Deception on His Mind (Hardcover)

But I thought the best part of the book came in the careful exploration of the social customs and beliefs among the Pakistani characters. It's seldom that an author from the United States succeeds in taking readers into an alien culture in a way that makes that culture more understandable. Ms. George has clearly succeeded in this regard.

My only complaint is that Ms. George feels that she has to include characters, once again, who are totally hollow. Those characters seem overdone and weaken the story. There are more depths to real people, even the hollowish ones, than Ms. George is willing to credit.

Barbara Havers as the detective in this story. Seeing English society from "downstairs" as it were, the story has more grit than usual and the seamy side of the elite is more exposed as well.

As the story opens, Havers is recuperating from her physical and emotional injuries incurred in In the Presence of the Enemy. With a bruised face and cracked ribs, she's supposed to take time off. The Pakistani fiance of a local entrepreneur has been found murdered on a beach in Essex. That event brings Havers' neighbor, Taymullah Azhar, and his daughter, Hadiyyah, to the seaside resort of Balford-le-Nez. Havers recalls found memories of this part of the coast and soon follows, finding herself embroiled in both the murder and a complicated family situation of Azhar's.

Havers goes with her gut, and her instincts soon have her in hot water. And the case is a baffling one. There are leads in all directions, but tracking down those leads doesn't solve the murder.

The underlying themes of the book include racism, class snobbery, the painful limits that religion can bring, and the constraints of a family's heritage. I have no idea if this book accurately displays modern day English society or not, but it makes for interesting, if uncomfortable, reading.

But I thought the best part of the book came in the careful exploration of the social customs and beliefs among the Pakistani characters. It's seldom that an author from the United States succeeds in taking readers into an alien culture in a way that makes that culture more understandable. Ms. George has clearly succeeded in this regard.

My only complaint is that Ms. George feels that she has to include characters, once again, who are totally hollow. Those characters seem overdone and weaken the story. There are more depths to real people, even the hollowish ones, than Ms. George is willing to credit.

Barbara Havers as the detective in this story. Seeing English society from "downstairs" as it were, the story has more grit than usual and the seamy side of the elite is more exposed as well.

As the story opens, Havers is recuperating from her physical and emotional injuries incurred in In the Presence of the Enemy. With a bruised face and cracked ribs, she's supposed to take time off. The Pakistani fiance of a local entrepreneur has been found murdered on a beach in Essex. That event brings Havers' neighbor, Taymullah Azhar, and his daughter, Hadiyyah, to the seaside resort of Balford-le-Nez. Havers recalls found memories of this part of the coast and soon follows, finding herself embroiled in both the murder and a complicated family situation of Azhar's.

Havers goes with her gut, and her instincts soon have her in hot water. And the case is a baffling one. There are leads in all directions, but tracking down those leads doesn't solve the murder.

The underlying themes of the book include racism, class snobbery, the painful limits that religion can bring, and the constraints of a family's heritage. I have no idea if this book accurately displays modern day English society or not, but it makes for interesting, if uncomfortable, reading.

But I thought the best part of the book came in the careful exploration of the social customs and beliefs among the Pakistani characters. It's seldom that an author from the United States succeeds in taking readers into an alien culture in a way that makes that culture more understandable. Ms. George has clearly succeeded in this regard.

My only complaint is that Ms. George feels that she has to include characters, once again, who are totally hollow. Those characters seem overdone and weaken the story. There are more depths to real people, even the hollowish ones, than Ms. George is willing to credit.