Scan barcode
kemmer's review against another edition
4.0
The back story, presented as interwoven investigative reports, is very dark. I had to skip them.
But Havers is back in full force, as is Lynley, which was reason enough to keep reading
But Havers is back in full force, as is Lynley, which was reason enough to keep reading
raymond_murphy's review against another edition
3.0
Elizabeth George is a great read once you get past the first 50 pages or so (which are often excruciating). The plot of this book was far beyond ridiculous and very close to outlandish. The extra narrative (interspersed in different type throughout the book) shows exactly what George's flaws as a writer. Despite the length of her books, she doesn't let her characters take on the role of telling the story and sharing/exposing their feelings about things. Instead she relies on tricks, like multiple, and i mean m-u-l-t-i-p-l-e, narrorators and weird things like the inclusion of a "psychiatric report" in the middle of a novel which is basically there to increase the reader's awareness of what a big deal someone's identity is in the book (trying not to spoil).
Despite these flaws, she has a fresh voice, a nice prose style and she has Barbara Havers, an intriguing character who keeps you wanting to come back.
Despite these flaws, she has a fresh voice, a nice prose style and she has Barbara Havers, an intriguing character who keeps you wanting to come back.
hegesteindal74's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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? Yes
3.0
Good novel, but not her best.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Transphobia, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism
elessor's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
beckca03's review against another edition
2.0
Really never got into it. Too long for not being interested in the plot. I do like the developments with Barbara, however.
joaniesickler's review against another edition
3.0
Barbara Havers is in great form in E. George's latest. It's like getting back with old friends to read the adventures of our old friends again. Good murder mystery too. Eliz George is a great storyteller.
hinesight's review against another edition
4.0
Elizabeth George has her groove back. I really disliked the prior two novels, but this is back to what I'd come to expect from her. Really good; I hated for it to end. Most satisfying.
candacesiegle_greedyreader's review against another edition
5.0
After the disappointing "Careless in Red" Elizabeth George is back in character with the kind well-developed, complex, can't-put-it-down book her readers look forward to. In "This Body of Death" Lynley is still on compassionate leave. but is called back to the Met to help his temporary replacement, the ambitious Isabelle Ardery.
The novel begins with excerpts from a report about a murder in the 1990s. Two boys snag a toddler from a shopping center, torture, and kill him. Based on the case of Jamie Bolger, chapters are interspersed throughout George's book. This was a shocking crime (the version George creates is less appalling that the real killing), not only for the horror of the murder, but because of the British government's treatment of the killers, who were given new identities and released after the minimum sentence. (Google James Bolger and you'll see that one of his killers is back in the news again). It is this kind of detail, combined with George's interest in British social conditions and her knack for incorporating unusual aspects of English culture that make her books so satisfying.
It's also interesting to see Lynley making poor choices and behaving more like a mere mortal. The always-appealing Barbara Havers has a big role (Isabelle Ardery makes her buy a professional wardrobe and get her teeth fixed--Barbara in Top Shop is worth the price of the novel!)
"This Body of Death" is Elizabeth George at her best.
The novel begins with excerpts from a report about a murder in the 1990s. Two boys snag a toddler from a shopping center, torture, and kill him. Based on the case of Jamie Bolger, chapters are interspersed throughout George's book. This was a shocking crime (the version George creates is less appalling that the real killing), not only for the horror of the murder, but because of the British government's treatment of the killers, who were given new identities and released after the minimum sentence. (Google James Bolger and you'll see that one of his killers is back in the news again). It is this kind of detail, combined with George's interest in British social conditions and her knack for incorporating unusual aspects of English culture that make her books so satisfying.
It's also interesting to see Lynley making poor choices and behaving more like a mere mortal. The always-appealing Barbara Havers has a big role (Isabelle Ardery makes her buy a professional wardrobe and get her teeth fixed--Barbara in Top Shop is worth the price of the novel!)
"This Body of Death" is Elizabeth George at her best.