Suspense Magazine

"Soon—and many fans will say, “finally!”—Elizabeth George will place on the market a book of twists, turns and, to be blunt, fantastic writing. This is the seventeenth novel where readers get to follow the amazing sleuth, Inspector Lynley, who reminds readers of Sherlock Holmes, James Bond, and Jessica Fletcher all rolled into one. His deductions are enticing, and the clues he follows have readers immersed from page one.
     In this newest tale, the Inspector is called to investigate the death of a man by the name of Ian Cresswell. He’s a bit confused at first, as he's sent in by the man’s extremely wealthy uncle, Bernard Fairclough, but the death doesn’t seem to be suspect at all. The coroner ruled that Cresswell accidentally drowned and there's nothing that speaks otherwise to the Inspector. Of course, not one to give up, Lynley’s friends (Simon and Deborah) enter the story to help, and soon the truckload of secrets and lies that are hidden in the Fairclough family tree spell motive after motive as to why Ian Cresswell had to be killed.
     The ‘prodigal son,’ Nicolas is offered up as a suspect. A recovering drug addict who is married to an overprotective ‘stunner’ that seems to know far more than what she’s telling; a bitter ex-wife is added into the mix, a gay lover, a troubled son, a patriarch that seems to play the role of ‘God’ in the Fairclough family, and more. Add to all this a young newspaper reporter by the name of Zed who is trying to hold onto his job at a tabloid paper and you have a blend of some truly fascinating characters.
     As always with Ms. George, the reader has no idea what will happen on the next page, and just when you believe you have it all figured out, a new character or storyline is uncovered that throws you back to the beginning. The plotlines are abundant and only Inspector Lynley’s prowess and his very smart friends will uncover the truth under this wealthy family’s web of lies. A complete A+ for the mystery realm."

Reviewed by Amy Lignor, author of “Tallent & Lowery - 13”

Return to top