Payment in Blood by Elizabeth George
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Scotland Yard. The Fens. The green-eyed monster. Actors.(These last present their own challenges when attempting to find the suspects in a murder. They’re paid to…act…and be believable, after all, aren’t they?) Not only is Payment in Blood an intricately- and effectively-plotted mystery, it is a psychological exploration of Inspector Thomas Lynley, as both man and as Inspector Detective. Elizabeth George’s first book A Great Deliverance introduces us to Lynley’s kindness and emotional generosity and his ability to see the excellent in others, while still being a crack shot investigator. This second in the series delves into his capacity for jealousy and the consequent clouding of objectivity while still reassuring us that he is gifted at rooting out the guilty, but as a human, not as a super-hero.
“[Y]ou made a mistake. You lost your objectivity on this one, didn’t you? …Welcome to the club, Inspector. You’re not perfect any longer.”
And, he’s not, and this make him irresistible, and I can’t wait to read the next in the series and am glad there are 10 more to go!
Bravo, Ms. George.
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