USA TODAY
March 17, 2005, Thursday, FINAL EDITION
Elizabeth
George's thriller With No One as Witness is like a sugary Tootsie Pop. You need
plenty of time -- and dedication -- before you finally get to the chewy center
of this protracted but ultimately juicy serial killer whodunit.
In George's latest, a clever murderer is on the loose in London, killing off
boys with few family ties. Most of the victims are minorities, so their deaths
elicit minimal press coverage or interest from the police -- until a white kid
dies. Suddenly the case lands on New Scotland Yard and frazzled,
personality-challenged cop Barbara Havers. This tough anti-fashionista is a
stock character straight out of central casting, down to her grubby sneakers and
grotty police lingo.
Havers, along with her boss, Thomas Lynley, doggedly investigate the deaths
until she figures out what all the kids have in common: their penchant for
hanging out at a high-profile but potentially suspect youth center.
Dead boys. Suspicious do-gooders. Dogged cops. You might think that's plenty of
material on which to build a solid, seductive thriller. Sadly, George thinks
otherwise.
Not content to focus on a few measly murders and the hunt for the elusive
killer, she throws in a slew of distractions: a quiet black police officer
promoted against his will merely to add diversity to Scotland Yard for the sake
of good PR; a pregnant wife dealing with her family's laughable and off-putting
demands; an underground sex group engaging in illegal fetishes; and a young girl
grappling with her own culture clashes.
Yes, the various subplots help humanize Havers and Lynley, but they also
distract from the main story.
If you can slog past all the extraneous details and unnecessary plot
contrivances, this thriller, like that frustrating but ultimately satisfying
Tootsie Pop, eventually will land you at the juicy center of a story that ends
with not one but several shocking twists and an unexpected death.
Copyright 2005 Gannett Company, Inc.