The Punishment She Deserves

An Inspector Lynley Novel, Book 20

By: Elizabeth George

Narrated by: Julia Barrie

Award-winning author Elizabeth George delivers another masterpiece of suspense in her Inspector Lynley series.

When a Member of Parliament shows up at New Scotland Yard requesting an investigation into the suicide of the son of one of his constituents in the beautiful town of Ludlow, the Assistant Commissioner sees two opportunities in this request: the first is to have an MP owing him a favour, and the second is to get rid of Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers, whose career at the Met has been hanging by a thread for quite some time. So he assigns Havers to the case and for good measure partners her with the one person who shares his wish to see the back of her, Detective Chief Superintendent Isabelle Ardery.

But Ardery has her own difficulties. She is not happy to be sent away from London and as a result is in a rush to return. This causes her to overlook certain uncomfortable facts. Soon, the case is opened again and this time, it is Lynley who must accompany Havers to Ludlow, with little more than a week to save the Met's reputation and Barbara's job. And the more they investigate, the more it looks as if the suicide was part of a much more sinister pattern of events.©2018 Susan Elizabeth George

Critic reviews

Rich with descriptive detail and emotional nuance. Several alternating plot threads unspool at length, all of which weave tightly together with pleasing inevitability . . . What has been said before deserves repeating: From suspense to social commentary, from violence to pathos, from villainy to possible redemption, Ms. George can do it all, with style.

Bolstered by George's polished prose, the twentieth Lynley mystery moves briskly along, showing the author at the peak of her powers.

She's a designer of fastidious mosaics that never fail to intrigue

Presses all the buttons to make us hoover her stuff up

She writes extremely well, plots brilliantly and reaches an emotional level deeper than most

The best plotter in the mystery game, [her] elegant literate flow puts many Brits to shame

The pursuit of excitement

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

Those readers who are not expecting the style of Elizabeth George's earlier novels.

What was most disappointing about Elizabeth George’s story?

The change from her earlier style by the inclusion of multiple descriptions of sexual activity. Little is left to the reader's imagination. In addition, the increasingly bizarre actions of two of the police characters go far beyond what would be tolerated in any organisation. There would be much earlier and stronger intervention in such hierarchical structure. There were also subplots with sentimental or improbable resolutions. Most characters seemed exaggerated some to the point of being unidimensional.

What about Julia Barrie’s performance did you like?

I think her performance enabled easy identification of characters, but she did not capture the style of Thomas Lynley. I may be influenced by my liking of narrators of earlier books.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

The description of the meeting between Jasmine and her parents showed what the author can do.

Terrific read

The fully rounded characters bring this intricate plot to life... couldn’t stop listening, loved it.

Outstanding

Another wonderful story by Ms George. never a dull moment with interesting twists and turns. the narrator is fantastic.