This Body of Death (Inspector Lynley Series #16)

by Elizabeth George

Overview

"George explores her characters' dreams and fears with a penetrating grace that makes reading her books a joy."
—Washington Post Book World

"Elizabeth George reigns as queen of the mystery genre. The Lynley books constitute the smartest, most gratifyingly complex and impassioned mystery series now being published."
—Entertainment Weekly

The spellbinding new Inspector Lynley novel from Elizabeth George, New York Times bestselling author of Careless in Red and What Came Before He Shot Her.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780061160912
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	01/25/2011
Series:	Inspector Lynley Series , #16
Pages:	976
Sales rank:	267,038
Product dimensions:	4.20(w) x 7.50(h) x 1.90(d)

About the Author

Elizabeth George is the New York Times bestselling author of sixteen novels of psychological suspense, one book of nonfiction, and two short story collections. Her work has been honored with the Anthony and Agatha awards, the Grand Prix de Littérature Policière, and the MIMI, Germany's prestigious prize for suspense fiction. She lives in Washington State.

Hometown:

Seattle, Washington

Date of Birth:

February 26, 1949

Place of Birth:

Warren, Ohio

Education:

A.A. Foothill Community College, 1969; B.A. University of California, Riverside, 1970; M.S. California State University

Website:

http://www.elizabethgeorgeonline.com

Editorial Reviews

A spellbinding tale of mystery and murder.

Oklahoman on This Body of Death

A hauntingly memorable experience.

New York Journal of Books on This Body of Death

[George’s] Inspector Lynley novels are very substantial psychological thrillers, big, deeply intelligent, rich in characterization...and atmospheric as a walk on the moors with a faithful bloodhound.

Sullivan County Democrat (NY) on This Body of Death

George’s dense plotting style and complex characterization are on full display as Lynley and Havers, working separately, try to uncover the truth.

Romantic Times on This Body of Death

Elizabeth George writes exceptional mysteries, with intelligent, complex plots and well-developed characters....Her pace is skillful.

Daily American (PA) on This Body of Death

A rich, unsettling work.

Richmond Times Dispatch on This Body of Death

An intricate mystery.

Iron Mountain Daily News (MI) on This Body of Death

This Body of Death is wonderful.

San Francisco Chronicle on This Body of Death

Captivating…the writer’s insights into social and emotional issues make her work deeply rewarding.

Seattle Times on This Body of Death

This is the kind of mystery that Elizabeth George does best….Ms. George has done a brilliant job…and this is probably her best mystery in years.

Washington Times on This Body of Death

George has once again delivered a thick, knotty, densely plotted mystery. As always, it isn’t a book to tear through in an hour, but one to read slowly, over many sittings, and savor.

Entertainment Weekly on This Body of Death

An intricate mystery.

Iron Mountain Daily News (MI)

A rich, unsettling work.

Richmond Times Dispatch

A hauntingly memorable experience.

New York Journal of Books

Elizabeth George writes exceptional mysteries, with intelligent, complex plots and well-developed characters....Her pace is skillful.

Daily American (PA)

George’s dense plotting style and complex characterization are on full display as Lynley and Havers, working separately, try to uncover the truth.

Romantic Times

Captivating…the writer’s insights into social and emotional issues make her work deeply rewarding.

Seattle Times

This Body of Death is wonderful.

San Francisco Chronicle

This is the kind of mystery that Elizabeth George does best….Ms. George has done a brilliant job…and this is probably her best mystery in years.

Washington Times

[George’s] Inspector Lynley novels are very substantial psychological thrillers, big, deeply intelligent, rich in characterization...and atmospheric as a walk on the moors with a faithful bloodhound.

Sullivan County Democrat (NY)

Bestseller George's richly rewarding 16th novel to feature Det. Insp. Thomas Lynley (after Careless in Red) offers an intricate plot that will satisfy even jaded fans of psychological suspense. Aggressively career-minded Isabelle Ardery, the new acting superintendent of London's Metropolitan Police, boldly manages to lure Lynley, who's been grieving over his wife's murder, back from Cornwall to look into a murder case. The body of Jemima Hastings, a young woman recently relocated from Hampshire, has turned up in a London cemetery. With suspects in both locales and numerous leads to follow and interviews to conduct, Ardery succeeds in raising the hackles of Det. Sgt. Barbara Havers, Det. Insp. John Stewart, and other members of the investigating team. George tantalizes with glimpses of a horrific earlier murder case; showcases Lynley at his shrewdest, most diplomatic best; and confounds readers with a complex array of evidence, motives, and possible solutions. 6-city author tour. (May)

Publishers Weekly

A spellbinding tale of mystery and murder.

Oklahoman

Tragedy blights lives in a dozen different ways. Grieving widower Thomas Lynley (Careless in Red, 2008, etc.) returns to New Scotland Yard to assist temporary Acting Superintendent Isabelle Ardery, who is acerbic, volatile and an alcoholic in denial. This potent cocktail hardly helps her relationship with her ex, her sons and Lynley's old staff, or produces sound judgments regarding the investigation of Jemima Hastings's murder. Jemima, who dealt with the death of her parents by leaping into love every chance she got, whether or not the man cared for her, had recently ended a relationship with Hampshire thatcher Gordon Jossie, although her usual pattern had been to stay until she was dumped. What caused the rift? Jossie, now intimately involved with a woman named Gina, has two dark secrets, one horrific, the other promising a financial windfall if he takes advantage of it. Did these secrets lead him to murder Jemima? Isabelle considers a schizophrenic musician her prime suspect for the killing. But with the help of Barbara Havers, who's crotchety about Lynley's growing attachment to Isabelle, Lynley digs away at Jemima's neighbors in her London rooming house, where venality collides with tragedy. Dark, unrelenting and powerful, though it would have been even finer without the schizophrenic ramblings, the descriptions of every shop along the High Street, the primer on thatching, the plight of New Forest ponies and Isabelle's constant retreats to the ladies' room for a swig of vodka and a breath mint.

Kirkus Reviews