Believing the Lie

November 28, 2011
Lord Bernard Fairclough, a wealthy industrialist, asks Det. Insp. Thomas Lynley to secretly delve into the accidental death of his gay nephew, Ian Cresswell, in bestseller George’s less than satisfying 17th novel featuring the Scotland Yard policeman (after 2010’s This Body of Death). Det. Sgt. Barbara Havers and other series regulars help Lynley try to unspool a tangled web of drug addiction and recovery, gay marriage, extramarital affairs, egg donation, and online sexual predators. As usual in George’s work, the process of detection reveals more about those doing the detecting than the mystery itself. Some of the subplots—such as Havers’s attempts to spruce up her appearance—lead to dead ends. Zed Benjamin, a bumbling rookie journalist, offers some farcical moments to lighten up the general gloom. Statements of the obvious (“Deborah hated being at odds with her husband”) and platitudes for unbearably painful situations will annoy some, while others will see the denouement from a mile off. Agent: Robert Gottlieb at Trident Media Group.

Scotland Yard Detective Thomas Lynley, still grieving for his recently murdered wife, is sent to the Lake District to investigate a mysterious death. Narrator Davina Porter's wide range enables her to flawlessly handle international characters, including the curses of a bitter old man, and the occasional snippets of subtle humor. In his search, Lynley encounters a dysfunctional family with countless motives and opportunities for murder. Interestingly, the outstanding characters for BOTH author and narrator are a tabloid reporter who is hilariously chasing his big story as he deals with his matchmaking Jewish mother and two very different little girls who are so winning and fun to listen to that listeners will eagerly anticipate them. Secrets abound, and listeners will be engaged to the last minute. S.G.B. (c) AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine