Careless in Red | Elizabeth George

Careless in Red | Elizabeth George | NOTHING EVER STAYS THE SAME

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Careless in Red

	Careless in Red Elizabeth George HarperAudio, 2008 average customer review:based on 125 reviews view larger image
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Past Mistakes

Following the shocking murder of his wife, Thomas Lynley resigned from Scotland Yard and returned to his native Cornwall, where he began a walking tour from one end to the other--not bathing or shaving and living in only the clothes he wore. In this state, he attempted to insulate himself from the tragedy and escape. But along the way, he finds a body at the foot of a cliff, and, as a result he is forced to awaken to his police background and relationships with people.

Thus begins this detailed story of various family histories, past and present mistakes between and among the family members and the possible reason for the death of the person Tommy finds, which is soon judged to be a murder. The investigation soon uses Tommy in a semi-official capacity, and later his old Met partner, Barbara Havers, is sent to Cornwall by her superiors in an effort either to protect him or entice him to return to the fold.

In this rather long novel, the author's eye for detail is exhibited to a faretheewell. The reader is engulfed in all kinds of minutiae, about geography, history, personal backgrounds and other aspects of the story. But however buried the reader may be, one is not overwhelmed, nor hardly bored. The novel is so well written, the 650 pages turn quickly, as the reader is drawn forward to find out the next revelation. Very highly recommended.

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NOTHING EVER STAYS THE SAME

Less complex, but more puzzling? Is that what I concluded as I finished reading CARELESS IN RED? As with any novelist, Elizabeth George is primarily an engaging author who writes with a complex style that requires effort to read, and one who usually brings discovery, awareness and resolution to problems of the myriad of person puzzles she presents us during the course of the novel. I did not feel that way about her most recent CARELESS...; I was not satisfied with Lynley's "rapid recovery" following his Cornish walkabout, nor how quickly he mitigated his grief over Helen's murder simply by the introduction of a bright, achieveing and sensitive young woman with a questionable upbringing. Then I realized that CARELESS IN RED is a transition novel, a preparation for the reunion of Lynley and Havers, as well as the others of the series.

George's latest novel is an easier read, less complex in sentence and paragraph structure, far fewer obscure English phrases and allusions, and more road signs to where our literary journey is taking the reader. George very deftly helps us to remember those who were left standing by the side of the road earlier in the novel. I enjoyed the book, not as much as some of the others. My problem is that when I read BEFORE HE SHOT HER, I found it a brilliant and refreshing change to some formulaic wrting that had been developing. Perhaps I expected more of the same with this latest work. I would rate it high, and reccomend that George fans not neglect it. The transition is necessary before we can all move on with our lives.

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Too much Hamlet and not enough Havers

I have previously enjoyed all of Elizabeth George's Lynley-Havers novels.
After the huge shock of the senseless murder of Helen Lynley in "With No One as Witness" and Elizabeth George's sojourn into social commentary in "What Came Before He Shot Her", I was looking forward to a return to the murder/mystery genre.
It only happened in part.
While "Careless in Red" was stated to be a Lynley-Havers story, much of this book was devoted to George's examination of the consequences of the careless use of love. The author still seemed to be locked into social commentary.
I found much of this book to be over-written, with some didactic examination of the relationships between various people living in Cornwall.
This, to me, disrupted the flow of the story, and I would have felt more sympathy for some of the characters if Elizabeth George had not given them such outlandish names. Did she deliberately search out unusual Cornish names? I found it difficult to differentiate between some of them, or to relate to them.
Lynley, himself, seemed like a modern-day Hamlet, full of self examination and introspection.
It was not until the appearance of Barbara Havers that I could rouse myself to some interest in the progress of the plot. Her common sense was a breath of fresh air in a morass of self- absorbed characters.
I enjoyed DI Bea Hannaford.
I look forward to future Lynley-Havers stories, but I hope that Elizabeth George will not continue her trend to make each novel longer than its predecessor.

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