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A review by ruthiella
A Banquet of Consequences by Elizabeth George
3.0
OK, I somewhat agree with goodreaders who feel that George redeems herself with this 19th outing with DI Lynley & Co. The previous two books were totally off the rails IMO and this book was to be the litmus test for me and my reading future.
The mystery was pretty good. It certainly kept me guessing. It starts off very slow however. I don’t think the murder takes place until around page 150 or so. What kicks the book off is a very disturbed young man with a mommy-complex who commits suicide. Indeed, it is the reasons for and consequences of his death that introduce the reader to the cast of characters aka list of suspects once the mystery gets going. And the mommy in question, Caroline Goldacre, was believably horrible I thought. The kind of character you wouldn't mind seeing pushed from a moving train.
I think DS Barbara Havers redeems herself for the reader somewhat too in this book, though in general I fear the main characters have become almost caricatures. In particular, how many euphemisms can Barbara have for sexual intercourse? TOO MANY. And Lynley and zoo keeper Dierdre make no sense at all. There is no chemistry at all.
The mystery was pretty good. It certainly kept me guessing. It starts off very slow however. I don’t think the murder takes place until around page 150 or so. What kicks the book off is a very disturbed young man with a mommy-complex who commits suicide. Indeed, it is the reasons for and consequences of his death that introduce the reader to the cast of characters aka list of suspects once the mystery gets going. And the mommy in question, Caroline Goldacre, was believably horrible I thought. The kind of character you wouldn't mind seeing pushed from a moving train.
I think DS Barbara Havers redeems herself for the reader somewhat too in this book, though in general I fear the main characters have become almost caricatures. In particular, how many euphemisms can Barbara have for sexual intercourse? TOO MANY. And Lynley and zoo keeper Dierdre make no sense at all. There is no chemistry at all.