Rating: 
Summary: George takes a break from her full-length works
Review: Elizabeth George presents us with a collection of short stories that are light yet absorbing reading, different in style and conception from her long, densely textured novels. I read these as a little break from Christmas baking, decorating, and party planning, and found the stories to be lively and diverting, with just the right mixture of trendy references and plot twists.
George also writes an intro to each tale, describing how she got the idea, which is an insight into her creative processes. The title story, set near Bosworth Field, came to her in the whole cloth, as a total picture. She recited it into a small recorder as best she could, battling wind and cold as she and a friend stood near St. James Church, where King Richard prayed the night before his decisive battle.
Five stars to her for this little anthology in a difficult genre!
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: As a great fan of Elizabeth George and her British mystery stories, I was very disappointed in these short stories. ... - the plots are weak and in one I failed to find a motive for the murder. I've only read 3 of the 5 stories - so maybe the next 2 will be better. Perhaps the short story is not her forte!
Rating:
Summary: five excellent tales with a twist
Review: Crime novelist Elizabeth George provides five excellent tales with a twist."Exposure". A college class visits a British estate to see the artwork when one of the students dies. Thomas Lynley, who is visiting too, knows murder occurred. He seeks to uncover the killer in his own indomitable manner. This is an-exciting story reminiscent of Agatha Christie. "The Surprise of his life". A man suffering from impotence thinks his trophy wife is cheating on him. When he obtains what he thinks is proof, he plans to kill her. However, things don't go as planned. Readers will love this story for its exquisite irony. "Good Fences Aren't Always Enough". When Anfisa moves to 42 Napier Lane, the neighbors hoped she would do needed renovation. Instead her actions attract the rats. When the neighbors complain she ignores them until the night they decide to take matters into their own hands. This is a page-turner with shocking results. "Remember, I'll Always Love You". After Eric dies, his wife Charlotte tries to track down his family to inform them of his death, but she has no address or phone number. She learns why her husband kept his past secret but by then it is too late. This poignant tale touches the heart while stimulating the mind. "I, Richard". Malcolm Cousins believes that Richard III was not responsible for the deaths of his nephews and the town drunk Bernie Perryman has the proof. To get the document, Malcolm has an affair with Bernie's wife and plans on using her to get it. Malcolm obtains his wish, but it doesn't give him the pleasure he expects. This is an enthralling story of treachery and deceit. Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: "Remember, I'll Always Love You" was excellent.
Review: Elizabeth George is best known for her psychological crime novels. She has 15 books published. This is her first short story collection. Three of the five stories were previously published elsewhere.
An introduction before each story informs the listener where the idea originated. I wonder if non-writers are interested in this type of information or would they sooner get to the story. From a writing perspective, I was interested but in some cases felt it took away from the story or gave too much away. Each story and introduction is narrated by Tony Award winner, Derek Jacobi.
Exposure - is a rewrite of a previously published story, The Evidence Exposed. A history of British Architecture class at Cambridge University takes a field trip to Abinger Manor to do some research. They get more than they signed up for when one of them is murdered. There is a special appearance by Thomas Lindley, a character from one of George's novels. There are over 10 characters in this, the shortest story in this collection. With so many characters there is barely room for much else. It was more of a character study than a mystery. After listening three times, I still don't get the murder.
The Surprise of His Life - The idea for this story came from a story that ran rampant in the media during the 1990s in which a man allegedly murdered his estranged wife and her lover. Intrigued by the story, George hypothesized the original act: what went through the murderer's mind, how he might have planned and executed the murder and what might have gone wrong.
Douglas Armstrong is turning 55. He's married to a beautiful woman, Donna who's only 29 years old. A wealthy man, he wants for nothing. On a whim he visits a fortune teller who tells him he will have an "external surprise." Douglas focuses on this phrase letting it get the best of his senses. He deciphers it to mean his wife is having an affair, despite the fortune teller's advice, "Trust is key. Trust is essential."
Douglas hires a PI to follow his wife around and becomes further disturbed when he is shown pictures of her and his brother in a secret meeting. He obsesses further over her unfaithfulness and sets out to plan her demise which does lead him into a shocking external surprise.
This story is a wonderful example of how irrational our minds can be and how easy it is to assume we know the truth when in fact it is likely we do not have all the information. Like Exposure, you know there will be a murder before it occurs. I found this story predictable to the finale. No surprises here but good none the less.
Good Fences Aren't Always Enough -came out of a "walking and hiking tour in Vermont" where she heard a tale about an eccentric woman. The title is from a poem by Robert Frost. This story reminded me a lot of "The Burbs" with Tom Hanks.
An elderly woman moves into a family-oriented neighbourhood. She is a recluse, going out to work at the college and little else. Even her groceries are delivered. Willow decides to take it upon herself to "make nice" with the new neighbour. On route to the woman's front door, Willow discovers rats inhabit the ivy bushes that blanket the yard and house. A meeting is called amongst the neighbours and they decide an intervention is in order since the woman won't admit there's a rat problem. A bloody conclusion causes the woman to move out but not before Willow finds out why the woman befriended rats.
I thought the story was over at this point and was happy with the outcome but then it picked up again after 8 months. Willow feels guilty about how the old woman was treated. She decides to track down the woman and apologize. Although the direction was shocking it was not surprising and was somewhat predictable. Still a good story.
Remember, I'll Always Love You - Remember, I'll always love you, were the final words Eric Laudon said to his wife Charlie. She blamed herself for the death of her 42 year old husband because she didn't read the signs. During the weeks leading up to his death he had gotten a tattoo and a new Harley. He died a gruesome death, though we don't hear how at first but are led to surmise.
Very few people come to the funeral, not even his parents or his daughter. Eric was estranged from his parents and hadn't talked to them in a long time. Charlie was told it was because of a hunting accident as a child in which he tripped and the gun went off killing his brother.
Charlie decides to find his parents but she doesn't know much about them or where they live. She finds a receipt behind an old photograph, giving her a lead to start with. Through Charlie's research she begins to realize her husband had more secrets than she cared to believe and that she really didn't know the man she thought she loved. Instead of being a salesman for a pharmaceutical company she learns he is a molecular biologist, among other things. This is the best story in this collection, more suspenseful than the others. I was hooked and curious of the outcome throughout. This one is a winner.
I, Richard - Malcolm Cousins is a 49 year old history teacher who gives tours of Bosworth Field. He's been having an affair with his childhood friend's wife for many years not because of the sex twice a week but to assure the legacy of his life work. Malcolm wants to be the first to show Richard the III didn't kill his nephews but tried to save them. Betsy is the key to prove this and he keeps this in mind every time he becomes repulsed by the thought of "bonking" her.
I found the story about Richard III, the mystery of the princes' deaths and the night before the Battle of Bosworth Field more interesting than the characters. This story did more to spark an interest in Richard III. I would have rather heard more about him writing a letter on the Field of Bosworth the night before his death but still it was somewhat amusing and there is a satisfaction in the ending.
Jacobi's voice is a little too relaxing. I'd be afraid to drive with this playing for fear of falling asleep and causing an accident. I often found his interpretation of character voices disturbing and confusing. An older woman in one story has the identical voice of a young girl in another.
Following the stories is a Q & A with the author. I don't know who the interviewer is but her voice doesn't lend itself to listening to, especially after listening to Jacobi and in comparison to George's eloquent voice. A commentary answering her own questions would have been more enjoyable. There was no interaction between interviewer and interviewee. The interviewer was obviously reading questions that were meant to sound like dialogue.
In closing, the last two stories were the best of this collection, although I would be hard press to put out the money for an audio version. If you enjoy rich character stories and want to learn more about how Elizabeth George generates her ideas then you will enjoy this. Also if you are a new writer interested in character study and process this would be interesting and useful. As part of your "must have" audio collection, I think not.
Review Originally Posted at http://linearreflections.com
Rating: 
Summary: A sham.
Review: Elizabeth George wrote this collection of short stories (with the possible exception of one) in 1999. It was called The Evidence Exposed. If you buy this "new" book expecting new material from a really great writer, you will easily recognize the stories. I am horrified that she and her publisher would pull such a trick.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing offering from a favorite...
Review: Fans of Elizabeth George will be disappointed in I, Richard. The quality of the short stories may not be George's best work, but they are an enjoyable read if you like either the approach or want to read everything written by a favorite author. What was very disappointing is that all of these stories have been published previously (one was slightly changed from the original version), but this is not noted anywhere in the book. This slim book appears to be not much more than an attempt to take advantage of unknowing buyers.
Rating: 
Summary: George back on track
Review: For the Elizabeth George fans who have been disappointed with her increasingly long-winded and convoluted novels - take note!. This latest offering - her first ever collection of short stories (to appear in the U.S. at least) - contains five stories which average around 30 pages each. This is indeed refreshing! George includes an introductory preface to each story explaining her inspiration for writing them. The first one is a reworking of an earlier story she did and is, in my opinion, the weakest of the five. It involves a murder among a group of architecture students visiting a manor estate. Thomas Lynley makes an appearance in this one and solves the case with ease. "The Surprise of His Life" was inspired by a famous celebrity murder case (and it is obvious from George's description that it was the O.J. Simpson case) and involves a man who, prompted by a psychic, becomes increasingly paranoid that his wife is cheating on him. The third story (and my personal favorite) shows what happens when an eccentric old woman with a peculiar fondness for rats moves into a cozy New England neighborhood. "Remember I'll Always Love You" is the story of a woman who discovers that her recently deceased young husband led a mysterious life outside their marriage and the final story, "I, Richard", follows a man whose literary masterpiece, an enlightenment on the life of Richard III, results in dire consequences. All of the stories are page turners and most of them end with surprising conclusions. Many are psychological in nature and reminded me of the works of Ruth Rendell. Recommended!
Rating:
Summary: give me a break
Review: Give me a break--or rather give Elizabeth George a break!! Yes, I Richard (don't know how to underline the title on e-mail) is somewhat disappointing to those EG groupies like myself who track and anticipate her newest novel with bloodhound-like (sorry) doggedness (I can't stop)--we're all complaining because this short story collection, which would have been heralded as clever, imaginative, timely (delicious in getting back at OJ Simpson!) if published by a new or au courant short story writer--is NOT what we were expecting. We only want approximately every two years an entirely new, convoluted plot, fascinating and familiar characterization, in depth research, and above all, that Anglophilic (is that a word??) Ambiance! Well, Elizabeth probably needed some time off and wanted a romp in the literary surf of southern CA before returning to those 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. days of writing, travels to England, etc. So just enjoy the stories for what they are--marvelously intriguing!
Rating:
Summary: A Terrible Disappointment
Review: I almost find it hard to believe this book was even written by Elizabeth George. ALL of the stories were horrible and predictable less than half way through the story. I can't believe the author who develops her characters so deeply in every one of her other books to the point that you feel like you know them personally, could have written these stories. It was a struggle just reading the first one, but I kept thinking that the next one had to get better. I knew something was wrong when I said that same thing after each story. By the last one it was just a matter of not leaving the book unfinished. I have a co-worker who is also a EG fanatic and I have strongly advised her not to go anywhere near this book. There is no need for another fans to be disheartened. I was a little disappointed with the book before this one, but it is looking much better after reading this horrible collection. The only reason I give it one star is because they won't let you not give any.
Rating:
Summary: What gives?
Review: I don't understand all of the negative reviews for this book. It is what it is - a collection of dark, short-story mysteries. All of the stories are pretty good. I have enjoyed it. George is better at writing novels but this collection stands on it's own.
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