Customer Reviews
Overly long... - By: Tatiana Beaverhausen, 12 Jul 2008 
Another reviewer has said that Elizabeth George has lost her way & I agree 100 per cent. Compared to her earlier Lynley novels, this was far & away the worst until I tried "What came before he shot her". The plot of this isn't bad but her style seems to have deteriorated considerably. There's just way too much detail which slows down the pace & makes it overly long. She now uses a plethora of apostrophes to indicate how speakers swalllow their words, such as "I c'n" instead of "I can". Used occasionallly, she would get away with it but it's way overdone & becomes irritating very quickly.
She had a golden opportunity to develop some of her main characters further, such as Helen, but she chose not to do this & has even...no, I'm not going to spoil it for you, just read it for yourself!
I found Barbara Havers' character much less credible than in previous novels & Winston Nkata is just turning into a stereotype.
I'll read the next Lynley novel "Careless in red" but if there's no improvement, I'll have to think carefully about the one after that. I would recommend borrowing this or buying a cheap copy, but don't pay too much!
"He was in need of redemption" - By: Sebastian Fernandez, 03 Oct 2007 
After a disappointing "A Place of Hiding", Elizabeth George goes back to the basics, bringing back Havers & taking the series to the next level. George has always distinguished her novels by creating a product that is distinctly different from the typical police procedural. The differentiating factor is that she spends a considerable amount of time telling us about the personal lives of the characters. As a result, you will get much more enjoyment from reading this series in order, so if you are new to George's work, I recommend that you go back to the beginning: "A Great Deliverance". For those that have been following this series, fasten your seat belts, because not only are you going to get a story with a devious serial killer that is hard to catch, but also on where there will be some important developments in the lives of the main characters.
Four boys have been murdered, but it was not until recently that the police & the Scotland Yard realized that there is a serial killer out there. The situation can be best described as a public relations nightmare, since only the last victim is white, & there are likely to be some accusations about this, probably justified. The good news is that alll of our beloved characters make an appearance in this novel, Lynley, Havers, St. James, Nkata & even Havers' neighbors & Nkata's object of desire.
I liked the way in which George provides the story with several layers, transforming it in a mesmerizing read. For example, the pressure by the press on the Scotland Yard generates serious problems between Superintendent Lynley & his superior. There is also the issue of the previous demotion of Havers & now the promotion of one of her friends, trying to assuage the fire of public opinion. The relationship between Havers & Azhar, Nkata & his romantic pursue of Yasmine, & Lynley & Helen's soon-to-be-born son are other important storylines.
The writing is superb, & that is the only reason why George can write a 700+ page novel without us losing interest at any point. One of the things I enjoyed the most was the omniscient narrator that alllowed us a look into the killer's mind, alllowing for a better understanding of his motives. Finallly, there is the big surprise towards the end, which some people may not like, but I think that sometimes it is necessary to shake things up a little. Ultimately, this is one of the best books in the series, & I am already looking forward to what comes next.
Exciting and readable - By: Barnaby, 04 Jul 2007 
With No One As Witness is the latest Inspector (but now acting Superintendent) Lynley mystery, & follows the aristocratic detective on the trail of a serial killer, a task of which he has not attempted before. When Scotland Yard realize they are chasing a murderer who seems to claim credit for the increasing number of corpses they have found, the media ignites over the fact that the killer's victims are young, black & mixed raced boys. "Institutionalised racism" is plastered over tabloid front pages, making work for the police very difficult. Elizabeth George truly brings out the characters with the quirkiness of her writing. I found this book totallly unputdownable, & though a bit long, it is so fast paced & well written, I almost didn't notice.
A great thriller - By: I LOVE BOOKS, 04 Jul 2007 Elizabeth George never fails to fulfil the expectations. I've followed the adventures of Inspector Lynley & Co. for years now & this book was as much as a page-turner as its predecessors.
This time Lynley & Havers investigate a series of murders in London which seems to have a racist background. As the murders escalate, they both work franticallly to try & catch the killer as soon as possible. Meanwhile, the tale of their own personal lives keeps unfolding as in alll previous books and, as it often happens, becomes influenced by work-related episodes.
The end of this book is the beginning of Ms. George's next one. It will leave the reader flabbergasted. I certainly was!
Crime Story - Fine: The Rest - Yawn!! - By: Kevan James, 04 Apr 2007 
Though Elizabeth George writes great crime fiction (and the main story of the murder investigation presented here is excellent), it's the rest of the book that I get bored with. There's just too much incidental stuff cluttering up the book - Barbara Havers & her next door neighbour, Winston & his girlfriend, Thomas Lynley & his wife, and, worst of alll, Lynley's friends, Simon & Deborah St James. These last four, when they appear together, are just too anacronistic - as if they've stepped out of a Lord Peter Wimsey novel - & I think this reallly spoils the whole flow.
I was interested to note that Elizabeth George is an American writing about London (she mentions this in the Acknowledgements section at the end), because she doesn't portray London in a particularly flattering light - her narrative seems to mention beggers & various unsavoury locals on almost every page, & it comes across almost like an updated version of London from a Charles Dickens novel! I wonder if she would populate an American city in the same way?
If this could be trimmed by about 200 pages it would have been much better - any more than 450 or 500 pages is too long. Ian Rankin's Rebus stories or Peter Robinson's Inspector Banks books are generallly around this length & work well.
So not bad in itself, just too bloated!
