Careless in Red LP: A Novel (Thomas Lynley and Barbara Havers Novels) | 
| Author: Elizabeth George
Publisher: HarperLuxe
Category: Book
List Price: $27.95
Buy New: $18.45
You Save: $9.50 (34%)
Avg. Customer Rating:  12 reviews
Sales Rank: 11021
Format: Large Print
Media: Paperback
Edition: Lrg
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 1024
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.7
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.1 x 2.2
ISBN: 0061562785
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780061562785
ASIN: 0061562785
Publication Date: May 1, 2008 (New: Last 30 Days)
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Not yet published
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Product Description
In her most eagerly anticipated novel yet, Elizabeth George brings back Scotland Yard's Thomas Lynley to investigate a ruthless crime. After the senseless murder of his wife, Detective Superintendent Thomas Lynley retreated to Cornwall, where he has spent six solitary weeks hiking the bleak and rugged coastline. But no matter how far he walks, no matter how exhausting his days, the painful memories of Helen's death do not diminish. On the forty-third day of his walk, at the base of a cliff, Lynley discovers the body of a young man who appears to have fallen to his death. The closest town, better known for its tourists and its surfing than its intrigue, seems an unlikely place for murder. However, it soon becomes apparent that a clever killer is indeed at work, and this time Lynley is not a detective but a witness and possibly a suspect. The head of the vastly understaffed local police department needs Lynley's help, though, especially when it comes to the mysterious, secretive woman whose cottage lies not far from where the body was discovered. But can Lynley let go of the past long enough to solve a most devious and carefully planned crime?
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| Customer Reviews: Read 7 more reviews...
 I'm so glad she's baaaaack! May 13, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Finally, a nice, cozy, suspenseful little read, just what I want to expect from George. A historical tour of a tiny (fictional, I assume) Cornwall town and an introduction to its culture and geography (who would have known Cornwall was such a surfing hub? Not I.) Lots of people with lots of secrets. Lynley and Havers are back, finally. I missed them like I miss irritating but somehow comforting relatives. You're glad to see them come and you're glad to see them go. Who in the world killed Santo Kerne? He was such a fine lad...well, OK, he wasn't, but he didn't seem like the murder victim type. Even Helen returns in a way, in the form of bittersweet memories.
No Surprises, but a Good Read May 13, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This latest installment in the Inspector Lynley series has all of the things I've come to expect from Elizabeth George's pen: A dense plot, lots of scenery, people in various relationships having problems with one another, and at least one sexual deviant who reveals that he/she was sexually abused as a child.
Seriously, does anyone in Elizabeth George's world commit murder merely for monetary gain and/or power? She relies on sexual tension in her Lynley stories to an extent that it has become de rigueur. In this recent novel we have one teen in a rage because the first boy she slept with dumped her; that same teenage boy having numerous conquests of his own; at least two women engaged in casual sex with various men; several other characters with unrequited raging hormones; and those who aren't included in the foregoing are generally having problems with those who are.
There are no surprises in this story. Tension is what drives a story forward, and the author builds it as she always does, which means it is primarily within families. In the past she has focused on mothers and daughters; this time it's mainly about fathers and sons.
In addition to those characters just mentioned, we are not surprised that Thomas Lynley is drawn to an investigation because he just can't stop being a police officer; that Barbara Havers is portrayed as a gifted detective with no fashion sense and a good heart; and that Lynley is still feeling misunderstood by those who are not born into his world.
That said, it's still very well written and it's a good plot. We don't see much character development for Lynley or Havers (or for those not mentioned, such as Winston Nkata or the St. James couple), but that's no surprise considering the most important issue was Lynley coming to terms with his wife's death.
So, chalk this one up as a necessary sequel, look forward to the next installment, and pray to heaven the author doesn't try to turn the back story of this plot into a novel called, "What Came Before He Shagged Her."
 Another disappointment--who cares about these people May 12, 2008
5 out of 10 found this review helpful
I have been a fan of Elizabeth George for years in spite of some annoying elements--the mix-and-match interpersonal relationships of the core characters, the continual whining of Deborah (get a grip, girl); the fact that Barbara doesn't seem to be able to get into Marks and Spencer and buy a couple of tolerable outfits after all these years; people NEVER being able to open their mouths and say what they think; the overdone British slang in every sentence (please, no more "sorting"); and, oh yes, the incredibly irritating "With No One As a Witness." In spite of the last two books--I refused to buy "What Came Before He Shot Her"--I looked forward to this book. I am very sorry to say that it was a great disappointment. I really didn't give a damn about most of the new characters and their stupid relationships. What a tedious group of people! What bores most of them are! I don't care who they have sex with or who killed Santo. (What an odd bunch of names these characters have. I assume the names are supposed to be Cornish, but they seemed more like Star Wars to me and odd for the sake of odd.) It is always a disaster when authors become so successful that no one will tell them when a book doesn't really work before it is published. For me, this book didn't work.
 Not one of her best May 12, 2008
5 out of 7 found this review helpful
This book was a big disappointment; it's overlong and veers off into family and sexual histories of way too many characters it was impossible to care about. It took a really long time before anything advanced the plot along, and I found myself skipping entire pages of the interminable dialogue, which didn't impede my understanding of the plot. It was impossible to care about the murder victim or his nymphomaniac mom who dresses in red when she's on the prowl, or something...there is a teenage girl with a vocation to become a nun, thrown in for no reason I could figure out...there is way, way more here than than most people will ever want to know about surfing in Cornwall. This book is just a mess. I only give it more than one star because of the history of the series. I agree with another reviewer that George seems headed toward Patricia Cornwell implosion territory.
Careless in writing May 11, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
Major disappointment, I have read all George's books and was a great fan. I didn't like What Came Before He Shot Her, but this is so so bad. Endless bore.
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