Rating: 
Summary: Bloated
Review: The book could've been cut by a third, at least. I got tired of all the whining about the heat, and about how women on the police force-without fail-are always treated poorly by men. The author tosses in many asides that are meant to be wry, no doubt, but she's not often successful. I'm not looking for a 1st-grade primer, but 600 pages? Please get to the point already.
Rating: 
Summary: Just awful
Review: Probably the worst mystery I have read. The author takes forever to develop the plot and then introduces twists and turns that keep the story going long after it has exhausted any energy it had. The characters prove shallow and so does the ending. You'll never guess the ending because it's so improbable and illogical. Only at my wife's insistence did I finish this poor excuse for a story. I'm sorry I wasted my time. Try another writer--any other writer.
Rating: 
Summary: Another Shining Star in the Mystery Genre
Review: I read the hardback edition of this book last summer after checking it out from my local library. I had become a fan of Elizabeth George after hearing Derek Jacobi narrate''In The Presence Of The Enemy'', and, once again, I was pleased to find that Ms.George has skillfully blended the element of mystery with a lesson in culture, the case this time concerning a Pakistani immigrant and his young daughter. It helps the reader gain a better understanding of this particular group of people, as well as allowing them to spend a little more time getting to know Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers as a person separate from her partner, Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley, while still enjoying the thrill of helping Havers solve the case! A well-rounded piece of work, indeed!
Rating:
Summary: George's best novel!
Review: I'm fan of Elisabeth George's novels and I really think this is her best. Not only it is well written and full of suspence but the end is really a surprise and political themes are adressed in a very intelligent manner. And I must say Barbara Havers is really my favourite character - we don't miss Linley for a second! Actually, in "In the porsuit of the propper sinner" we can again see Havers following her own way.
Rating: 
Summary: Compelling plot, unlikeable characters
Review: This was the first E. George book I have read. I found the plot compelling, but the continual references to the racism of the community and characters was very tiring. The overt racism was the kind you would find in small town USA in the 1950s. Is it really this bad in England? I felt some of the characters were too one-dimensional (no redeeming qualities) and found the character of Emily inconsistent, especially at the end. The author gave us some insight into the Pakistani culture, but I didn't get the idea that she found anything positive about it. I am going to read "For the Sake of Elena" to give the author another chance.
Rating: 
Summary: An unsual ending
Review: I absolutely love E. George's books and I own them all. Her character development and concurrent plots make the books difficult to put down. I was engrossed in this story - there were so many sub plots that screamed out for resolution that I couldn't wait to get to the end. I love Sgt. Havers (she is my favorite character) and thought she was fabulous in this book. However, the ending felt rushed, the motive was very stupid and not worth all the terrific storytelling that went before it. None of the sub plots that I was most interested in got resolved (what happened to the pregnant girl?) But I must say that the waiting to discover what happened next to Havers was unbearable. I couldn't wait for the day the book came out. This was definitely one of George's best works - until the end. Maybe she was feeling pressure from the publisher, who knows?
Rating:
Summary: Excellent, like all of its predecessors
Review: I consider Elizabeth George to be the best living writer of mysteries, by a wide margin. In this book, Barbara Havers goes more or less "solo" by getting involved in a case outside of London where she is supposed to be on vacation. In addition to being a superb mystery, this book examines the racial friction generated by the influx of Pakistani immigrants into a seaside resort town in England. I can't speak for the accuracy of her analysis, but her portrayals of the cultural misunderstandings between the police and the immigrant community ring true to my ears. I don't recommend this book as your introduction to Elizabeth George's mysteries. The previous books introduce both of the main characters, Havers and her boss, Inspector Lynley. This book makes several references to the things she learned from Lynley, and to their partnership. The reader will understand those references much better if (s)he has read at least one of the previous books. However, I want to vehemently disagree with a couple of previous reviewers who downgraded this book on the grounds that Havers is a less interesting character than the absent Lynley. I think Havers is a MUCH more interesting character than the pampered and superficial Lynley. I didn't miss him at all in this book. As always, George's writing, characterizations, and plotting put her in a class of her own among mystery writers. This is not a little paperback for an afternoon; it's a real novel. If you love mysteries or if you simply love well-written, thought-provoking fiction, you should read every one of Elizabeth George's books.
Rating:
Summary: Favorite
Review: This is my favorite Eliz. George--and I like them all a lot. Barbara Havers is a welcome change--a real type person with endearing (to me) flaws. May I have some more, please? Top notch story.
Rating:
Summary: Superb Whodunnit - keeps you guessing all the way
Review: This is my second foray into the world of Barbara Havers, and what a redemption for her! She certainly showed a far more human side than in "A Great Deliverance", and I welcomed the absence of her partner Lynley and his equally irritating new bride. (They were on Honeymoon and instantly forgotten). I love a book that casts suspicion on everybody, and this one certainly does that. Almost everyone has a motive, and as mentioned previously, a lot of the characters are so unlikeable that you're just begging for them to be guilty of SOMETHING diabolical. I felt that Elizabeth George has done justice to both sides of the race argument, and both the racists and the activists against racism are equally loathsome. I have no idea how accurately this portrayal of a Muslim family is depicted, but it certainly gave me a lot to think about. If this book is far removed from Elizabeth George's usual style then I'll bide my time before reading another. On the other hand, if I knew I'd enjoy it as much as I did this one I'd read the whole series one after another.
Rating:
Summary: comprehensive
Review: This is my first E. George novel. I liked reading it very much, because it is the first mystery novel I have read in a long time which combines social issues(like racism) with well developed characters and plot. I read the entire novel with great interest and my admiration of the writer increased with every page I read. The last part of the novel was somewhat less than believable, and one could feel that the writer was trying too hard to make the ending suspenseful till the last page. But overall, the story and the way it is told is way ahead of the rest of its genre.
|
