Reviews

Well, this prequel fills in some of the missing details of the first in the series, but it leaves plenty of other gaps, like how did Tommy fall in love with Deborah and pursue her in the states anyway?

judyward's review against another edition

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4.0

Even though this is the fourth book in the Thomas Lynley series, chronologically it is set before the other three. Thomas, Lord Asherton, has brought his fiance, Deborah, home to meet his family also bringing along Simon St. James and Lady Helen. Unfortunately, a good weekend is spoiled by the murder of a neighbor and then the murder of a guest at Lynley's family home, Howenstow. Increasingly, it appers that a member of the Lynley family must be involved. The sad history of the Lynley family makes the interactions among the major characters of this series much easier to understand both in previous and in subsequent books.

ecosy's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Content Warnings

laurelwingcaston's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

marrbarnett's review against another edition

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mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

we_are_all_mad_here26's review against another edition

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4.0

My favorite so far, which is weird because I was kind of dreading this prequel to the Inspector Lynley series - right or wrong, I always think a prequel can only be boring. I want to know what happens next. I do not care what happened before.

I'm not even sure what made this one better. It still contained words like "glaucous" and "furcate" and one word (which I have thankfully forgotten) had no dictionary entry at all on Kindle. It also outdid itself in the "Lords and Ladies ignore horrific crimes because they are Lords and Ladies and thus feel they have that option." On the bright side the pacing was good, the mystery was interesting and the angst struck me as less extreme than in previous books.

Had I lost my patience with this one I might have ended my engagement with Inspector Lynley immediately. As it stands he has been redeemed somewhat but is still on book probation, so to speak. On to #5.

kaadie's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

Meh. This book delivered what it promised. Someone was murdered and someone else figured out the how, why and when.

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