A Traitor to Memory by Elizabeth George Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of A Traitor to Memory
Book Review: Elizabeth George for Ruth Rendell fans
Summary: 4 Stars
Summary: A woman is killed by a hit-and-run driver, but it doesn't take the police long to discover that she was deliberately murdered. Lynley, Havers, and Nkata are called in on the case, primarily because Lynley can be relied upon to discreet. We soon discover why the discretion is necessary, since the victim is a woman with whom Lynley's immediate supervisor had an affair years ago.The victim is also the mother of a murdered Down's syndrome baby who had been killed twenty years before. The investigation, and the plot of the book, quickly focus on those events from twenty years before. The murdered baby had a brother who was a violin prodigy, and who has now (at the age of 28) suddenly lost his ability to play. About a third of the book is told through his eyes, as he tried to uncover his memories with the help of a psychiatrist.
As with all Elizabeth George novels, this one is richly populated with thought-provoking events and characters. The mystery is complex and fascinating. The writing is superb. But this time there is more of a pervasive sense of gloom, with characters that are almost all unhappy or emotionally disturbed in some way. There is, to me, a strong echo of Ruth Rendell in this book, although Elizabeth George is a much better writer than Rendell. If you LIKE the Rendell approach to mysteries (which I don't), then you will probably like this one better than any of the previous ten Lynley/Havers novels. But I am one of those superficial people who like happy endings and happy characters, even if I realize that in reality, murders don't produce much happiness. So, I didn't finish this novel with the same sense of deep satisfaction that I feel at the end of most other Elizabeth George books.
Book Review: Elizabeth George is usually a good read
Summary: 3 Stars
Elizabeth George is usually a good read, this one is partially an exception. Be ready to slog through even when it gets a little too verbose--and not the least bit interesting. Quite a bit of the book could have gone a little faster or been edited down. Gideon, while interesting, isn't so interesting as to be worth the majority of the book--in fact he only becomes interesting in the last few pages. All in all, the book is worth it if you have a long flight or car trip. It is not the one to choose if you are new to Elizabeth George, nor if you are expecting George's usual level of writing.Book Review: Expect the Unexpected
Summary: 2 Stars
If you're a huge EG fan, as I am, this book will not be what you've come to expect from her series. It took me a few weeks to blast through her entire series -- I was hooked at Book One. So, this new one was eagerly awaited, but sadly it disappointed. It's hugely confusing, and really didn't present any sympathetic characters. The lack of detail about Havers and Lynley left this book feeling flat. I think Peach (the St. James' dog) had more exposure than St. James.Book Review: Favorite Elizabeth George mystery
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the best one yet. So, many separate character lines! I have lost so much sleep! I can't put it down!!!!!!!! As she develops each person's story I am so engrossed that I'm almost angry when the story switches to another person, but then that plot development is too interesting to leave it. (If I had to find any fault it would be that I just didn't care about Helen's pregnancy.)Book Review: Gab, Gab, Gab!
Summary: 2 Stars
First of all, like most books this one started off slow, but not just slow, ungodly slow. I think the overall point in this book was to make it just as long as possible! For 1000+ pages, there is about 5% content, the rest is 2 detectives not coming up with anything. You could seriously read the first 50 pages and last 10 and wash out the rest of the 900. It's to say the least FRUSTRATING. You keep thinking it's going to get juicy, but it just sits there and people keep TALKING. The worst of all, the ending is just horrid. Smart girl that wrote the book, likes to show off her fancy vocabulary, but Please do yourself a favor and save your money.