lazylys's review against another edition
4.0
Primo romanzo della George che leggo, primo romanzo (in ordine cronologico avventuresco, chiamiamolo così, almeno :P) delle (dis)avventure della coppia Thomas Lynley e Barbara Havers, e impressione più che buona.
La George scrive molto bene e maneggia in maniera superba le caratterizzazioni, i suoi personaggi sono realistici e strapieni di difetti con qualche virtù, con rancori, gelosie e invidie pienamente comprensibili.
E se il giallo in sé e la sua risoluzione non sono delle più memorabili, la cornice che l'autrice ha costruito attorno merita senza dubbio la lettura.
La George scrive molto bene e maneggia in maniera superba le caratterizzazioni, i suoi personaggi sono realistici e strapieni di difetti con qualche virtù, con rancori, gelosie e invidie pienamente comprensibili.
E se il giallo in sé e la sua risoluzione non sono delle più memorabili, la cornice che l'autrice ha costruito attorno merita senza dubbio la lettura.
kimberly_b's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this Elizabeth George book. My English teacher recommended it to me and I was pleasantly surprised. Good, smart read.
author_d_r_oestreicher's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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? No
4.0
A Great Deliverance is the first of 21 books in the Inspector Lynley (and DS Havers) series. The book opens with the discovery of William Teys decapitated in his barn. Beneath him, is his dog, Whiskers, also dead. Sitting beside Teys is his daughter Roberta, who immediately confesses to the murder. The New Scotland Yard sends Inspector Thomas Lynley, Eighth Earl of Asherton, and Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers to the village of Keldale in Yorkshire to investigate. They soon discover that Roberta’s mother, Tessa, and her older sister, Gillian, are missing, along with the mystery of a dead infant found by the ruins of Keldale Abbey. Elizabeth George writes an intricately constructed mystery.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Infidelity, Murder, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Fatphobia, Incest, Self harm, Sexual violence, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, and Sexual harassment
teachingkids1982's review against another edition
2.0
2 stars... i really need to stop reading mysteries. they're just not my thing..
zelda100's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
novelesque_life's review against another edition
4.0
While working at the bookstore I noticed the author Elizabeth George in our mystery section. As we were not allowed to really do anything but tidy I would rebel by reading the synopsis on book jackets. I became intrigued by the main characters - Inspector Lynley and Sargent Havers. Thomas Lynley is part of the upper class of society, wealthy and very handsome. Barbara Havers is from the working class side of London, living at home with her elderly and ill parents, and is an outsider in general. When Havers cannot seem to get along with her co-workers she is paired with Lynley as her last chance. Before the two can protest, they are thrown into their first case.
THE GREAT DELIVERENCE
(Inspector Lynley: #1)
Written by Elizabeth George
1988, 419 Pages
Bantam Books
Genre: mystery, british, suspense, police
★★★★
READ in 2011
Roberta Teys - an overweight, plain and lonely woman - is found in the barn wearing her best dress with an axe on her lap. Next to her is the body of her father - headless. She claims she has killed him and has no regrets. After Roberta is sent to an asylum, Havers and Lynley began investigating the case. As the two work together they clash...yet, they slowly began to work well as a team. Havers identifies with Roberta's life and Lynley looks at people and situation around the case. William Tyes might be well liked by the community...his wife did abandon him and their two daughters. And later, his eldest daughter ran away. What was exactly happening in the Tyes household?
A wonderful "old-time detective" mystery story that keeps you engaged every moment. This is the first book in the Inspector Thomas Lynley series that teams up the Oxford educated Inspector with Barbara Havers, a working-class Sargent. I really enjoyed all the characters in the books and how they relate to one another. After saying all that if you are expecting a cozy mystery...move on. This is a gritty book with realistic murders - but once you get into the book I dare you to stop.
k (My Novelesque Life)
THE GREAT DELIVERENCE
(Inspector Lynley: #1)
Written by Elizabeth George
1988, 419 Pages
Bantam Books
Genre: mystery, british, suspense, police
★★★★
READ in 2011
Roberta Teys - an overweight, plain and lonely woman - is found in the barn wearing her best dress with an axe on her lap. Next to her is the body of her father - headless. She claims she has killed him and has no regrets. After Roberta is sent to an asylum, Havers and Lynley began investigating the case. As the two work together they clash...yet, they slowly began to work well as a team. Havers identifies with Roberta's life and Lynley looks at people and situation around the case. William Tyes might be well liked by the community...his wife did abandon him and their two daughters. And later, his eldest daughter ran away. What was exactly happening in the Tyes household?
A wonderful "old-time detective" mystery story that keeps you engaged every moment. This is the first book in the Inspector Thomas Lynley series that teams up the Oxford educated Inspector with Barbara Havers, a working-class Sargent. I really enjoyed all the characters in the books and how they relate to one another. After saying all that if you are expecting a cozy mystery...move on. This is a gritty book with realistic murders - but once you get into the book I dare you to stop.
k (My Novelesque Life)
afox98's review against another edition
4.0
A good modern English mystery, with very well-defined characters and a plot that keeps you guessing to the end. I found this one hard to put down.
arnette19's review against another edition
5.0
L'inizio è un po' lento ma indispensabile per far conoscere al lettore i protagonisti che si ritroveranno anche negli altri libri della serie. L'ispettore Lynley e il sergente Havers sono due personaggi molto interessanti soprattutto per la diversità dei caratteri che fa di loro una coppia stranamente ben assortita. Le loro vicende personali si intrecciano con il caso su cui devono investigare creando un giallo davvero completo sotto tutti i punti di vista, soprattutto quello psicologico. È appunto la caratterizzazione psicologica dei personaggi il punto forte del romanzo che, nel momento in cui si giungerà alla soluzione del giallo, lascerà il lettore con un senso di inquietudine.