Careless in Red by Elizabeth George

Originally posted Sept. 29/08

At Last, Lynley is Back

What a joy to read the continued saga of Thomas Lynley and see how he is learning to cope with the death of his wife! This book is a great interim book joining Ms. George's previous two books, "With No One as Witness" and "What Came Before He Shot Her", with the future.

My attention was gripped immediately, as always. With Elizabeth George at the helm you can be sure you will learn a great deal of character, countryside, and the lives of people along the way. This book in fact, takes you straight into the Cornish coast to such depth that it comes alive and beckons you to come and see for yourself. The tortured walk of Thomas Lynley is so real and deep, you feel you are actually a part of it. When he literally stumbles over the body of a cliff-climber he is drawn into the lives of the nearby tiny village of Casvelyn. Naturally, this becomes a murder case, but Lynley, who believes he has given up police work, is one of many suspects.

With such a small village there is a shortness of official police assistance, and before too long, Lynley's former colleague at New Scotland Yard, Barbara Havers comes along on assignment to help out. No matter how many characters Ms. George puts into her books, you can be sure you will find every one of them fully fleshed out and this book does not disappoint. The Cornish people are very unique, as is Cornwall itself, and it is fascinating to learn about surfing on that wild coast as opposed to the California and other coasts, as well as cliff-climbing. The characters run the gamut from good to bad, with secrets galore. Lots of red herrings throughout the book. It amazes me to realize that this wonderful author of such a successful series of British detective stories was actually born, raised and is still living in the U.S. A very talented author. I highly recommend this book as a stand-alone or as a part of the series, but likely it will be more meaningful if you have read any other of the author's books. She also has a special website you may want to check out: http://www.elizabethgeorgeonline.com/