This book is Elizabeth George's tenth book. Each of her books, written in the "Modern English mystery style" are very well written and many of them have won prestigious literary prizes such as the Anthony, Agatha, Grand Prix de Litterature Policiere, and the MIMI -a German prize for mystery fiction. Since she burst on the mystery scene with "A Great Deliverance" she has kept her fans highly entertained.
Her usual cast of characters includes:
Police Inspector Thomas Lynley, a rich British aristocrat who has learned a lot from Lord Peter Wimsey (a character created by Dorothy L. Sayers). He is elegant, rich, and naive in his dealings with his family and close friends. He can be manipulated by bosses and by sentiment.
Barbara Havers, his assistant ( who in this book is disciplined for actions performed in a previous book -and one of George's best - "Deception on His Mind" ). Barbara is a messy woman who eats junk food with relish, smokes, and dislikes "the upper classes" which makes her a strange assistant for Lynley, but their tenuous relationship has passed the test of time. They are good friends.
His new wife, Helen, who works with St. James. Helen is also a wealthy aristocrat who is a bit insecure in spite of being lovely and bright.
St. James, his best friend and a well known and highly respected forensic scientist.
Deborah, St. James' wife, also a close friend. She is a professional photographer whose "eye" often helps solve the cases.
This book takes places after Thomas and Helen return from their honeymoon. Barbara is replaced as Lynley's second in command and replaced with Nkata Winston, a former gang member and fascinating character who has appeared in other books. Because Nkata respects Barbara he permits her to take part in his assignments for Lynley.
There seems to be a double murder on Calder Moor- and one of the victims is the daughter of a former mentor of Lynley. The Inspector is called in and proceeds to run back and forth from the Moor to London, investigating and meeting all kinds of possible suspects.
The quotation at the beginning of the book, from Shakespeare's "King Lear" concerns a "thankless child" so we have an important clue that the novel deals with all kinds of family interactions.
The plot twists and turns, and you will learn more about sexual need, prostitution, deviance and gratification than I deem necessary for a "good read" but the book is plausible and well constructed, if a bit long (594 pages).
There are several interesting sub-plots dealing with both victims, Barbara and her neighbors, and Lynley's marriage to Helen. But Barbara pursues the threads that need unraveling, and Lynley is also hot on the trail, so between them they will get their man, or woman.
Although this is not my favorite book that George has written, it is worth reading. Especially if you like well developed characters, complicated plots, excellent writing,( particularly her description of the English countryside), lots of suspense and excitement.
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