A review by emjay2021
What Came Before He Shot Her by Elizabeth George

So strange...I could have sworn I had written a review for this when I read it. Oh well. This novel provides back story for the murder that happens at the end of the previous book in the Lynley series. Therefore, it's not a whodunit but rather a whydunit, and man is it ever grim. I found it quite compelling, if depressingly believable. Joel is a nice kid from a poor family of colour who is enmeshed in the system that will eventually lead to the aforementioned murder. I found it very moving and hard to put down--I read it while travelling and it occupied me through a long train journey. I know some Lynley fans didn't like this one but I thought it was very good.