This Body of Death: An Inspector Lynley Novel

Product Details

• ISBN13: 9780061160882
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Description

New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth George is back with a spellbinding tale of mystery and murder featuring Scotland Yard Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley.

On compassionate leave after the murder of his wife, Thomas Lynley is called back to Scotland Yard when the body of a woman is found stabbed and abandoned in an isolated London cemetery. His former team doesn't trust the leadership of their new department chief, Isabelle Ardery, whose management style seems to rub everyone the wrong way. In fact, Lynley may be the sole person who can see beneath his superior officer's hard-as-nails exterior to a hidden—and possibly attractive—vulnerability.

While Lynley works in London, his former colleagues Barbara Havers and Winston Nkata follow the murder trail south to the New Forest. There they discover a beautiful and strange place where animals roam free, the long-lost art of thatching is very much alive, and outsiders are not entirely welcome. What they don't know is that more than one dark secret lurks among the trees, and that their investigation will lead them to an outcome that is both tragic and shocking.

A multilayered jigsaw puzzle of a story skillfully structured to keep readers guessing until the very end, This Body of Death is a magnificent achievement from a writer at the peak of her powers.

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Customer Reviews

Thomas Lynley is Sexier than Ever!
"Thomas Lynley is back as perhaps Scotland Yard's sexiest detective and this time he must solve one of London's weirdest murders. His colleagues Barbara Havers and Winston Nkata return as well. Fans of Elizabeth George will not be able to put down This Body of Death."

2010-07-25 (Nashville, Tn United States) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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Devoured this in two days when I should have been doing other things
like sleeping, but it was too engrossing to put down.

Elizabeth George's books mirror our flawed society as it is, exposing the convoluted pattern of individual motivations and how past events and actions affect everything forward. In This Body of Death the author brings back Lynley, Havers and other familiar faces while introducing a new character in the form of Acting Superintendent Ardery, a complex and driven woman with her own secrets.

The focus is on the disappearance of a young woman. Her friend and brother strongly suspect her former lover, yet he oddly does little to explain her abrupt termination of their relationship or defend himself from their suspicions. George weaves into the narrative reports from a seemingly unrelated but hideous crime previously committed by three juveniles. The ultimate connection of both cases is stunning but somehow has the feel of inevitability.

There are no obvious solutions to the issues that are addressed in this novel, just as few of the characters are ever simple in their thoughts and actions. This is a thought provoking book that challenges the reader to examine his or her own perceptions of how justice is best served.

2010-07-24 (McDonough, GA United States) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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This Body Of Death
Book was in excellent condition. I would certainly recommend this seller and use them again in the future.

2010-07-20 | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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He's back, she's back
Picking up a new Elizabeth George novel is like a happy combination of birthday, Christmas and wedding anniversary for me. I have managed to hold on to my excitement despite being hugely disappointed by the last book, Careless in Red. I am glad I have because the old Elizabeth George is back, and so is Tommy Lynley.
After the author decided to have one of her main characters murdered a few years back, I couldn't help but feel that she wanted to kill off all her characters, that she was just sick of them and didn't have anything left to say about them and their (in most cases) rather privileged lives. Her extraordinary book What Came Before He Shot Her was probably her best on an intellectual level (yes, unlike other readers I think this kind of social commentary is important) but was emotionally not very satisfying. The next novel, Careless in Red , was a disaster without a point. Yet this one, finally, is reviving Lynely as a three-dimensional, grieving man. It's bringing Barb Havers back to life (with a few moments of silliness that seem unlike her) and, perhaps most importantly, it is taking us back to London and the Met.
There are some flaws here, some uneven writing, and a subplot about the treasure that is fun but undeveloped. The fact that Ms. George weaves in a James Bulger story is eerily timely, given that one of the killers was just in the news again. I am glad that she does not shy away from asking difficult questions about "evil", justice and rehabilitation. And I am grateful for the various dog characters that always make me smile.
Do I want her to go back into the world of public schools (that's British for exclusive private schools), Cambridge, Chelsea etc? Perhaps. It makes for better escapism. Do I like her new gritty settings and uncomfortable plots? Absolutely.
You have me back Ms. George.

2010-07-17 | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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Geroge's "Prosemance"
This book returns to the more traditional format (and story) of the author. I've read every single EG novel and can all were fascinating and beguiling. I even liked the one in which Helen (vapid at best) is sent to that luxury spa in the sky. Lynley, the other half of George's "prosemance", returns for more moping and hero making. Some are disturbed by the author's new interest in society's problem folks - British minorities, Muslims, those without roots, homes, families or parents. Unfortunately, everyone can't live like Lynley, Deborah & Simon with butlers, antique cars and mansions. George is illuminating those who most of us ignore and/or never see.

That said, the two "plots" begin their deadly dance. The reader keeps asking how the story of three murdering boys fits into the scheme of things. Yet, in Georgian fashion, the two stories keep intertwining and finally merge in a "body of death". The title has numerous interpretations - the toddler, Jemima, Ian, the villain. Again, Elizabeth plays with our emotions, making us like someone who has committed a horrible deed.

The story introduces a new "person of interest" - Isabelle Ardery, appointed as acting Superintendent in Lynley's place. She (of course) is beset with bad habits, a failed marriage, "mother" issues and mounting problems at work with pressures from above and staff disloyalty from below. Is this a new romantic interest for Lynley? Would George ever allow Lynley another love? LOL The meat of the story, though, is the investigation of the murder of a young woman in a graveyard. Yes, there was a tad too much wordiness and yes, the "Britishisms" are off-putting at times but undoubtedly realistic. I especially like the use of "hose pipe" (for garden hose) - a term used only in England and middle Tennessee. My Grade - A_ (for wordiness)

2010-07-15 (Franklin, Tn) | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 4

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With No One as Witness (Thomas Lynley and Barbara Havers Novels)

Description

The police never suspected a serial killer was at large until they found the fourth murdered boy -- the first white victim -- his body draped over a tomb in a London graveyard. Suddenly a series of crimes and a potential public relations disaster have Scotland Yard on the defensive, scrambling to apprehend a maniac while avoiding accusations of racism.

Detective Superintendent Thomas Lynley, distracted by concerns for his pregnant wife, has been assigned to the investigation, along with his disgraced partner, Barbara Havers, who's fighting for her professional future. Winston Nkata -- deservedly, if hastily, promoted to detective sergeant -- is the black face who will speak to the media. But none of them can imagine the tenacity and ingenuity of the killer they seek . . . and no one is prepared for the savage, shocking instant when everything will change forever.

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Customer Reviews

Witness
In this book Elizabeth George acquaints the reader with the processes of tracking a serial killer who is at once ordinary and yet diabolical. The coordination of resources and man power to finally get the killer is detailed and organized. Many leads of followed, but he final result depends, again, on Barbara Havers unique insights and observations. Here ability to connect pieces of information leads to the rescue of Inspector Lynley himself.

2009-12-28 | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 3

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In desperate need of an editor
There are some (but few) contemporary writers who can wallow in excess verbiage and pull it off - Reginald Hill is one. Elizabeth George is a prime example of one who cannot. If you are going to take what otherwise would be a ten word sentence and add a another 5, 10 or 15 words just for the fun of it, they had better serve a purpose.

Elizabeth George almost always adds endlessly thoughtless, pointless, redundant words to every sentence, and unless she is being paid by the quantity rather than the quality of her writing, she is just wasting a lot of paper that could better be used in its original form as trees.

With No One As Witness is at the very most, a 300-page story (and that is very generous) hidden in almost 800 pages of absolutely useless typing. More people can type than can write, and Elizabeth George is nothing but a very tedious typist. There might be some valid reason for this kind of writing for very young readers, but for reasonably intelligent adults this book is an affront to everything that makes good writing pleasant.

2009-10-30 (Davis, California) | Helpful Votes: 2 | Rating: 1

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Beautifully written mystery.
Elizabeth George is second to none as a writer. This is a beautifully-written and moving mystery. Most highly recommended.

2009-10-17 | Elementary Music Teacher (Upstate New York) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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Wonderfully heartbreaking
I love Elizabeth George's Inspector Lynley series but I often feel her books are longer than necessary. Occasionally characters are added but there is no follow through & I end up wondering why they were introduced at all - this book was not guilty of that crime. I actually read 'What Came Before He Shot Her' before 'With No One As Witness'(not purposely). However, I'm glad I did. I don't believe I could have survived her absolutely senseless death otherwise (senseless regarding who shot her not that George killed this character). Helen has always been my favorite character - she rounded out Tommy perfectly.

The last few chapters were beautifully written (I thought some of George's best). She did a wonderful job pulling in the family members and subtly reminding us of their history(anyone who hasn't read other Lynley novels will not have this connection so PLEASE start the series from the beginning). I had to remind myself a few hours after I finished this book that Lynley & Havers are fictional characters and they weren't off somewhere in deep depression (although Barbara was receiving comfort, FINALLY!!!)- a sure sign of an excellent series.

Two more items: 1)Is poor Denton going to fly back from his wonderful vacation in NY to find out about Helen??? Someone should have called him! 2) If only Helen had parked the Bentley and Deborah had been on the doorstep. Not sure I would have shed many tears there - she's awfully boring.

2009-04-25 | lpp (Austin, TX) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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A Flawlessly Written Mystery
I have just finished one of the best mysteries I've read. Ever. It took me almost all of February, granted, but as I closed the cover twenty minutes ago I felt as much satisfaction as having finished a quintessential slice of chocolate cake with chocolate ganache and a bit of raspberry sorbet on the side: perfection.

The book is swirling around in my brain with these threads teasing out:

the plot is intricately woven with no possibility of guessing the outcome before its arrival...

the characters are perfectly drawn: from their physical appearance to their emotional upheavals, I feel as if I've met them and understand them...

the phrasing, the vocabulary, makes me rest completely in the author's care. No word is out of place, or unnecessarily implanted; no word makes me gag at its awkwardness within the sentence...

the setting is so accurate, so well drawn, I'm amazed that Elizabeth is from Ohio and not London itself.

2009-02-27 | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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Careless in Red: A Novel

Description

In her most eagerly anticipated novel yet, Elizabeth George brings back Scotland Yard's Thomas Lynley to investigate a ruthless crime.

After the senseless murder of his wife, Detective Superintendent Thomas Lynley retreated to Cornwall, where he has spent six solitary weeks hiking the bleak and rugged coastline. But no matter how far he walks, no matter how exhausting his days, the painful memories of Helen's death do not diminish.

On the forty-third day of his walk, at the base of a cliff, Lynley discovers the body of a young man who appears to have fallen to his death. The closest town, better known for its tourists and its surfing than its intrigue, seems an unlikely place for murder. However, it soon becomes apparent that a clever killer is indeed at work, and this time Lynley is not a detective but a witness and possibly a suspect.

The head of the vastly understaffed local police department needs Lynley's help, though, especially when it comes to the mysterious, secretive woman whose cottage lies not far from where the body was discovered. But can Lynley let go of the past long enough to solve a most devious and carefully planned crime?

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Customer Reviews

careless in red
enjoyable but not as good as some of her other books.always enjoy the lynley series highly recommend What happened
before I shot her

2010-07-23 | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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He's Going to Be OK
"Careless in Red" opens with the still-grieving Thomas Lynley making his way along the coast of Cornwall on foot. Lynley has been walking so long, in fact, that he could more easily pass for a vagrant or homeless person than he could for the highly respected Detective Superintendent of New Scotland Yard he used to be. Since Lynley wants no part of New Scotland Yard, or anything else regarding his former life, he prefers it that way. But, as luck would have it, he stumbles upon the body of a teenage boy who has apparently fallen from the cliff below which Lynley is walking. When it becomes clear that this is a case of murder, rather than accident, Lynley will find himself one of the early suspects in the investigation.

Detective Inspector Bea Hannaford has a murder to solve but she does not feel that she has been given the proper tools to solve the case. The local policemen assigned to help her on the case do not impress her at all, so she is determined to make the most of having a former star of New Scotland Yard on the case. Hannaford refuses to let Lynley leave the area and convinces him that, since he is there anyway, he may as well give her some help. Hannaford, though, gets more than she bargained by forcibly recruiting Thomas Lynley into the investigation and she soon realizes that he will, indeed, help investigate the murder - but only on his own terms.

Elizabeth George writes big books and this is another whopper, coming in at 623 pages. It is filled with complex side plots and back stories involving a wide array of characters all the way from a grandfather trying to raise his overly religious granddaughter to a Greek expatriate sleeping her way through Cornwall's men (married or not, young or old) at an astonishing pace. Some of the side plots and much of the back story involve the murdered boy, Santo Kerne, a young man who had more than his share of enemies for someone so young. While some might see the multiple characters and stories as a distraction, fans of George will revel in the way she gets so deeply into the lives of such different people and will be impressed with the way she tidies everything up by the book's end.

Longtime fans of the series are, however, likely to be somewhat disappointed that Thomas Lynley is little more than a side character in "Careless in Red" or that Barbara Havers does not even appear in the story until about its mid-point. Havers, though, is Havers and when she does show up, Lynley's character seems to change for the better and the whole pace of the book seems to sharpen.

Note that the unabridged audio book version of "Careless in Red" is some 18 CDs in length and that total listening time is something close to 20 hours in total. This is quite a challenge unless one has an extremely long commute or, as I did, brings the book along on a road trip. Narrator John Lee, who does an excellent job on the recording, is consistent throughout and does a remarkable job on a variety of British accents.

Fans of the series will appreciate this one; newcomers, perhaps not as much. The good news is that Thomas Lynley is recovering from the tragedy he suffered in "With No One as Witness" and that he should be more his old self in the next book in the series.

2010-07-13 (Spring, Texas) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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Inspector Lynley is back!
I was eagerly waiting! Like its predecessors, I found this murder mystery very entertaining. I see from other reviewers that the comments are not as favourable as for other E. George's books but I disagree. Her style is unchanged and the story fully believable. I have always admired the way Ms. George is able to analyse her characters, with rare depth without getting boring.
Inspector Lynely is still devastated for the murder of his wife and son-to-be three months earlier. He has left his job and wonders aimlessly in his native Cornwall, walking around until exhaustion takes over. One day, edging a cliff, he sees the body of a young man. Despite his present detachment from the world, he immediately seeks help. And the plot begins to unfold...
The only thing I would change in this book is the marginal appearance of DS Barbara Havers, who's always been an intergral part of all Lynley's books. Here, she plays but a small part, too small for readers who missed her. Granted that it all adds up to the frame of the story (had she been more present from the beginning, it would not have made much sense for the circumstances surrounding Lynley), still, I would have loved a bigger involvement in the story. That's all. For the rest, a great book which adds up to the sequence of Ms. George's acclaimed books.

2010-07-02 (Italy) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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Quality is better than quantity
This book was a great improvement over Elizabeth George's previous novel, which I couldn't force myself to finish. I enjoyed the Cornwall setting and the surfer characters, however the book was just too long. For a 500+ page novel, not a lot actually happens. Tighter editing and fewer of the jarring similes would have improved the book. I will keep reading this series because I like the characters of Lynley, Havers and co., but I would be really pleased if the next book is only 400 pages.

2010-06-26 (New Zealand) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 3

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What happened to Barbara Havers?
Like other reviewers of CARELESS IN RED, I was very disappointed in this book. It is way too long for a mystery - more than 500 pages - filled with too many boring, unattractive secondary characters. Most of the chapters involve less of the mystery than of these characters whining over their sad fates - and this includes Thomas Lynley. The local detective sergeant, Bea Hannaford, is one of the most unattractive characters I've ever read about (outside of outright villains) - and I know Elizabeth George can do better than that. I agree that Barbara Havers is the most appealing character in this book, but she plays only a minor role. Most of the book involves the very unattractive secondary characters. I was expecting another exciting action-filled novel like Ms. George's earlier books - but for me, this one went over like the proverbial lead balloon. Towards the end of the book, I found myself skimming over all the woes of these secondary characters - and in the process, I also skipped over whatever passage there was that revealed who the murderer was. And you know something? I didn't really care! I have kept most of Elizabeth George's books for my permanent library - but this one is going to go in the next box of so-so books that I take to the Salvation Army. My guess is that Ms. George's publisher nagged her endlessly to write another book, so she simply ground this one out - because it certainly seems that her heart wasn't in it. But I still want to hear more about Lynley and Havers - as both of them were in previous books. Back to work, Elizabeth!

2010-05-11 | hinducats (Los Angeles, CA USA) | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 2

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A Great Deliverance (Inspector Lynley)

Description

To this day, the low, thin wail of an infant can be heard in Keldale's lush green valleys. Three hundred years ago, as legend goes, the frightened Yorkshire villagers smothered a crying babe in Keldale Abbey, where they'd hidden to escape the ravages of Cromwell's raiders.

Now into Keldale's pastoral web of old houses and older secrets comes Scotland Yard Inspector Thomas Lynley, the eighth earl of Asherton. Along with the redoubtable Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers, Lynley has been sent to solve a savage murder that has stunned the peaceful countryside. For fat, unlovely Roberta Teys has been found in her best dress, an axe in her lap, seated in the old stone barn beside her father's headless corpse. Her first and last words were "I did it. And I'm not sorry."

Yet as Lynley and Havers wind their way through Keldale's dark labyrinth of secret scandals and appalling crimes, they uncover a shattering series of revelations that will reverberate through this tranquil English valley—and in their own lives as well.


From the Paperback edition.

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Customer Reviews

Unlikley Combination
Elizabeth George introduced police procedural fans to the unlikely combination of Inspector Thomas Lynley and Sergeant Barbara Havers. The past is always present in this complicated piece of detective fiction and nowhere are class differences handled with such adroit skill as in THE GREAT DELIVERANCE.
Havers has one last chance to make it before being pitched for Scotland Yard to street duty for the remainder of her career. The psychological suspense played against the often futile work of the detectives make for an engaging read.
Nash Black, author of SINS OF THE FATHERS.

2010-07-21 | Troubadour (Jamestown, KY) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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A Great Deliverance
I am an anglophile. I LOVE British TV, Music, Movies and especially, British books. Maybe it's my heritage or just an affinity for their culture. So, when EW listed an Elizabeth George book on their Summer Must Read List, I was intrigued. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that this is a BBC show(YAY!) but also written by a Yank! I am amazed just how British this book sounded for a gal writing from the States. The language was spot on. The scenary was impeccable. I had no trouble imagining fog drifting in over the countryside. There were no false notes. The characters had depth. I especially liked Havers's passion. Excellent job, Ms. George.

2010-06-03 | The Book Hoarder (Denver, CO) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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Lynley betrays his colleagues
I am an avid fan of the Inspector Lynley series, and bought "This Body of Death" in hardback. George is once again exploring the hell some children experience from abusive families/environments, and I find that both interesting and laudable. Unfortunately, Lynley, who has always been sensitive, intelligent, and brooding, has gone over the line into loser. The current Acting Superintendent, Isabelle Ardery, is an incompetent, abusive alcoholic. It's bad enough that Lynley shows dreadful judgment by sleeping with her, but he becomes an enabler (someone who makes excuses for an alcoholic/drug addict/abuser) by making excuses for her failure when Sir Hillier wants to fire her. Lynley has watched her abuse his colleagues, but he betrays them by getting Hillier to keep her on. It is this betrayal of his friends and colleagues that has disturbed me most, and for this reason I'll not be buying any more of George's books. Her exploration of what makes children commit crimes, and the long-term effects of that on their lives, is fascinating. What she has done to her main character is deplorable.

2010-06-03 | Spanish teacher (Oklahoma) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 2

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Entertaining story
This quirky mystery has so many twists and turns that the reader has to pay attention to keep up. The characters are entertaining and the plot moves quickly. I found myself getting interested, despite an initial reluctance to take this novel seriously.
What gets disturbing is the back-and-forth playoff between the main mystery and the sad story of the conflicts in the lives of the two main characters. At some point, the reader could say: Enough, already! The wrapup ending makes up for the earlier confusion. This is a nice 'escape' type novel, but not serious literature, by any means. Some of the plot is very contrived.

2010-05-11 | quilt lady (Southwest USA) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 3

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A Great Deliverance
In this writing, "A Great Deliverance", Elizabeth George has given us two unforgetable characters, Inspector Thomas Linsley, and Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers. The two together work as a team as they try to solve the mystery of the beheaded farmer and his confessed killer, his daughter Roberta, whom all who know her do not think her capable of the deed.

George has developed two totally different characters, one is a debonair, elegant, aristocratic individual who reeks of the cosmopolitan, and the second as a fat, homely, ill-clothed country bumpkin. Each totally different in appearance and action from the other, but reflective of the trademark character George wants to create. The mystery is set in the English farming countryside and is not too complicated, even when one is slightly distracted by "asides" in the plot which appear unrelated to the solving of this gruesome crime. A good read!!

2010-04-25 | E.J. Walden (Lake Saint Louis, MO) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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Payment in Blood (Inspector Lynley)

Description

The career of playwright Joy Sinclair comes to an abrupt end on an isolated estate in the Scottish Highlands when someone drives an eighteen-inch dirk through her neck. Called upon to investigate the case in a country where they have virtually no authority, aristocratic Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and his partner, Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers, grapple for both a motive and a murderer. Emotions run deep in this highly charged drama, for the list of suspects soon includes Britain’s foremost actress, its most successful theatrical producer, and the woman Lynley loves. He and Havers must tread carefully through the complicated terrain of human relationships while they work to solve a case rooted in the darkest corners of the past and the unexplored regions of the human heart.

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Customer Reviews

disappointed
What happened, Ms. George? This book dragged. Also, it seemed like the spark from the previous book was missing.

2010-06-03 | The Book Hoarder (Denver, CO) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 3

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Inspector Lynley bemused
This is my first sampling of Ms. George's work. The mystery portion started off a bit muzzy, as the personal lives of the detectives involved sidetracked the actual detecting for a time. I must say that I found the bed hopping of almost every suspect to be a bit much to be believed (and yucky).

Overall though, I enjoyed the way the resolution came about. I also admired the loyalty and firm commitment to Inspector Lynley that his friends and co-workers, Havers and St. James displayed - giving me hope that there is more to him than he appears to be in this episode. Lynley's love interest (Lady Helen) was at times disappointing and somewhat predictable. Why all the angst between these longtime companions is a puzzlement to me. Don't they talk to each other? Maybe more to explain this in the books prior to this one?

2010-03-03 | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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a great page turner
This is my first Elizabeth George murder mystery and though it dates from 1989, it reads very here and now. She does an excellent job creating unique characters, each with a special quirk or two. The story has lots of twists without getting overly confusing and she didn't try and tie everything up in a perfect bow at the end. One still feels satisfied, however, with the conclusion.

2009-06-07 | looking for a good read (United States) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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Challenging and engrossing
Elizabeth George is starting to develop her confidence and skill as a mystery writer in this installment of Lynley and Havers. Too often, particularly in this genre, accolades are bestowed upon undeserving writers. Following up her first book, the award winning A Great Deliverance, with a more complex story that both engages and challenges the reader portends her bright future. The number of characters introduced and the interrelations alluded to forces the reader to reread early exchanges in order to fully appreciate the puzzle. Still, it is not like reading Joyce so don't let my comments scare off less confident readers. A mushy ending that had little to do with the meat of the mystery was the only major flaw in this superb novel.

2009-01-15 (New York) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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An English Country-House Murder
A Scottish estate turned into an elegant country inn, whose first guests are a famous theatrical producer and the stars, writer and director of the new play he is getting ready for the West End: ingredients for a classic English country-house murder mystery, especially when the playwright is found murdered in a locked bedroom. There are several people with immediately obvious motives, and a complex net of relationships among them(the playwright's sister is the lead actor's ex-wife; the producer is the estate owner's sister, and who exactly is the father of his daughter?) But Elizabeth George owes nothing to Agatha Christie, and this is no generic country-house murder mystery. When DI Thomas Lynley and his partner Sgt. Barbara Havers are sent to the scene in a highly irregular decision by their superiors at New Scotland Yard, the playwright's murder appears to have mysterious political implications-or is that a red herring? It certainly has personal implications for DI Lynley, who is unpleasantly surprised to find Lady Helen Clyde among the guests, with a very embarrassing alibi. As the complex plot unfolds, Lynley and Havers view the principal suspect from distinctly different, and clearly class-based, points of view. Thus the issue of social class, which permeates this series, is cleverly interwoven with the elements of the mystery, and the continuing cast of characters continues to be developed.

2008-10-11 (New York, NY) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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Playing for the Ashes

Description

"The story begins with my father, actually, and the fact that I'm the one who's answerable for his death.  It was not my first crime, as you will see, but it is the one my mother couldn't forgive."

In her astonishing New York Times bestseller, acclaimed author Elizabeth George reveals the even darker truth behind this startling confession. Playing for the Ashes is a rich tale of passion, murder and love in which Inspector Thomas Lynley and Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers once again find themselves embroiled in a case where nothing—and no one—is really what it seems.  Intense, suspenseful and brilliantly written, Playing for the
Ashes will make readers "search out the sleuthing pair's first six adventures...a treasure," as Cosmopolitan predicted in their review.

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Customer Reviews

Great Plot--Poor Characters
The character of Olivia in Elizabeth George's PLAYING FOR THE ASHES is just plain weird. Despite the intricate plotting and intricate story line it was a difficult book to finish.
As a writer of romance Ms. George does not excel. Lynley and Helen seem pathetic cross matches rather than friends on the way to the alter. Maybe Ms. George should invest in a critical editor.
PLAYING FOR THE ASHES is not the worst in this series, but it will run it a close second.
Nash Black, author of TRAVELERS.

2010-07-27 | Troubadour (Jamestown, KY) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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Skip this one
Skip this one if you are an Elizabeth George fan. There is not one sympathetic character in the lot, save Lynley and Havers and Lynley doesn't come off that good. Olivia is despicable and goes on and on for pages that should have disappeared under the editor's red pen. I suppose no one dares edit George now that she is such a huge success. Pity. The rest of the characters are totally without redemption, especially Jimmy, who may have the filthiest mouth yet. A little British slang goes a long way. Every other word about procreation is just too much.

2010-03-17 | Okie Grandma (Kingston, OK, USA) | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 2

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Another excellent George
Elizabeth George continues her string of successful British mysteries (amazing, as she is an American). Even minor characters such as the milkman who appears for a few pages are believable people, and the plot is nicely complicated, involving the death of a cricket player (have no fear, my fellow Americans...it is not necessary to know anything about the game). The one discouraging note is that Inspector Lynley continues in his determination to marry Helen even though, as he admits on one page, she is entirely unsuitable for him.

2010-01-03 | Judith Gunn Bronson, M.S. (Bandera, TX) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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A different style
I've begun reading Elizabeth George only recently and I am trying to read all of her books in order. While this is a Lynley-Havers mystery, it's a little different from the others because the chapters alternate between the investigation into a murder and the journal of a young woman who knows who committed the murder. It's a very effective device for building the characters and plot line. Even if you think you have figured it all out by the end, you are so drawn into this woman's story that you wouldn't stop reading. As usual, another gem!

2009-09-11 (Baltimore, MD) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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A taste for misery
After watching and enjoying the Inspector Lynley series on PBS, I broke one of my firm rules for such situations and bought two of the books without first checking them out of the library to see if they were as good or better than the movie/TV version. I found them tedious and meandering. However, I knew that Elizabeth George has many enthusiastic fans among book critics and the reading public, so when I saw Playing for the Ashes at an extremely cheap price, I thought that maybe I had been unlucky in my first two choices, and bought it. Ugh! It was fully as bad as the most critical reviewers have said. It is very long-winded. Ms.George rarely makes a point in one paragraph when she can drag it out for a page or two. The emotional problems of the principal characters are explored in excessive and repetitious detail. The worst example( though there are many others, including Lynley and Havers themselves ) is Olivia Whitelaw. Long stretches of the book (very, very long stretches) are spent detailing her present and past problems, psychological and physical. We are obviously meant to feel empathy and pity for her, but she is such a thoroughly unpleasant piece of work that this is impossible, and this insistence grows from irritating to downright annoying. There is a pretentiousness about this author's works which is grating. It is as if she feels the need, every few pages, to say to the reader "Look! I'm not just a mystery writer, I'm a novelist." I'm not arguing that an author cannot write a good, satisfying mystery which also includes shrewd and illuminating observations on people and society, or that a "whodunnit" has to be short and shallow, but rather that the characters and situations should contribute to the story and illuminate it. All the best mysteries do precisely that, which is why we can reread them many times with enjoyment even though we know the who, how, and why of the murders. Too often, Elizabeth George's do not. She seems to wallow in misery, to relish it for it's own sake. She strives hard, too hard, to be "deep", and so she fails to be. The Inspector Lynley series is one of those rarities in which a TV version is far better than the books from which it was adapted.

2009-06-12 | nedalleyn (Auburn,WA) | Helpful Votes: 2 | Rating: 1

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