Missing Joseph

Missing Joseph is a powerful story about what it means to be a human being, a parent, a lover, a friend, a daughter and someone who misuses others. While there is a mystery in the book, the story itself transcends the mystery. The detection involved is skillfully designed to help illuminate Ms. George's main subjects. The characters involved build on past novels by looking more deeply into the relationships between Simon and Deborah St. James, Thomas Lynley and Lady Helen Clyde, and Barbara Havers and her mother. To extend those themes in new directions, Ms. George adds several new characters who are tied together by tragedy. These characters include a widowed local constable, an Anglican vicar, the vicar's witchcraft-practicing housekeeper, a reclusive provider of potions from herbs and her daughter. Seldom will you discover a book that develops so many characters in so many dimensions in one book. I found myself staying up past 1 a.m. to finish the story, and would have gone later had it been necessary. As the book opens, the vicar raises a fundamental question that resonates throughout the book: Where's Joseph? Originally asked in connection to the many images of Jesus and Mary, that question takes on haunting new meanings before the book ends. Even if you have never read another book in this distinguished series, I'm sure you would find this book to be a rewarding choice.

I classify mystery writers into three categories. First there is Sue Grafton and her alphabet series, always a casual, enjoyable read without a lot of thinking. Moving up, we get to Patrician Cornwell and her excellent, sometimes great works which are darker and slightly more complex. Finally at the top there is Elizabeth George, the Titaness of Mystery, whose books reed of erudition, superb crafting, intelligence and studies of the human nature second to none.The eerie opening, so fitting yet foreboding, leads into a complex tale of murder and mayhem. The same cast is back again though my favorite character, Havers, is not a major figure this time around. Despite the incredible writing it is the final synthesis of the various plots that makes the whole affair worthwhile. In other words, her literary abilites are highlighted by her technical abilities.What can I say except run to your local bookstore and snatch this up?

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ ~ * ~ This is definitely one of Elizabeth George's best novels. It features the winning combination of Inspector Thomas Lynley and Sergeant Barbara Havers. Happily for fans of the series, Lynley's forensic scientist friend Simon, and his wife Deborah have prominent roles in the story. They are working through a very difficult time in their marriage.~ * ~Deborah meets an interesting clergyman, and decides they should stop and visit him on a small trip they are taking, but they find he had just died of (? accidental) poisoning. ~ ~ * ~, Elizabeth George strength in characterization is evident here: she fills her story with complex characters, each of whom have weaknesses that we can sympathize with. The conflicts between the characters are so well plotted; we are drawn into the story completely. ~ * ~ As always, the ending is surprising. Elizabeth George can weave a web so intricate and subtle, that despite all the clues we encounter, we don't ever "see" the solution until it is too late. ~ * ~ My personal favorite of the Lynley/Havers series are" A Suitable Vengeance" which focuses on the early history of Lynley, Deborah and Simon; and "Deception on His Mind ", which focuses on Sergeant Barbara Havers, and an investigation which forces her to take a stand.~ * ~However, "Missing Joseph" is definitely a powerfully absorbing and suspenseful read, and a great sample of the Lynley/Havers team and their friends. Definitely a 5 star ***** read, I recommend it highly for mystery lovers.

I have been working my way through Elizabeth George's Havers and Lynley series, and I seem to enjoy each book more than the last. This book is a masterpiece. It's the finest piece of fiction that you can find, and it has a mystery too! Ms. George's plots have the trademark of seeming to be apparently simple at the beginning, and as the reader delves into the story, she peels away layer after layer of personal history of her main characters, and the ones that just appear in this particular installment. This unravelling continues until the end when the mystery is solved and all the characters inner torments are revealed. Her writing is hypnotic, unforgettable, and totally addicting. This book is no different, but somehow I felt it was even deeper than some of the previous ones I've read. For one thing Ms. George examines Human sexuality in more detail than she has in other books. The emotion in this one seems rawer and more real too. In this book we don't see as much of Havers as we usually do, and that's a loss, since she's so great, but Lynley is totally awesome here, so it makes up for it somewhat. Elizabeth George is a true artist and is fast becoming a real favourite of mine.

Less of a mystery than a comment on the nature of family and parenthood, this novel showcases Elizabeth George's strengths as a writer. Her most compelling books are those in which parent-child or sibling-sibling relationships are explored. The bond between mother and daughter is at the heart of this story, and drives it believably to a pulse-quickening conclusion. I would recommend this or "For the Sake of Elena", as an introduction to George at her finest.