Careless in Red (Inspector Lynley)
by Elizabeth George
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Book Summary Information
Author: Elizabeth GeorgeEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-04-28
ISBN: 0061160903
Number of pages: 752
Publisher: Harper
Book Reviews of Careless in Red (Inspector Lynley)
Book Review: George Still A Master of the Mystery Genre--a Reeling Lynley Returns
Summary: 5 Stars
Elizabeth George ignited a firestorm two books prior to this one by having Inspector Lynley's pregnant wife Helen killed by a young murderer who was out to prove himself to his local gang. This firestorm took place because readers were not used to having a writer who advances each novel as if it were real life. Good things and bad things happen to the continuing characters, Lynley and Havers, and they do not march off into a happy ever after sunset. It took an extraordinary amount of guts for an author to do this and I applaud George for doing so. I spent last summer out by the pool and read every single Lynley and Havers mystery. These are English mysteries written by an American and you would never suspect it.
Lynley, who is the Earl in Cornwall, has been walking the Cornish coast for 43 days looking and behaving like a homeless mad man. Considering that he has lost the entire center of his life, that isn't far from the truth. He literally stumbles across a murder victim on this trek and squarely lands himself into a murder investigation. At first he seems so suspicious that he is taken as the suspect, not a stellar detective from Scotland Yard much less the most important man in the area as its Peer. While the police investigate him, he is forced to clean up, send for money, check into an Inn, get new clothes and, in short, resort to behaving like his usual blue blooded, high handed self.
Wherever Lynley is, Havers cannot be far behind. Eager to get Lynley back, Scotland Yard sends her on special assignment to join him in Cornwall.
These mysteries abound in layers, facets, characters, texture and complexity. This one is no exception. The dead young man is Santo Kerne. His family is opening an elaborate resort in the area. Each member of this family is a unique character and a defining aspect of the family is the father's obsession with the mother. This obsession with her goes back for years and the father is literally willing to do anything to keep her. Both the mother and the son are seen wearing red and it takes awhile to figure out who has been "careless in red". This family is at the core of the mystery but both the mystery and the family are so much more complex than it appears at first.
Reading George's mysteries is similar to peeling a huge onion. They are not for a reader who wants a quick, light read. Usually the lives which are uncovered are tragic. It is rare to see anyone end happily and, if they do, George is just as likely to pull the rug out from under them as she did to Lynley with Helen's murder.
Usually I give up on series books because the characters get tedious. However, no one could accuse George of getting tedious. Controversial is more the defining word for her.
I have also watched the Lynley mysteries on PBS. I've enjoyed them but the filmed versions are way too short for these deeply layered novels. It would have been better to film each novel as a miniseries. The scripts considerably rewrote and truncated George's books and this was not a good thing. However, the perfect actors were picked to play Lynley and Havers.
Summary of Careless in Red (Inspector Lynley)
He found the body on the forty-third day of his walk . . .
Devastated by 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, the painful memories do not diminish.
Then, at the base of a cliff near a town better known for its surfing than its intrigue, Lynley discovers the body of a young man who has fallen to his death. First a witness, then a suspect when the hand of a killer is revealed, Lynley remains, above all, a policeman willing to aid the gruff head of an understaffed local constabulary in her investigation. But the secrets in this community run dark and deep?and Lynley must somehow find a way to let go of the past long enough to solve a most devious and dreadful crime.
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