A review by never4get
Deception on His Mind by Elizabeth George
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.