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ASIN : 0340922966
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Customer Reviews
Dissapointing and not worth the read (2008-09-21)  The long awaited sequel in Thomas Lynley's arduous life has been sadly all too disappointing. I was dismayed that the normal twists and turns and interaction Elizabeth George usually gives us were just not evident. I was greatly upset by her portrayal of the local Cornish constabulary as 'yokel thickos' which is insulting in its implication and I know from experience they are not. Her choice of rediculous names for the characters was too unbelievable and the reality of life in Cornwall is nothing like she has portrayed. There are so many crime writers who's information on the jacket states that they may be of British origin but usually end up living over the 'pond'. I find most of them in time lose the 'Britishness' in their writing and small anomalies creep in to their work which usually leaves me not wanting to finish the book. Elizabeth George has now fallen into this category and I shall not await her next book with the same anticipation as Careless in Red. (Another slightly annoying point were grammatical errors and spelling mistakes contained within the book...........surely the proof reader should have gone to Specsavers !!)
Oh dear (2008-09-14)  I have stuck with Elizabeth George through thick and thicker (book thickness, that is) and I even quite enjoyed What Came Before he Shot Her. But unfortunately I started this one straight after Peter James' new one, and the contrast was painful. I lasted till p60 and then decided life was too short to plough through the remaining 470 pages when I didn't like any of the characters I'd met (including Lynley), wasn't interested in the murder victim, was irritated at the cloying Cornishness of everything including the outlandish names of every second character and had already spotted a couple of jarring unBritish uses of language. Sorry, this one is not for me.
Bitterly disapointed (2008-09-13) I have been so looking forward to the latest instalment in the Lyndley chronicles but I am sorry to say this book has been a complete let down. The main thing that I really hated were the names of the characters a minor point I know but this really irritated me. The book didn't ring true somehow ......when I think of her first books ,which were brilliant and unputdownable, it is hard to believe they were written by the same author, to be honest I think she has given us three dud books on the trot and I wonder if she has just run out if steam.I hope not .
Missing Helen (2008-09-01)  I'm so glad I didn't give up on George after the last Lynley novel which certainly was not my favourite. Careless in Red was powerful and eloquent, combining a murder and Lynley's own personal aftermath of Helen's murder. There were a number of juxtapositions but to include them would infringe on this novel's plot before readers know the story. Elizabeth George's prose is elegant and improving all the time with original turns of phrase and innovative use of words. If I have a criticism there is some lengthy and questionable use of detail. It could have been shortened by a hundred pages and nothing would have been lost. I found myself skipping some detail so that I stayed close to the heart-rending storyline. Research however is brilliant in its depth. If like me you had decided to finish with this author after she killed off Helen then my advice would be "Don't" - this is poignant, evocative, compelling. Reader buy this at once - you will have no regrets. She is back on my list of favourite authors.
Not up to her normal standard (2008-08-31)  For fans of the Inspector Lynley mysteries, this has been a long and eagerly awaited installment in the dectective series. After the shocking events of the previous novel ('With No One As Witness'), I was looking forward to picking up on the lives of the characters, as well as getting a well written and intricate murder mystery into the bargain.If you are new to the Lynley mysteries, be warned that this novel contains spoilers for the preceding novels and it would be better to start with an earlier episode. It definitely shouldn't be read before 'With No One As Witness'. There's no need to have read the tie-in but largely unrelated novel 'What Came Before He Shot Her' though.Despite the build up though, this novel does in some ways fail to deliver. It's well written of course, and features George's usual attention to detail and multi-faceted characters. The setting of out-of-season Cornwall is a big departure from George's more familiar inner city locations, but the sense of place is well evoked and believably described. Given the events of the last story, the status quo was going to have to be altered somewhat for this novel for the sake of plausibility.However, in many ways 'Careless in Red' fails to meet the high standard of its predecessors. The plot is nowhere near as complex and twisty as normal, and I had worked out 'whodunnit' and 'whydunnit' by halfway through. The labouring of the 'parent-child relationship' theme was also somewhat overdone and contrived, and I found some of the situations and characterisations implausible. Fans of Barbara Havers, certainly my favourite character in the series, will be disappointed to discover she doesn't even feature until halfway through. Other familiar characters, such as Winston Nkata, don't even get a look in. This is a real shame as Lynley - especially a grief sticken Lynley - can't carry the story on his own, and the newly introduced female characters seemed hollow and irritating in comparison to the magnificent creation that is Havers.Given its great length, I was disappointed by the simplicity of the plot and the lack of action. This is a book so large, especially in hardback, that reading on public transport (for example), is impossible. It seemed to be longer than many of the preceding books but a great deal less interesting and complex.Despite the criticism, it's a well written detective story and reasonably enjoyable, and for a lesser author I would probably rate it more generously. But knowing that Elizabeth George can write better does add to the disappointment, and I just hope that she returns to form with the next in the series.
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