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A Suitable Vengeance (Inspector Lynley #4)
Award-winning author Elizabeth George gives us an early glimpse into the lives of Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley, forensic scientist Simon Allcourt-St. James, and Lady Helen Clyde in a superlative mystery that is also a fascinating inquiry into the crimes of the heart. Lynley, the eighth earl of Asherton, has brought to Howenstow, his family home, the young woman he has...more
ebook, 0 pages
Published
September 4th 2007
by Bantam
(first published 1991)
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Oct 19, 2011
Denae
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-in-2011,
challenge-1010-by-2020
A Suitable Vengeance is the fourth book in Elizabeth George's Inspector Lynley series, but chronologically it occurs years before the first three. In it we see the main characters much younger and gain far more insight into the tangled relationships of Lynley, Deborah, and St. James. Given how much those relationships make me want to shake each one of the players hard, this was my least favorite so far. The mystery itself was interesting, but bizarre in a way that did not redeem the book. I did...more
I think I'm starting to understand why Thomas Lynley is so messed up...
I can't hope to disguise the fact that I'm a huge fan of Elizabeth George's, not only of her novels, but her of excellent memoir/instructional book Write Away. I've learned more from reading her books than from half a dozen other authors.
A Suitable Vengeance, which flashes back to the time before the first books in the Lynley/Havers series, does not fit the mold of a typical mystery novel. The first body does not hit the gr...more
I can't hope to disguise the fact that I'm a huge fan of Elizabeth George's, not only of her novels, but her of excellent memoir/instructional book Write Away. I've learned more from reading her books than from half a dozen other authors.
A Suitable Vengeance, which flashes back to the time before the first books in the Lynley/Havers series, does not fit the mold of a typical mystery novel. The first body does not hit the gr...more
Aug 09, 2011
Lisa (Harmonybites)
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Mystery Fans
I do like Elizabeth George's style, and her way with a mystery, but this novel epitomizes everything in her Lynley series I find the most irritating. This particular book is set before the first in the series, A Great Deliverance. Which means it's Lynley without Havers. Havers only has a very brief appearance here, more a cameo, late in the book, two appearances less than a page each and a couple of mentions.
That leaves us with Thomas Lynley, Lord Asherton, up to his family manor Howenstow in C...more
That leaves us with Thomas Lynley, Lord Asherton, up to his family manor Howenstow in C...more
Fourth (publication-wise) in the Inspector Lynley mystery series set in modern-day London, A Suitable Vengeance is so incredibly well titled as vengeance abounds throughout the story. Tommy’s anger with his mother, Deb’s anger with Simon, Peter’s anger with Tommy, Justin and Mick’s actions, Sidney’s emotions, Mark’s activities…it’s endless.
The Chronology of the Series
A Suitable Vengeance is, chronologically, first in the series as it tells the tale of Deborah’s return from school in America with...more
The Chronology of the Series
A Suitable Vengeance is, chronologically, first in the series as it tells the tale of Deborah’s return from school in America with...more
Quarto libro della saga dedicata all'Ispettore Linley (e a Barbara Havers), Il lungo ritorno è però un prequel, e le vicende si situano cronologicamente prima di tutti i precedenti volumi (e Barbara Havers appare solo con un piccolissimo cammeo).
Deborah Cotter è appena tornata da un soggiorno lungo tre anni in America. Ed è fidanzata con Thomas Linley. Per Simon St. James, che l'ha vista crescere e l'ha amata in silenzio per anni senza permettersi di più, è un vero e proprio strazio. E anche De...more
Deborah Cotter è appena tornata da un soggiorno lungo tre anni in America. Ed è fidanzata con Thomas Linley. Per Simon St. James, che l'ha vista crescere e l'ha amata in silenzio per anni senza permettersi di più, è un vero e proprio strazio. E anche De...more
Yes, this book is missing Barbara Havers except for a few brief cameos, but it's still a good read and gives a lot of history about the "current" state of the characters. For one thing, I'm ashamed to admit that I am pleased that Helen is not completely perfect. I think Ms. George can spin a great yarn, and I'm really there with the characters in her books. I'm there feeling uncomfortable with the English families when appropriate, I'm there enjoying the beautiful settings, and I'm there feeling...more
Aug 21, 2012
Deb
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2012-books-read,
kindled-ebook
This fourth entry into the Thomas Lynley series is actually a "prequel." The first book in the series, A Great Deliverance, starts with the wedding of Deborah Cotter and Simon St. James. This story explains a great deal of the back story. Thomas Lynley and Deborah Cotter are newly engaged. Lynley takes his fiance home to Cornwall to meet his mother from whom he is estranged. His brother Peter, a cocaine addict, and his girl friend are also in residence, and St. James and Helen Clyde also attend...more
Nov 12, 2009
Lobstergirl
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
mystery-thriller,
fiction
Elizabeth George creates a strange universe where an assault and attempted rape (boyfriend on girlfriend) is viewed by a bevy of bystanders (all acquaintances or relatives of the pair) who bring it to a stop, but then some aristocratic code of silence (they are "all too self-servingly well-bred") prevents them from ever mentioning it, or bringing it to the attention of law enforcement - even though it happens on property owned by a Scotland Yard inspector - or attempting to file charges. In this...more
Worlds colide in this stirring account of the interworkings of families and the implications of choices made in the past. Inspector Thomas Linley takes Deborah to his mother's estate to announce thier engagement. He coerces friends Lady Helen and Simon St. James to accompany them so Deborah's father, and St. James' man servant Cotter, will be more at ease.
This weekend at the Asherton Estate presents even more issues when Tommy's drug addicted brother Peter shows up with his girlfriend. Tensions...more
This weekend at the Asherton Estate presents even more issues when Tommy's drug addicted brother Peter shows up with his girlfriend. Tensions...more
Finally we find out what is behind the Thomas Linley's sadness, Deborah and Simon's odd reactions to Tommy. This prequel to the series also discusses Tommy's Father,Mother,brother and his mother's lover. The sad history of his family affects Tommy and makes him the kind of detective that has empathy and insight--the kind that can solve mysteries that others can't. The murder mystery in this book revolves around Tommy's brother Peter, Simon's sister Sidney and each brothers desire to protect thei...more
Apr 26, 2013
Simona Mirlogeanu
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
elizabeth-george
The plot of this book is set in the past and the reader can now learn about Thomas Lynley and his relationship with his family and friends.
It was a bit confusing in the beginnig, as I read that Deborah just returned from America and that she and Simon were not together. I thought that they got divorced after the way their relationship was in the previous book "Well-Schooled in Murder".
But after realising that the plot is set in the past, it all made sense again. It was interesting to read about...more
It was a bit confusing in the beginnig, as I read that Deborah just returned from America and that she and Simon were not together. I thought that they got divorced after the way their relationship was in the previous book "Well-Schooled in Murder".
But after realising that the plot is set in the past, it all made sense again. It was interesting to read about...more
The story is very complex, one that explains the background of several characters of this Inspector Lynley mystery series .After reading the 3 first books I had trouble with the sequences of events regarding the characters things seem to be out of synch. I was trying to remember what happened to them previously and I found it conflicted with the way they are presented now. The plot in my view is a bit flat, it starts out interesting enough but it drags on and on. The characters are self -absorbe...more
Jan 09, 2012
Caleigh
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
borrowed-or-gave-away
I won't review every one I read of this series, but I wanted to add this particular one because I think that anyone who reads any portion of this series will get something out of reading it.
A Suitable Vengeance is a prequel to the Lynley/Havers mysteries, focusing on the relationships between Thomas Lynley, Simon St. James and Deborah Cotter. It also provides us with a look at Lynley's family, including his mother and brother, and explains the reasons behind the tensions there. All of these re...more
A Suitable Vengeance is a prequel to the Lynley/Havers mysteries, focusing on the relationships between Thomas Lynley, Simon St. James and Deborah Cotter. It also provides us with a look at Lynley's family, including his mother and brother, and explains the reasons behind the tensions there. All of these re...more
Initially, I was a bit put-off that this story takes place a year or two before the first Lynley novel, A Great Deliverance. I was wrong to feel that way; this book is fantastic. Readers who love the Lynley series will be happy to know that this novel fills in background on the characters about which we've been wondering. I like the Lynley series because the characters are very developed; this book allows the reader to know them even more intimately. Of course, the mystery twists and turns right...more
This was a decent murder mystery, but mostly it's a soap opera starring Lynley and his friends and family, set on his family estate in Cornwall. This book is a prequel, covering events that occurred several years before the first book in this series, so you already know how all of the drama is going to be resolved.
Havers only appears briefly, in a couple of unflattering scenes.
I find that I like Lady Helen more and more, and that I rather dislike Deborah.
I can't say there was anything extraordi...more
Havers only appears briefly, in a couple of unflattering scenes.
I find that I like Lady Helen more and more, and that I rather dislike Deborah.
I can't say there was anything extraordi...more
I find myself loving the Inspector Lynley novels...but I have to say I'm far more interested in the character of Simon St. James than in Thomas Lynley.
I've read 4 of these novels so far, and this one was far from my favorite--I found much of it slow and uninteresting. And, I thought the many facets of the murder victim were a bit hard to believe.
Still, toward the end, the book hooked me...mostly because of the great love story between Simon & Deborah. After nights of drifting to sleep while...more
I've read 4 of these novels so far, and this one was far from my favorite--I found much of it slow and uninteresting. And, I thought the many facets of the murder victim were a bit hard to believe.
Still, toward the end, the book hooked me...mostly because of the great love story between Simon & Deborah. After nights of drifting to sleep while...more
Feb 16, 2010
Jessica Howard
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
mystery-british,
2010
I think my favorite of the Lynley books so far. This one is a flashback, to the days before Lynley and Havers are partners, back when Lynley was still engaged to Deborah Cotter. Lynley, Deborah, Lady Helen Clyde, Simon St James, and others, make up a weekend party down to Lynley's ancestral home in Cornwall. It's an awkward party to begin with, since Simon is also in love with Deborah, and Lynley's cocaine-addicted younger brother shows up with his girlfriend, but it rapidly degenerates into a t...more
While I really did enjoy the characterizations, the story, and the overall mystery, there were occasions when I felt as though I were reading some absurd romance...one gripe that keeps this from being "amazing" for me. I can't even begin to go into the plot, because there is way too much of it, but part of the plot is concerned with drugs and drug users, which also made it less than amazing for me. Ho hum, it's been done. But Elizabeth George's plots and characters have made all of her books wel...more
Oh, my-o-my. It's been quite a while since I stayed up past midnight to finish a book I couldn't bear put away. This is Inspector Lynley series #4, but it takes the reader back in time so we learn how the relationship among the main characters and their families evolved; we see characters, place, and daily experience written with fine color and depth, and meanwhile a murder mystery X 3 winds itself out and among the main characters' families and associates in London, the Asherton estate, and a s...more
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I first found Inspector Lynley on PBS. I really liked the characters of Lynley and Havers. I read some of the later novels first, but have started on the earlier ones because I wanted background information on the relationships between Lynley, St. James, Helen, and Deborah. This one fills in a lot of the gaps in my mind about how things developed between the four friends. Havers is largely absent, so that is one drawback for me. The plot is full of twists and turns. The ending went a bit long, b...more
In terms of when written, this is the 4th book of the Inspector Lynley series. Chronologically, however, it is the first, so I decided to read it first in my reread of the series. We are introduced to Inspector Lynley, also Lord Asherton, Simon St. James, Lady Helen, and Deborah. These four will appear over and over again in the rest of the series. I love these books because the murder mysteries are good - you don't know whodunit until the end - but the stories of the characters are just as good...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This would have been four stars, but it got a bit too stiff-upper lip towards the end. FOR GOD'S SAKE BRITISH PEOPLE, RELAX. Is what I wanted to say to the last hundred pages.
The mystery is very complicated and masterfully played out, as is typical of Elizabeth George. But the character side of the novel is what drew me. The first three books are filled with tantalizing references to the shared past between Deborah, Lynley, Helen, and Simon, and this book serves as a prequel and fills in all th...more
The mystery is very complicated and masterfully played out, as is typical of Elizabeth George. But the character side of the novel is what drew me. The first three books are filled with tantalizing references to the shared past between Deborah, Lynley, Helen, and Simon, and this book serves as a prequel and fills in all th...more
This book is a snooze-fest. The characters that were so interesting in the first three books are made out to be weak and self-absorbed. Havers is such an interesting character and she hardly makes an appearance in this book. As for the mystery - it was really drawn out and dull. When I read her first three novels I found I could not put them down. I actually have to force myself to pick this one up. I'm not sure I want to continue on to the fifth. Is it worth it?
When you're reading a whodunnit and the crime doesn't appear until after page 100, you should take the hint that maybe it isn't the right book for you.
I've read a few other Elizabeth George books and knew that Lynley was a bit of a simp and his friend St. James wasn't really much better, but this book exaggerated those annoying qualities to such a degree that portions were nearly unreadable. The mystery, once it got going, was adequate. Unfortunately the Harlequin-style writing buried the fun un...more
I've read a few other Elizabeth George books and knew that Lynley was a bit of a simp and his friend St. James wasn't really much better, but this book exaggerated those annoying qualities to such a degree that portions were nearly unreadable. The mystery, once it got going, was adequate. Unfortunately the Harlequin-style writing buried the fun un...more
I was prompted to re-read this recently after a friend raved about it. I'm glad I did. I read it so long ago that I had forgotten quite a bit of the plot(s). So it was almost as much fun as reading it for the first time. As a longtime fan of Elizabeth George's mysteries, I've always been attracted to her finely developed characters and their relationships, and this novel provided the back story. Well worth rereading.
I like Elizabeth George's writing, and as an Anglophile I find it fun how "English" the setting is, especially given George's American roots. I enjoyed this book for what it is: backstory. The previous three books hinted at the angst and heartbreak suffered by the main characters and their respective love triangles (rectangles? pentangles?), and it was interesting to see how George fleshes out the details. I'm ready to get back to the characters' contemporary world, however.
Oct 28, 2010
Bill
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
mystery-british,
police
I enjoy the Lynley mysteries. I also enjoy the tv series, although I must say I do find Nathaniel Parker irritatingly moody and sulky. I also prefer the tv version of Sgt Havers; Sharon Small. I do find it unfortunate that Simon Allcourt St James, the forensic pathologist didn't make it to the tv series. I think, as well, that I prefer the book version of Lady Helen to that of the tv version.. lol
Una piacevole scoperta, questa autrice. E' il primo libro suo che leggo...e pur essendo un prequel, di fatto è il terzo, in ordine cronologico, quindi a volte avevo l'impressione di dover conoscere alcuni aspetti o legami sottintesi, che però mi mancavano. Nonostante questo, la lettura è stata molto scorrevole e appassionante, un giallo ben strutturato e intervallato da momenti personali dei protagonisti, che ho apprezzato. Leggerò sicuramente qualcos'altro, di suo ^_^
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Susan Elizabeth George is an American author of mystery novels set in Great Britain. Eleven of her novels, featuring her character Inspector Lynley, have been adapted for television by the BBC as The Inspector Lynley Mysteries.
She was born in Warren, Ohio, but moved to the S...more
More about Elizabeth George...
Susan Elizabeth George is an American author of mystery novels set in Great Britain. Eleven of her novels, featuring her character Inspector Lynley, have been adapted for television by the BBC as The Inspector Lynley Mysteries.
She was born in Warren, Ohio, but moved to the S...more
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“She thought about how it was so simple with animals. They gave their hearts without question or fear. They had no expectations. They were so easy to love. If people could only be like that, no one would ever be hurt, she thought. No one would ever need to learn how to forgive.”
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