What Came Before He Shot Her

The brutal, inexplicable death of Inspector Thomas Lynley's wife has left Scotland Yard shocked and searching for answers. Even more horrifying is that the trigger was apparently pulled by a twelve-year-old boy. Who is he? Where did he come from? And what were the circumstances that led to his final act of desperation?

That story begins on the other side of London, in rough North Kensington, where the three mixed-race, virtually orphaned Campbell children are bounced first from their grandmother then to their aunt. The oldest, fifteen-year-old Ness, is headed for trouble as fast as her high-heeled boots will take her. That leaves the middle child, Joel, to care for the youngest, Toby. No one wants to put it into words, but something clearly isn't right with Toby.

Before long, there are signs that Joel himself has problems. A local gang starts harassing him and threatening his brother. To protect his family, Joel makes a pact with the deviland#8212;a move that leads straight to the front doorstep of Thomas Lynley.

The anatomy of a murder, the story of a family in crisis, What Came Before He Shot Heris a powerful, emotional novel full of deep psychological insights, a novel that only the incomparable Elizabeth George could write.

"[A] gripping story that, without preachiness, shows how a good child can lose his way." Library Journal

"George's best since A Great Deliverance." Kirkus Reviews

"[A] dark, chilling tale of desperation and revenge." Booklist

"The book is Dickensian in length...though, true to George's usual standards, with hardly a dull or unnecessary stretch....All in all, a sad but splendid achievement." Seattle Times

"What Came Before He Shot Her dispenses with all of George's popular series characters, instead plunging the reader into the grimy, scary world that begat that death." Oregonian

The brutal, inexplicable death of Inspector Thomas Lynley's wife has left Scotland Yard shocked and searching for answers. Even more horrifying is that the trigger was apparently pulled by a twelve-year-old boy. Who is he? Where did he come from? And what were the circumstances that led to his final act of desperation?

That story begins on the other side of London, in rough North Kensington, where the three mixed-race, virtually orphaned Campbell children are bounced first from their grandmother then to their aunt. The oldest, fifteen-year-old Ness, is headed for trouble as fast as her high-heeled boots will take her. That leaves the middle child, Joel, to care for the youngest, Toby. No one wants to put it into words, but something clearly isn't right with Toby.

Before long, there are signs that Joel himself has problems. A local gang starts harassing him and threatening his brother. To protect his family, Joel makes a pact with the devil—a move that leads straight to the front doorstep of Thomas Lynley.

The anatomy of a murder, the story of a family in crisis, What Came Before He Shot Her is a powerful, emotional novel full of deep psychological insights, a novel that only the incomparable Elizabeth George could write.

In her compelling new mystery, George explores the unforgettable events leading up to a murder.

Elizabeth George is the New York Times bestselling author of thirteen novels of psychological suspense, one book of nonfiction, and two short-story collections. She lives in Seattle, Washington, and London.