Not quite as dazzling as its predecessor (A Great Deliverance, 1988) but still complex, rich, and accomplished enough to elbow the author between P.D. James and Ruth Rendell to form the new triumvirate of English psychological suspense. Here, Scotland Yard Inspector Thomas Lynley, his pugnacious, definitely non-U partner Sergeant Barbara Havers, and Lynley's good friend forensic scientist Simon Allcourt-St. James are (curiously) sent to Scotland (beyond their jurisdiction) to uncover (cover up?) the murder of author Joy Sinclair—who was snowbound at an isolated estate with her play's director, producer, stars (including her sister), a drama critic, the widowed lady of the manor (the producer's sister), and the help (young Gowan is soon scalded and stabbed too). While Lynley—in a jealous pique—fixes blame on the director (he and Lynley love the same woman), St. James and Havers focus on the author's newly revised work: Could the murder motive connect to it and to the unkempt family grave dating back to 1963 (and MI5 concerns)? Following other clues (and bolstering his suspicions), Lynley arrives in Porthill Green and attempts to link up the revised work (which has been confiscated by. . .?) with the 1973 suicide/murder of Hannah Darrow—back then, Mrs. Darrow was fatally familiar with one lackluster member of the Scottish theatrical entourage who played her town in stock. The resolution comes at the expense of several family secrets, one spy scandal, Lynley's personal happiness and, assuredly, a less-than-finest hour for the Yard's integrity. Clearly in the process of developing and maturing her permanent cast (Lynley; Havers; St. James; his wife Deborah; his associate, and Lynley's unconsummated love—Lady Helen), George demonstrates an unusual proficiency for dealing with lots of characters without stooping to cliches. Equally deft: the interweaving here of many disparate storylines; a Christie-crisp placement of clues; and her portrayal of the down side of love and responsibility. A major talent likely to influence the direction of the crime novel for years to come.
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1989
ISBN: 0553384805
Page Count: 413
Publisher: Bantam
Review Posted Online: March 30, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1989
Amateurish, with a twist savvy readers will see coming from a mile away.
A woman accused of shooting her husband six times in the face refuses to speak.
"Alicia Berenson was thirty-three years old when she killed her husband. They had been married for seven years. They were both artists—Alicia was a painter, and Gabriel was a well-known fashion photographer." Michaelides' debut is narrated in the voice of psychotherapist Theo Faber, who applies for a job at the institution where Alicia is incarcerated because he's fascinated with her case and believes he will be able to get her to talk. The narration of the increasingly unrealistic events that follow is interwoven with excerpts from Alicia's diary. Ah, yes, the old interwoven diary trick. When you read Alicia's diary you'll conclude the woman could well have been a novelist instead of a painter because it contains page after page of detailed dialogue, scenes, and conversations quite unlike those in any journal you've ever seen. " 'What's the matter?' 'I can't talk about it on the phone, I need to see you.' 'It's just—I'm not sure I can make it up to Cambridge at the minute.' 'I'll come to you. This afternoon. Okay?' Something in Paul's voice made me agree without thinking about it. He sounded desperate. 'Okay. Are you sure you can't tell me about it now?' 'I'll see you later.' Paul hung up." Wouldn't all this appear in a diary as "Paul wouldn't tell me what was wrong"? An even more improbable entry is the one that pins the tail on the killer. While much of the book is clumsy, contrived, and silly, it is while reading passages of the diary that one may actually find oneself laughing out loud.
Amateurish, with a twist savvy readers will see coming from a mile away.Pub Date: Feb. 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-250-30169-7
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Celadon Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Dark and unsettling, this novel’s end arrives abruptly even as readers are still moving at a breakneck speed.
Ten years after her teenage daughter went missing, a mother begins a new relationship only to discover she can't truly move on until she answers lingering questions about the past.
Laurel Mack’s life stopped in many ways the day her 15-year-old daughter, Ellie, left the house to study at the library and never returned. She drifted away from her other two children, Hanna and Jake, and eventually she and her husband, Paul, divorced. Ten years later, Ellie’s remains and her backpack are found, though the police are unable to determine the reasons for her disappearance and death. After Ellie’s funeral, Laurel begins a relationship with Floyd, a man she meets in a cafe. She's disarmed by Floyd’s charm, but when she meets his young daughter, Poppy, Laurel is startled by her resemblance to Ellie. As the novel progresses, Laurel becomes increasingly determined to learn what happened to Ellie, especially after discovering an odd connection between Poppy’s mother and her daughter even as her relationship with Floyd is becoming more serious. Jewell’s (I Found You, 2017, etc.) latest thriller moves at a brisk pace even as she plays with narrative structure: The book is split into three sections, including a first one which alternates chapters between the time of Ellie’s disappearance and the present and a second section that begins as Laurel and Floyd meet. Both of these sections primarily focus on Laurel. In the third section, Jewell alternates narrators and moments in time: The narrator switches to alternating first-person points of view (told by Poppy’s mother and Floyd) interspersed with third-person narration of Ellie’s experiences and Laurel’s discoveries in the present. All of these devices serve to build palpable tension, but the structure also contributes to how deeply disturbing the story becomes. At times, the characters and the emotional core of the events are almost obscured by such quick maneuvering through the weighty plot.
Dark and unsettling, this novel’s end arrives abruptly even as readers are still moving at a breakneck speed.Pub Date: April 24, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5011-5464-5
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: Feb. 5, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2018
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