fjodretta's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
rjvrtiska's review against another edition
2.0
ehh...lots of rabbit trails, no satisfying "ah ha" moment, and enough already with the weather updates. It was hot. I get it. I think the biggest problem was I never sympathized with the main character, Barbara.
jkaccoman's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
hollyberrybooks's review against another edition
3.0
This was a second read for me but I found it a bit of a struggle this time - no idea why! Looking forward to the next in the series (slowly working its way up the book pile) to reignite my interest in the series.
majkia's review against another edition
5.0
Particularly considering how long ago this was written, 1997, really good job on race relations, confusions, and misunderstandings.
never4get's review against another edition
4.0
I haven't read the previous Elizabeth George Inspector Lynley books and this one does not feature him, but his offsider Sergeant Barbara Havers, who is supposed to be taking leave after some major criminal confrontation left her with physical damage previously.
This story centres around her relationship with her neighbours in London, of Pakistani origin, a father and his delightful daughter. The father inexplicably gets called away to a small seaside town, Balford-Le-Nez, where Barbara grew up. She is intrigued by the father's sudden exit from London on 'family business' and when she discovers there has been a murder in that town and that the DCI is a woman she admires, Emily Barlow, Barbara manages to inveigle herself into the murder investigation. The two women couldn't be more different. Emily is fitness and health conscious, extremely strong and powerful. Barbara eats poorly, smokes, drinks and takes no exercise.
The layers of the criminal investigation are fascinating, including the Pakistani/Anglo divide in a small English seaside town; homosexuality; arranged marriage and power dynamics within a Pakistani family; a young woman born with facial deformity who is obsessed with the beautiful Pakistani friend Salah; a powerful English family intent on redeveloping the pier, etc.
Barbara's friendship with the Pakistani father from London is initially not revealed to the investigating team, and causes ructions when it is.
The end of the book leaves you hanging, because Barbara has had to actively confront her DCI in order to save the young daughter and is likely to face serious charges. I enjoyed the complexity of the human relationships and character development, as much as the criminal investigation involved.
This story centres around her relationship with her neighbours in London, of Pakistani origin, a father and his delightful daughter. The father inexplicably gets called away to a small seaside town, Balford-Le-Nez, where Barbara grew up. She is intrigued by the father's sudden exit from London on 'family business' and when she discovers there has been a murder in that town and that the DCI is a woman she admires, Emily Barlow, Barbara manages to inveigle herself into the murder investigation. The two women couldn't be more different. Emily is fitness and health conscious, extremely strong and powerful. Barbara eats poorly, smokes, drinks and takes no exercise.
The layers of the criminal investigation are fascinating, including the Pakistani/Anglo divide in a small English seaside town; homosexuality; arranged marriage and power dynamics within a Pakistani family; a young woman born with facial deformity who is obsessed with the beautiful Pakistani friend Salah; a powerful English family intent on redeveloping the pier, etc.
Barbara's friendship with the Pakistani father from London is initially not revealed to the investigating team, and causes ructions when it is.
The end of the book leaves you hanging, because Barbara has had to actively confront her DCI in order to save the young daughter and is likely to face serious charges. I enjoyed the complexity of the human relationships and character development, as much as the criminal investigation involved.
tinana's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
msmandrake's review against another edition
3.0
A Detective Lynley book without Detective Lynley in it, but I think Havers did fine on her own. There is a neat little twist at the end, unfortunately it was such a stretch, motive-wise, it didn't make sense to me. I do forgive these books a flaw here and there, however, as they are filled with a variety of interesting characters and are quite reliably entertaining.
alaris's review against another edition
4.0
Wasn't sure how well a Havers-only tale would work, but I quite liked this one.