Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing low of the Lynley/Havers series
Review: Well, size does matter...
While I am sure the earlier Lynley novels had the quality to carry on for more pages than they actually had, this latest one clearly gets lengthy and somewhat annoying.
The non-linear narrative, with parts of the plot being revealed by one of the characters, reminded me of "Playing for the Ashes". However, this time something went wrong. Gideon's (fictional?) conversations with his shrink are handled awkwardly and the jumping back and forth was very disruptive with no artistical value to account for.
While I was more than happy to not learn anything more from Barabara's clearly boring neighbours - the little girl seems to be jumping, hopping and singing constantly while her father could only be a love interest for the writers of Victorian conduct books - I think the book would benefit from at least some insights into Barbara's life. And Lynley simply gets harder to understand, what with his wife being pregnant and him acting like a jerk.
Being a fan of especially the earlier books, I was very disappointed with this one. Somewhat tedious to read, the characters strangely devoid of life and mere sketches from the drawingboard, and a predictable plot.
And whatever happened to proofreading? There were so many mistakes in this book that it was hard to focus on content.
I honestly hope that this is not the last of the series, but it is clearly the worst.
Rating: 
Summary: In defense of A Traitor to Memory
Review: It's a shame that readers have become so impatient that they can't appreciate George's painstaking revelation of character in her latest book. Yes, it's long and perhaps would have benefited from a bit of editing here and there, but the diary of Gideon Davies (so much maligned in these reviews) is brilliantly done. Gideon is clearly the key character in this complex mystery. As an ardent lover of classical music myself, I found the portrayal of his life as a former prodigy fascinating. I have long been intrigued by the price which great talent exacts from those who possess it, and this book chillingly depicts what can happen to a human being who is completely defined by his gifts. The solution to the main mystery is less than totally satisfying, true, but unlike some readers I was untroubled by the lingering ambiguity as to what "really happened" to Gideon's sister Sonia. Life is like that. The ending, though disturbing, was completely fitting. Without giving it away, let's just say that the behavior was consistent with the traits of character that George so meticulously revealed throughout the novel. I highly recommend this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Disjointed
Review: A fan of many of Elizabeth George's books, this one was disappointing and scattered. The time shifts were confusing; and at the end little was resolved including the motive for the other killings. The theory proposed is weak and not easily believed. There are much better E.G. books to read.
Rating:
Summary: George not at her best
Review: While I enjoyed the basic plot of this novel, it wasn't particularly well-crafted and I quickly grew annoyed with the journal-as-confession entries and the endless red herrings. I grew increasingly impatient with the Gideon chapters - Ms. George used this journal gambit in Playing for the Ashes much more successfully, but even then I found it distracting. It's just another obvious device to help the author forward her plot. I hope Ms. George will give us more of our familiar favorite characters next book and find an editor who's not afraid to take a sharp knife to her next manuscript.
Rating:
Summary: A Puzzle To Memory
Review: I have read and enjoyed the previous works in this series. The characters are complex and story lines held my interest and attention. I found this newest entry a challenge. I was nearly finished when I discovered that the plot moved back and forth in time. It was very hard to get a handle on the story. I also did not find any of the characters sympathetic. Finishing it was a let-down. It felt like a lot of work for a little pay-off.
Rating:
Summary: A True Psychological Thriller!
Review: This was my first Elizabeth George book, and I was very pleasantly surprised. It was given to me as a gift, and I thank the person for getting me started in this series. Now, I will need to begin at the beginning. Ms. George can write a very good psychological thriller - along the lines of Minette Walters, but less creepy. She is an excellent author, and really knows how to develop her characters. I find I really want to get to know her two protaganists - Lynley and Havers. As I was reading it was difficult at first to keep the two storylines apart, but once I mastered that, it went much better. I felt so bad for Gideon. What a terrible thing to suppress things in a child. It causes all kinds of problems for the adult. The book is long, but it goes quickly. The writing is excellent - a true thinking-person's mystery.
Rating:
Summary: The Case of the Cosseted Author
Review: As a longtime George fan, I grabbed this latest. However, as often seems to happen when writers become more prominent, editors become more timid. This tome, while providing the usual vivid and mile-deep characterizations, should have had the benefit of a sharp editing pencil. I kept thinking "this bit should end HERE."As in past volumes, she seems to delight in writing dialogue in which one character carries on about something that everyone, both reader and participant, know is wrong and/or superfluous. It makes me fairly want to scream "Speak up! Get on with it!" I found the different time scales confusing and the journal dialogue, while an interesting construct, not a very functional one. Perhaps if they had been conversing on the telephone or via e-mail it would have seemed more natural. No one writing a journal continually referrs to the reader throughout as "Dr. Rose". They know who they are writing to. ..., unsatisfying ending, too. None of this is not say that I wouldn't recommend it. She's still the best mystery writer around, to my mind. I just hate to be detecting the beginnings of a sloppy slide.
Rating: 
Summary: A Traitor to Memory by spirited writer Elizabeth George...
Review: Is a real pager turner with its many surprising twists and turns. Love this writer, love this story, and I so look forward to her next book! I read a lot of the long-winded reviews of 'A Traitor to Memory,' and I have to say a few of them were almost as long as the book with their book-bashing remarks, and I completely disagree with what they had to say; 'the story, the writing and the plot being a bad write'! Not true, Ms. George's novel, is a compelling, and intriguing mystery well worth the read! Buy the book and see for yourself!
Rating:
Summary: A 'Treacherously' Wonderful Read!
Review: A Traitor In Memory by talented writer Elizabeth George is a treacherously wonderful mystery with many surprising twists and turns that will hold the reader captive throughout the entire story--Detective Inspector Thomas Lynly has entered into an investigation that will have him walking the treacherous fine line between professional honor and personal loyalty. A story not to be missed!
Rating:
Summary: Middle-aged spread afflicts Ms. George's new novel
Review: In the classic English teacher's phrase: this book would be twice as good if it were half as long. The main story line was only marginally credible, with murky motivation for much of the action. The big problem, however, was clutter. Multiple points of view are fine only if they contribute to the plot and keep things moving. Gideon's paralysis simply wasn't interesting enough to support the interminably maundering memoir. James-the-Lodger's past history was irrelevant and boring and the descriptions of his present-day escapades irrelevant and distasteful. Entering the mind of the female ex-con did nothing to illuminate her roomate's role in past or present events. The leather-clad messenger with the abusive ex-husband added nothing to our understanding of Gideon and the dramatic scene in which she starred on the final page was simply confusing. The subplot about the agoraphobic wife and her husband's previous and present responses did intersect the main plot and was mildly interesting but occupied far too many pages. Ms. George needs to decide on a story and stick with it. The most important improvement would be a sharply defined story line with credible motivations and comprehensible time lines. To keep up our interest in the series, let us spend more time with the Lynleys, the St. Jameses, Barbara Havers and Winston Nkata, and less with voyeuristic accounts of irrelevant people for whom we have no reason to care.
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