Careless in Red: A Novel
by Elizabeth George
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Book Summary Information
Author: Elizabeth GeorgeEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2008-05-01
ISBN: 0061160873
Number of pages: 640
Publisher: Harper
Book Reviews of Careless in Red: A Novel
Book Review: consistently good series, very good next entry in it
Summary: 4 Stars
I have read all her books except "what came before he shot her" and I like them all. Some are great, some just very good. This is a very good one.
As usual, Elizabeth George takes us into a different world, this time the world of surfing, sports and holidaying in Cornwall off season, and gives us authentic and strong personalities in that setting. As usual, the characterization is very good, every person is fully drawn and has motivations, actions and desires that can be understood, because the author is capable of showing us how someone thinks and acts who would be usually totally alien to us. In this, she utterly excels in this book. Drawing obnoxious sullen teenagers in such a way that I could understand why they were doing utterly senseless teenager things - wow! The book is also great on drawing the relationships between generations and their pitfalls. She also shows how some tentative steps towards consolation or healing can be made, even in seemingly totally stuck and unchangeable circumstances.
The only bit I disliked, but that is truly very minor: I found her description of the Greek lady somewhat judgemental. She showed all the other characters as fallible and human, while this woman was portrayed in a - to me - one-sided negative way. There was more sympathy for the other - much more deeply flawed woman - whose sexual choices and their consequences were very important to the plot, but not for her. Since this is not a main character, I just note a very minor criticism, which I only make since the rest of the characters were so very "un-judgementally" shown.
I was astounded at how good she - once again - is at writing totally unkind, narrow, egoistic people in a way where you can at least relate for the time it takes to read the book. At the same time, she shows the consequences of their attitude in a truly merciless clarity, with all the sadness and ugliness that leads to.
I only gave 4 stars because this is after all, a crime story.
And the mystery was less compelling to me than some others EG wrote. I did not find the mystery and suspense and intricacy as high as in "traitor to memory" or "playing for the ashes" or "with no one as a witness".
Measured against any other crime writer, she would get 5 stars for this book.
Finally, I admired EG's courage in the before-last book, taking such a brutal step with a main heroine and not just letting things meander on in a syrupy way in the continuing story of the major series characters, and I like how she deals with Lynley in this book. She shows very well how he takes first tiny steps out of grief, it is realistic and it gives an interesting outlook for the series.
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