A Great Deliverance

This is the first book in the Inspector Lynley series.  I got into the series after discovering that the TV series which mum and I had been watching on DVD was actually based on a book.  After a few that were great, and one that really wasn't great, I gave up on the series for a while, but I've returned to reading the ones they have in my current local library (I was starting to run out of ideas...).  And actually, this first one is brilliant.

The conflict between Havers and Lynley is well, and sympathetically, set out.  It also opens out a lot of the personal relationships that are mentioned briefly in later books, which helped explain a lot.  And the case itself is fascinating--and frightening in many respects.

The atmosphere is great, and I love the two main characters (especially Barbara Havers, she's fantastic :) ).  I thoroughly recommend this to any crime lovers.  A great novel, and it sheds a whole new light on the later books.

A Traitor to Memory

Disappointing. I didn't finish it, I couldn't be bothered to plow through and was quite annoyed that I'd wasted so much time to get half way through when it became clear that the plot was being stretched way beyond reasonable limits. I admit, I don't often read crime books any more, but on the basis of the other Elizabeth George books I've read, and the Inspector Lynley TV series, I figured this was worth a go. Especially because my mum reckoned the TV episode that followed the plot of this book was one of the best.

To be quite honest, the plot could have been quite fantastic. In fact, much of the book was fantastic. The problem was with the fact that the book had been seriously bulked out by the inclusion of the ramblings of a prodigy violinist who had lost his memory and possibly had something to do with the violent hit and run that killed his mother--a mother he had not seen since he went on tour aged 8 with his father and returned to find the house wiped clean of both her presence and that of his murdered little sister. Fair enough to include some from the perspective of the possible killer, but really, over half the chapters filled with his ramblings? It just got tedious and boring, and detracted from what could have been a fantastic plot, and quite an original and intriguing one too. Instead, the book dragged. It was almost as though Elizabeth George had two ideas and decided to just combine them into one book, but ended up giving neither the attention or interest value they deserved.

In short, a disappointing book that I couldn't bring myself to finish. Perhaps if you were to skip out all the chapters dealing with the whinings of a musically talented brat it might be a good read.

This Body of Death

Another gripping novel from Elizabeth George. An out of town cop has been brought in to head Inspector Lynley's old group, but struggles to make headway, particularly with Havers. Scruffy, unconventional, determined to go off her own way, Havers is everything Isabelle Ardery isn't. And Ardery is determined to change her. This novel weaves skilfully between a fascinating murder case and a rather amusing shopping trip, bringing out the characters fantastically. Even if you're not much of a crime lover, this book is well worth the read for the sheer brilliance of the characters, and a plot that will send shivers down your spine. Addressing the issues posed by young murderers along with creating a brilliant atmosphere and drawing you in to the story, I highly recommend 'This Body of Death'. A gripping must read.

With No One as Witness

My mum and I watched the third season of Inspector Lynley together recently. We really enjoyed it, and when we took it back to the library, the librarian told us that the books were much better. "Books!" we both cried, "we didn't know there were books...". And so, I found 'With No One as Witness' by Elizabeth George, and was utterly captivated. The characters are brilliant, I especially love Havers. The detective work is described grippingly, the case is fascinating. A serial killer on the loose in London. Where are his victims being chosen? And why did the Met not notice there was a serial killer until the fourth body was found? Amidst charges of institutionalised racism, Lynley, Nkata (promoted in what everyone knows was a politically inspired move--but everyone also agrees he deserved the promotion), and Havers have to find the serial killer, before the reputation of New Scotland Yard is permanently damaged. (Why is it Scotland Yard by the way? Does anyone know where the name came from?). Fascinating, with characters that actually feel real, and a tragedy that leaves you reading breathlessly on. A read until half two in the morning sort of book, utterly unputdownable and highly recommended.