Book Review: This Body of Death by Elizabeth George

Synopsis:  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, but 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, a beautiful and strange place where 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 multi-layered 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.


Author Info: Elizabeth George is the New York Times bestselling author of fourteen 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. Check out her website for more info on all her books, and some great Q&A!

Review:   All of George's books are intricate puzzles that unravel and a pleasant pace, keeping the reader on their toes trying to figure out who really 'dun it'. Her police procedurals are always right on and bring so much realism to the books that you feel like you are really in England, along side Lynley and Havers. The entire cast of primary characters have evolved with depths unseen by George's slight hand. While they may surprise you in this book, when step you will realize they are all just evolving based on the last book and psychological fall-out from Lynley's wife's murder. George interweaves a previous Scotland Yard case in a way that doesn't make sense at first, but my mid book makes perfect sense as you start to see threads coming together.This book doesn't disappoint-just be prepared for a LONG read, as it is over 700 pages!

Disclosure / Disclaimer:  I received this book, free of charge, from Harper Collins Publishing, for review purposes. No compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to review it.