Missing Joseph (Inspector Lynley)

I believed Elizabeth George's books are lengthy because she spends time in developing her characters. The last one I read was more than 800 pages paperback. I must admit first, I abandoned reading this book after 286 pages, about half way. The setting is a village in Lancashire. There are too many characters, the first one Brendan and his brothers make a rare appearance in the next 200 pages. EG describes every tiny movement and every detail in the setting that not only bored me but was also found to be unnecessary to the story. This is neither literary, nor a page turner, nor Sherlockian or a tough guy detective novel. The sentences are uniformly long, don't sing. The setting she develops with so many words doesn't appear in front of my eyes. To give an example why is it necessary for the writer to know that Nick's bicycle belonged to his sister before her marriage, or that he was listening to a radio. Readers don't care if it is not important for the mystery. So at the end of 286 pages, I didn't care about any character, wasn't curious to know the murderer and found every page boring.

The sixth in Elizabeth George's Inspector Lynley books is skillfully crafted, but depicts violent sexual situations, some of them involving 13-year-olds, which makes me wonder how the book was adopted for a PBS episode (I did not see the television version.) The appealing Sgt. Barbara Havers appears only incidentally in this book, but Lynley is still pursuing the silly Lady Helen. Exactly who the Joseph of the title might be is mentioned only halfway through the book, and if you blink, you'll miss it.

Missing Joseph marks the half way point of my determination to read all of the Lynley/Havers George mysteries. Her series is most definitely in the tradition of the English mystery novel (although not as gritty say as Ruth Rendell) with a soap opera melodrama twist. She writes more in the vein of Christie and Sayers-a bit updated of course. They are very easy and pleasurable reads and George writes a palatable mystery. I let her unfold her story and really don't try to outwit the detectives. This novel,however, was pretty obvious from the beginning once you got into the Lanchester village and learned of the main characters. All the detectives did was discover the circumstances.

Now my take on the characters so far. George writes in parallel storylines. It is more and more obvious as I get further and further in the series. I have read ( and I am a bit surprised concerning the dislike of Deborah) that George sees the character of Deborah more like herself. I like Deborah and her husband, Simon. In my opinion their marriage is an examination of contemporary marriage. And I find their entire love story very romantic in that it truly reflects a love based on unselfishness and deep commitment based on the needs of the spouse-trying to achieve a balance of the self with the couple.

The balance between the couples, for me reflects the Shakespearean quote concerning life being a tragedy for those who feel and a comedy for those who think. Deborah, the creative artist/photographer, is our feeler. Simon, being a man is a wonderful combination of both-after all men are suppose to be natural problem solvers and that is why the couple conflicts but their mutual love is a strong foundation and what allows to continually search in how to make lemonade out of the lemons they have been handed in their life and marriage.

Their marriage ( and I know Lynley and Helen eventually marry with dire consequences) contrasts greatly with the Lynley and Helen relationship. Both are basically "good" people without a clue as to what they need or what they want or what the whole concept of love is about. Talk about commitment phobics. For some unknown reason mystery writers,in particular,find this continual push/pull type of relationship desirable. George uses it to make the St. James marriage image the deeper one. Deborah chose -and in my mind, wisely-Simon. Lynley's concept of love and relationships and marriage rather unpalatable. Oddly he is a a misguided romantic and a realist-especially in regards to his social position. If he had not broken his engagement with Deborah maybe he would have been a better man and learned something. Instead I think he got the "right" marriage to the "right woman" as his social status would have demanded. Helen, although not without her charms and good heart-is not a romantic and is very much a realist. Throughout the novels when Lynley and Helen say they love each other (besides the hot monkey sex which seems to be a large part of the definition) I wonder what they are talking about. Their discussions are very superficial(except when discussing solving crimes)and seem always at cross purposes. So far In Missing Joseph this dance is very much so. Frankly I think George once she married them off found herself with no where to go and why after the marriage only two books of the four delved into the relationship. Lynley shallow opposed to St James depth.

Maybe I will feel differently after I read a few more,especially With No One As Witness. Nevertheless George spins a wonderful yarn. I look forward to the second half.

Elizabeth George has some of the best prose in the business. It's elegant and evocative. But it's so long winded! A lot of it's unnecessary, when she could have got the same effect using far fewer words, and much shorter sentences.
However, i still really really enjoyed this book. As a long-time devotee of Agatha Chrisite, i have yet to find anyone who comes close to being a modern day model of her. George's novel are of the right style, the right topic, the right mood, and always feature the right sort of mystery. I have no doubt that if Christie was still writing today, these are the sort of books she would be writing.
George is able to craft great mysteries, with great well drawn plots, and always manages to create a cast of colourful and realistic characters. That is why i like her books so much, i think. Her intricate and puzzling plots, and how well she draws her characters. You may not like them all, but they are still interesting and colourful, human and well developed. She concentrates not just on the mystery, but on the lives of the characters as the mystery goes on around them. Which is what i admire, because while a mystery effects lives, it does not stop them.
Here she goes back to A Great Deliverance country with a "whydunnit" rather than a "whodunnit". We know from the start who killed him. There is a little room for doubt, but not serious doubt. The mystery is more focused on why the killer did what they did.
With her resolutions and solutions, George is a master. Always has good motives and an unexpected and clever answer to the mystery.
She falls down on one point. Always.
Her depections of English life.
Her books are similar to Christie, and a bit too similar. they not only follow some of the same principles, but they seem set in the same time zones as well, when George's novels are supposed to be set in the present day. The English life she depicts may well have been that of fifty or sixty years ago, but it is very rare you find things like this now. We simply don't live as she writes we do.
However, her English way of life may not always be realistic, but if you just forget it's supposed to be set in the modern day and think of it as being a novel set in about the thirties, then you'll be fine.

I couldn't put Elizabeth George's "Missing Joseph" down. This is the first of this author's novels I have read, and I don't think it will be the last. In the tradition of P.D James, George is a master of fully developing all her characters, whether they be suspects or detectives. Yet George spends less time on description and more on action than James does, and so her book moves a bit faster than James's do. The characters are complex, moving, and three-dimensional. I found myself on the verge of tears several times at the plights of Polly Yarkin and Maggie Spence, and even the rather scheming and unsympathetic village constable manages to arouse my pity more than once. Deborah and Simon St. James have come to Lancashire, a small British village, for a holiday. However, the vicar Deborah had hoped to visit while there has died under suspicious circumstances. Simon summons Inspector Thomas Lynley, a British aristocrat turned CID agent, to unofficially investigate. The plots and subplots are complex and intricately woven, but in such a deft and craftsmanlike way that I never lost track of the goings-on, nor did I become bored with any of the plot lines. The obligatory red herrings are dragged across the reader's path, and the solution to the mystery comes as a shocking surprise. Unexpected though it is, the dénouement is my one complaint with this otherwise excellent book. After the fascinating character studies and excellent plotting, the solution to the mystery seems contrived and artificial; it is a "rabbit out of a hat" solution which relies on revelations which are simply narrated. The reader had no real chance to deduce them from clues hidden throughout the book. Nevertheless, it was interesting enough to keep me turning the pages to find out what happened next. An excellent yarn to curl up with on a rainy weekend!

Of the three Elizabeth George books that I have read so far this is the best. This skillfully handled tale of the bonds that tie mother to child is very insightful, and fully involves your emotions right until the end when all is revealed. You will think that you know 'who did it' all the way along, but this is only because George has skilfully sprinkled the plot with red herrings! Who really did it will come as a surprise.
As a Brit myself I can confirm that George's characters inhabit an England which has more in common with the world of the 1930's and Lord Peter Wimsey than with the realities of modern Britain. The aristocracy tend not to work and if they do it would be more likely to be as an art dealer than a DI at New Scotland Yard (George has commented on this question by saying that there is an Earl somewhere in the force. I can assure her that he is an anachronism). It is also unlikely that the upper class Lynley would have quite such a close relationship with the working class Barbara Havers (ie paying for the decoration of her house). Take it from me Britain is still a very class ridden society, and the classes simply do not mix.
However, this said, I enjoy indulging in this cosy view of English life, where someone is always ready to brew a pot of tea (does anyone still use pots rather than simply putting a bag in a cup?), or offers you a tipple from their well stocked drinks cabinet. This is the one failing of George's books: you can feel that they are meticulously researched, but it is a fact that you cannot understand the workings of a country simply by studying its institutions, customs and structure - in the end a writer has to live in a country for a few years to really understand the workings of that country's mentality.

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 first read "Missing Joseph" back in 1996, and recently re-read it. This is classic Elizabeth George--gore, sex and murder in a small town. This story is unusual in that the reader always know "whodunnit"; the question is why. All of the characters--even minor ones such as Josie--are well-drawn and fully fleshed out. And the dangling ends of the plot are tied neatly into a bow at the end.
Havers doesn't play much of a role in this one. The spotlight is shared by Lynley and Simon St. James, with minor roles played by Deborah St. James and Lady Helen Clyde. The reader sees quite a bit of Lynley's troubled personal life, including his relationship with Helen (I like the "soap opera" aspects of the series), and gets a brief taste of Havers' troubles in moving out on her own. The Deborah/Simon sub-plot is compelling. It's hard to believe that these characters have all experienced so much in fairly short lives (Simon's accident, Deborah's affair with Lynley, etc.), but it makes for good reading.
All in all, this is definitely worth reading--and re-reading!

Elizabeth George has really extended herself in "Missing George"to the point where the whole story borders on the truly unbelievable. We have colorful and well developed characters, multi-faceted plots and subplots, with teenage problems, witchcraft practicing priest's housekeeper, salacious mother, obnoxious rapist constable, and last but not least the British aristocratic ex CID agent, Thomas Linley. Wow...what's left??

Well, there is more. We have thegroom who really doesn't love his pregnant bride to be, who happens to be very very rich, and a priest who doesn't show cause he's been murdered! Then there's the rectory housekeeper who has the hots for the errant groom and vice-versa. When all the above is sorted out and we come to the finish of this convoluted novel, the ending shocks us. Not George's best, by my standard, but readable and reasonably interesting.

E.J. Walden, author of "Operatin Snow Owl"

From its poetic beginning to its haunting completion, this is a stunning work. George, in her early works, has a way of building scenes that almost makes the characters secondary. The opening scene in the art museum really is as good as anything she's ever written; both Deborah St. James and Robin Sage are linked, more than anything, by that opening setting.

The story unfolds masterfully from there. The characters are intriguing without being one-dimensional, and the mystery is pretty complex -- so much so that I nearly gave up in the middle because I thought I had figured it out and could jump to the end. Continuing to read, however, I learned how wrong I was in my early conclusions and how well George tied everything together so the ending is both shocking and foretold.

This is the sixth Inspector Lynley mystery. Simon Allcourt-St. James and his wife Deborah stop at a Lancashire village inn while on holiday, and learn of the mysterious "accidental" death of the local vicar. St. James can't reconcile the village constable's conclusion with his own scientific knowledge, and soon draws Inspector Lynley into an unofficial and highly irregular investigation into what really happened. While the two men are patiently reconstructing the vicar's life story to find a key to his death, we meet among others a fortune teller, a Wicca practitioner who casts spells during the full moon, and a reclusive herbalist with a mysterious past. One wonders who, if anyone, attended the dead man's church.

This novel includes some pleasant winks and asides for fans of the series. It opens with Deborah, who last appeared in book four, A Suitable Vengeance, when she and Simon were having marital problems. While she is in London feeling sorry for herself, Simon is "in Cambridge, studying a corpse and a set of X-rays, . . .trying to decide what had been used to beat in a girl's face" - which of course is what he was doing in book five, For the Sake of Elena. Unfortunately Deborah and Simon are still not communicating very well, and their problems at times get in the way of the story. Inspector Lynley and Lady Helen Clyde have their own difficulties-and some long and pointless conversations about them. The "private" investigation by St. James and Lynley is a further weakness of this installment-as Lynley shamelessly uses his official position to get information, even though New Scotland Yard has no authority in the matter, and his superiors know nothing about the case. The actual murder mystery is as complex as any of the preceding ones, but even so has some loose ends, a few strands that defy credibility, and enough graphic sex to get tiresome ("get on with the plot!" I wanted to shout during some of the more protracted couplings.) Is it possible that Elizabeth George is stretching this series a little too thin?

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
~ * ~ 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.

Shakespeare's wonderful sonnet begins "Like as the waves make towards the pebbled shore," and when George brought in the character of Barbara Havers in the midst of trying to move out of her parents' house, I thought of the sonnet. Not because the writing compares to Shakespeare's, but because the story proceeds in waves. The wave of the main story -- the murder mystery at the center -- gets to a certain point, and then comes another wave of a different story, the problems in the St. James marriage, perhaps, or the angst of Maggie who is sexually active at 13, or the desperation of the local constable Colin who is romantically involved with Maggie's "Mum." Or Barbara Havers's reluctance to make the transition in her life.

Then, perhaps, comes the main story again, but I've grown impatient while skipping large portions of the novel to get to the main story and find out what's happening with Lynley.

Writing in waves with multiple points of view while developing the stories of several different characters might be an interesting way of structuring a novel, but it doesn't work for me. It impedes the forward motion of the novel, so that the story neither "hastens" nor "all forwards does contend."

I left off the novel where Lynley has called Havers. I may yet finish it. Maybe.

I liked this book from the eerie beginning to the very end. The characters are well developed and multidimensional, the atmosphere well rendered, and the whole book grew on me for a long time after I finished it (so much so that I reread it after a couple of years). When I choose an Elizabeth George as a present for someone, this is the one I end up buying.

While I liked most books in the series, "Playing for the Ashes" and "A place of hiding" did not absorb me much and I had to make an effort to finish them (I have read all the others except her latest "With no one as a witness").

Some of the characters got on my nerves in later books (mostly Deborah and Helen), and I could do entirely wihtout the nobility part, but I did not feel any of these flaws in this book.

While it is not the first in the series (which is also quite good) it could be a good place to start for those who do not know this author. The only problem may be that the others might then not feel up to par. There is always something special with the first book one reads of an author that you end up liking, and this one is so good that it does not need this advantage...

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.

These books never disappoint. The depict true emotions and true characters. Crimes are committed by everyday people for reasons of jealousy, revenge, fear, and in this case to protect. But to protect who?

I must say that I consider Elizabeth George my favorite author, and by far prefer her to P.D. James, who is more highly accaliamed than I understand. But back to this book, I found it to be one of my favorites from George, and I have read them all. One of her greatest strengths as an author is her choice of murderers. She rarely chooses someone who is simply mentally disturbed/perverted/psychopathic hiding in the shadows of some unpleasant trailer. She chooses to examine the killer that we all tend to put out of our mind- the ordinary person who is driven over the edge by extraordinary circumstances. She puts a face and a story with the idea of a murderer, and introduces them to us as a normal character.

Her books do tend to be so intricatly woven that they are probably not for everyone, but I find this writing style refreshing. Fast-paced american thrillers are not very relaxing, though they are entertaining and a quick read. George forces us as readers to slow down and smell the roses... and take in the english countryside... and stay for a cup of tea and a chat. No detail is left unnoticed, no character undeveloped. If this is her fault, it is also her strength. It sets her writing style apart and makes her truly unique in a genere that is synonomous with tired plotlines and standard characters. I hope she continues writing for many years to come!

This is definitely one of Elizabeth George's best! The character development in this book envelopes the reader in a carefully constructed storyline that keeps the reader guessing. The complicated relationships between Juliet and Colin, Juliet and her daughter Maggie, Maggie and her boyfriend, Polly & Colin etc. were fascinating (sometimes disturbing as well). George's descriptions of the countryside in England always make you feel as if you are right there with the characters. I've read 5 of her novels to date and this one is just behind In the Presence of the Enemy (which was my favourite). The only thing wrong with this book is that we didn't get to see much of Havers.

This is definitely one of Elizabeth George's best! The character development in this book envelopes the reader in a carefully constructed storyline that keeps the reader guessing. The complicated relationships between Juliet and Colin, Juliet and her daughter Maggie, Maggie and her boyfriend, Polly & Colin etc. were fascinating (sometimes disturbing as well). George's descriptions of the countryside in England always make you feel as if you are right there with the characters. I've read 5 of her novels to date and this one is just behind In the Presence of the Enemy (which was my favourite). The only thing wrong with this book is that we didn't get to see much of Havers.

The negative reviews of this book perplex me. I have read all of the Lynley-Havers novels in chronological order up through "Playing for the Ashes". This was slightly better than "For the Sake of Elena", which was the best up to that point. George continues her strong development of the ongoing characters, especially Havers. There was more explicit sex in this book than the previous ones, but that is to be expected as time marches on and tastes change. I believe that the mystery here was the strongest since "Well-Schooled in Murder". If you have enjoyed other Lynley-Havers novels, I would recommend that you try this one.

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 was my first George novel. I found the story intriguing, and it certainly kept me turning pages, but I have to concur, "Get on with it!" The endless agonizing of the two couples became a little tiresome...they come across as self-centered and neurotic, obsessed with every nuance of their feelings. Each gesture, glance, word has to be analyzed. Some seem to like this soap opera quality while others deplore the "Jackie Collins style." I have ordered the first two books in the series; maybe meeting the characters at an earlier stage will make me more interested in their tormented relationships.

When I read Elizabeth George's Lynley series, I am not looking to read a book that has a whole bunch of sex. This is an INSPECTOR (i.e., murder mystery) series, not a "how many sex scenes can we throw into one book" series.

I would recommend skipping this book in the series.

This is an excellent, deeply atmospheric novel. The supporting characters are developed in a great deal of detail and they are given the chance to reveal themselves slowly and to help the reader sink into the story, which has many layers and is closely tied to a physical sense to place.
This is fundamentally a novel about love and parenthood. The Deborah and Simon story blends very successfully with the murder investigation here, and this is also a fairly deep study of the dynamics of sex and love. It wil stay with you for a long time.

Missing Joseph is the first Elizabeth George book that I've read. I do plan to read others, particularly in the Lynley/Havers series. It is more densely written than the typical mystery, with a dark mood and complex characterization. I found Lynley, an earl who works as a New Scotland Yard detective, to be the most intriguing character. There were several intricately woven plotlines, but they were not difficult to follow. However, I did find it a little difficult to keep up with the characters and their relationships, having not read the previous books in the series.

"Missing Joseph" is by far the best of Elizabeth George's novels. The inter-relationship between characters could not be better. There were many intriguing and fascinating storylines. The book was extremly complex and well-handled. Interest never flagged for a moment. It was by far my favorite book by this superior author.I have read 3 times in the past year. Would recommend very highly!

Elizabeth George writes a great story, lets you sense what it's like in England. This one leads you on a trip wondering who Joseph is, but wraps up nicely. If you like "Murder She Wrote" you would like this.

Compelling, suspenseful, authentically emotional. Full of twists and turns, moral dilemmas, complex relationship issues between familiar characters from Thomas Lynley series as well as those unique to this book

I love Elizabeth George. I love how she weaves the stories and history of her characters and her eye for detail. The language is effortless and there's always that little clue that I always miss, and at the conclusion makes total sense.
In Missing Joseph I thought I had the murderer pinned down. Several times, infact. I was wrong.
Chilling page-turner.

An intriguing romp with a twisting unsolvable plot. Occasionally the descriptive narrative slows the pace and the reader has to skim through the slow parts. Fortunately these were few, and this story led me to read several of her other books.

As usual, Elizabeth George hits another home run with this book. Her natural talent to weave a mystery into the fabric of our favorite detective's increasingly interesting life is fantastic. Couldn't put it down -- but can never put her books down.

Compelling, suspenseful, authentically emotional. Full of twists and turns, moral dilemmas, complex relationship issues between familiar characters from Thomas Lynley series as well as those unique to this book