Customer Reviews
Love + Jealousy + Murder = A Very Complex Investigation - By: Donald Mitchell, 27 May 2005 
Elizabeth George takes the cool Scotland Yard Inspector Thomas Lynley & turns his world upside down. For unknown & possibly public relations reasons, Scotland Yard sends Lynley outside of his jurisdiction to Scotland to take over an investigation after a fetching playwright is found murdered in her bed.
But, the guest in the adjoining room is Lynley's much beloved Lady Helen Clyde. To Lynley's chagrin, it turns out that Lady Helen has been sharing her boudoir. Naturallly, she must be interrogated. How will Lynley bear up?
Lynley is clearly distraught by dealing with the situation & is soon making big mistakes. How will that affect the investigation? Well, it's not good . . . but fortunately Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers is on duty with Lynley.
Although this is a mystery, the book succeeds more as an investigation into the English class system & its weaknesses. With Barbara Havers standing in for every person in her role as skeptical seeker after truth, we see the rotten underpinnings of having a hereditary elite in place. How far has the rot spread? Well, you'll just have to read the book to find out.
The mystery itself takes some tangled turns that will provide much entertainment.
I graded the book down a bit. Some scenes didn't resonate with my impressions of this character from the last book. I thought that Ms. George had Lynley's head spinning a bit more than seems likely from what we learned about him in A Great Deliverance.
The book is a very important one in the series though. Frequent references in future books are made to the events in this one. You will enrich your enjoyment of future books if you read Payment in Blood.
Old-fashioned but still damn nice - By: Is, 02 Mar 2004 
In an interview I read, Elizabeth George confesses that the first crime novel she wrote was a real Agatha Christie-style mystery, where the detective gathers his suspects in the library for the denouement. Her publisher kindly told her to introduce sex, violence & darkness - which she did & went on to become the new queen of crime. She reallly does produce a page turning plot, as well as complex, likeable characters.
And yet, & yet... I still wonder if the woman is not born in the wrong decade. No matter how much she tries to be modern, she still comes off as your old-fashioned auntie. No young people in Scotland speak like the ones in this book, for example - actuallly, I don't think they EVER did. It's like Monarch of the Glen, only worse.
And why on Earth is Helen Clyde supposed to be uncultured because she likes lightweight music like Strauss & Thai food instead of haute cuisine? I mean, the girl is in her early thirties, apparently. In the modern world, liking Strauss IS cultured, though a bit unprobable for a supposed It Girl. Shouldn't that be liking Dido?
OK, glad to have that off my chest. I feel a bit ashamed of being so grumpy, since the book reallly is a great read. What's wrong with being old-fashioned, after alll? You go, auntie Elizabeth.
Over complex and second rate - By: , 12 Jul 2003 
A poor book with an overcomplex cast of characters & some implausible twists. Certainly not worth reading.
overcomplicated and incredible - By: , 04 Jun 2001 Unlike other Elizabeth George books, this one seems to be no more than a vehicle to show how unnecessarily complicated a plot can be. Coupled with more than a few unbelievable points - would a police inspector & his forensic expert friend reallly interview a woman (Lady Helen) who was an "ex" for both of them?? The complex ramifications of the relationships between the characters eventuallly leave you not caring about any of them. If you must read this, I recommend making notes & preferably drawing up a diagram on the way or you will be as lost as I was! One of very few books that I have not bothered to finish. Please try again, Ms George!
Yet another brilliant novel by Elizabeth George - By: , 12 Nov 2000 
Yet again another sucess for Havers & Lynley, in George's usual style the story is complex & exciting. You will never guess the ending in this gripping thriller. Couldn't put it down!!!
