Reviews for This Body of Death (Inspector Lynley Series #15)

The average rating for This Body of Death (Inspector Lynley Series #15) based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2012-04-16 00:00:00 Kenny Griffin Having gotten sick of YA books, I've lately been binge reading a bunch of adult mysteries. Elizabeth George's Lynley series has been one of them. For the most part, the books have been pretty good. Except for this book. First, there was nothing wrong with the mystery. I absolutely loved the mystery and the characterization. The timeline breaks were a little bit confusing, but the way all the ends tied together was absolutely brilliant. As with all Lynley novels, red herrings abound. The mystery was compelling and kept me engrossed until the end. What I fucking hated was the new added character, Acting Superintendant Isabella Ardery. One of the worst, most hateful female characters I've ever read. I hate that she's so supremely bitchy. I know that female detectives and women in fields that are generally male-dominated are difficult to portray. They have to be strong, in order to stand up to those who feel like they're unqualified for their job, but in this case, Isabelle Ardery is just way, way over the top. She is, what I would term, a "militant feminist." She can't stand it when men are nice to her. She doesn't accept general coutesy. Open a door for her? Prepare to have your head snapped off. She takes everything as an offense. She doesn't seem to be able to see the forest for the trees, and the number of times she fucks up is just painful to read. She is offensive as a character. Maybe Elizabeth George intended her to be abrasive, but I don't have to like it.

Review # 2 was written on 2010-04-21 00:00:00 Matthew McQuay In this 16th book in the 'Inspector Lynley' series, Scotland Yard investigates two crimes: the murder of a toddler by three juvenile delinquents who are soon caught and the murder of a young woman in a London cemetery by an unknown assailant. The book can be read as a standalone but knowledge of the characters is a plus. ***** Thomas Lynley Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley, still mourning a sad death, returns to Scotland Yard to help investigate the murder of a woman in a cemetery. His team is supervised by Acting Superintendent Isabelle Ardery, a divorced, pushy, alcoholic micromanager who is anxious to retain the job permanently. Towards this end Ardery makes Lynley, who is talented and popular, her partner in the investigation. Isabelle Ardery The female victim is identified as Jemima Hastings, a young woman who suddenly left her home in New Forest in Hampshire, abandoning her cupcake bakery and her lover Gordon - who has since taken up with a new woman. Ardery and Lynley interview Jemima's London acquaintances, including her eccentric landlady, two handsome fellow lodgers, an ice-skating instructor, and a psychic. Meanwhile, other series regulars, Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers and Detective Sergeant Winston Nkata, are dispatched to New Forest to conduct interviews with Jemima's former boyfriend Gordon and her brother Robbie. Barbara Havers Winston Nkata To add to the melee, Jemima's estranged ex-best friend Meredith, feeling guilty and sad, conducts her own investigation of the murder. Of course Ardery, desperate to close the case, is more anxious to pin the murder on somebody than to investigate properly, and in her haste causes embarrassment to the department and herself. Some of my favorite parts of the book occur when Barbara Havers, instructed to dress better by Ardery, is assisted in this endeavor by her nine-year-old neighbor Hadiyyah. These scenes are priceless, heart-warming and funny. George does a masterful job dispensing clues throughout the story and the ending is satisfying, a little surprising, and - in some ways -inevitable. I enjoyed the book. You can follow my reviews at