A Place of Hiding

Rating:
Summary: A Place of Hiding
Review: I love Elizabeth George's books ~~ and was thrilled to finally have a chance to buy this one since I own all of her books. She is my favorite mystery author ~~ I just love Barbara Havers, she's my favorite character, so I was a little disappointed that she isn't featured in this book. But I like Deborah and Simon ~~ so I was ok.

This novel is the latest to come out in paperback. After a hiatus of a few years, I was really looking forward to getting this novel. But, it's not the same as her older books. The suspense wasn't quite there. The characters aren't quite well-developed like the others were. It was a dark and dreary book ~~ without the bit of historical lore that I love to read. Don't get me wrong, it is still a fanastic book and a great one to take on a road trip with you. It's just not the same as the others.

Deborah comes to Guernsey to help her friend, China, who came from the US with her brother Cherokee. Only problem is, China is accused of murdering the rich benefactor of the island ~~ Guy. Guy escaped France during WWII and during France's occupation by the German Nazis. He and his sister have managed to run a series of an upscale hotel chain and when they retired, they lived on Guernsey full time. There, they met others who have fought during WWII and decided to build a museum to honor those who died for Guernsey and Britian. But Guy is discovered murdered ~~ and the evidence is directed at China. Deborah gets her husband involved in the investigation ~~ and soon, it became a race against time to snare the killer before he or she strikes again.

It is a good read ~~ compelling as well. You can't read the last page to discover who did it ~~ she has the neatest trick of putting off back page readers ~ by not disclosing the identity of the murderer on that page. So just settle down in your couch and enjoy this latest mystery.

10-10-04

Rating:
Summary: My first Elizabeth George and there are loose ends.......
Review: I was given this book by a friend who could not believe that a book obsessive like me had read nothing by Elizabeth George. I'm glad she did - I found it entertaining, and I have to confess that I didn't truly figure out who was the murderer until Ms George was ready to let me know. I had my suspicions of course, but they were vague, and there were all those great red herrings thrown in for good measure.

What I found most unsatisfying was that there were a number of behaviours of the murdered man that led to suspects aplenty, but in the end there was no explanation at all for some of his more bizarre behaviours. There is a moment when his sister realises, but alas it is not shared with the reader. This could have been a truly fantastic novel if all of these loose ends were resolved to everyone's satisfaction and understanding.

Similarly the enticing subject of the German occupation and what it did to decent men and women is touched upon, but never really delved into. This could have given the novel a depth that it truly needed.

Having said that, it kept me engrossed enough to finish, and I will certainly be trying others of this genre by Ms George.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I'm the sort of reader who must at all costs finish a book, once bought. I am struggling to do so with this one, and I've been a big fan of George. The plot is flat, the characters are flat, and the writing is flat. I get the feeling that George lost interest in this early on (assuming it was she who wrote it, it's far below the caliber of her earlier books). The main protagonists are cliche children of a cliche California tree hugger, Deborah and Simon St James are even more bland and excessively considerate of each other than usual, and everyone is in the throes of childhood traumas tenuously related to the plot (such as it is). And I don't particularly care what happens to any of them.

Rating:
Summary: good and bad
Review: In the latest from Elizabeth George, Simon St. James and wife Deborah travel to Guernsey when a friend of Deborah's is accused of murder. The St. James' have previously been supporting characters, and I enjoyed seeing them take centre stage here, particularly Deborah, who is easily the best written female George has ever created. Deborah begins to question her relationship with Simon and her life goals over the course of the book and I'm interested to see where she might go.

I had been troubled for a while by the misogyny that pervades George's work, particularly in the person of the here-absent Havers, who can't go out the front door without George insulting her clothes. Besides Deborah, every other woman in the book is domineering, clingy, obsessive , or otherwise one-dimensional.

The mystery itself is decidedly less than it appears, as the victim is really a and the murderer's motive is shaky at best.

I did enjoy the information about and obvious affection for Guernsey, although as usual there's too much. Devoted fans will like this, newcomers should read the earlier novels first.