Synopses & Reviews
New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth George is back with a spellbinding tale of mystery and murder featuring Scotland Yard Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley.
On compassionate leave after the murder of his wife, Thomas Lynley is called back to Scotland Yard when the body of a woman is found stabbed and abandoned in an isolated London cemetery. His former team doesn't trust the leadership of their new department chief, Isabelle Ardery, whose management style seems to rub everyone the wrong way. In fact, Lynley may be the sole person who can see beneath his superior officer's hard-as-nails exterior to a hidden—and possibly attractive—vulnerability.
While Lynley works in London, his former colleagues Barbara Havers and Winston Nkata follow the murder trail south to the New Forest. There they discover a beautiful and strange place where animals roam free, the long-lost art of thatching is very much alive, and outsiders are not entirely welcome. What they don't know is that more than one dark secret lurks among the trees, and that their investigation will lead them to an outcome that is both tragic and shocking.
A multilayered jigsaw puzzle of a story skillfully structured to keep readers guessing until the very end, This Body of Death is a magnificent achievement from a writer at the peak of her powers.
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“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
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“[Georges] 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
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“Richly rewarding…offers an intricate plot that will satisfy even jaded fans of psychological suspense.” Publishers Weekly (starred review) on This Body of Death
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“Dark, unrelenting, and powerful.” Kirkus Reviews on This Body of Death
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“A rich, unsettling work.” Richmond Times Dispatch on This Body of Death
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“A hauntingly memorable experience.” New York Journal of Books on This Body of Death
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“George has once again delivered a thick, knotty, densely plotted mystery. As always, it isnt 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, & #8220;18 Books We Can & #8217;t Wait to Read This Summer & #8221;
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“This Body of Death is wonderful.” San Francisco Chronicle on This Body of Death
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“A spellbinding tale of mystery and murder.” Oklahoman on This Body of Death
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“Georges 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
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“Captivating…the writers insights into social and emotional issues make her work deeply rewarding.” Seattle Times on This Body of Death
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“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
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“An intricate mystery.” Iron Mountain Daily News (MI) on This Body of Death
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"A multiplicity of subplots and a richness of physical detail...The terrain and the weather are objective correlatives to the characters' stormy patches. Meanwhile, the story strands are untied and retied in satisfying and often moving ways."--
The Wall Street Journal "Elizabeth George is a superstar of the crime-fiction world, British Inspector Division. Deservedly so: Her tails always provide nuanced character studies and insights into social issues along with their intricate mysteries."--The Seattle Times
"Devilishly complicated."--Entertainment Weekly
"A dense, twisty plot with characters who reveal the sad spectrum of human dereliction."--People
"George's...ability to continually enhance the portraits of Lynley, Havers, and other recurring characters while generating fully fleshed new ones for each novel is nothing less than superlative, and her atmospheric prose, complete with lovely and detailed descriptions of her setting, combines to add literary gravitas to her work...A worthy addition to her portfolio and one that simultaneously disturbs and satisfies."--Richmond Times-Dispatch
Synopsis
After writing sixteen Inspector Lynley novels, New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth George has millions of fans waiting for the next one. As USA Today put it, "It's tough to resist George's storytelling." With Believing the Lie, she's poised to hook countless more.
Inspector Thomas Lynley is mystified when he's sent undercover to investigate the death of Ian Cresswell at the request of the man's uncle, the wealthy and influential Bernard Fairclough. The death has been ruled an accidental drowning, and nothing on the surface indicates otherwise. But when Lynley enlists the help of his friends Simon and Deborah St. James, the trio's digging soon reveals that the Fairclough clan is awash in secrets, lies, and motives.
Deborah's investigation of the prime suspect--Bernard's prodigal son Nicholas, a recovering drug addict--leads her to Nicholas's wife, a woman with whom she feels a kinship, a woman as fiercely protective as she is beautiful. Lynley and Simon delve for information from the rest of the family, including the victim's bitter ex-wife and the man he left her for, and Bernard himself. As the investigation escalates, the Fairclough family's veneer cracks, with deception and self-delusion threatening to destroy everyone from the Fairclough patriarch to Tim, the troubled son Ian left behind.
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"George explores her characters' dreams and fears with a penetrating grace that makes reading her books a joy."
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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.
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.