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Inspector Lynley #2
Payment In Blood
“The Lynley books constitute the smartest, most gratifyingly complex and impassioned mysteries now being published.”— Entertainment Weekly
The career of playwright Joy Sinclair comes to an abrupt end on an isolated estate in the Scottish Highlands when someone drives an eighteen-inch dirk through her neck. Called upon to investigate the case in a country where they have virtually no authority, aristocratic Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and his partner, Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers, grapple for both a motive and a murderer.
Emotions run deep in this highly charged drama, for the list of suspects soon includes Britain’s foremost actress, its most successful theatrical producer, and the woman Lynley loves. He and Havers must tread carefully through the complicated terrain of human relationships while they work to solve a case rooted in the darkest corners of the past and the unexplored regions of the human heart.
The career of playwright Joy Sinclair comes to an abrupt end on an isolated estate in the Scottish Highlands when someone drives an eighteen-inch dirk through her neck. Called upon to investigate the case in a country where they have virtually no authority, aristocratic Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and his partner, Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers, grapple for both a motive and a murderer.
Emotions run deep in this highly charged drama, for the list of suspects soon includes Britain’s foremost actress, its most successful theatrical producer, and the woman Lynley loves. He and Havers must tread carefully through the complicated terrain of human relationships while they work to solve a case rooted in the darkest corners of the past and the unexplored regions of the human heart.
413 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 1989
1713 people are currently reading
5977 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth George
102 books5,459 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Susan Elizabeth George is an American author of mystery novels set in Great Britain. Eleven of her novels, featuring her character Inspector Lynley, have been adapted for television by the BBC as The Inspector Lynley Mysteries.
She was born in Warren, Ohio, but moved to the San Francisco Bay Area when she was eighteen months old. She was a student of English, receiving a teaching certificate. While teaching English in the public school system, she completed an advanced degree in psychology.
Her first published novel was A Great Deliverance in 1988, featuring Thomas Lynley, Lord Asherton, a Scotland Yard inspector of noble birth; Barbara Havers, Lynley's assistant, from a very working-class background; Lady Helen Clyde, Lynley's girlfriend and later wife, of noble birth as well; and Lynley's friends Simon and Deborah St. James.
This Elizabeth George is distinct from the other author named Elizabeth George (Christian author).
Series:
* Inspector Lynley
Susan Elizabeth George is an American author of mystery novels set in Great Britain. Eleven of her novels, featuring her character Inspector Lynley, have been adapted for television by the BBC as The Inspector Lynley Mysteries.
She was born in Warren, Ohio, but moved to the San Francisco Bay Area when she was eighteen months old. She was a student of English, receiving a teaching certificate. While teaching English in the public school system, she completed an advanced degree in psychology.
Her first published novel was A Great Deliverance in 1988, featuring Thomas Lynley, Lord Asherton, a Scotland Yard inspector of noble birth; Barbara Havers, Lynley's assistant, from a very working-class background; Lady Helen Clyde, Lynley's girlfriend and later wife, of noble birth as well; and Lynley's friends Simon and Deborah St. James.
This Elizabeth George is distinct from the other author named Elizabeth George (Christian author).
Series:
* Inspector Lynley
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,102 reviews
November 13, 2024
This is one of a series of novels about Elizabeth George's creation Inspector Lynley and his sidekick Sergeant Havers. These two characters are a chalk-and-cheese coupling. The aristocrat Thomas Lynley is steeped in tradition but fighting his destiny, wanting more meaning to his life. The council-house bred Barbara Havers is an ambivalent character, saddled with an antipathy to all that Lynley stands for combined with a chip on her shoulder. Add to the mix a doomed romantic liaison and you have an engaging sub-plot.
In fact this back-story proved to be more interesting than the main storyline, possibly because the characters were familiar to me from TV dramatisations. For the first half of the novel at least I found myself viewing the others as rather tiresome minor characters, and the plot to be rather prosaic. However the second half was vastly superior. The plot thickened, the characters began to take on more differentiation, and the book eventually turned into an intriguing whodunnit.
I still found myself more interested in the back story though, and I'm not sure this is altogether a good thing in a mystery series.
In fact this back-story proved to be more interesting than the main storyline, possibly because the characters were familiar to me from TV dramatisations. For the first half of the novel at least I found myself viewing the others as rather tiresome minor characters, and the plot to be rather prosaic. However the second half was vastly superior. The plot thickened, the characters began to take on more differentiation, and the book eventually turned into an intriguing whodunnit.
I still found myself more interested in the back story though, and I'm not sure this is altogether a good thing in a mystery series.
December 26, 2021
Well it has taken me an extraordinarily long time to get back to this series. Not from lack of interest but from there being so many other books popping up all the time! Here I am at last reading book 2 and remembering just how much I like Thomas Lynley!
In Payment in Blood Lynley and Havers are sent to deal with a murder which has occurred in an isolated country house in Scotland. There they meet a group of actors who are preparing for a play the author of which has been very nastily disposed of. Also in the house and a great surprise for Lynley is Lady Helen - with another man - which puts him into a spin.
The mystery is very involved and the cast of possible culprits is huge. I was not even close to guessing the murderer by the end. In many ways the mystery aspect of the book was overshadowed by the ongoing dramas between the regular characters, especially Lynley and Helen. (I must admit to not actually liking her very much!)
A very enjoyable book and I must now keep the series at the top of my reading list.
In Payment in Blood Lynley and Havers are sent to deal with a murder which has occurred in an isolated country house in Scotland. There they meet a group of actors who are preparing for a play the author of which has been very nastily disposed of. Also in the house and a great surprise for Lynley is Lady Helen - with another man - which puts him into a spin.
The mystery is very involved and the cast of possible culprits is huge. I was not even close to guessing the murderer by the end. In many ways the mystery aspect of the book was overshadowed by the ongoing dramas between the regular characters, especially Lynley and Helen. (I must admit to not actually liking her very much!)
A very enjoyable book and I must now keep the series at the top of my reading list.
February 13, 2018
UPDATE 2/13/18 ... marvelous even on re-reading ... the murders were complicated and the tension maintained throughout ... but the essence of the story is the way those murders impact EG's continuing characters, and the relationships between those characters ... Barbara Havers (my favorite) plays a major role in this one.
***
I read this at least a decade ago, and am re-reading it now to take another look at the outstanding way EG, one of my favorite authors, frames a story. This comes as I am editing the first half of the sequel to A FLOOD OF EVIL and organizing the scenes for the second half. Looking to learn from a master.
***
I read this at least a decade ago, and am re-reading it now to take another look at the outstanding way EG, one of my favorite authors, frames a story. This comes as I am editing the first half of the sequel to A FLOOD OF EVIL and organizing the scenes for the second half. Looking to learn from a master.
March 20, 2020
“A Great Deliverance” started slowly because we could not tell who the protagonists were. The CID partnership needed working out and we disliked Barbara. Thomas squirmed over Deborah’s marriage to Simon. There was a lot to navigate and the crimes were abhorrent. However, there came such an ecstatic reunion for a Mother; that this and elements I appreciated, vaulted my feedback to five stars. Now Barbara & Thomas work together well and are friends and the sweet Simon & Deborah reappear. Inexplicably, Thomas moons over Helen. Everyone disapproves of her dating a Welshman, member of a theatre troupe who were housed where a murder occurred.
Further to delaying the familiar personages, Elizabeth kept switching the names of the troupe, who are related to one another. Even I strained to solidify who was who and I am great with detail. You have seen me write often, about disliking people called by their last names. Never have I justified how poorly that serves, better than I do here. Dialogue employs first names, narration tends towards last names, and nobility titles mix-in; three appellations to juggle per person. The troupe comprised ex-wives and sisters, which name-shifting muddled. Finally, the murder was a bore, amid dislikeable suspects.
Suddenly, past one-hundred pages, a layer of interest emerged. I associated the change with clicking into the easy gear of a bicycle. The ride becomes a dream; transporting, without effort. The deaths that week-end should have nothing to do with a small town death, nor that of the director’s brother; located apart, years ago. Barbara has intuition her boss is too closely-invested to share. She and Simon settle loose ends that were missed. Personal- and case-wise, “Payment In Blood”, 1989, jerked to a close anticlimactically. However, I grant four stars and look forward to the next story.
Further to delaying the familiar personages, Elizabeth kept switching the names of the troupe, who are related to one another. Even I strained to solidify who was who and I am great with detail. You have seen me write often, about disliking people called by their last names. Never have I justified how poorly that serves, better than I do here. Dialogue employs first names, narration tends towards last names, and nobility titles mix-in; three appellations to juggle per person. The troupe comprised ex-wives and sisters, which name-shifting muddled. Finally, the murder was a bore, amid dislikeable suspects.
Suddenly, past one-hundred pages, a layer of interest emerged. I associated the change with clicking into the easy gear of a bicycle. The ride becomes a dream; transporting, without effort. The deaths that week-end should have nothing to do with a small town death, nor that of the director’s brother; located apart, years ago. Barbara has intuition her boss is too closely-invested to share. She and Simon settle loose ends that were missed. Personal- and case-wise, “Payment In Blood”, 1989, jerked to a close anticlimactically. However, I grant four stars and look forward to the next story.
August 4, 2015
Good Lord, could a story be any more confusing?
• Do all of the characters have to be having affairs with each other (either in this book, or as part of their back stories)?
• Do in-laws really have sex with each other as much as they do in this novel?
• Do most of these characters have to have 3 or 4 names? I wish the author could have decided whether or not to use their first name, surname, peerage title, or professional title… and then STUCK WITH THAT!
If you can keep all these characters straight than you are smarter than I am. I was exhausted after trying to muddle my way through this book. I broke my cardinal rule after 8 chapters, and skipped to the end just to see “who done it”.
I am not tempted to read any more of this series.
• Do all of the characters have to be having affairs with each other (either in this book, or as part of their back stories)?
• Do in-laws really have sex with each other as much as they do in this novel?
• Do most of these characters have to have 3 or 4 names? I wish the author could have decided whether or not to use their first name, surname, peerage title, or professional title… and then STUCK WITH THAT!
If you can keep all these characters straight than you are smarter than I am. I was exhausted after trying to muddle my way through this book. I broke my cardinal rule after 8 chapters, and skipped to the end just to see “who done it”.
I am not tempted to read any more of this series.
February 22, 2023
3 stars. I like this book better than the first one, but I still find the writing a bit stuffy, and there was too much personal conflict between the characters for my taste. I would've preferred more focus on the murder mystery itself.
July 26, 2011
Rating: 3.875* of five
The Book Report: Inspectory Thomas Lynley, aka the eighth Earl of Asherton, is a hard-working man, but even he likes a few days' rest after chasing from pillar to post in solving brutal crimes. His rest is denied him by a call from his boss, at home, on a Sunday: A murder has occurred, in Scotland, and *only* Lynley can be trusted to investigate because it involves a famous Peer of the Realm.
Uh-oh.
Yeah, uh-oh and in spades, as Lynley tromps ill-temperedly up to Scotland where Scotland Yard has no legal standing and no authority and no utility, except in the titled person of Lynley himself. He's quite clearly if subtly warned: Lord Stinhurst, eminence of the London theatrical world, isn't to be troubled about small things like guilt or innocence or such-like plebeian goings-on. He's to be softly and swiftly shuffled out of the line of fire. So what does Lynley do? He brings Sergeant Barbara Havers, well-known to have a classist chip on her shoulder, to assist him, and he allows her a *lot* of leeway to poke and snoop and generally cause discomfort to the comfortable uppercrusties. (I suspect Lynley, were he corporeal, would've worn a small, snarky smile throughout this investigation.)
As the investigation proceeds, awful truths come out, lives are ruined, others are altered, and some few are lost; but no one is spared from the terrible cleansing fires of truth. Even those one might wish could be. No bond, no tie, no feeling is safe when Elizabeth George goes to work.
My Review: Good stuff. Unless you don't like puzzles or suspense or characters so real you'd swear you have their cell numbers somewhere if you could just find 'em, don't hesitate to start this series!
The Book Report: Inspectory Thomas Lynley, aka the eighth Earl of Asherton, is a hard-working man, but even he likes a few days' rest after chasing from pillar to post in solving brutal crimes. His rest is denied him by a call from his boss, at home, on a Sunday: A murder has occurred, in Scotland, and *only* Lynley can be trusted to investigate because it involves a famous Peer of the Realm.
Uh-oh.
Yeah, uh-oh and in spades, as Lynley tromps ill-temperedly up to Scotland where Scotland Yard has no legal standing and no authority and no utility, except in the titled person of Lynley himself. He's quite clearly if subtly warned: Lord Stinhurst, eminence of the London theatrical world, isn't to be troubled about small things like guilt or innocence or such-like plebeian goings-on. He's to be softly and swiftly shuffled out of the line of fire. So what does Lynley do? He brings Sergeant Barbara Havers, well-known to have a classist chip on her shoulder, to assist him, and he allows her a *lot* of leeway to poke and snoop and generally cause discomfort to the comfortable uppercrusties. (I suspect Lynley, were he corporeal, would've worn a small, snarky smile throughout this investigation.)
As the investigation proceeds, awful truths come out, lives are ruined, others are altered, and some few are lost; but no one is spared from the terrible cleansing fires of truth. Even those one might wish could be. No bond, no tie, no feeling is safe when Elizabeth George goes to work.
My Review: Good stuff. Unless you don't like puzzles or suspense or characters so real you'd swear you have their cell numbers somewhere if you could just find 'em, don't hesitate to start this series!
January 8, 2017
My first audiobook of the year, and immensely enjoyed it.
I have read this book earlier, a decade or so ago, but jumbled up in the series, and last year decided to read this police procedural series in order, as the emotional lives of the police and their near and dear ones are given as much importance as the crime and its solution. This book deals with a closed room murder of a much hated playwriter in a stately mansion turned hotel on a snowy winter night. The house is inhabited by the people involved in producing the play, among them, being lady Helen Clyde, DI Thomas Linley's close friend. Lynley and his assistant Barbara Hayworth are at loggerheads when it comes to suspecting whodunit. ..and more murders occur.
It was a taut, well.written murder mystery, which was solved impeccably towards the end, but with lots of emotional upheaval.
I have read this book earlier, a decade or so ago, but jumbled up in the series, and last year decided to read this police procedural series in order, as the emotional lives of the police and their near and dear ones are given as much importance as the crime and its solution. This book deals with a closed room murder of a much hated playwriter in a stately mansion turned hotel on a snowy winter night. The house is inhabited by the people involved in producing the play, among them, being lady Helen Clyde, DI Thomas Linley's close friend. Lynley and his assistant Barbara Hayworth are at loggerheads when it comes to suspecting whodunit. ..and more murders occur.
It was a taut, well.written murder mystery, which was solved impeccably towards the end, but with lots of emotional upheaval.
June 5, 2019
I really don't have much to say except this one was so ridiculously good! I loved everything about the case that Lynley and Havers are called into look at. First, because it actually showed that Lynley had flaws. Two, because it showed Lynley that he was blind to something that was in his face for a long time. Third, because in the end the cases that Lynley and Havers got set on were not connected the way that they and even I as a reader understood at first. This book reminded me of the best of Christie.
"Payment in Blood" is the second Inspector Lynley book. Lynley is called up to investigate when a playwright, Joy Sinclair is found murdered in the Scottish Highlands. And to make matters even more interesting, Joy Sinclair is found in a room that was locked. Lynley at first is puzzled why New Scotland Yard is even involved and why he is being called in when he's off. However, it quickly is shown that the people involved are fellow aristocrats and perhaps Lynley is needed to smooth over things. When Lynley arrives and finds one of his best friends Lady Helen there it ends up throwing in a wrench in the investigation and their relationship. In the end, Lynley and Havers working together and separately have to find out who murdered Joy Sinclair and why.
I thought the cast of characters in this one was great. We have Lynley, Havers, Lady Helen, St. James, St. James's wife, and a few others we know about from the first book.
There is a new wrinkle in the case because Lady Helen is obviously involved with someone new which is coloring Lynley's perception of the case. And Lynley is being moved around without realizing it too which causes Havers to be focused on making sure that whatever happens he is protected when the case is over. I actually liked how Havers and Lynley have seemed to truly become partners over the 15 months that they have been working together. Though Lynley thinks that Havers has a chip on her shoulder against anyone who is a peer like him, I think it's mostly that Havers doesn't want to see a case be dropped because the rich are able to grease the right hands. I do wish that we had more of her POV in this one instead of dealing with Lynley acting like a brat towards Lady Helen.
The new characters were fascinating to me though. We had Lord and Lady Stinhurst, their daughter Elizabeth, Lord Stinhurst's sister, Joy Sinclair's sister, the sister's husband (a famous actor who is also a louse), the director of the play and Lady Helen's lover, and a famous actress and her husband. I am curious though what happens to a few of the female characters that George focused in on this one. It doesn't seem as if she will follow-up or refer to people like Christie did. If so though, it would be nice.
I thought the writing was good though as I said in the first book I reviewed, the plot moves slow. This is the main reason why though I gave it 5 stars I didn't mark it as a favorite. It felt like we were just hearing about minute details through more than half the book before things started to click together. Also some things felt a bit out there when you see how George ties things up.
The setting of the book takes mainly in the old Scottish home that is about to be turned into a hotel. I wish that George had pulled a Christie and included a drawing of the rooms and where all parties were. I had it mapped out in my head though and was trying to work through who could have done it.
The other reason why I didn't favorite this one is because I honestly didn't like the ending. Lynley was wrong and I felt badly for Lady Helen. I hope that this gets discussed in the next book.
"Payment in Blood" is the second Inspector Lynley book. Lynley is called up to investigate when a playwright, Joy Sinclair is found murdered in the Scottish Highlands. And to make matters even more interesting, Joy Sinclair is found in a room that was locked. Lynley at first is puzzled why New Scotland Yard is even involved and why he is being called in when he's off. However, it quickly is shown that the people involved are fellow aristocrats and perhaps Lynley is needed to smooth over things. When Lynley arrives and finds one of his best friends Lady Helen there it ends up throwing in a wrench in the investigation and their relationship. In the end, Lynley and Havers working together and separately have to find out who murdered Joy Sinclair and why.
I thought the cast of characters in this one was great. We have Lynley, Havers, Lady Helen, St. James, St. James's wife, and a few others we know about from the first book.
There is a new wrinkle in the case because Lady Helen is obviously involved with someone new which is coloring Lynley's perception of the case. And Lynley is being moved around without realizing it too which causes Havers to be focused on making sure that whatever happens he is protected when the case is over. I actually liked how Havers and Lynley have seemed to truly become partners over the 15 months that they have been working together. Though Lynley thinks that Havers has a chip on her shoulder against anyone who is a peer like him, I think it's mostly that Havers doesn't want to see a case be dropped because the rich are able to grease the right hands. I do wish that we had more of her POV in this one instead of dealing with Lynley acting like a brat towards Lady Helen.
The new characters were fascinating to me though. We had Lord and Lady Stinhurst, their daughter Elizabeth, Lord Stinhurst's sister, Joy Sinclair's sister, the sister's husband (a famous actor who is also a louse), the director of the play and Lady Helen's lover, and a famous actress and her husband. I am curious though what happens to a few of the female characters that George focused in on this one. It doesn't seem as if she will follow-up or refer to people like Christie did. If so though, it would be nice.
I thought the writing was good though as I said in the first book I reviewed, the plot moves slow. This is the main reason why though I gave it 5 stars I didn't mark it as a favorite. It felt like we were just hearing about minute details through more than half the book before things started to click together. Also some things felt a bit out there when you see how George ties things up.
The setting of the book takes mainly in the old Scottish home that is about to be turned into a hotel. I wish that George had pulled a Christie and included a drawing of the rooms and where all parties were. I had it mapped out in my head though and was trying to work through who could have done it.
The other reason why I didn't favorite this one is because I honestly didn't like the ending. Lynley was wrong and I felt badly for Lady Helen. I hope that this gets discussed in the next book.
September 5, 2019
"Why on earth did 'x' kill 'x'? More than anything else, Tommy [Lynley], that seems so senseless to me," says a character on page 368 of 374. The author realizes the inclusion of a stupendously brutal 2nd (or 3rd, depending on how you see the time-line) murder of a 16 y/0 kid was a huge mistake: sadistic only for shock value. With a minute of editing, George could have removed that murder and the story would have worked...maybe. I lost track of who was going to bed with who at the 200-page mark, and the 'if things get all jumbled, have someone be a Russian spy" trope distraction at the 300-page mark had me laughing. I'll assume this is the low-point of this series and try one more. Given the awesomely bad debuts of Ruth Rendell, Margery Allingham, and Dorothy Sayers, I gave this one a 2nd star for the sake of relativity.
November 26, 2024
The problem with these books is that it is hard to keep track of all the characters, especially in audio. But I find them well written and enjoyable.
January 31, 2013
I'm reading the Inspector Lynley novels out of order - having been deterred from reading them for years by the rather mediocre TV series, I was hugely impressed when I eventually got round to reading some of the more recent books in the series. I'm now catching up with the earlier novels.
This one was certainly compelling enough - lots of intriguing subplots, twists and red herrings - but the faults of the series were amplified and I felt the book lacked the originality which lifts the later books above much of the genre.
My biggest peeve with George is that at times she peddles a Theme Park England - a fantasy England which US readers would like to believe exists, but actually doesn't. The whole aristocracy obsession in the series drives me nuts - it's neither true to life (in the UK, we don't tug our forelocks to anyone with a title any more. You wouldn't be able to influence a police investigation just by pointing out you were an earl. And I'm pretty sure that not many 20-something posh girls and guys have a live-in full-time servant in their London pied-a-terre, either, despite the fact that pretty much everybody in the series does)nor particularly attractive to anyone who believes in democracy and meritocracy. Thankfully, she's backpedalled from that a bit in the later novels in the series, but here she's in full feudal-worship mode.I feel she's trying to meet the dual needs of her American readership (allowing them to indulge their fantasies about being a lord at the same time as allowing them to, hypocritically, feel smug about the fact that they live in a society where such class distinctions have been abolished) rather than painting a genuine picture of British life.
I also felt that the book creaked under the cliches of the genre - the isolated country house mystery set-up, the melodramatic theatrical setting (and the picture of theatrical life also felt very unrealistic - British theatre just does not work as depicted in this novel)
Judging it purely as a mystery novel, the journey was very exciting, but the arrival at the final destination was a bit of a letdown: the "reveals" were predictable and/or quite dull, although the building of tension and juggling of alternative possibilities earlier in the novel had been deftly done.
This one was certainly compelling enough - lots of intriguing subplots, twists and red herrings - but the faults of the series were amplified and I felt the book lacked the originality which lifts the later books above much of the genre.
My biggest peeve with George is that at times she peddles a Theme Park England - a fantasy England which US readers would like to believe exists, but actually doesn't. The whole aristocracy obsession in the series drives me nuts - it's neither true to life (in the UK, we don't tug our forelocks to anyone with a title any more. You wouldn't be able to influence a police investigation just by pointing out you were an earl. And I'm pretty sure that not many 20-something posh girls and guys have a live-in full-time servant in their London pied-a-terre, either, despite the fact that pretty much everybody in the series does)nor particularly attractive to anyone who believes in democracy and meritocracy. Thankfully, she's backpedalled from that a bit in the later novels in the series, but here she's in full feudal-worship mode.I feel she's trying to meet the dual needs of her American readership (allowing them to indulge their fantasies about being a lord at the same time as allowing them to, hypocritically, feel smug about the fact that they live in a society where such class distinctions have been abolished) rather than painting a genuine picture of British life.
I also felt that the book creaked under the cliches of the genre - the isolated country house mystery set-up, the melodramatic theatrical setting (and the picture of theatrical life also felt very unrealistic - British theatre just does not work as depicted in this novel)
Judging it purely as a mystery novel, the journey was very exciting, but the arrival at the final destination was a bit of a letdown: the "reveals" were predictable and/or quite dull, although the building of tension and juggling of alternative possibilities earlier in the novel had been deftly done.
April 7, 2020
I loved George's first book in this series and this follow-up was another solid entry. At first it started out somewhat reminiscent of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, a group of people coming together at a remote site and voila, murders. Someone is the killer but who? About halfway through you realize there is more here than meets the eye and the last quarter, I was like WHAAAT?! (In a good way).
Secrets revealed that had long stayed hidden may motivate the killer to murder again. Along with the storyline itself, I really enjoyed the characters sent to investigate the murder: Lynley, Havers, St. James, in addition to their friend & colleague Helen who has gotten mixed-up in the mess.
Secrets revealed that had long stayed hidden may motivate the killer to murder again. Along with the storyline itself, I really enjoyed the characters sent to investigate the murder: Lynley, Havers, St. James, in addition to their friend & colleague Helen who has gotten mixed-up in the mess.
July 9, 2024
This is a review for my second reading of this novel. The 3.5 stars (rounded up) is for the book itself. I give the audio recording (abridged), which I found and listen to on Spotify 1 star. I’ll get back to that later.
I read this the first time almost 30 years ago, when it had been published only 6 years earlier. I remembered basically nothing about the murder mystery. I decided to listen to the abridged version just to refresh my memory, especially regarding the personal developments of the main investigative team. But the plot was still pretty meandering and I didn’t love the bait and switch, which was the twist revealing the murderer, also the motive for the original murder and all the subsequent murders was less than satisfactory. So why did I give it 3.5 stars? I remember loving it way back when. I think George does an excellent job of showing the internal lives and motivations of her main characters and even some less main characters. She also shows the world of the peerage, the Lords and Ladies, in what seems like a very realistic light. I’m very interested in these aspects now that I have lived in the UK for a total of 9 years since I read the first 7 volumes of the series.
Regarding the audiobook: it was just awful. Like listening to an old scratchy 78 record while under water. Or a badly deteriorated cassette tape, which is probably closer to the truth. But why in the world didn’t they run it through some software after digitizing that would’ve cleaned it up, removing noise and brightening up the speech?!?As it was it was very difficult to understand at the best of times and nigh unto impossible to understand when they added background music. The narrator was very good, and he doesn’t read so painfully slowly as most narrators these days, so I had to slow it right down from my usual 1.5x original speed to 1.2x. Unfortunately, you can only give a star rating on Spotify. No comments.
I read this the first time almost 30 years ago, when it had been published only 6 years earlier. I remembered basically nothing about the murder mystery. I decided to listen to the abridged version just to refresh my memory, especially regarding the personal developments of the main investigative team. But the plot was still pretty meandering and I didn’t love the bait and switch, which was the twist revealing the murderer, also the motive for the original murder and all the subsequent murders was less than satisfactory. So why did I give it 3.5 stars? I remember loving it way back when. I think George does an excellent job of showing the internal lives and motivations of her main characters and even some less main characters. She also shows the world of the peerage, the Lords and Ladies, in what seems like a very realistic light. I’m very interested in these aspects now that I have lived in the UK for a total of 9 years since I read the first 7 volumes of the series.
Regarding the audiobook: it was just awful. Like listening to an old scratchy 78 record while under water. Or a badly deteriorated cassette tape, which is probably closer to the truth. But why in the world didn’t they run it through some software after digitizing that would’ve cleaned it up, removing noise and brightening up the speech?!?As it was it was very difficult to understand at the best of times and nigh unto impossible to understand when they added background music. The narrator was very good, and he doesn’t read so painfully slowly as most narrators these days, so I had to slow it right down from my usual 1.5x original speed to 1.2x. Unfortunately, you can only give a star rating on Spotify. No comments.
November 30, 2018
A final older detective series. I plan on continuing to buy these at HPB when I see one.
June 12, 2022
Er wordt een moord gepleegd in een huis in Schotland waar een groep toneelspelers bijeen is voor de repetities van een toneelstuk. Het is de schrjfster van het stuk die vermoord werd.
Inspecteur Lynley krijgt de opdracht om de zaak te onderzoeken, met de hulp van brigadier Havers.
Het is winter, het sneeuwt en is ijskoud. De moordenaar moet onder de aanwezigen gezocht worden.
Al gauw blijkt dat niet iedereen goed met elkaar kan opschieten, en er zijn nogal wat ingewikkelde onderlinge relaties. Na verhoor zijn er verschillende personen die wel een motief en/of een gelegenheid hadden om Joy te vermoorden.
Er blijken nog heel wat andere zaken te spelen die jaren in de doofpot gestoken waren. het is aan Lynley en Havers om de knopen te ontwarren, geholpen door Lynley's vriend St. James.
Het verhaal wordt langzaam opgebouwd, soms met wat te uitvoerige beschrijvingen zodat het op het randje van saai werd. Dit was vooral in het begin het geval; naarmate het verhaal vorderde werd het steeds spannender, en de redeneringen van de politiemensen waren wel plausibel.
Hoewel de rol die Lady Helen in het verhaal speelt belangrijk is, had k toch steeds het gevoel dat dit er teveel aan was. Dit was misschien wel de bedoeling, want door haar aanwezigheid en haar daden begint Lynley zijn politiewerk uit te voeren met oogkleppen op, zo lijkt het wel.
De auteur is er in elk geval in geslaagd om bij de lezer emoties op te roepen!
Dit is voor mij weer een goed verhaal uit de serie.
Inspecteur Lynley krijgt de opdracht om de zaak te onderzoeken, met de hulp van brigadier Havers.
Het is winter, het sneeuwt en is ijskoud. De moordenaar moet onder de aanwezigen gezocht worden.
Al gauw blijkt dat niet iedereen goed met elkaar kan opschieten, en er zijn nogal wat ingewikkelde onderlinge relaties. Na verhoor zijn er verschillende personen die wel een motief en/of een gelegenheid hadden om Joy te vermoorden.
Er blijken nog heel wat andere zaken te spelen die jaren in de doofpot gestoken waren. het is aan Lynley en Havers om de knopen te ontwarren, geholpen door Lynley's vriend St. James.
Het verhaal wordt langzaam opgebouwd, soms met wat te uitvoerige beschrijvingen zodat het op het randje van saai werd. Dit was vooral in het begin het geval; naarmate het verhaal vorderde werd het steeds spannender, en de redeneringen van de politiemensen waren wel plausibel.
Hoewel de rol die Lady Helen in het verhaal speelt belangrijk is, had k toch steeds het gevoel dat dit er teveel aan was. Dit was misschien wel de bedoeling, want door haar aanwezigheid en haar daden begint Lynley zijn politiewerk uit te voeren met oogkleppen op, zo lijkt het wel.
De auteur is er in elk geval in geslaagd om bij de lezer emoties op te roepen!
Dit is voor mij weer een goed verhaal uit de serie.
March 12, 2017
Da diese Reihe schon ewig her ist, seit ich sie gelesen habe, kann ich mich wirklich an nichts mehr erinnern! Umso schöner weil ich das Gefühl habe, die Geschichten nochmal ganz neu zu erleben!
So konnte ich auch super miträtseln, denn in diesem Mordfall gibt es wirklich viele Verwicklungen und auch viele Charktere, die eine Rolle spielen. Das war anfangs etwas wirr bzw. unübersichtlich, aber im Laufe der Handlung konnte man dann doch jeden ganz gut einordnen. Vor allem, da die Autorin wirklich eine großartige Figurenzeichnerin ist, die jeden so prägnant und treffend beschreibt.
Inspector Thomas Lynley hat also einiges zu tun - und dieses Mal ist er auch noch abgelenkt durch seine bohrende Eifersucht. So kenne ich ihn eigentlich nicht, bzw. hatte ich ihn gar nicht mehr in Erinnerung, denn dass er sich so von seinen Gefühlen überrollen lässt und dabei die Ermittlungen beeinträchtigt, hätte ich gar nicht von ihm erwartet.
Aber zum Glück ist ja noch Havers bei ihm, die sich durch die vielen konventionellen Einschränkungen nicht von ihrem Spürsinn abbringen lässt. Natürlich geht sie dabei auch mal wieder zu weit und sie kann ihren Mund nicht halten; was zu Äußerungen führt die sie für den Moment unsympathisch erscheinen lassen. Ihre Vorurteile gegenüber der "Oberschicht" sind einfach nicht zu leugnen. Aber man merkt auch, dass sie sich durch die Zusammenarbeit mit Lynley mehr Gedanken macht.
Helen ist ja auch wieder mit von der Partie und hat einen sehr schwierigen Stand; aber ich mag sie total gerne, weil sie so eine offene und liebenswerte Art hat!
Es gibt wirklich immens viel Ermittlungsarbeit mit Befragungen und komplizierten Verbindungen zwischen den Figuren, aber gerade das hat mich total fasziniert. Natürlich auch der Schauplatz in dem verschneiten Hotel in Schottland, weitab vom nächsten Dorf, ist ja geradezu prädestiniert für einen englischen Krimi.
An den Schreibstil hab ich mich mittlerweile wieder gewöhnt, denn er wirkt schon etwas "veraltet", wenn man hauptsächlich neuere Bücher liest und gerade diese ganzen gesellschaftlichen Spielchen aus der Oberschicht fühlen sich für mich völlig antiquiert an - aber wie gesagt: Wenn man sich da mal reingelesen hat merkt man das gar nicht mehr so arg.
Gegen Ende zieht die Spannung dann richtig an, und die Autorin schafft es wieder, viele Möglichkeiten offen zu lassen und mich als Leser von einem Aha-Erlebnis zum anderen zu führen. Die Aufklärung war schlüssig und hat keine Fragen offengelassen.
Fazit: 4.5 Sterne
© Aleshanee
Weltenwanderer
So konnte ich auch super miträtseln, denn in diesem Mordfall gibt es wirklich viele Verwicklungen und auch viele Charktere, die eine Rolle spielen. Das war anfangs etwas wirr bzw. unübersichtlich, aber im Laufe der Handlung konnte man dann doch jeden ganz gut einordnen. Vor allem, da die Autorin wirklich eine großartige Figurenzeichnerin ist, die jeden so prägnant und treffend beschreibt.
Inspector Thomas Lynley hat also einiges zu tun - und dieses Mal ist er auch noch abgelenkt durch seine bohrende Eifersucht. So kenne ich ihn eigentlich nicht, bzw. hatte ich ihn gar nicht mehr in Erinnerung, denn dass er sich so von seinen Gefühlen überrollen lässt und dabei die Ermittlungen beeinträchtigt, hätte ich gar nicht von ihm erwartet.
Aber zum Glück ist ja noch Havers bei ihm, die sich durch die vielen konventionellen Einschränkungen nicht von ihrem Spürsinn abbringen lässt. Natürlich geht sie dabei auch mal wieder zu weit und sie kann ihren Mund nicht halten; was zu Äußerungen führt die sie für den Moment unsympathisch erscheinen lassen. Ihre Vorurteile gegenüber der "Oberschicht" sind einfach nicht zu leugnen. Aber man merkt auch, dass sie sich durch die Zusammenarbeit mit Lynley mehr Gedanken macht.
Helen ist ja auch wieder mit von der Partie und hat einen sehr schwierigen Stand; aber ich mag sie total gerne, weil sie so eine offene und liebenswerte Art hat!
Es gibt wirklich immens viel Ermittlungsarbeit mit Befragungen und komplizierten Verbindungen zwischen den Figuren, aber gerade das hat mich total fasziniert. Natürlich auch der Schauplatz in dem verschneiten Hotel in Schottland, weitab vom nächsten Dorf, ist ja geradezu prädestiniert für einen englischen Krimi.
An den Schreibstil hab ich mich mittlerweile wieder gewöhnt, denn er wirkt schon etwas "veraltet", wenn man hauptsächlich neuere Bücher liest und gerade diese ganzen gesellschaftlichen Spielchen aus der Oberschicht fühlen sich für mich völlig antiquiert an - aber wie gesagt: Wenn man sich da mal reingelesen hat merkt man das gar nicht mehr so arg.
Gegen Ende zieht die Spannung dann richtig an, und die Autorin schafft es wieder, viele Möglichkeiten offen zu lassen und mich als Leser von einem Aha-Erlebnis zum anderen zu führen. Die Aufklärung war schlüssig und hat keine Fragen offengelassen.
Fazit: 4.5 Sterne
© Aleshanee
Weltenwanderer
December 21, 2021
Sehr spannender Whodunnit mit einem Cast voller interessanter (und fieser!) Charaktere voller Intrigen, Affären und schmutziger Geheimnisse.
June 10, 2020
4.5 stars. This is such a great series! I wasn't planning to finish this book so quickly but I literally could not stop reading.
Also the hotel maid describes Inspector Lynley as having a smile like Sting (Police) so, yeah, I would say that the TV actor portraying Lynley in that TV series (which I couldn't watch) is way off mark.
Also the hotel maid describes Inspector Lynley as having a smile like Sting (Police) so, yeah, I would say that the TV actor portraying Lynley in that TV series (which I couldn't watch) is way off mark.
October 21, 2020
I like it! It cuts to the chase without too much nonsense, the introduction of all the characters is brisk, to the point.
Also, there was none of that annoying fascination with the scenery like there was in the first one where it read like the author had visited UK for the first time and was overly excited about it.
Payment in Blood went on to the investigation of the murder pretty quickly in comparison to other books of similar nature which was excellent. Usually there's alot of that setting the scene and going through the complex relationships between the characters but this one pretty much went into the officers going through the events and going back and forth about what could have happened.
A lot of people have said they didn't like the fact that there were so many different characters and that they kept losing track who was who. Well, I liked all the drama and how they were all connected to each other in some way. It felt like there was a lot going on when there really wasn't and it added to the mystery. Sure, it could have been a distraction from the silly plot twists and such but I don't care, I still think it was one of the best parts of the book.
I didn't like the fact that Havers and Lynley kept having the same discussion again and again. I also didn't like couple of the plot twist that smelt like the author needed to cram certain things forcefully down our throats just coz she felt like it.
I did guess the killer very early on so I'm very proud of myself!
I didn't like Lynley at all so I'm gonna be a little sceptical about reading further on the series. I mean if you don't like the protagonist...
Also, there was none of that annoying fascination with the scenery like there was in the first one where it read like the author had visited UK for the first time and was overly excited about it.
Payment in Blood went on to the investigation of the murder pretty quickly in comparison to other books of similar nature which was excellent. Usually there's alot of that setting the scene and going through the complex relationships between the characters but this one pretty much went into the officers going through the events and going back and forth about what could have happened.
A lot of people have said they didn't like the fact that there were so many different characters and that they kept losing track who was who. Well, I liked all the drama and how they were all connected to each other in some way. It felt like there was a lot going on when there really wasn't and it added to the mystery. Sure, it could have been a distraction from the silly plot twists and such but I don't care, I still think it was one of the best parts of the book.
I didn't like the fact that Havers and Lynley kept having the same discussion again and again. I also didn't like couple of the plot twist that smelt like the author needed to cram certain things forcefully down our throats just coz she felt like it.
I did guess the killer very early on so I'm very proud of myself!
I didn't like Lynley at all so I'm gonna be a little sceptical about reading further on the series. I mean if you don't like the protagonist...
June 4, 2019
This wasn’t as good as the first book in the series, but it was still a solid crime novel. I’ll reserve my judgment until after I’ve finished the third book. Then I’ll decide whether I want to continue reading the series or not.
June 4, 2018
3.5 stars.
A decent-enough murder mystery that had a couple of twists and turns and kept me guessing until the end. I did feel like the middle of the novel dragged out a little too much though. Plus while I liked the character Simon/St. James better in this one than I did when he was first introduced in A Great Deliverance, I still find that I don't really care about side characters like Deborah or Lady Helen. Maybe I'm being overly picky, but I'd probably prefer the novel to just focus on the working relationship between Lynley and Havers - especially seeing as there really wasn't much of a presence from Havers in this sequel. Hopefully that's something that is rectified in Well-Schooled in Murder.
A decent-enough murder mystery that had a couple of twists and turns and kept me guessing until the end. I did feel like the middle of the novel dragged out a little too much though. Plus while I liked the character Simon/St. James better in this one than I did when he was first introduced in A Great Deliverance, I still find that I don't really care about side characters like Deborah or Lady Helen. Maybe I'm being overly picky, but I'd probably prefer the novel to just focus on the working relationship between Lynley and Havers - especially seeing as there really wasn't much of a presence from Havers in this sequel. Hopefully that's something that is rectified in Well-Schooled in Murder.
August 12, 2017
This is just my second book by Elizabeth George and I am quite impressed. I was unaware of the BBC series about Inspector Lynley but I was aware of the high average rating (4.0) with more than 10,000 entries.
This is a very high-quality entry into the genre of British police procedural murder mysteries. The setup is classic: a locked room mystery of how is an unpleasant author and playwright murdered while attending a weekend dinner party at a remote location in Scotland. Inspector Lynley and his sidekick, DS Barbara Havers, along with forensic specialist Simon St. James are dragooned into taking the case by the upper echelons in Scotland Yard.
What George does particularly well is describe the internal emotional worlds of the major characters (Havers and Lynley) as well as the minor but important characters. Then she sets up a bewildering array of familial and romantic connections between the primary suspects. This includes the inclusion of Lady Helen Clyde, Lynsey's longtime unrequited love, in the party of suspects.
Towards the end of the book there is an intensely suspenseful chase as the number of suspects gets reduced to one (or maybe 2) and Lynley and Haver set a trap to capture the suspect that goes awry. Misdirection is often an important feature of effective mystery novels and PAYMENT IN BLOOD is no exception to this rule.
Overall, the book is probably 4.5 stars but it deserves rounding up to 5 stars for its impressive execution and emotional impact.
This is a very high-quality entry into the genre of British police procedural murder mysteries. The setup is classic: a locked room mystery of how is an unpleasant author and playwright murdered while attending a weekend dinner party at a remote location in Scotland. Inspector Lynley and his sidekick, DS Barbara Havers, along with forensic specialist Simon St. James are dragooned into taking the case by the upper echelons in Scotland Yard.
What George does particularly well is describe the internal emotional worlds of the major characters (Havers and Lynley) as well as the minor but important characters. Then she sets up a bewildering array of familial and romantic connections between the primary suspects. This includes the inclusion of Lady Helen Clyde, Lynsey's longtime unrequited love, in the party of suspects.
Towards the end of the book there is an intensely suspenseful chase as the number of suspects gets reduced to one (or maybe 2) and Lynley and Haver set a trap to capture the suspect that goes awry. Misdirection is often an important feature of effective mystery novels and PAYMENT IN BLOOD is no exception to this rule.
Overall, the book is probably 4.5 stars but it deserves rounding up to 5 stars for its impressive execution and emotional impact.
October 2, 2018
Payment in Blood by Elizabeth George (Inspector Lynley, #2)
A band of theatrical performers including a producer as well as an actress hoping to make her comeback in this play written by the successful playwright, Joy Sinclair. the play itself had already been decided upon but that's where the agreement among the cast ends. Joy Sinclair announces at their meeting that a new play has been completed and it is to replace the former play. The newer version is passed to the players(?) and chaos erupts. Members storm from the room at the estate in the Scottish Highlands.
The playwright, Joy Sinclair, is found dead in her room the following day. What was it about this new version of the play that caused such an uproar? Was her death connected to this revision? Why was there a revision to the original play in the first place?
Detective Inspector Lynley and Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers takes us a step further in their relationship as well as their camaraderie in the unraveling of past secrets.
My only drawback was in the number of characters. I needed to keep track of each one in this mystery which kept me turning back pages as needed.
A band of theatrical performers including a producer as well as an actress hoping to make her comeback in this play written by the successful playwright, Joy Sinclair. the play itself had already been decided upon but that's where the agreement among the cast ends. Joy Sinclair announces at their meeting that a new play has been completed and it is to replace the former play. The newer version is passed to the players(?) and chaos erupts. Members storm from the room at the estate in the Scottish Highlands.
The playwright, Joy Sinclair, is found dead in her room the following day. What was it about this new version of the play that caused such an uproar? Was her death connected to this revision? Why was there a revision to the original play in the first place?
Detective Inspector Lynley and Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers takes us a step further in their relationship as well as their camaraderie in the unraveling of past secrets.
My only drawback was in the number of characters. I needed to keep track of each one in this mystery which kept me turning back pages as needed.
July 18, 2024
3.5 stars
Characters 7
Atmosphere 8
Writing Style 7
Premise 7
Execution/Plot 7
Execution/Pace 7
Execution/Setup 7
Enjoyment/Engrossment 7
Characters 7
Atmosphere 8
Writing Style 7
Premise 7
Execution/Plot 7
Execution/Pace 7
Execution/Setup 7
Enjoyment/Engrossment 7
April 28, 2024
A lot of fun! Better than the first one.
May 21, 2022
Well i must say i enjoyed every minute of reading this. So much so i had to finish it before bed.
From a ghastly murder to fingers pointed in evry dirrection, tjis would keep you guessing. I liked that it showed lynly being the main character isnt infallible, even he could be blinded by jealousy. It gave hacers a chance to step forward and show,that she can do well enough.
Id rate it a 4, i was willing to take a star away if lady helen easily accepted lynly without consequences after his idioctic behaviour but as it happens, she didnt let himm off the hook so to speak.
From a ghastly murder to fingers pointed in evry dirrection, tjis would keep you guessing. I liked that it showed lynly being the main character isnt infallible, even he could be blinded by jealousy. It gave hacers a chance to step forward and show,that she can do well enough.
Id rate it a 4, i was willing to take a star away if lady helen easily accepted lynly without consequences after his idioctic behaviour but as it happens, she didnt let himm off the hook so to speak.
May 22, 2008
I'm not a huge fan of Elizabeth George, but I always finish every book of hers that I pick up. This one was actually one of her bests. The reviews on the back keep comparing George to P. D. James and though I think such a comparison is ludicrous, this Lynley mystery does read like a watered down James novel. The setting and set-up were classic, and the pace moved right along and kept my interest. The problem with this book, as with all George's book in my opinion, is her tendency to descend into cheap, romance fiction. It seems whenever she tries to describe peoples emotions or love relationships we end up squarely in a melodrama. But this was less of a distraction than usual in this book and didn't overshadow the plot too much.
October 9, 2012
Not really impressed by this series, if this book is representative. The title character is veeeery aristocratic, and sensitive, and aesthetically refined, to a degree which makes Lord Peter look like a commoner; unfortunately, there is none of the witty amusing dialogue, so the whole story is rather humorless. Much ink is spilled portraying the way the inspector is torn between his upper class code and his code as an officer of the law, much Like in P. D. James series where the inspector is torn between his life as a poet and his life as a la detective, but this is much more angsty, and lacks the elegant prose of James.
August 7, 2008
I'd read the first in the Inspector Lynley series a while back, and vaguely remembered liking it - but have to say I think this one is pretty turgid and stodgy, and let down by large helpings of Mills and Boon style romance. About the only thing that kept me reading was wanting to find out whodunit. The plot is clever and kept me guessing, but it's just a shame the characters are so unbelievable (and a lot of them are also interchangeable.) I love the TV series, which, it seems, is for once much better than the books!
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