A Suitable Vengeance

In A SUITABLE VENGEANCE by Elizabeth George, the author explores the back-story between Inspector Lynley, St. James, Deborah and Lady Helen. During a rare weekend visit to his estate in Cornwall to celebrate his engagement to Deborah Cotter, Lynley becomes involved in the vicious murder of the local newspaper publisher. During the course of solving the crime, Ms. George delves into the history of St. James' accident, the relationship between St. James, Lynley, Deborah and Lady Helen, and the reason for the estrangement between Lynley and his mother and brother. While Ms. George always makes sure that her mysteries are solved, she does not always have happy resolutions for her characters. Reading this book only makes some of the later books in the series more poignant as it deepens the reader's understanding of all the characters. This is a fine book that will definitely touch your heart.

I belive that E. George fans would be pleased having some character development of the bonds between the characters of Linley, The St. James, and Lady Helen. Although I gave this review the highest marks, my criticism of George lies within the third person point of view. The main characters themselves are shrouded in mystery within the mystery of the story unfolding. I never have the feeling that I truly know any of these characters (even after reading five mysteries based upon their interactions). The characters are as elusive as the murders that they chase. Perhaps this is part of the appeal. Also I always chuckle at the fact that all these victims seemed to be dying around these main characters with alarming frequency with alarming connections to the main characters. Even after considering the nature of Linley's and St.James' chosen profession, I believe that the characters would be afraid of being murdered themselves with all these crimes being committed on Linley's property. Just statistically speaking, this would bare out!!

*****Perfect for all: old fans and New to Elizabeth George,too: This could be read as the "first" in the series, although it wasn't written first. *****It is definitely one of her best.This book, in time sequence, "happened" before any of the "Lynley/Havers" mysteries. Excellent for those Lynley fans who want to know: What did happen between Thomas and Deborah? Simon and Deborah? ----AT the start, Deborah has just returned from college, home to her father (living with Simon). She announces her engagement to Tommy Lynley. They are going to his ancestral home, bringing a reluctant Simon, and a grimly cheerful Lady Helen as guests. Meanwhile Simon's young sister Sydney,has troubles with an abusive man. Tommy's younger brother may be using drugs. Why are Tommy and his mother alienated? Who's the mysterious woman that disappears without a trace?****When murder happens on the estate, all these story lines converge and intertwine in a way that explores the relationships, old and new of this extended "family" .The resolution of the mystery was one of George's most inspired. As usual, the story is so intricate, it's difficult to imagine the difficulty of spinning this web. Even more important to me, was the resolution of, at least some of the interpersonal conflicts.*****ok I admit, I cried at the "happy" ending***********This is an outstanding book for all mystery fans.

I absolutely love Elizabeth George's writing and her characters. This book was interesting because it told us about the earlier life of Lynley, St. James, Lady Helen and Deb. We got bits and pieces of the whole situation in her previous books, but never the whole story. It helps explain a number of things and different character traits and undercurrents from previous books. And Ms. George can write! Her novels are so much more complex than simple little "who-dunits". The story takes the reader along on Ms. George's own little Magic Carpet ride, and nothing exists for us except Lynley and his friends. We even get a short preliminary look at Barbara Havers in this book. She is by far my favourite character, and I miss her absence, but realize that she wasn't part of Lynley's life during the time setting of this book. I look forward now to continuing with the storyline in subsequent books, and feel that I have a better understanding now of why Tommy thinks and acts the way he does.

Having read all of Ms. George's books, I have found that the subplots surrounding her revolving cast of characters are often more engrossing than the mysteries they are solving. For this reason, I found A Suitable Vengeance to be most appealing since the murder(s) themselves revolve around Lynley and his family. The entire novel is backstory and a must read for any fan of the series.