Elizabeth George introduced aristocratic Scotland Yard Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley in A Great Deliverance (Bantam Books, 1988), which won the Anthony Award for Best First Mystery and the Agatha Award for Best First Novel.
She has published one new novel in the series roughly once a year since then. The chemistry (of a distinctly non-romantic nature) between Lynley and his working class Sergeant Barbara Havers is the cornerstone of the series. However, multiple secondary characters including Lynley’s best friend, Simon St. James, Lynley’s former girlfriend, Deborah Cotter, Sergeant Winston Nkata, Lady Helen Clyde as well as Lynley’s own family, his mother, brother and sister round out the superb cast of characters. In addition, each book adds a wealth of new characters depending on the crime du jour.
The Death of Lady Helen
Elizabeth George shocked the loyal fans of her Inspector Lynley mysteries when in the novel, With No One as Witness (HarperCollins, 2005), she killed off a beloved character, Lady Helen Clyde. Helen had finally married Lynley after years of on-again, off-again courtship. In With No One as Witness, Helen, pregnant with Lynley’s son, was shot on the front steps of their home. George explains her decision to kill Lady Helen Clyde in a very thoughtful essay on her website.
Death of the Series?
Some fans were disappointed with the publication of 2006’s What Came Before He Shot Her (HaperCollins, 2006) which centered around the life story of Helen’s alleged killer, Joel Campbell, a 12-year old biracial boy from the tough London neighborhood of North Kensington. Havers and Nkata appear only briefly and the book is devoted to unraveling the complex social fabric which could lead to a basically decent 12-year boy possibly taking a gun and shooting an unknown woman on the steps of her home.
The Long-Awaited Return of Inspector Lynley
Careless in Red (HarperCollins, 2008) picks up several weeks after Helen’s death. Lynley is barely alive himself as grief for his dead wife and unborn son overwhelm him. In desperation, he begins a solo walking tour of the Cornish coast.
After several weeks of walking, he looks more like a homeless bum then an English aristocrat not to mention a Scotland Yard detective. When he stumbles across a dead body, he becomes embroiled – albeit against his will – in solving the crime.
The body belonged to Santo Kearne, who appears to have fallen from a cliff while rockclimbing along the Cornish coast. The interrelationship of multiple characters with the murdered Santo becomes increasingly complex as the story unfolds:
- Santo was the son of Ben Kearne, who is attempting to convert an aging hotel into a tourist hotspot. Santo had no interest in the family business instead spending most of his time rebelling against his dad, surfing and rocking climbing.
- Dellen, Santo’s mother is deeply disturbed even before her son’s death and his death seems to be pushing her over the edge.
- Working class Lew owns a surfboard shop and longs for his son, Cadan, to join him in the family business.
- Mysterious Jago Reeth works for Lew in the surf shop and befriends Lew’s young daughter, Madlyn.
- Madlyn was Santo’s girlfriend.
Lynley has no standing to investigate but becomes obsessed with the case, eventually requesting that Havers be sent from Scotland Yard to assist the local police.
Careless in Red is characterized by all the standard George hallmarks, exquisite writing, evocative descriptions of place, rich characterizations and deep insight into the development of her on-going characters as well as those involved in the murder of Santo Kearne.
As usual, the unconventional relationship between the intellectual Lynley and working class Havers is very enjoyable to read and particularly poignant given Lynley’s vulnerable emotional state. The book ends with a lovely description encapsulating Lynley’s relationship with Havers:
- “He looked up at her. Ill featured, ill dressed, ill shorn. So quintessentially who she was. Behind the mask of indifference she presented to the world he saw what he’d seen in Havers from the first: the earnestness and the truth of her, a woman among millions, his partner, his friend.”
All and all, Careless in Red is a satisfying mystery and a welcome return for Lynley and Havers. George talks about Careless in Red at the Barnes & Noble podcast series One on One.
