Careless in Red: A Novel
by Elizabeth George
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Book Reviews of Careless in Red: A Novel
Book Review: Annoying and Disappointing
Summary: 2 Stars
As a long time fan of George's Lynley-Havers series, I eagerly awaited this book, but was very disappointed. The too-large cast of characters consists of mostly grotesques, and the too-long book (is there an editor in the house?) runs over 600 pages.
Even the victim, an adolescent playboy at odds with his father; and his parents, a manipulative nymphomaniac and her perpetually compliant husband, are more annoying than sympathetic. Other characters vary from unbelievably weird to boringly ordinary.
A still emotionally frail Lynley discovers the body, but Havers doesn't appear for several hundred pages, only to be mostly a note taker for DI Hannaford, the detective on the case. The Havers-Hannaford team has none of the zing of the Lynley-Havers team, and I hope George isn't thinking of following it up in subsequent books.
It almost seems that the author is trying to imitate Susan Hill's brilliant Serrailer series in dealing more with the survivors and the effects of murder, than with the victims and the police work. She should not go there. Both series are excellent, but for very different reasons. George's strengths lie in the relationships she has established among her characters and her crisp plots. I really hope she returns to form in her next book.
Book Review: Another disappointment--who cares about these people
Summary: 1 Stars
I have been a fan of Elizabeth George for years in spite of some annoying elements--the mix-and-match interpersonal relationships of the core characters, the continual whining of Deborah (get a grip, girl); the fact that Barbara doesn't seem to be able to get into Marks and Spencer and buy a couple of tolerable outfits after all these years; people NEVER being able to open their mouths and say what they think; the overdone British slang in every sentence (please, no more "sorting"); and, oh yes, the incredibly irritating "With No One As a Witness." In spite of the last two books--I refused to buy "What Came Before He Shot Her"--I looked forward to this book. I am very sorry to say that it was a great disappointment. I really didn't give a damn about most of the new characters and their stupid relationships. What a tedious group of people! What bores most of them are! I don't care who they have sex with or who killed Santo. (What an odd bunch of names these characters have. I assume the names are supposed to be Cornish, but they seemed more like Star Wars to me and odd for the sake of odd.) It is always a disaster when authors become so successful that no one will tell them when a book doesn't really work before it is published. For me, this book didn't work.Book Review: Tommy
Summary: 5 Stars
Careless in Red is full of pain, in the true, human sense, not the mawkish or sadistic. Week after week, Inspector Thomas Lynley has been numbly walking the Cornish cliff path, so gripped by the pain of losing his Helen that he's incapable of doing much more than putting one foot in front of the other. When his gaze falls upon what appears to be a body, his flight away from life is interrupted. What he finds is a somewhat isolated village inhabited by people who are also hurting badly, from the pain of loss, betrayal, vengeance, and denial. As he assists the local police in investigating the murder, Thomas haltingly allows himself to be drawn out of darkness in which he's been immersed, as one of the suspects in particular touches places within himself that he believed now and forever dead. In the process, the murderer is found, some truths are revealed, and some changes are made, and Lynley, somewhat stronger now, knows he must consider his future.
In Careless in Red, Elizabeth George displays her mastery of characters and emotion, while spinning out an atmospheric mystery in which virtually any of the villagers could be the perpetrator. The smells and sounds of the restless sea are almost palpably present, setting the stage for a great story.
Book Review: Tons of characters, and Havers arrives too late
Summary: 3 Stars
Detective Superintendent Thomas Lynley is semi-retired and wandering the coast of Cornwall, trying to come to grips with the death of his wife, Helen, when he stumbles upon the body of a rock climber and becomes embroiled in a local investigation of the young man's death. It's a smallish town, populated with suspects and motives, and a small but determined police squad led by a strong and competent woman, who at first is suspicious of Lynley when she doesn't know who he is, but who quickly presses him into unofficial service to help her with the case. Lynley is drawn to a local woman with secrets of her own, and this tentative friendship does much to bring him back to the land of the living. Our dear Barbara Havers does not make an appearance until 300 pages have gone by, but it is delightful to see the two Scotland Yard partners feeling their way back to a connection again. Naturally, the author is skilled at weaving the tidbits of townspeople's lives into the developing investigation, and naturally, Lynley's hunches pay off with the big reveal of murderer and motive. There may be a tad too many characters, however, and the almost romantic attachment of Lynley to Daidre (the local mystery woman) actually seemed unpleasant to me.Book Review: Almost... but not quite.
Summary: 4 Stars
I too was eagerly awaiting this book and for the first 100 pages or so, the story sears like a raw wound. Watching Lynley as the broken shell of who he was, becoming involved against his will in a new murder was beautiful and painful at once... as is the immediate skill George has in conveying characters and scene in her new setting on the Cornwall coast. And for quite a while, the mystery is quite tasty, with drawn out suspense and fascinating detail (George has done her homework on the surfing culture, to be sure... but even just the ins and outs of family dynamics and misunderstandings is well done). But ultimately, the ending fizles; we are left with a dnouement that's too easy in many respects, a solution that feels more than a little lazy and betrays the considerable hints of a far more byzantine set of circumstances. While the reunion of Havers and Lynley is welcome - and Bea Hannaford makes an interesting new addition to the police side - the lack of other familiar characters (Deborah and Simon, Nkata, and others) and the soggy ending don't make this one of George's best. Still can't wait for the next installment... but I think more focus on the main story (i.e. the mystery) and less on the soap opera will help.