Careless in Red

Elizabeth George in my favorite writer, and I purchased "Careless in Red" the day it came out. I was so disappointed in the reviews that it took awhile for me to start it. Big mistake. I thought it was terrific. Perhaps not quite in the league with "Playing for the Ashes" or "Deception of his Mind", but close enough. First, I did not find the characters names hard to remember, or the plot hard to follow. If you are writing about people who live in Cornwall, Tom, Dick and Harriet are not realistic choices. While I did eventually guess the murderer, it took awhile, and certainly made sense. I never found the "who" to be really important in an Elizabeth George novel, but rather the "why". Second, I found her group of primary and secondary characters to be very appealing and sympathetic. More so then in most of her book. Reviewers who complained, surely could not be regular readers. Elizabeth George's topics have always been realistic, and some of her themes are not pretty. Third, what do you do with a character who has lost his beloved wife and son in such a horrible manner. To me, having Lynley walk for 43 days until he stumbles upon a body, is as good as any other means for opening the book. I certainly would not have expected him to hit the bars or the booze. I liked Helen and will miss her. During the last 2 years, I have periodically re-read all 13 books, and realize while Helen may have appeared to be fluff on the outside, she was a class act with a strong inner core. I felt the same way about Daidre, who was also a class act, in different ways. She appeared to be exactly what Lynley needed to come back to the world of the living. There was nothing improper about their relationship, as some reviews have suggested. I wondered if she would reappear in future books, much down the road, as their differences would be interesting to see play out on paper. Yes, Havers comes back to aid her dear friend, and as always she is perfect. I did not like Bea, as much as some readers. At times, she appeared too much like (not in looks)to Havers, and there can only be one. With the exception of "A Place of Hiding" all of Elizabeth George's books are 4 to 5 star rating. My only criticism is that it was Helen, not Deborah, who was done away with. I can not figure out what two such dreamy men could see in such a boring, dim-wit women. 13 books, no growth, no personality, leads to boring story-line.

One would be hard pressed to find a more perfect reader for the latest Detective Superintendent Thomas Lynley mystery than London born Charles Keating. After all, who else could neatly toss off such lines as "A bit daft, that, but it's summick to do, innit." with easy authenticity? An experienced actor who appeared with the Royal Shakespeare Company at Stratford-Upon-Avon, he soon became known to American audiences with his work on TV's Another World and numerous Broadway performances. He brings both decisiveness and keen understanding to his narration. As many will remember Lynley lost his wife in a previous novel, "No One To Witness" when she was fatally shot outside their London home. Numb with grief Lynley has fled London, going to Cornwall where he walks along the coast. Is as if he knows the miles he walks will not bring solace but perhaps some relief from the pain of his loss. It is on one of these walks that he comes across a dead body, that of a rock climber, a young boy from the nearby village of Casvelyn. Of course, Lynley immediately notifies the local police, and another "of course" - knowing George the death was not an accident. Scotland Yard sends Havers to assist Lynley in the investigation and hopefully bring him back to London and the job he does so well. The deceased was far from an innocent youth, having bedded a good number of the female population of Casvelyn. Thus, there's certainly no dearth of those who would have wished him dead and gone. As readers of George have come to know her plots are complex and wonderfully character driven. Careless In Red is one more engrossing story from this award winning author (the Anthony and Agatha awards, and the Grand Prix de Litterature Policiere among them). Highly recommended. - Gail Cooke

Careless in Red is full of pain, in the true, human sense, not the mawkish or sadistic. Week after week, Inspector Thomas Lynley has been numbly walking the Cornish cliff path, so gripped by the pain of losing his Helen that he's incapable of doing much more than putting one foot in front of the other. When his gaze falls upon what appears to be a body, his flight away from life is interrupted. What he finds is a somewhat isolated village inhabited by people who are also hurting badly, from the pain of loss, betrayal, vengeance, and denial. As he assists the local police in investigating the murder, Thomas haltingly allows himself to be drawn out of darkness in which he's been immersed, as one of the suspects in particular touches places within himself that he believed now and forever dead. In the process, the murderer is found, some truths are revealed, and some changes are made, and Lynley, somewhat stronger now, knows he must consider his future. In Careless in Red, Elizabeth George displays her mastery of characters and emotion, while spinning out an atmospheric mystery in which virtually any of the villagers could be the perpetrator. The smells and sounds of the restless sea are almost palpably present, setting the stage for a great story.

Lynley's back! If this news thrills you, then you've already discovered the wonderful novels of Elizabeth George. If you haven't yet encountered the titled Englishman/police detective and his marvelous colleague, Barbara Havers, it's high time you did. Mourning the recent loss of his wife, Lynley is hiking the shorelines of his home county, Cornwall, when he discovers the body of a young man at the base of a cliff. Accident or murder? The local police chief sees Lynley as a witness--and possibly a suspect. To help the police (and clear his own name), he lingers in the seaside town, meeting a vivid gallery of people with various connections to the victim. The grieving Lynley's reluctant entry into the investigation might just be his ticket back to the world of the living. As ever, George's mystery is solid, her characters are brilliantly complex, and her writing style is as elegant as it is eloquent. This series is sheer pleasure, and CARELESS IN RED is an excellent new addition to it. Highly recommended.

Following the homicide of his beloved pregnant wife Helen (see WITH NO ONE AS WITNESS and the companion piece without Lynley in it: WHAT CAME BEFORE HE SHOT HER), a grieving Thomas Lynley quit Scotland Yard. Time has not proved a healer as the former detective spends his days aimlessly wandering around his hometown of Cornwall. While on one of his senseless treks to numb the pain especially when he returns home at night, Lynley finds the battered body of teenager Santo Kerne, who it appears fell of a cliff while mountain climbing. When evidence affirms that someone sabotaged the victim's equipment, Detective Inspector Bea Hannaford looks in the direction of the person who found the corpse. However, the cantankerous consummate professional also knows Lynley had no motive so looks to see who might. Lynley provides some limited assistance, as he is unable to do much more even understanding that he is the prime suspect. The key to this police procedural that follows up on the tragic events of WITH NO ONE AS WITNESS is that in spite of the situation he finds himself in, Lynley still mourns deeply and the case does not stop that nor turn him into super-cop. Instead he plays second fiddle (some might say audience) as Hannaford conducts the investigation. The whodunit is cleverly devised and would stand out on its own as a strong English police procedural, but it is the realism of the two cop-characters who make Elizabeth George's latest thriller a terrific tale. Harriet Klausner