Careless in Red: A Novel by Elizabeth George
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Book Reviews of Careless in Red: A Novel
Book Review: A great follow-up to the last Lynley novel
Summary: 5 Stars
It's good to see Detective Lyndley back. I like the honesty of the novel
in regard to the grief that comes from the loss of a loved one.
Book Review: America's Ruth Rendell
Summary: 4 Stars
This is the best American mystery series. Period. And Lynley and Havers are back. So you'll read it because you've been a fan for twenty years.
The new Lynley/Havers novel, "Careless in Red," is a solid reintroduction to Lynley and Havers. This is the strongest series going, and I'm still a devoted fan. This one may not be in the top tier but, like her British counterpart, Ruth Rendell, when George is merely average she's still better than anyone else around.
No one writes the middle of a mystery better than George, although this one required that I make a character list, since "Careless in Red" has more than thirty characters with names and back stories. And Havers doesn't make an appearance until about page 200 and, when she does, she and Lynley aren't together on the page nearly often enough.
That criticism aside, this is like a cruise repositioning novel, where we see Lynley in transition from the unspeakable tragedy of the previous two-novel arc, and it's a psychologically plausible place for him to be. Yes, I missed Simon (and maybe even Deborah, too), but something about this book felt right, although I admit, like several other reviewers, that I expect a huge arc for Barbara and Thomas in the next novel, and a return to more familiar settings. I read these books more for the ongoing relationships than for the mysteries that fuel them, as I think many readers do. "Careless in Red" doesn't deliver fully on the Thomas/Barbara relationship, but I'll give George the artistic license to develop this transitional novel, in hopes that the next one will be more about the continuing characters.
The mystery itself in this book is about average; I found myself wishing that the motives for the murder by the various suspects would be as complex as in other George novels. There's less than the usual tension, which I think could have been heightened by more of the Lynley/Havers discussions of what "might" have happened, but the novel's structure prevents those from happening as often as they could, and George curiously omits several scenes where such discussions could have taken place.
As with Dame Rendell, I'll read anything Elizabeth George writes. At her best no one is better. And if you don't read this one you'll be missing whatever happens in the next.
Book Review: Thomas Lynley continues his journey
Summary: 4 Stars
....metaphorically speaking.
This is a first for George. As with all of her stories featuring Thomas Lynley there is a crime which must be solved, but in this case the crime is really incidental to the main thrust of the story, which is Lynley's journey (both physically and emotionally speaking) from the day his wife and unborn child were gunned down in a senseless street shooting, as detailed in George's previous two novels.
When we first meet Lynley in this story he has retreated into himself. He has started an aimless walk along the paths and trails of the Cornwall coast; he doesn't know where he's going and he really doesn't care - when Helen died a great deal of his soul died with her. But then, along one of those trails, he discovers a body - and his police instincts rise up and take over.
This is mainly the story of how a seemingly typical murder case brings Thomas Lynley back out of his shell, and of the woman who, one hopes, may take Helen's place in his life - although not right away; let's give the man a decent chance to mourn. It does seem plausible, however - George goes into great detail about Daidre Trahair, and although she is initially a suspect in this murder George goes out of her way to show how instrumental the veterinarian is in calling Lynley back to himself.
The officer in charge of the case, DI Bea Hannaford, is quite a character in her own right - a divorced mother of a 14-year-old son who has to balance her job with being a mother, as well as an intense anger at herself and her ex-husband. Hopefully George will bring her back in a future Lynley novel. And yes, Barbara Havers is here too - but she's much more in the background than is usual. Then again, this is Lynley's story.
There is a resolution of sorts to the crime, but it's not a very fulfilling one, either to the characters in the story or to the reader. But I have the feeling that, considering the dominant subject of the story, this was to be expected - a better resolution would have somehow taken away from Lynley's journey.
I'm definitely looking forward to George's next book. There are several deliberately unanswered questions that I hope she'll get around to answering.
Book Review: Flawed Look at Husbands without Wives and Children without Mothers
Summary: 4 Stars
Careless in Red will surprise most fans of the Thomas Lynley/Barbara Havers novels. Elizabeth George doesn't return to her roots, but attempts a more literary novel that primarily explores how fragile husbands and children are without wives and mothers to love and nurture them. Those who just want a good mystery will wonder why all the extra characters and plots are in place until they realize that the mystery is secondary to telling stories that build the major theme.
As the book opens, Lynley is a wreck following the murder of his wife and unborn child. He's been trekking along the coast without thought to comfort and safety, becoming little more than a homeless man. That mind-numbed state is disturbed when he spots a dead body and is pulled into the investigation. His police instincts are alerted when a woman he meets begins lying and he wants to find out why.
The book is rich in character development, relying on many different interacting narrators. Ms. George uses this device to explore many family mysteries, which may or may not be related to the crime mystery. If you find it fascinating to think about all the ways that families can become dysfunctional, this book is for you.
Within all these stories, there is a deep tragedy . . . the kind the ancient Greeks would have appreciated. Lynley senses that something like that might be looming behind the current events and helps to bring it to light.
I would rate this book higher, but the breakdown of Lynley and his fairly quick recovery didn't ring true to me. I can't exactly tell you why, but it set a false note that undermined the rest of the story for me. I also found the endings (which don't let anyone hint about to you) to be unsatisfying compared to the scale of the foundation for the novel.
I did find the book to be compelling. I stayed up late on two nights to finish.
Book Review: `He found the body on the forty-third day of his walk.'
Summary: 4 Stars
Thomas Lynley, still coming to terms with the murder of his wife Helen, has retreated to Cornwall where he is hiking the bleak, rugged coastline alone with his thoughts, memories and demons.
On the forty-third day of his walk, he finds the body of a young man who appears to have fallen to his death. As the first person on the scene, Thomas Lynley himself is under suspicion.
Thus begins one of the most interesting mysteries I have read for some time. Can Thomas Lynley overcome his inner demons (and does he want to?) to assist the undermanned local police to solve what appears to be a carefully planned murder? Almost everyone in the local town appears to know something that might be relevant and almost no-one wants to volunteer any information. There are plenty of secrets and an abundance of red herrings to engage and distract the reader. Even if you do work out who did it, and why, before the end of the book as I did there are other aspects of the story which kept me interested to the end.
Barbara Havers is sent to assist the investigation. So we have a version of the old partnership between Lynley and Havers in operation together with a new partnership between Havers and Detective Inspector Bea Hannaford. There are plenty of interesting characters here and some complex (and not so complex) motivations come into play.
So, why four stars instead of five? Some aspects of the story worked brilliantly for me, others less so. But overall, this is an engaging novel which has me hoping that we've not seen the last of Lynley and Havers (and some of the other characters introduced, as well).
Jennifer Cameron-Smith