance, and a predilection for rushing off and doing things her own way, whatever the orders from above may be. If I'd only ever read this book I would have no idea why Lynley bothered with her at all.
So while I'm glad I read it, and will read the next because I've read the previous 16--I am not stopping now with only two left in the series (also bc I happen to have already bought the next two *cough, cough*)--but this one wasn't my favorite.
If any of you are considering just starting with Elizabeth George, my advice is to start with the first one in the Lynley series and read them in order, and don't feel bad about skipping What Came Before He Shot Her if you start it and find it's not your cup of tea. That one turns out to be not terribly germane to the Inspector Lynley story arc.
The main mystery was compelling as well. In true George style the characters in that mystery were complex, well drawn, and people that even if you didn't much care for them, you were interested to see what became of them.
Now the bad: the psychiatric reports of the horrific crime in years past. Yes I see why that mattered in the end, finally, but the reports themselves were a slog and preachy to boot. That bit of backstory could have been handled better. It reminded me of What Came Before He Shot Her and all the things I didn't care for about that story (mainly to do with preachiness).
Also, Barbara Havers in this book read like a caricature of herself. Deborah and Simon felt perfunctorily sketched as well, but it was the treatment of Barbara that really bothered me, perhaps because it's been a while since Deborah and Simon were at the core of any of these books in the way Barbara has been. Unlike in the past books, this time around Barbara was reduced to little more than a chronically terribly dressed and unappealing fried food eating chain smoking female sergeant from the lower classes who has a hopeless blind loyalty to Lynley, a willful disgust of anything that smacks of taking care of her own appearance, and a predilection for rushing off and doing things her own way, whatever the orders from above may be. If I'd only ever read this book I would have no idea why Lynley bothered with her at all.
So while I'm glad I read it, and will read the next because I've read the previous 16--I am not stopping now with only two left in the series (also bc I happen to have already bought the next two *cough, cough*)--but this one wasn't my favorite.
If any of you are considering just starting with Elizabeth George, my advice is to start with the first one in the Lynley series and read them in order, and don't feel bad about skipping What Came Before He Shot Her if you start it and find it's not your cup of tea. That one turns out to be not terribly germane to the Inspector Lynley story arc.