Believing the Lie [Brossura]

Elizabeth George, in "Believing the Lie," examines how base emotions--greed, jealously, vengefulness, and lust, to name a few--destroy relationships and lives. The story focuses on the dysfunctional Faircloughs, whose patriarch, Bernard, married a wealthy woman and has run a successful family business for years. When a member of the clan dies in an apparent accident, Bernard calls in a favor. At his behest, Assistant Commissioner Sir David Hillier dispatches Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley of New Scotland Yard to Cumbria to discreetly look into the matter. With the help of his old friends, forensic specialist Simon St. James and Simon's wife, Deborah, Tommy tries to determine if someone had the motive, means, and opportunity to orchestrate the victim's death.

"Believing the Lie" is a lengthy, complex, and melodramatic tale that picks up some of the threads left dangling in the previous installment. Tommy, a grieving widower, uncharacteristically throws himself into an imprudent love affair. Deborah and Simon are despondent over her inability to bear a child. In addition, the self-deprecating, lonely, and good-hearted DS Barbara Havers is once again involved in the ups and downs of her neighbor, Taymullah Azhar, his partner, Angelina Upman, and their adorable daughter, Hadiyyah. Tommy, Deborah, Simon, and Barbara join forces to uncover the secrets of the Fairclough clan. Unfortunately, their efforts may ultimately do more harm than good.

The author has created a large and juicy cast. Among them are: Bernard's squabbling adult children; an ambitious but inept reporter; a monstrous mother; a gorgeous but reticent Argentinean woman; and an impulsive fourteen-year-old boy who soothes his emotional pain by injuring himself and behaving recklessly. This is more soap opera than whodunit, since prurient revelations, not sleuthing, dominate the proceedings. Lynley and company spend a great deal of time asking repetitive questions and, in the case of Havers, conducting endless Internet searches.

Ms. George is a skilled writer who beautifully integrates setting and story (readers will be tempted to visit the Lake District thanks to her evocative descriptions of the gorgeous English countryside), and she includes some delightful moments of much-needed humor. Although "Believing the Lie" holds our attention, it is weakened by an over-the-top plot and a surplus of angst-ridden characters who make one foolish mistake after another. Fans will welcome the return of Lynley, Simon, Deborah, and Barbara, but "Believing the Lie" has too much sensationalism and too little depth to rank among George's best work. (Three and a half stars.)

If you don't have time to read this review, let me distill it down to four words: Don't Buy This Book.

With that said, I will cut right to the chase: this was the most boring book I've ever read. I was disappointed each night that I had to power up my Kindle and read it due to my stupid rule, which today I rue, that I will finish any book that I start. Yes, I realize this sounds kind of mean, but it's true, and I don't want it to happen to you.

I'm a George fan, always have been. But the wheels have come off for this series, with characters I barely recognize and who no longer seem to have redeeming characteristics. I'll admit that I remained optimistic after her last book, though it was only mediocre. But this book is the second strike. We have Lynley, who now lacks any judgment at all in his personal and professional affairs. He comes off in this book as utterly clueless and fairly unlikeable. Deborah is now so self-absorbed that she is nearly intolerable, while Simon putters around doing everyone's bidding. The rationalizations of these characters for their behavior in this book is laughable. You will wish to slap each and every one of them. So, while the characters are stinking up the joint, can the plot save them? Not in this book, baby. There *is* no plot, and I do not exaggerate. There is nothing...nothing at all going on in this book. You will read it and wish you had some drying paint to watch.

The thing that annoyed me the most about the book was that the only pages worth reading are the last ten. There, George casts a nearly irresistable hook into the water. Will I buy the next one because of it? I'm the forgiving kind, so I'll bet I will. But if that's the third strike, George is out.

I agree with other readers that the series is somewhat in decline, but I still enjoy the masterful writing skills employed by Elizabeth George. "Believing The Lie" is really more an exploration of the various ways that people deceive both themselves and others (and how that deceit comes back to haunt them) than it is a traditional mystery. If you are looking for a fast-paced whodunit and if you are not already familiar with the characters in the Lynley series than you probably won't like this book. If you enjoy George's writing style and her ability to spin a solid and engrossing tale, "Believing The Lie" delivers. I will continue to read Elizabeth George and she ends the book with a twist that will intrigue devoted fans of the series.