An Inspector Lynley Novel (A Lynley Novel) - This Body of Death

As usual, one of my all time favorite authors has come shining through. The ongoing development of the characters I know and love is very satisfying. Elizabeth, DON'T stop writing!

Backer@cableone

Not particularly well written from a literary standpoint, it is an OK story, told pretty well. Some disturbing images. It seemed long to me, and that usually means it is not of a high literary standard.

While I thoroughly enjoy the books I have purchased through the store I would only rate this book as okay. Although it all came together at the end, the flashing back to a seemingly unconnected story was annoying to me.

This is another of the 'Inspector Lyndley' stories, with characters we have come to know and enjoy. The plot on this one is really good beyond description. The opening scenes and their relationship to the rest of the novel are gripping and prophetic, for those who do not forget what happened in the beginning. What an enjoyable read, but then I haven't picked up a 'bad' Elizabeth George.

An enjoyable read as always with Elizabeth George but I found the detail at times unnecessary. A little more editing would have made it a more exciting read. I found it more predictable than her other novels hence the four stars. It was good to spend time again with all the old favourites.

Although George is still a little off her game in This Body of Death, she is still worth ten of any other mystery writers excepting only P. D. James and Ruth Rendell. My greatest pleasure in old age is wandering about the British Isles with Inspector Lynley and his squad solving crimes and enjoying the atmosphere.

I do have one question: Why is Lynley a blond in the books and dark-haired in the television series? I prefer the dark-haired version and the actor who plays Lynley is absolutely gorgeous. More! More! Kathryn B. Gurkin

These mysteries never disappoint. The characters are realistic, well-developed and sometimes following their lives is just as interesting as the central mystery itself. I cannot wait for the next book to come out.

Readable, and at times intriguing, but gosh the dialogue can be irritating! The persistent and pointless abbreviation of “can” to “c’n” - used regardless of the class or origins of the people involved - is a case in point. I initially supposed that as an American, Elizabeth George was trying to show an ear for British accents but this theory fell through when she twice put “c’n” into the mouth of an American in one scene. A couple of “cans” did slip through, voiced by Jossie of all people, which didn’t make sense.
Other recurring abbreviations such as “I ‘spect” for “I expect”, "I s'pose" for "I suppose" and “’s bad” for “it’s bad”, to mention just some of many, created reading difficulty and distraction for me because of all the apostrophes and need for deciphering, and put me in mind of the dreadful hash Dick Van Dyke made of the Cockney accent in Mary Poppins. As this is the first Elizabeth George I’ve read, I’m not sure if she always writes dialogue in this way.
Apart from that, like many readers I wasn’t over-fussed by the character of Isabelle and couldn’t understand Lynley hopping into bed with her. If it was meant to show him as being vulnerable and vacillating because of his wife’s death, this didn’t square with the calm and competent way he approached police work. Other parts of the book strained credibility. For example, I doubt if a police briefing would be allowed to deteriorate to a stage where one participant hit another with so little comment or follow-up, and I did find the image of Isabelle knocking back vodka while crawling around her office floor quite farcical.
There’s also a lot that’s good and interesting in this quite long book although, as also noted by other reviewers, I do question George's (unattributed) use of the Jamie Bulger abduction and murder to provide background for her story.
Overall, I’ll be having a suspicious look inside the next Elizabeth George book I pick up before buying or borrowing it, as even if it provides a good read, I couldn’t handle those apostrophes in such numbers again.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Elizabeth George has a wonderful writing style. And I was glad to see all the cast of characters returning to pick up their various stories.

I think people need to realize it's better to read Elizabeth George's book in sequence to follow the story lines because they can get pretty involved.

Elizabeth George is one of my favorite authors. I like her story lines. The characters in her books. It all wraps up into a very satisfying read on every book I have read.

This was great story line and sympathetically written but was initially quite difficult to follow as there was a huge line-up of characters all at once. Worth persevering though. Inspector Lynley wasn't as dominant as I was used to from the tv series and the character of Havers was quite different from the Sharon Stone version - not that that's necessarily a bad thing.

This was an awesome book, but unlike some others that have reviewed it, I did not hate the previous two books either. Yes, it was difficult reading them (especially the one where Helen gets murdered, but George is such a wonderful writer that I just love to read all her books. This book has a lot of surprises in it, like most Elizabeth George books, and she blends the past and the present in a very unique way. But the mystery is a good one and the writing is stellar. There is a lot of Barbara Havers in this one too, so that's a bonus for me because I really do like the character. As usual her bright and analytical mind get her into hot water. There is a lot to take in in the book, and it's meant to be savoured. That is indeed Ms. George's gift. I loved the book and I love her characters! There are even a couple of very likable dogs in the book. What more can you ask for?

Every author is allowed a few up and downs. Well, at least three in a row has done it for me. There was no point in killing off Insp. Lynley's wife Helen, then trying to explain it (oops) and then writing a novel most boring and very distasteful, etc. No longer will I anxiously await a new release by Elizabeth George. I'm done.

Boringly written, wanders around with trivial stuff and jumps too much between different characters in different cases. The abducted child is a virtual copy of a real life case. I'm an avid reader who loves the Inspector Lynley TV show; but would not bother with other Elizabeth George books - didn't finish this one, which is unusual.

familiar characters - with some new added, and personality conflicts - good characterizations re: new on job, tying together clues, and personalities with widely divergent characteristics and attitudes. Also the familiar persons from previous stories - islamic neighbors - young girl and dad
New characters vividly described and understandable.

I have read all of Elizabeth George's Inspector Lynley books, and find that once I pick them up, I can't put them down. Consequently, they are consumed very quickly. It's the psychological twist in the story that I find so interesting. The story appears to be more grounded in reality.

This book is a really good story, much more interesting a read than the previous few although there isn't quite enough Havers or character/relationship development in it. On the other hand, I can see how there isn't much to say about the characters inner workings at this point. The overall story arch needs to move further past Helen's death for that and this book is accomplishing that while telling a really good mystery in the process.

Oddly, the tone seems really flat like the whole thing is being told from a far distance but the John Dresser bits are really too much (for me at least) to handle. I wouldn't classify myself as particularly sensitive either.

I started with five stars and knocked one off for the lack of Havers, one for the John Dresser, and one because Ardery could be a lot more developed. Although, as you can tell from my post, I'm no writer.

As usual Elizabeth George delivers a nicely paced, very well researched book. And the great Thomas and Barbara are back at the Yard. I so enjoy the feeling of being with this team in London and the U.K. as they solve complex crimes. This in particular was masterful in piecing together s heinous crime, very reminiscent of the Jamie Bulger murder, with a modern day related
murder. How the events weave in and out with credibility is really wonderful. Love her books, admire the research and talent in writing such pleasantly paced novels and I will look forward to her next one which I know I will appreciate and love.

As another alienated long-time fan of George's novels, I have to wonder at the wisdom of her publisher, editor, agent, or whoever is advising her. I purchased this book on the strength of reviews that said it was an improvement over the last two shambles, but I don't see it. Three issues are especially troubling. First, the loathsome character of Isabelle Ardery, right down to her name -- is there some significance to it sounding like "artery"? Other than bleeding the life out of this book? For this reader, she typifies the worst type of leader -- narcissistic, bullying, condescending, inappropriate, unprofessional, inflexible, not very smart, and in love with her own voice. And chasing mini vodka bottles around the floor did nothing to add to her appeal to my empathy for her. All I ended up with was wanting her booted out and feeling contempt for Lynley's attraction to her. Had the author built a character that had any likable or redeeming qualities, she would have spared Lynley looking like a fool. I shudder to think she might turn up in yet another opus. Second, the very thinly veiled lifting of the Bulger baby murder in England was exploitative and in extremely poor taste. In addition, I also have a serious beef with the lack of understanding and empathy Elizabeth George displays for mental illness. Ardery calling a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic a "nutter" in a meeting of her subordinates is inexcusable and reflects very poorly on Ms. George's obvious lack of understanding and empathy for the horrific ways that mental illness can mess up lives and skew judgment. Very disappointing from a writer I used to enjoy and admire. No wonder PBS has dropped her.

I found this book very disappointing and agree with several other reviewers. I miss the Lynley/Havers/Simon etc., interplay. The story within the story re the murder of a child was based on a real incident and to use it to make the plot actually the whole story was hard to deal with. Lynsey's relationship to the new character for me was hard to understand, he is a broken man by the death of his wife and child, wanders the Cornish coast then five months or so becomes besotted with his superior. Over the years of reading George I developed a respect for Lynley by no longer I find him weak and not very interesting and don't particularly care what happens to them. I doubt if I will read her books anymore; and finally I purchased this book from the store so I bought it at a good price; I was in Borders the other day and the book was on the bargain rack for $5.99.

As another alienated long-time fan of George's novels, I have to wonder at the wisdom of her publisher, editor, agent, or whoever is advising her. I purchased this book on the strength of reviews that said it was an improvement over the last two shambles, but I don't see it. Three issues are especially troubling. First, the loathsome character of Isabelle Ardery, right down to her name -- is there some significance to it sounding like "artery"? Other than bleeding the life out of this book? For this reader, she typifies the worst type of leader -- narcissistic, bullying, condescending, inappropriate, unprofessional, inflexible, not very smart, and in love with her own voice. And chasing mini vodka bottles around the floor did nothing to add to her appeal to my empathy for her. All I ended up with was wanting her booted out and feeling contempt for Lynley's attraction to her. Had the author built a character that had any likable or redeeming qualities, she would have spared Lynley looking like a fool. I shudder to think she might turn up in yet another opus. Second, the very thinly veiled lifting of the Bulger baby murder in England was exploitative and in extremely poor taste. In addition, I also have a serious beef with the lack of understanding and empathy Elizabeth George displays for mental illness. Ardery calling a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic a "nutter" in a meeting of her subordinates is inexcusable and reflects very poorly on Ms. George's obvious lack of understanding and empathy for the horrific ways that mental illness can mess up lives and skew judgment. Very disappointing from a writer I used to enjoy and admire. No wonder PBS has dropped her.

I found this book very disappointing and agree with several other reviewers. I miss the Lynley/Havers/Simon etc., interplay. The story within the story re the murder of a child was based on a real incident and to use it to make the plot actually the whole story was hard to deal with. Lynsey's relationship to the new character for me was hard to understand, he is a broken man by the death of his wife and child, wanders the Cornish coast then five months or so becomes besotted with his superior. Over the years of reading George I developed a respect for Lynley by no longer I find him weak and not very interesting and don't particularly care what happens to them. I doubt if I will read her books anymore; and finally I purchased this book from the store so I bought it at a good price; I was in Borders the other day and the book was on the bargain rack for $5.99.

I have enjoyed all the Linley books, love the writing and feel quite attached to the characters. Hate his relationship with his boss, so hope shes gone in the next book, however I guess that's all part of a good yarn when I can feel attachment to the character.

SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT

Incredibly intricate plot
Masterfully detailed characters
Good job with the continuing characters and plot
SPOILER ALERT (2)
Haddiyah's mother comes home
I am not convinced that Lynley would sleep with Isabelle - 1) it's too soon after Helen's death 2) she's an alcoholic and he knows it