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hollyberrybooks's review against another edition
3.0
This was a second read for me but I found it a bit of a struggle this time - no idea why! Looking forward to the next in the series (slowly working its way up the book pile) to reignite my interest in the series.
majkia's review against another edition
5.0
Particularly considering how long ago this was written, 1997, really good job on race relations, confusions, and misunderstandings.
never4get's review against another edition
4.0
I haven't read the previous Elizabeth George Inspector Lynley books and this one does not feature him, but his offsider Sergeant Barbara Havers, who is supposed to be taking leave after some major criminal confrontation left her with physical damage previously.
This story centres around her relationship with her neighbours in London, of Pakistani origin, a father and his delightful daughter. The father inexplicably gets called away to a small seaside town, Balford-Le-Nez, where Barbara grew up. She is intrigued by the father's sudden exit from London on 'family business' and when she discovers there has been a murder in that town and that the DCI is a woman she admires, Emily Barlow, Barbara manages to inveigle herself into the murder investigation. The two women couldn't be more different. Emily is fitness and health conscious, extremely strong and powerful. Barbara eats poorly, smokes, drinks and takes no exercise.
The layers of the criminal investigation are fascinating, including the Pakistani/Anglo divide in a small English seaside town; homosexuality; arranged marriage and power dynamics within a Pakistani family; a young woman born with facial deformity who is obsessed with the beautiful Pakistani friend Salah; a powerful English family intent on redeveloping the pier, etc.
Barbara's friendship with the Pakistani father from London is initially not revealed to the investigating team, and causes ructions when it is.
The end of the book leaves you hanging, because Barbara has had to actively confront her DCI in order to save the young daughter and is likely to face serious charges. I enjoyed the complexity of the human relationships and character development, as much as the criminal investigation involved.
This story centres around her relationship with her neighbours in London, of Pakistani origin, a father and his delightful daughter. The father inexplicably gets called away to a small seaside town, Balford-Le-Nez, where Barbara grew up. She is intrigued by the father's sudden exit from London on 'family business' and when she discovers there has been a murder in that town and that the DCI is a woman she admires, Emily Barlow, Barbara manages to inveigle herself into the murder investigation. The two women couldn't be more different. Emily is fitness and health conscious, extremely strong and powerful. Barbara eats poorly, smokes, drinks and takes no exercise.
The layers of the criminal investigation are fascinating, including the Pakistani/Anglo divide in a small English seaside town; homosexuality; arranged marriage and power dynamics within a Pakistani family; a young woman born with facial deformity who is obsessed with the beautiful Pakistani friend Salah; a powerful English family intent on redeveloping the pier, etc.
Barbara's friendship with the Pakistani father from London is initially not revealed to the investigating team, and causes ructions when it is.
The end of the book leaves you hanging, because Barbara has had to actively confront her DCI in order to save the young daughter and is likely to face serious charges. I enjoyed the complexity of the human relationships and character development, as much as the criminal investigation involved.
tinana's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
alaris's review against another edition
4.0
Wasn't sure how well a Havers-only tale would work, but I quite liked this one.
lolaleviathan's review against another edition
3.0
I like Elizabeth George, but I LOVE Detective Barbara Havers. I think I've found the mystery series for me. George offers me all the thrills and sensation I crave*, plus three-dimensional characters and smart plots for the gray matter. And aside from the genre stuff, it's got this whole fascinating narrative about recognizing prejudice in your friends and neighbors that mirrors the exposition of the mystery itself. And George even acknowledges intersectionality!
A note on the audio version: the plethora of voices and accents really gave Donada Peters a chance to exercise her voice acting chops, and I think she does an excellent job of making the characters distinguishable but not too cartoony.
*catfights, catfights with guns, secret homosexuals, secret pregnancies, culture clashes, boat chases, forbidden love, crazy old people...
A note on the audio version: the plethora of voices and accents really gave Donada Peters a chance to exercise her voice acting chops, and I think she does an excellent job of making the characters distinguishable but not too cartoony.
*catfights, catfights with guns, secret homosexuals, secret pregnancies, culture clashes, boat chases, forbidden love, crazy old people...
nonna7's review against another edition
4.0
This riveting book with so many possibilities was published in 1997 and deals with the racial issues involved in Pakistani immigration to the UK. Lynley has just married the love of his life. Barbara Havers, his partner, is recovering from being hurt in the line of duty. Lynley is off on his honeymoon after ordering her to take a vacation. However, Barbara doesn't know anything about relaxation. She is undecided about what to do until she learns that a Pakistani immigrant has been murdered in a seaside town where a former police classmate, Emily, is already a DI. She also learns that her neighbor, Azhar, a university professor whose 8 yr old daughter, Hadiyyah, has adopted Barbara as her "friend," is on his way to the town to act as a liaison with the police on behalf of the Pakistani community. He has been summoned by his cousin despite being estranged from the family. The murdered man was a newly arrived immigrant who was working in a condiment factory owned by a wealthy Pakistani businessman. He was also betrothed to the daughter of that same man. Barbara offers her services to her old mate, Emily without telling her that Azhar is actually a neighbor. The title is well named here - there is a lot of deception going on. This is a story with so much context and richness. It's also very long - over 700 pages. Still, it's well worth reading, but then I think everything Ms. George writes is well worth reading.
mccosgrove's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
elinevandm's review against another edition
4.0
"In de ban van bedrog kan intussen wel rekenen op een mooie 4 sterren score want ondanks mijn scepsis vond ik het toch een goed in elkaar gestoken verhaal dat me kon boeien."
https://elinevandm.wordpress.com/2020/11/21/in-de-ban-van-bedrog-van-elizabeth-george-4/
https://elinevandm.wordpress.com/2020/11/21/in-de-ban-van-bedrog-van-elizabeth-george-4/
planetdebbie's review against another edition
1.0
I can confidently say that I have never given up on a book after getting at least a few pages into it...until now. I had high hopes for this since I've known people who bought the hardcover of Elizabeth George books the day they were released. But this book was too slow. After two weeks and 100 pages, all I know is that some guy died and some lady is fixing to start investigating it. More is bound to happen in the next 600+ pages, but that will remain as big a mystery to me as the popularity of Elizabeth George's books.