Rating: 
Summary: A dark, compelling mystery
Review: Missing Joseph is the first Elizabeth George book that I've read. I do plan to read others, particularly in the Lynley/Havers series. It is more densely written than the typical mystery, with a dark mood and complex characterization. I found Lynley, an earl who works as a New Scotland Yard detective, to be the most intriguing character. There were several intricately woven plotlines, but they were not difficult to follow. However, I did find it a little difficult to keep up with the characters and their relationships, having not read the previous books in the series.
Rating:
Summary: A dark, compelling mystery
Review: Missing Joseph is the first Elizabeth George book that I've read. I do plan to read others, particularly in the Lynley/Havers series. It is more densely written than the typical mystery, with a dark mood and complex characterization. I found Lynley, an earl who works as a New Scotland Yard detective, to be the most intriguing character. There were several intricately woven plotlines, but they were not difficult to follow. However, I did find it a little difficult to keep up with the characters and their relationships, having not read the previous books in the series.
Rating:
Summary: A compulsive read, but not entirely true to life
Review: Of the three Elizabeth George books that I have read so far this is the best. This skillfully handled tale of the bonds that tie mother to child is very insightful, and fully involves your emotions right until the end when all is revealed. You will think that you know 'who did it' all the way along, but this is only because George has skilfully sprinkled the plot with red herrings! Who really did it will come as a surprise. As a Brit myself I can confirm that George's characters inhabit an England which has more in common with the world of the 1930's and Lord Peter Wimsey than with the realities of modern Britain. The aristocracy tend not to work and if they do it would be more likely to be as an art dealer than a DI at New Scotland Yard (George has commented on this question by saying that there is an Earl somewhere in the force. I can assure her that he is an anachronism). It is also unlikely that the upper class Lynley would have quite such a close relationship with the working class Barbara Havers (ie paying for the decoration of her house). Take it from me Britain is still a very class ridden society, and the classes simply do not mix. However, this said, I enjoy indulging in this cosy view of English life, where someone is always ready to brew a pot of tea (does anyone still use pots rather than simply putting a bag in a cup?), or offers you a tipple from their well stocked drinks cabinet. This is the one failing of George's books: you can feel that they are meticulously researched, but it is a fact that you cannot understand the workings of a country simply by studying its institutions, customs and structure - in the end a writer has to live in a country for a few years to really understand the workings of that country's mentality.
Rating: 
Summary: George's Strongest Mystery So Far
Review: The negative reviews of this book perplex me. I have read all of the Lynley-Havers novels in chronological order up through "Playing for the Ashes". This was slightly better than "For the Sake of Elena", which was the best up to that point. George continues her strong development of the ongoing characters, especially Havers. There was more explicit sex in this book than the previous ones, but that is to be expected as time marches on and tastes change. I believe that the mystery here was the strongest since "Well-Schooled in Murder". If you have enjoyed other Lynley-Havers novels, I would recommend that you try this one.
Rating:
Summary: Dark and engrossing
Review: This is an excellent, deeply atmospheric novel. The supporting characters are developed in a great deal of detail and they are given the chance to reveal themselves slowly and to help the reader sink into the story, which has many layers and is closely tied to a physical sense to place. This is fundamentally a novel about love and parenthood. The Deborah and Simon story blends very successfully with the murder investigation here, and this is also a fairly deep study of the dynamics of sex and love. It wil stay with you for a long time.
Rating:
Summary: Dark and engrossing
Review: This is an excellent, deeply atmospheric novel. The supporting characters are developed in a great deal of detail and they are given the chance to reveal themselves slowly and to help the reader sink into the story, which has many layers and is closely tied to a physical sense to place. This is fundamentally a novel about love and parenthood. The Deborah and Simon story blends very successfully with the murder investigation here, and this is also a fairly deep study of the dynamics of sex and love. It wil stay with you for a long time.
Rating:
Summary: I think this is Elizabeth George's best novel.
Review: This is certainly the most "English" of all of her books. This was one of the few novels I've read where you actaully get to know the victim--at least you think you do. Good twists, and great book to read on an airplane!
Rating:
Summary: Elizabeth George Does it Again!
Review: This is definitely one of Elizabeth George's best! The character development in this book envelopes the reader in a carefully constructed storyline that keeps the reader guessing. The complicated relationships between Juliet and Colin, Juliet and her daughter Maggie, Maggie and her boyfriend, Polly & Colin etc. were fascinating (sometimes disturbing as well). George's descriptions of the countryside in England always make you feel as if you are right there with the characters. I've read 5 of her novels to date and this one is just behind In the Presence of the Enemy (which was my favourite). The only thing wrong with this book is that we didn't get to see much of Havers.
Rating: 
Summary: Cliches, stereotypes, and boredom abound.
Review: This is the 4th George novel I've read, and my least favorite. George loves to indulge in gender-based stereotypes and tired cliches, and here she is at her worst. How long will Deborah and Simon agonize over the child-bearing/adoption issue? Why does a woman who gardens for a living have fingernails that are "trimmed like a man's" (something she found important enough to mention twice)? Why are transgressions committed by men punished less harshly than those committed by women? And let's not leave out the stereotype of females trapping males into marriage by getting themselves pregnant. ugh! Even if she didn't indulge so carelessly in these stereotypes, the plot of this one is a bore. She spends endless pages figuring out the past of a man that nobody cares about. We're supposed to believe that a man Deborah met for 5 minutes made a big enough impression on her that she cared about why he died. But I didn't care, and I wasn't convinced any else did either. Don't bother with this one unless you are stuck in an airport and there is nothing else available.
Rating:
Summary: Not Who? Why?
Review: This is the third George "mystery" I have read following Deception on His Mind and A Great Deliverance. While I find George to be a talented writer, I almost didn't finish this book. At first I felt drawn into the story, but by the end I didn't care. It wasn't just the length, although it was certainly too long, but the boredom on my part. The mystery wasn't a "who done it" but rather a "why did she do it." (This is the same type of effect used in A Great Deliverance.) Havers remains nebulous, Linley is a bore, and let's not even mention Lady Helen--please. The victim never quite becomes three dimensional. I know at the beginning there would be something about adoption given the St. James's problems so that wasn't even a suprise. I will not read any further George mysteries. While the individual parts are interesting, the whole is disappointing and not worth the effort to read it. This is sad because I've also been turned off on Martha Grimes as well!
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