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Rating: 
Summary: My least favorite of the series thus far...
Review: But that is still a step above 99% of the mystery writers writing today. I don't know why I was a little disappointed in this entry in the long-running series.One thing that bothered me was the fact that, while Inspector Lynley has always be insufferable with his thinking that he is always right, that attribute is kicked up a notch in the current circumstances. He finds Havers' actions at the end of the last book to be unexcusable and refuses to see her side of the story. While I can see him reacting in that way, it is exaggerated a bit much for my liking; he is an intelligent man, after all, and his actions are those of one with lesser intelligence. Anyway, the writing is fine as always. I particularly like the parts dealing with Havers - she and Lynley are working on the same case in different parts of England so most of the book goes back & forth between London and the scene of the crime in the Peak District. I am particularly interested in seeing where the relationship between Havers and her neighbor, Azhar, is heading. I already have the next in the series, A Traitor to Memory, and will be reading it soon.
Rating: 
Summary: THANK YOU, ELIZABETH GEORGE - YOU'RE BACK!!!
Review: Elizabeth George is one of my favorite authors, and I'm thrilled that she is back with the latest addition to her Inspector Lynley series. This book was wonderful - almost as good as In the Presence of the Enemy (my personal favorite, and I've read them all). The characters are well-drawn, the plot was intriguing, and the whole book reeks of civility, style, and class. A welcome change from some of the crap I've read this summer (Thomas Harris, please note). George's characters are people you realy care about, her reasearch is first-rate, and the plot, while convoluted at times, is wrapped up nicely in the end. Elizabeth George and Martha Grimes are my two favorite authors, and I'm happy to say that I am now about to start on Grimes' latest Richard Jury novel. I hope it will be as satisfying as this book was. For those of you who like to be taken seriously as readers, do yourself a favor and read this book. Elizabeth George never disappoints!
Rating:
Summary: acceptable
Review: I've always enjoyed reading Elizabeth George mysteries because of the high quality of the writings as well as the analytical descriptions of her characters and settings. However, I've come to notice that none of her characters, whether they be good or bad, are genuinely likeable. Lynley is a turnoff, he's arrogant and a self-entitled, Helen, while nice, is somewhat pretentious, Havers is more sympathetic but her defeatist attitude is annoying. Simeon and Deborah, I simply don't know enough about them, they're quiet but not terribly interesting. As for the rest of the characters, they're interesting, they may be fascinating, but they're simply not the kind of people you'd want to be friends with. George's portrayal of the United Kingdom is also interesting. She seems to focus solely on two sectors of society: the aristocratic upper class and the seamy underbelly/working class. Very little is said of the vast bulk of English in between, nice, normal and quiet people who are not too different from nice, normal and quiet Americans. I've spent a fair amount of time in the UK, and while I do recognize the country that George presents, I also recognize that there's a huge slice of Britain that is missing from her novels. Overall, I give her novels a 4 star ranking solely because of the quality of the writing. The novels are intense and do keep one in suspense, though she does sometimes rely on suspicious coincidences. The actual plots and characters are only worth a 2 or 3 stars, but the quality of the writing strengthens the overall work.
Rating:
Summary: Elizabeth George does it twice as good with In Pursuit...
Review: If you are an Elizabeth George fan you will find her latest Havers-Lynley mystery to be one of her finest. She has expertly woven not one but two murders together, leaving the reader to wonder who is the real target and who the killer. (I have read every single Havers-Lynely mystery and have yet to guess who the murder is, a mark of a truly great mystery writer.) As usual, George's grasp on English culture and language makes you want to expand your vocabulary and take a holiday to Jolly Old England. If you have never read George it is best to start with her first mystery and read in order. Though each book can and does stand well on it's own. It is easier in the long run to follow the history of the main characters DI Barbara Havers and her superiour Thomas Lynley from start to finish. I garauntee if you love mysteries that keep you guessing to the very end, if you love eloquent writing and superb use of vocabulary, you will thoroughly enjoy George. Be forwarned, once you get hooked on Havers and Lynley mysteries you will find you can hardly wait the two years George usually takes to research and write her next novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Frustrating Read!
Review: This was my first Elizabeth George mystery and will most likelybe my last... George is an excellent writer but she's a bit wordyfor my liking. Not that I don't appreciate detailed description andlengthy character development, but it took me almost 250 pages to get hooked. There have only been two books I haven't finished reading in my entire life, so I guess you can say I'm hard pressed to give up once I've started. I almost put this one down around page 170 but fortunately I forged ahead. Once I got hooked, I was HOOKED. I couldn't wait to find out whodunit and was not disappointed by the ending. The main problem I had was that I just didn't like the two main characters. Lynley's unwillingness to forgive Havers was extremely irritating. And Havers being the "good soldier" and not sitting him down and questioning his bad attitude was frustrating too. I mean if these two had worked together for so many years, you'd think they'd both be mature enough to talk it out. George just drags out their mutual animosity. Grow up already! END
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