In Pursuit of the Proper Sinner

By: Elizabeth George

Narrated by: Donada Peters

Calder Moor is a wild and deadly place: many have been trapped in the myriad limestone caves, lost in collapsed copper mines, injured on perilous gritstone ridges. But this time, when two bodies are discovered in the shadow of the ancient circle of stones known as Nine Sisters Henge, it is clearly not a case for Mountain Rescue. The corpses are those of a young man and woman. Each met death in a different fashion. Each died violently.

To Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley, brought in to investigate by special request, this grisly crime promises to be one of the toughest assignments of his career. For the unfortunate Nicola Maiden was the daughter of a former officer in an elite undercover unit, a man Lynley once regarded as a mentor. Now, as Lynley struggles to find out if Nicola's killer was an enemy of her father's or one she earned herself, a disgraced Barbara Havers, determined to redeem herself in the eyes of her longtime partner, crisscrosses London seeking information on the second murder victim.

Yet the more dark secrets Lynley and Havers uncover, the more they learn that neither the victims nor the suspects are who they appear to be. And once again they come up against the icy realization that human relationships are often murderous...and that the blood that binds can also kill.

Critic reviews

Praise for Elizabeth George:

"Elizabeth George reigns as queen of the mystery genre. The Lynley books constitute the smartest, most gratifyingly complex and impassioned mystery series now being published."
--Entertainment Weekly

"It's tough to resist George's storytelling, once hooked."
--USA Today

"Ms. George proves that the classiest crime writers are true novelists."
--The New York Times

"George is a master....An outstanding practitioner of the modern English mystery."
--Chicago Tribune

"Ms. George can do it all, with style to spare."
--The Wall Street Journal

"A fascinating list of subjects...wrenching stories...George conveys them all with exceptional grace."
--People

"George provides [a] sumptuous, all-out reading experience."
--Los Angeles Times

Superb

One of the best ones thus far. Intense, dark, controversal, excellent and humbling. Ready for the next one.

I like the characters.

Complicated story with many characters allows Ms. George to include several themes. She brings them together flawlessy at the end.

One of the very best

I had missed this one on my first read through all of her ouvre — at first I felt the misunderstanding/ quarrel between Lindley and Helen but by the end all psychological hanging threads got looped impressively. The mystery was, of course, excellent.

I always like the contrast between Lynley and Havers.

The premise of not telling wasn't believable for me. The daughter qwas truthfully to both partners

Another good read by EG

I really enjoy the story-crafting in this series. One thing that does wrankle throughout the books is Lynley's supposed ignorance of commonly practiced country activities. In this book it's the longbow and military re-enactments. Having grown up in Cornwall, and surely having traveled somewhat throughout Britain and beyond, he would have some truck with shooting and archery to say the least. It leaves the impression that Lynley sprang to life on Eaton Square fully formed as we see him. Donada Peters does her usual solid job.