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Rating: 
Summary: George takes a break from her full-length works
Review: Elizabeth George presents us with a collection of short stories that are light yet absorbing reading, different in style and conception from her long, densely textured novels. I read these as a little break from Christmas baking, decorating, and party planning, and found the stories to be lively and diverting, with just the right mixture of trendy references and plot twists.
George also writes an intro to each tale, describing how she got the idea, which is an insight into her creative processes. The title story, set near Bosworth Field, came to her in the whole cloth, as a total picture. She recited it into a small recorder as best she could, battling wind and cold as she and a friend stood near St. James Church, where King Richard prayed the night before his decisive battle.
Five stars to her for this little anthology in a difficult genre!
Rating: 
Summary: "Remember, I'll Always Love You" was excellent.
Review: Elizabeth George is best known for her psychological crime novels. She has 15 books published. This is her first short story collection. Three of the five stories were previously published elsewhere.
An introduction before each story informs the listener where the idea originated. I wonder if non-writers are interested in this type of information or would they sooner get to the story. From a writing perspective, I was interested but in some cases felt it took away from the story or gave too much away. Each story and introduction is narrated by Tony Award winner, Derek Jacobi.
Exposure - is a rewrite of a previously published story, The Evidence Exposed. A history of British Architecture class at Cambridge University takes a field trip to Abinger Manor to do some research. They get more than they signed up for when one of them is murdered. There is a special appearance by Thomas Lindley, a character from one of George's novels. There are over 10 characters in this, the shortest story in this collection. With so many characters there is barely room for much else. It was more of a character study than a mystery. After listening three times, I still don't get the murder.
The Surprise of His Life - The idea for this story came from a story that ran rampant in the media during the 1990s in which a man allegedly murdered his estranged wife and her lover. Intrigued by the story, George hypothesized the original act: what went through the murderer's mind, how he might have planned and executed the murder and what might have gone wrong.
Douglas Armstrong is turning 55. He's married to a beautiful woman, Donna who's only 29 years old. A wealthy man, he wants for nothing. On a whim he visits a fortune teller who tells him he will have an "external surprise." Douglas focuses on this phrase letting it get the best of his senses. He deciphers it to mean his wife is having an affair, despite the fortune teller's advice, "Trust is key. Trust is essential."
Douglas hires a PI to follow his wife around and becomes further disturbed when he is shown pictures of her and his brother in a secret meeting. He obsesses further over her unfaithfulness and sets out to plan her demise which does lead him into a shocking external surprise.
This story is a wonderful example of how irrational our minds can be and how easy it is to assume we know the truth when in fact it is likely we do not have all the information. Like Exposure, you know there will be a murder before it occurs. I found this story predictable to the finale. No surprises here but good none the less.
Good Fences Aren't Always Enough -came out of a "walking and hiking tour in Vermont" where she heard a tale about an eccentric woman. The title is from a poem by Robert Frost. This story reminded me a lot of "The Burbs" with Tom Hanks.
An elderly woman moves into a family-oriented neighbourhood. She is a recluse, going out to work at the college and little else. Even her groceries are delivered. Willow decides to take it upon herself to "make nice" with the new neighbour. On route to the woman's front door, Willow discovers rats inhabit the ivy bushes that blanket the yard and house. A meeting is called amongst the neighbours and they decide an intervention is in order since the woman won't admit there's a rat problem. A bloody conclusion causes the woman to move out but not before Willow finds out why the woman befriended rats.
I thought the story was over at this point and was happy with the outcome but then it picked up again after 8 months. Willow feels guilty about how the old woman was treated. She decides to track down the woman and apologize. Although the direction was shocking it was not surprising and was somewhat predictable. Still a good story.
Remember, I'll Always Love You - Remember, I'll always love you, were the final words Eric Laudon said to his wife Charlie. She blamed herself for the death of her 42 year old husband because she didn't read the signs. During the weeks leading up to his death he had gotten a tattoo and a new Harley. He died a gruesome death, though we don't hear how at first but are led to surmise.
Very few people come to the funeral, not even his parents or his daughter. Eric was estranged from his parents and hadn't talked to them in a long time. Charlie was told it was because of a hunting accident as a child in which he tripped and the gun went off killing his brother.
Charlie decides to find his parents but she doesn't know much about them or where they live. She finds a receipt behind an old photograph, giving her a lead to start with. Through Charlie's research she begins to realize her husband had more secrets than she cared to believe and that she really didn't know the man she thought she loved. Instead of being a salesman for a pharmaceutical company she learns he is a molecular biologist, among other things. This is the best story in this collection, more suspenseful than the others. I was hooked and curious of the outcome throughout. This one is a winner.
I, Richard - Malcolm Cousins is a 49 year old history teacher who gives tours of Bosworth Field. He's been having an affair with his childhood friend's wife for many years not because of the sex twice a week but to assure the legacy of his life work. Malcolm wants to be the first to show Richard the III didn't kill his nephews but tried to save them. Betsy is the key to prove this and he keeps this in mind every time he becomes repulsed by the thought of "bonking" her.
I found the story about Richard III, the mystery of the princes' deaths and the night before the Battle of Bosworth Field more interesting than the characters. This story did more to spark an interest in Richard III. I would have rather heard more about him writing a letter on the Field of Bosworth the night before his death but still it was somewhat amusing and there is a satisfaction in the ending.
Jacobi's voice is a little too relaxing. I'd be afraid to drive with this playing for fear of falling asleep and causing an accident. I often found his interpretation of character voices disturbing and confusing. An older woman in one story has the identical voice of a young girl in another.
Following the stories is a Q & A with the author. I don't know who the interviewer is but her voice doesn't lend itself to listening to, especially after listening to Jacobi and in comparison to George's eloquent voice. A commentary answering her own questions would have been more enjoyable. There was no interaction between interviewer and interviewee. The interviewer was obviously reading questions that were meant to sound like dialogue.
In closing, the last two stories were the best of this collection, although I would be hard press to put out the money for an audio version. If you enjoy rich character stories and want to learn more about how Elizabeth George generates her ideas then you will enjoy this. Also if you are a new writer interested in character study and process this would be interesting and useful. As part of your "must have" audio collection, I think not.
Review Originally Posted at http://linearreflections.com
Rating: 
Summary: What gives?
Review: I don't understand all of the negative reviews for this book. It is what it is - a collection of dark, short-story mysteries. All of the stories are pretty good. I have enjoyed it. George is better at writing novels but this collection stands on it's own.
Rating:
Summary: Thoroughly entertaining read
Review: I have discovered Elizabeth George years ago when someone introduced me to her novel, Playing for the Ashes, and once I discovered that she has other books with Barbara Havers, I bought them all. I really enjoy George's writing style! I don't even mind her "long-winded" novels ~~ they are suspenseful and entertaining and definitely, keeps my attention while reading (a major feat nowadays!).
This slim collection of short stories are entertaining, thought-provoking and sometimes predictable. I have not read any of her short stories before so I didn't come into this novel with huge expectations. It was fun read ~~ a quick one too.
My favorite story in there was I, Richard. I just love the irony in that short story. I also like the tidbits of history that she threw in there ~~ as I am somewhat of a history buff. My second favorite story is Remember, I'll Always Love You. That one was NOT predictable at all ~~ and talk about a life of mystery outside of a marriage ~~ it makes one wonder if he/she really knows the person he/she married!
It's a refreshing change from reading novels all the time to read short stories, especially by one of my favorite authors. This one has a small collection of well-written stories ~~ bound to entertain you.
1-31-05
Rating: 
Summary: I love Elizabeth George's novels; I disliked this book
Review: I'm a great Elizabeth George fan. She is one of a small number of writers whose works I buy in hardbound. But I'm afraid she's no short story writer. The collection gets off to a bad start with "Exposure," which ought to be interesting to George fans because of the presence of detective Thomas Lynley. But the story is a mess. I don't understand the perpetrator's motive. The "puzzle" aspect is poorly presented--we're not really given enough of a clue to solve the puzzle ourselves. The perpetrator actually commits two crimes--and I don't believe that the methods used to commit either crime would have worked in real life. Three of the the stories feature "O. Henry endings," none of which, in my opinion, quite come off. The title story, "I, Richard" intertwines a sort of pseudo-mystery story concerning the truth about Richard III and the Princes in the Tower, with a modern-day murder story. Unfortunately, to someone who isn't a "Ricardian," the Richard III part is muddled and boring--and the framing murder mystery is unbelievable, except for the ending--which is all too predictable. Similar motifs recur in several of the stories--giving a slightly stale or repetitious flavor to the collection. Perhaps the best is "Good Fences Aren't Always Enough," which comes close to being sad and touching. But all of them, even this one, read more like extended jokes than like real stories. The characters in them are paper cutouts. The author's attitude toward her characters is remote and almost contemptuous. She never seems involved with them, nor do we. The stories succeed neither as slices of life nor as clever little clockwork gadgets. And, incidentally, the book is a rather poor value. There are only five stories in it. It's thin, the type is large, and the lines are widely spaced. By my estimate, it contains roughly about 70,000 words (for [money amount]) or about one-fifth as many as "A Traitor to Memory" ([money amount]). Distinctly short measure, to my way of thinking.
Rating: 
Summary: About the audiobook...
Review: I'm a Road Warrior, spending many hours behind the wheel of my car which I special-ordered with both a cassette tape deck and a CD-player so that I could have a larger selection of audio-books. I'm surprised that the other reviewers did not mention the appalling narration of "I, Richard" (audio-book version) by Derek Jacobi. Mr. Jacobi is a fine actor, based on my experience with "Masterpiece Theatre", but his impression of an American accent sounds like Attila the Hun on helium. Since most of the short stories in this collection are set in America and have characters who are young women, Mr. Jacobi's unintentionally hilarious accent made me wish I could award this recording "negative stars".
2nd fatal mistake of this production - the "Interview with the Author" was in fact conducted by a young American woman (who managed to sound worse than Jacobi's bad impression of a young American woman) mechanically reading trite questions with no real enthusiasm or interaction with the author. Ms. George has a pleasant voice and is thoughtful and articulate, and I very much wanted to ask her a question: "Ms. George, your introduction to one of the stories (the first one, I think) indicated that in an earlier version you killed off the wrong character. Who did you kill, and why?" I mean, what's the point of an interview that doesn't rise above cliches?
Rating:
Summary: Not worth reading
Review: Let me state up front that I only read the first two stories in the collection so this review in based only on those stories. If you plan to read this book, this review gives away the plot of the two stories so read no further. In the first story the thief steals 2 goblets from the estate but kills a man in the process for absolutely no reason (unless, of course, you find it believable that someone would commit cold-blooded murder as a diversion for the theft of a few thousand dollars). The second story, a psychological thriller, has similar problems. A man, at his volunteer job, sneaks home to kill his wife and is faced, after the murder, with a surprise birthday party!! How would the wife ever know he was coming home? How could she possibly create this surprise? These plot structures are so fatal as to make the stories, no matter how well written, unbelievable. Readers should stick with her novels.
Rating:
Summary: Not as bad as everyone thinks.
Review: These are SHORT STORIES people. This wasn't a novel. I think some of the reviewers looked at this book like it was one story. Short stories are so different.
The first story was a bit confusing. Not sure why the author chose to kill the character she did. I'm still not sure of the motive, it wasn't clear.
The second story was eerie. It was almost like watching Alfred Hitchcock.
The 3rd story was creepy. I still get chills thinking about all those rats. This was Steven King, Tales of the Crypt like. Good story though.
The 4th one was far fetched. Too many turns. Still not sure exactly how the guy died. The wife is pretty stupid to have been fooled all that time. I find it hard to believe her husband had all those secrets and she had no clue.
The last one, I, Richard, was actually funny to me. The dumb woman is the victor in the end. The Richard part I am not familiar with, however, the story lines seemed to be similar.
For short stories, these weren't too bad. Not high on my list but I am glad I read them.
Rating:
Summary: As always, Elizabeth George doesn't disappoint!
Review: Unlike her other books, this one seems to be an experiment that didn't work. I'm a diehard Elizabeth George fan. This particular book disappointed me in many ways. I could only complete one of the five stories, and can't recommend it to anyone. Will this stop me from buying her next novel? Not at all. She's a master in her field.
Rating:
Summary: About the audiobook...
Review: Unlike many of the readers, I found this book fun, ... These stories were mercifully short, and though the surprise endings might strike some readers as tacky, I thought they were fun. I confess I had to reread one story in part to understand the killer's motive, but despite that, there were more thrills here than I expected to find. George's introductions could have been shorter and more artful, but let's face it, she's not the mystery short story artist Ruth Rendell is, so that's not surprising. Lev Raphael ...
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