Believing the Lie (Inspector Lynley Mysteries 17)
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Review
'A fascinating read.' (Woman )
'Presses all the buttons to make us hoover her stuff up' (Daily Telegraph )
'She's a designer of fastidious mosaics that never fail to intrigue.' (Guardian )
'A confession: I'm addicted to Elizabeth George; her crime novels combine Victorian craftsmanship, psychological observation and ingenious plotting. George's celebrated attention to detail keeps the reader totally immersed. Bliss.' (Kate Saunders, Saga )
'An intelligent book, clipped and precise, every word chosen with care . . . a cool, clever book that needs concentration and a sharp brain to unravel . . . Along the way to solving the crime we meet some finely drawn characters who emerge as real people with faults and frailties. Ms George is the connoisseur's crime writer. Like fine wine, her words need to be savoured . . . Lynley is a policeman with a gentle touch and it is good to have him back on such brilliant form.' (Sunday Express )
'The author writes brilliantly and has an incredible ability to set a scene and create characters you want to know more about.' (Sun )
'Presses all the buttons to make us hoover her stuff up' (Daily Telegraph )
'She's a designer of fastidious mosaics that never fail to intrigue.' (Guardian )
'A confession: I'm addicted to Elizabeth George; her crime novels combine Victorian craftsmanship, psychological observation and ingenious plotting. George's celebrated attention to detail keeps the reader totally immersed. Bliss.' (Kate Saunders, Saga )
'An intelligent book, clipped and precise, every word chosen with care . . . a cool, clever book that needs concentration and a sharp brain to unravel . . . Along the way to solving the crime we meet some finely drawn characters who emerge as real people with faults and frailties. Ms George is the connoisseur's crime writer. Like fine wine, her words need to be savoured . . . Lynley is a policeman with a gentle touch and it is good to have him back on such brilliant form.' (Sunday Express )
'The author writes brilliantly and has an incredible ability to set a scene and create characters you want to know more about.' (Sun )
Review
'A fascinating read.' -- Woman 20120116 'Presses all the buttons to make us hoover her stuff up' -- Daily Telegraph 20120116 'She's a designer of fastidious mosaics that never fail to intrigue.' -- Guardian 20120116 'A confession: I'm addicted to Elizabeth George; her crime novels combine Victorian craftsmanship, psychological observation and ingenious plotting. George's celebrated attention to detail keeps the reader totally immersed. Bliss.' -- Kate Saunders, Saga 20120116 'An intelligent book, clipped and precise, every word chosen with care ... a cool, clever book that needs concentration and a sharp brain to unravel ... Along the way to solving the crime we meet some finely drawn characters who emerge as real people with faults and frailties. Ms George is the connoisseur's crime writer. Like fine wine, her words need to be savoured ... Lynley is a policeman with a gentle touch and it is good to have him back on such brilliant form.' -- Sunday Express 20120116 'The author writes brilliantly and has an incredible ability to set a scene and create characters you want to know more about.' -- Sun 20120116
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
42 of 45 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
And that is pretty much what this book is about - people struggling on in the face of many and different forms of sadness.
Lynley is still mired in his grief for Helen, and mired, too in what seems not to be a very life affirming relationship with his nominal boss Isabelle Ardery. Havers is poleaxed by the return of the delectable Angelina, mother to her neighbour Azhar's lovely daughter Haddiyah (who has been operating as a light in the darkness to Barbara for some time). The rather odd case to which Hillier dispatches Lynley in defiance of all protocol and without notice to his line manager (I bet any police who read this will just explode at the utter impossibility of the situation in real life!) is also awash with grief. A beloved nephew dead in mysterious circumstances, that beloved nephew having devastated his entire family shortly before by having come out of the closet with little thought for how it would affect his nearest and dearest - including his teenaged son and pre-teen daughter - forms the core of the mystery. But fanning out from it are the daughter grieving for her unlovableness, another for her lost marriage, and a prodigal son for the damage his past has caused and looking to make amends by persuading his epically beautiful wife to provide an heir. And to add further layers of sadness and loss, Lynley brings along St James and Deborah whose ongoing struggle for a child is driving the happiness out of their marriage.
What results is a very long way away from George's last book which was a true murder mystery wallowing in gore. There is what the coroner has already called an accidental death and there is a sense of gathering menace over at least one of the characters but the investigation is far more on the emotional level than on the police procedural. If you want a true murder whodunnit, you will definitely be disappointed, and I suspect this will not be a book which many new followers to George's work. But George's many existing fans will, I think, enjoy the exploration of the emotional landscape of loss (set rather cleverly against the harsh landscape of the Morecambe Bay area) and will enjoy, too, Ardery's attempt to make over Havers' appearance (which we just know are detined to fail long term!) and Lynley's attempts to emerge from the chrysalis in which Helen's death locked him. The ending which contrives to be both upbeat and terribly sad (read it and find out how) leaves us looking forward to where George will go next ....
Lynley is still mired in his grief for Helen, and mired, too in what seems not to be a very life affirming relationship with his nominal boss Isabelle Ardery. Havers is poleaxed by the return of the delectable Angelina, mother to her neighbour Azhar's lovely daughter Haddiyah (who has been operating as a light in the darkness to Barbara for some time). The rather odd case to which Hillier dispatches Lynley in defiance of all protocol and without notice to his line manager (I bet any police who read this will just explode at the utter impossibility of the situation in real life!) is also awash with grief. A beloved nephew dead in mysterious circumstances, that beloved nephew having devastated his entire family shortly before by having come out of the closet with little thought for how it would affect his nearest and dearest - including his teenaged son and pre-teen daughter - forms the core of the mystery. But fanning out from it are the daughter grieving for her unlovableness, another for her lost marriage, and a prodigal son for the damage his past has caused and looking to make amends by persuading his epically beautiful wife to provide an heir. And to add further layers of sadness and loss, Lynley brings along St James and Deborah whose ongoing struggle for a child is driving the happiness out of their marriage.
What results is a very long way away from George's last book which was a true murder mystery wallowing in gore. There is what the coroner has already called an accidental death and there is a sense of gathering menace over at least one of the characters but the investigation is far more on the emotional level than on the police procedural. If you want a true murder whodunnit, you will definitely be disappointed, and I suspect this will not be a book which many new followers to George's work. But George's many existing fans will, I think, enjoy the exploration of the emotional landscape of loss (set rather cleverly against the harsh landscape of the Morecambe Bay area) and will enjoy, too, Ardery's attempt to make over Havers' appearance (which we just know are detined to fail long term!) and Lynley's attempts to emerge from the chrysalis in which Helen's death locked him. The ending which contrives to be both upbeat and terribly sad (read it and find out how) leaves us looking forward to where George will go next ....
21 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Lynley is back at Scotland Yard, but when Hillier asks him to do an off-the-books review of an accidental death in the Lake District, he heads out of London with the St James' as cover.
I really enjoyed this book which is classic, vintage Elizabeth George. If you like your crime tight and linear then this might well frustrate: it takes a detailed look at the Fairclough family, all of whom (of course) have motives that might mean an accident could be murder.
At the same time, the narrative explores the lives of long-time characters: Lynley, starting to recover from the grief of his wife's death; the St James', still having fertility problems; Barbara Havers, having a makeover to please her new boss.
George excels at creating real personalities and getting inside their lives. Some of the saccharine sweetness of the St James' marriage wears off in this book, making them both far more real than they have been in some of the earlier books. There's also a dark edge to Barbara's story, and a kind of melancholic air to the book overall.
So this is, in lots of ways, far more than a crime novel: while there are a number of crimes in the story, this is also a multi-plotted, character novel that is rich, detailed and absorbing.
I really enjoyed this book which is classic, vintage Elizabeth George. If you like your crime tight and linear then this might well frustrate: it takes a detailed look at the Fairclough family, all of whom (of course) have motives that might mean an accident could be murder.
At the same time, the narrative explores the lives of long-time characters: Lynley, starting to recover from the grief of his wife's death; the St James', still having fertility problems; Barbara Havers, having a makeover to please her new boss.
George excels at creating real personalities and getting inside their lives. Some of the saccharine sweetness of the St James' marriage wears off in this book, making them both far more real than they have been in some of the earlier books. There's also a dark edge to Barbara's story, and a kind of melancholic air to the book overall.
So this is, in lots of ways, far more than a crime novel: while there are a number of crimes in the story, this is also a multi-plotted, character novel that is rich, detailed and absorbing.
33 of 37 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I have been a loyal reader of Elizabeth George for donkey's years but have to admit that I did not really enjoy this nor the previous book. For me she has now crossed a similar line to Patricia Cornwell where the franchise has gone on too long and in an effort to maintain storylines the characters have changed to a point where they are no longer believable.
I don't want to give any plot away as I am sure there are many that enjoy EG's books as I once did, but for my own part, the characters and some of the things they now do are beyond belief and lack credibility and this for me ruins the novels.
I am also sceptical about her research / researchers as I have found things to take issue with in several of her books and I find this an annoyance as they are things easily checked. In this novel - (not a spoiler) she describes the white shirt of a WH Smiths employee. Go into any branch Elizabeth - they are blue check.
The later books have also descended into gratuitous invective and sensational language / scenarios - this was never a part of the earlier works.
I'm left feeling angry - I've lost a favourite author.
I don't want to give any plot away as I am sure there are many that enjoy EG's books as I once did, but for my own part, the characters and some of the things they now do are beyond belief and lack credibility and this for me ruins the novels.
I am also sceptical about her research / researchers as I have found things to take issue with in several of her books and I find this an annoyance as they are things easily checked. In this novel - (not a spoiler) she describes the white shirt of a WH Smiths employee. Go into any branch Elizabeth - they are blue check.
The later books have also descended into gratuitous invective and sensational language / scenarios - this was never a part of the earlier works.
I'm left feeling angry - I've lost a favourite author.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A complete waste of time
I can't believe this was written by Elizabeth George. What has happened to her imagination? Was she in a complete panic about how to draw all the disparate threads together? Read more
Published 24 days ago by Lesley Allen
Believing the Drivel
This is 550 plus words of unreadable nonsense. Dislikable characters especially Deb, horrible situations, complete non-story, waste of money. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Voracious Reader
Is it me or has Ms George always written like this?
I've just finished reading "Believing the Lie". I recognised most of the characters from the previous books I'd read and was looking forward to a clever interesting story. Read more
Published 1 month ago by wigs
And what lies.....................!!
This is a feast of troubled people with troubled lives. A complex novel, at times a little convoluted where I became unsure of the focus, there was so much going on and so many... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Jane Baker
Really enjoyed this book.
I have read every single one of Elizabeth George's books and have enjoyed them immensely. I felt some trepidation about ordering this book, based on the reviews, but I am so glad I... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Christal Prigg
Not going to buy this book
(I haven't read this one but I had to give it some stars in order to write this, so I gave it 2 so as not to skew the average. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Airidh
brilliant
The story are so well written, even the place is like a charactere. In his other novels, she showed that she was a brilliant writer of suspense, a
psychological brilliant... Read more
psychological brilliant... Read more
Published 2 months ago by CASILE
So Enjoying This!
I'm really loving this book and almost at the end! Elizabeth George has indeed taken on a number of modern 'themes' in the book, and I think does a great job it. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Cathlin Mulledy
Disappointing fare
How can you have a murder story when there is no murder? This is what is on offer in this very long book. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Trevor Newstead
Brilliant again.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and have no idea why so many readers have criticised it. The plot is complicated but believable, fascinating and intriguing. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Anita Fairbairn
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