Rating: 
Summary: Great Story, Disappointing Resolution Yet Again
Review: Elizabeth George creates fascinating, believable characters. Her treatment of the "Pakistani Question" in Britain is thorough and unbiased. For instance: one of the main characters, Sahlah, is a young Pakistani woman who, though raised in England, realizes that she can never be as "free" as an English girl, and this is presented in a very believable manner.The story revolves around the murder of her fiance, and how this could potentially be a racial fire-keg in the small town where the murder occurs. During the course of the investigation, the lives of countless characters are examined, and the reader is drawn into caring about many of them (especially Rachel, the girl with the deformed face.) Unfortunately, the same thing happened with this book that happened with the last three E. George books that I've read. Suddenly I see that I only have 20-30 pages left, and I think, "how can she possibly resolve all of the issues that she's raised?" And, of course, she doesn't. This reader was left with a VERY unsatisfied feeling. Hey, Elizabeth, what about Rachel and her new flat? What about the baby? Where is Muhammed? What will happen to Yumn? You have left far too much for the reader to figure out for himself. Murder mysteries should not be like the lady and the tiger!
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderfully deceptive web woven around us. For Havers fans.
Review: ~~~~~ If this review form allowed it:
I'd choose to give this book * * * 6 * * * stars!
*~
This installment in the Thomas Lynley/Barbara Havers is a must for Elizabeth George fans, and even more so for fans of unfortunate Sgt. Barbara Havers.
* *
But don't worry. : - ) If you're new to the series, this book will still be a great read. Unlike some of the others in the series, enjoying this book isn't dependant on knowing the history of Lynley and his fiancé and best friends. The story revolves around Sgt Havers this time, and all you need to know is that her previous case was physically and emotionally traumatic.
* * *
If you are a Havers fan, this is the book for you, absolutely. She has finally done all the difficult things needed to find herself some peace of mind; finding a place to live for herself, and arranging for her elderly mother's care. Unfortunately, she still feels guilty at her sense of relief.
* * * *
It's a tribute to George's skill as a writer, that Barbara, who manages to alienate almost everyone else, still is a character we cheer for and have come to love. She meets two engaging neighbors, a little girl and her separated, but not yet divorced father; who are Pakistani. Despite herself, she is drawn to the girl's unreserved affectionate and cheerful personality, and also to the girl's father, who is a little mysterious.
* * * * *
When they are called away to assist distant relatives with a police problem, irrepressible Barbara can't help but interfere a little. She calls on a favor from an old friend, now risen in the ranks, and is assigned to help in the investigation of the death of a recent immigrant. George weaves the web around us so masterfully; we don't see the deception that blinds us, too. It is hard to describe the power of this book without ruining g the dramatic final scenes.
* * * * * *
I can say that Havers comes into her own, in this story. She may not have been wise to involve herself in the investigation, but she shows unexpected strength and resolve in following through. If you, like me are a Havers fan, and don't mind a little time away from Lynley and his friends, this book is truly wonderful. It is definitely the Barbara Havers story of the series and a terrific mystery, too.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best
Review: This novel is one of the best in the entire series (seond only to "A Traitor To Memory", which is my favourite.) Lynley is gone from the plot, and i did not miss him at all!!! Barbara more than sustains interest throughout the entire book on her character alone. I didnt ONCE think..."I wish Lynley were here." To exclude him was just to induce us to love Barbara Havers even more. She is a more than worthy lead character. Incredibly human, and incredibly likeable. Her actions at the end of the book just endear us to her even more. She is SO human, she acts in the way we want all fictional characters to act. We want them to banish their starched professionalism and self-restraint. We want them to loose their cool, their temper. We want them to show human weakness. we want them to act as we are willing them to. All so often, the characters don't, which leads to frustration. This is the only book i have yet read in which i was so utterly delighted with the decisions of the character, and in turn the author. Barbara's human actions just make her seem so real. Brilliant. The plot is very good...filled with intrigue and puzzling actions, on behalf of almost every single character concerned. They ALL, at some point, seem to be up to something sinister. The characters are drawn very well (sometimes she overdoes character development, leading to unnecesasriness.) The racial issues are written about incredibly well. With realism, and empathy towards both sides. She does not live in Britain, but she does have a good grasp of the racial clashes which occur in Britain. However, as with several of her previous books, this is at least 100 pages too long. It sometimes feels drawn out and bloated. Some heavy editing would not at all reduce the effectiveness of the book as the whole. Everything would still be as taut and well written, well developed. But without things which the book doesnt need. So, this is a near-perfect murder mystery, if only it was reduced in size. (I believe it is George's longest book in the series so far.)
Rating:
Summary: Recommended by one of the best
Review: In case you are still in doubt about whether to buy this book, consider this - Stephen King wrote a book about his craft called On Writing. At the end of the book, he lists a number of authors whose books were particularly well written and entertaining. This book by Elizabeth George was on the list.
Rating:
Summary: I knew we had problems...but obviously so do the British!
Review: First off, I didn't know Elizabeth George was an American writing about the English. Previous exposure to authors writing about other nations makes me a little bit nervous. I sure hope she knows what she is talking about. From her background material it looks like she talks to the right people to get information. In this case, the information needed to be about racial problems in Britain. As Americans, we often think that we are the only ones with the big problems between the races and with civil rights...but unfortunately this is a problem throughout the world. Prejudice is obviously something that all nations have to deal with. The only thing that changes is who is being discriminated against and why. George writes very complex stories. Her characters are never simple, the plot is never straightforward. I don't think I have ever picked up one of her books and known before her ending who the actual 'culprit' was, and I am always wrong about what the true situation is. This time her female protagonist, who for a change is more like us normal people (rather than the athletic women we see in American mysteries/PIs) is dealing with the aftermath of a brutal attack and her being 'put out to pasture.' She becomes involved in a neighbor's problem because of her concern for a child, and this problem involves what appears to be a racially-motivated killing of a Pakistanian man in another town. Barbara just happens to know the investigator in charge in this case, and respects her from a previous encounter. Wishing to be of help to all concerned, she involves herself into a situation without fully disclosing her previous knowledge of her neighbor or her own concernes and biases. Like many of us in the real world, Barbara relunctantly comes to understand that her former mentor (another woman) may be a good cop, but she also has feet of clay. The investigation revolves around race, not just because it looks like a race-based crime, but because the primary investigator has racial prejudices herself and brings those prejudices to her work. This happens all too often in the real world, in all fields of work. George is an excellent writer. My only complaint is again, the language used tends to be more colorful then I would like it. I know I am deaf, but surely people do not speak like that constantly. I am being naive, I guess...but maybe we need to put ratings on books to indicate language, violence, and sex for those who prefer not to be exposed to this stuff all the time? Just a suggestion!
Karen Sadler,
University of Pittsburgh
Rating: 
Summary: Improbable solution, unanswered questions
Review: Readers should not judge Elizabeth George by this book. It is far and away the least satisfying of all her work. Every, and I do mean EVERY, character introduced is a suspect, and when we learn the real murderer, we are astonished. How on earth could she/he have learned the habits of the victim enough to do the man in? Absolutely unbelievable! And equally unsatisfying is her decision to leave hanging the predicaments the other characters are in. What did Sahlah decide? What did Theo decide? What did Emily decide about reporting Barbara? What did Barbara decide about reporting Emily? Did Mohannad get caught? With more than 600 pages invested in developing the story, couldn't the author have given us at least one paragraph helping to resolve Sahlah's predicament, for example? Nonetheless, I strongly recommend Elizabeth George's other books. Don't judge a book by its cover, or Elizabeth George by Deception On His Mind. (And PS: where does that title come from, and what does it have to do with the plot?)
Rating:
Summary: Restoring my interest.
Review: I enjoyed the early books by this author with Lynley in the lead role but lately he has become annoying. I have absolutely no interest in his relationship with Helen and find that when the author goes off in that direction the story bogs down. Barbara Havers taking main stage in this book was a welcome surprise. The action moved along quickly and I found it hard to put the book down. I hope in the future Havers relationship with both Lynley and her neighbor are explored more fully. It will be hard for me to accept her in a minor secondary role now.
Rating:
Summary: Deception On His Mind Another Fine Piece of Work
Review: I became an Elizabeth George fan two years ago when I first listened to the copy of In The Presence Of The Enemy I bought from Amazon.com, and bought Deception On His Mind only last year on a two-thumbs-up review from a friend. It's as fascinating a mystery as those Miss George has written in the past, and it also helped me gain a better understanding of the people of Pakistan and their culture. You should not be without a copy of this in your bookcase!
Rating: 
Summary: Read her other novels first.
Review: This is the fourth novel that I've read from Elizabeth George and I'm sorry to say that I'm disappointed with this novel. The first 200 pages are slow reading and I had a difficult time getting into this book. I wasn't as captivated by her characters - in comparison to her other novels (In Pursuit of Proper Sinner, For the Sake of Elena, Playing for the Ashes). The character analysis and depctions are not as indepth and rich as some of her other characters from her other books. Otherwise, I still will read more of George's novels because I loved the other 3.
Rating:
Summary: Intriguing mystery and an easy read
Review: This was the first book by Elizabeth George that I have had the pleasure to read. The novel keeps the reader guessing until the very end. Various entangled plots run throughout the length of the book, only to be resolved in the last few chapters. Though a bit lengthy, the heavy cast of characters serves to embroil the reader in a true "whodunnit" mystery.
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