Careless in Red LP: A Novel (Thomas Lynley and Barbara Havers Novels)

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Editorial reviews

Product Description

In her most eagerly anticipated novel yet, Elizabeth George brings back Scotland Yard's Thomas Lynley to investigate a ruthless crime.

After the senseless murder of his wife, Detective Superintendent Thomas Lynley retreated to Cornwall, where he has spent six solitary weeks hiking the bleak and rugged coastline. But no matter how far he walks, no matter how exhausting his days, the painful memories of Helen's death do not diminish.

On the forty-third day of his walk, at the base of a cliff, Lynley discovers the body of a young man who appears to have fallen to his death. The closest town, better known for its tourists and its surfing than its intrigue, seems an unlikely place for murder. However, it soon becomes apparent that a clever killer is indeed at work, and this time Lynley is not a detective but a witness and possibly a suspect.

The head of the vastly understaffed local police department needs Lynley's help, though, especially when it comes to the mysterious, secretive woman whose cottage lies not far from where the body was discovered. But can Lynley let go of the past long enough to solve a most devious and carefully planned crime?

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Customer reviews

review by: Patsy Cutler, book lover date: 2008-11-23 rating:
Uneccessary sexist/ageist observation
I quote, from page 118: "Nearby, the forensic pathologist-thin as an ageing spinster's marital hopes-was downing a large tomato juice over a stainless sink."

This description is both deliberately ageist and sexist! It's offensive and gratuitous. And for a contemporary novel, very insensitive and out of touch. This isn't a casual observation, it's quite deliberately insulting. Was the editor "asleep at the wheel" when this passed her desk? What WAS Elizabeth George thinking when she composed this descriptive sentence?

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review by: nprfan1 date: 2008-11-15 rating:
Thomas Lynley continues his journey
....metaphorically speaking.

This is a first for George. As with all of her stories featuring Thomas Lynley there is a crime which must be solved, but in this case the crime is really incidental to the main thrust of the story, which is Lynley's journey (both physically and emotionally speaking) from the day his wife and unborn child were gunned down in a senseless street shooting, as detailed in George's previous two novels.

When we first meet Lynley in this story he has retreated into himself. He has started an aimless walk along the paths and trails of the Cornwall coast; he doesn't know where he's going and he really doesn't care - when Helen died a great deal of his soul died with her. But then, along one of those trails, he discovers a body - and his police instincts rise up and take over.

This is mainly the story of how a seemingly typical murder case brings Thomas Lynley back out of his shell, and of the woman who, one hopes, may take Helen's place in his life - although not right away; let's give the man a decent chance to mourn. It does seem plausible, however - George goes into great detail about Daidre Trahair, and although she is initially a suspect in this murder George goes out of her way to show how instrumental the veterinarian is in calling Lynley back to himself.

The officer in charge of the case, DI Bea Hannaford, is quite a character in her own right - a divorced mother of a 14-year-old son who has to balance her job with being a mother, as well as an intense anger at herself and her ex-husband. Hopefully George will bring her back in a future Lynley novel. And yes, Barbara Havers is here too - but she's much more in the background than is usual. Then again, this is Lynley's story.

There is a resolution of sorts to the crime, but it's not a very fulfilling one, either to the characters in the story or to the reader. But I have the feeling that, considering the dominant subject of the story, this was to be expected - a better resolution would have somehow taken away from Lynley's journey.

I'm definitely looking forward to George's next book. There are several deliberately unanswered questions that I hope she'll get around to answering.

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review by: date: 2008-11-14 rating:
Disappointed
I read my first Lynley novel Well Schooled in Murder in 2004 and was hooked - read the remaining twelve or so books in about three months.
Careless in Red was a disappointment. The first 300 pages are very tedious and the final 300 are okay but not up to the earlier books. There are too many characters and not many of them are likable. Although Havers finally appears, she seems a secondary character and I miss Lynley's circle of friends. I'm afraid more than Helen is dead.

I give it **/*****.

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review by: date: 2008-11-11 rating:
Careless in Red
Elizabeth George's latest mystery gets off to a slow start and seems to repeat her earlier work. As the story moves on, the pace picks up and the character development becomes more interesting and engaging. The strength of her work as always lies in her sense of place and her realistic and inticate psychological characterizations. This particular book was hilarious at times, using British vernacular. There were some loose ends by the time the story ended, but maybe that's the teaser for George's next book. We'll see. This book is definately a relaxing and enjoyable read, well worth while.


review by: date: 2008-11-11 rating:
Disappointing Sequel to "With No One as Witness"
"Careless in Red" is a disappointment. While I typically love Elizabeth George's writing style and pace, this book dragged through much of the middle. I won't share the ending, but say only that much was left unresolved. Too many characters not essential to the story line cluttered the novel. I await the next book, hoping to see much more of DI Havers, Winston Nkata, and a healed Thomas Lynley.

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