lindsaymay92's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
4.25
johnlway's review
challenging
mysterious
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
judyward's review against another edition
4.0
Playwright Joy Sinclair's day came to an abrupt close when an 18 inch dirk was plunged into her neck while she was staying at an isolated estate in the Scottish Highlands. Unfortunately for Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and his partner, Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers, the suspects include some of the best known actors and producers in Britain's theatrical community.
callieperez's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
tobyyy's review
5.0
4.5 stars
I don’t know what it is about the Inspector Lynley series, but the epic times that they are just make me innately happy. I’m reading this series COMPLETELY out of order and I know I should care, but I don’t. I adore Lynley and Havers is probably the character I most (personally) identify with.
This one started slow... super slow, walking pace, a lot of characters and an intricate backstory and then at about 40% through, the story TOOK OFF. I had been reading it before bed due to the slow pace being relaxing, but then last night I didn’t want to put it down so I could sleep, as the pace and suspense had increased!
The first 40% took me about a month to read if not more. The last 60% I finished in the past not-quite-24-hours. If that doesn’t give you an idea of how the pace picked up, then I don’t know what would!
Definitely recommend to anyone who enjoys police procedurals. This does have some graphic violence scenes in it but they’re fairly early on.
I don’t know what it is about the Inspector Lynley series, but the epic times that they are just make me innately happy. I’m reading this series COMPLETELY out of order and I know I should care, but I don’t. I adore Lynley and Havers is probably the character I most (personally) identify with.
This one started slow... super slow, walking pace, a lot of characters and an intricate backstory and then at about 40% through, the story TOOK OFF. I had been reading it before bed due to the slow pace being relaxing, but then last night I didn’t want to put it down so I could sleep, as the pace and suspense had increased!
The first 40% took me about a month to read if not more. The last 60% I finished in the past not-quite-24-hours. If that doesn’t give you an idea of how the pace picked up, then I don’t know what would!
Definitely recommend to anyone who enjoys police procedurals. This does have some graphic violence scenes in it but they’re fairly early on.
jobinsonlis's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this one much better than the first one, partially because the mystery was more interesting and partially because it didn’t spend as much time telling us what an ugly toad-monster Havers is while slagging off a victim of chronic sexual abuse. It’s still pretty overwrought, especially with Lynley (who I went from hating to pitying so much that it swung back to a kind of mild fondness for the stupid fucking prick; this was probably Barbara’s journey too). However the mystery was fascinating the whole way through and I love St. James and Havers so this was a solid read.
jefftstevens's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I'm really enjoying the Lynley stories. They are quite complex stories, and the relationship between Lynley and Havers is at the heart of the stories, and what makes the stories so fascinating.
cthuwu's review against another edition
4.0
I’ve already said how much I like this series in my review of the first book and how much I enjoy Elizabeth George’s prose, so I’m just going to use this one to say: seriously BBC? You left out like half the book when you adapted it and just kept the bare bones of what happened, not to mention cutting out not one but TWO subplots and leaving most of the episode to Lynley mooning over Helen. Anyways, always remember that the book is generally better, kids, and we’ll leave it at that.
claudia2945's review against another edition
3.0
Not her best, perhaps because it is at the beginning of the Inspector Lynley series. Still it's an enjoyable mystery with
lots of suspects and plot lines.
lots of suspects and plot lines.
we_are_all_mad_here26's review against another edition
4.0
Always a good sign to like #2 in a series better than #1. Thomas Lynley is not perfect in this one, in fact he is often a blazing idiot, and Barbara Havers is not the shrill and resentful commoner that she was portrayed as in A Great Deliverance. It was less than exciting at first and I couldn't keep the numerous characters straight, but it picked up in the second half and somehow the characters became clearer.
Possibly most importantly, this book contained far fewer words that I'd never heard of in my life. Every time I come across one of those words I think "oh come on, surely she has made this one up" but no, no she hasn't. I feel at least a little vindicated when the Kindle dictionary includes the word archaic in the definition.
Possibly most importantly, this book contained far fewer words that I'd never heard of in my life. Every time I come across one of those words I think "oh come on, surely she has made this one up" but no, no she hasn't. I feel at least a little vindicated when the Kindle dictionary includes the word archaic in the definition.