This Body of Death

An Inspector Lynley Novel

By: Elizabeth George

Narrated by: John Lee

Length: 23 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

Thomas Lynley is called back to Scotland Yard when the body of a woman is found stabbed and abandoned in an isolated London cemetery. His former team doesn't trust the leadership of their new department chief, Isabelle Ardery, but Lynley may be the sole person who can see beneath his superior officer's hard-as-nails exterior to a hidden and possibly attractive vulnerability.

While Lynley works in London, his former colleagues Barbara Havers and Winston Nkata follow the murder trail south to the New Forest, a beautiful and strange place where outsiders are not entirely welcome. What they don't know is that more than one dark secret lurks among the trees, and that their investigation will lead them to an outcome that is both tragic and shocking.

A multi-layered jigsaw puzzle of a story skillfully structured to keep readers guessing until the very end, This Body of Death is a magnificent achievement from a writer at the peak of her powers.

©2010 Susan Elizabeth George (P)2010 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"George tantalizes with glimpses of a horrific earlier murder case; showcases Lynley at his shrewdest, most diplomatic best; and confounds readers with a complex array of evidence, motives, and possible solutions." ( Publishers Weekly)

Great listen!

Elizabeth George never disappoints and this is no exception. Inspector Linley is back and better than ever as are other familiar characters. I admit I struggled a bit with the book just before this one, which served as a transition between ‘before and after’. I even wondered if the series could or would continue. It can and is! I can’t wait to start the next one. Narration was excellent as it been throughout the series.

This was quite the knot to untangle!

I found the backstory of the baby's murder both disturbing and intriguing. When the plots all came together, I was still surprised. Cleverly done. I can't say I recommend to the parents of toddlers though.

My favorite of her novels

An astonishing layering of plots even for the master. And the way she handles Lynley’s coming to life—it’s already been two books since the murder that shattered him, and the intertwined plot of the child killers brings up and into this book the final threads of her insight into that murder. Braiding these lines of story across 3 novels is an amazing feat. And of course this is a marvelous stand alone read. John Lee is wonderful.

This Body of Death

I loved this book, my first Elizabeth George after listening to all the other popular ones like Stieg Larsson, PD James, Sara Paretsky. I did not even figure out the ending.

Good mystery.

Excellent narration brought all the characters to life. Weaving two stories into one was done very well.

Great Elizabeth George Mystery!

What did you love best about This Body of Death?

the good:
great story
great character development
good performance by the reader

the bad:
minor thing, but the producer chose the worst and most menacing music, which really doesn't translate well to the few places it is heard. Ignore the music at the end- terrible placement and not relevant to what is actually happening.

Phenomenal

Very engrossing story. Elizabeth George continues to captivate and entertain. Also enjoyed the new narrator, John Lee.

Thumbs up

Complex, detailed, psychologically astute. I enjoyed the complexity a good deal, tuning in for an hour or so every day for 10 days and didn't figure things out until just before the reveal.

There are very dark corners as well as a new turn in the lives of Lynley and Havers. Not for the squeamish. But this is a must-hear for Elizabeth George fans.

Amazing! Interest grabbing dual mystery.

Unbelievable that the audio version is even better than the PBS Mystery series which I loved. The characters are more likable (except for the criminals of course), especially Inspector Lynley. The author has very cleverly woven & interwoven the various threads of the mystery. Classically Elizabeth George introduces all the pertinent characters to the reader, we are provided all the information to mentally solve the mysteries, & the solution is revealed through the good efforts of the characters. It all remained a mystery to me until the "slap my forehead" moment.
John Lee is great & his voice modulation helps in identifying a full cast of characters.

This is a great looong listen, well worth the time.

best in the series so far

Never a dull moment, which other books in this series do have occasionally. Very interesting storyline.