Product Description

Balford-le-Nez is a dying seaside town on the coast of Essex. But when a member of the town's small but growing Asian community is found dead near its beach, the sleepy town ignites. Working without her long-time partner, Detective Inspector Lynley, Sergeant Barbara Havers must probe not only the mind of a murderer and a case very close to her own heart, but also the terrible price people pay for deceiving others ...and themselves.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2020939 in Books
• Published on: 1998-06-18
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 768 pages

From School Library Journal
YA?Detective Barbara Havers is now on her own. Her partner, the glamorous Lord Lynley, and the even more glamorous Lady Helen are off on their honeymoon and the decidedly less-than-glamorous Havers is to recuperate from extensive wounds suffered in their previous case. She declines an invitation by her neighbor and good friend, eight-year-old Hadiyyah, to join her and her somewhat remote professorial father on a trip to the seaside. Somewhat to her chagrin, however, Havers finds herself worrying about the ostensibly naive father as she hears disturbing news of murder and racial unrest in the same coastal town. She goes to Balford only to land in the middle of a tangled web woven around the murder of the fiance of the young daughter of a wealthy Pakistani business man. The plot is well developed, the red herrings many and varied, and the social commentary on the racial unease in England is well handled. Havers emerges as a more sympathetic character here, and readers get the feeling she is beginning to "get a life." YAs will enjoy the engrossing mystery with deft characterizations.?Susan H. Woodcock, Kings Park Library, Burke, VA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Popular detective duo Thomas Lynley and Barbara Havers, last spotted in In the Presence of the Enemy (LJ 2/1/96), find murder in a small Essex village.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
George doesn't disappoint with her latest mystery, which offers more than 600 pages in which fans may luxuriate as well as an impressive close-up of New Scotland Yard Sergeant Barbara Havers, the most down-to-earth of the author's regular ensemble. Fearing for the safety of her Pakistani neighbors, in particular, sweet 10-year-old Hadiyyah, the chunky, self-deprecating Barbara impulsively follows the father and daughter to a seaside town where a racial conflict resulting from the death of a member of the Pakistani community is brewing. She's pleased when she's tagged by her former classmate, DCI Barlow, as community-police liaison--until she discovers that Hadiyyah's taciturn father, Taymullah, isn't in town just for vacation. Don't think you'll easily flush out the villain here. There are many, both Pakistani and white, with greed, racism, duplicity, and sexual high jinks tightly twisted through the plot. Still, George manipulates the giant cast and manifold subplots with her usual aplomb, at the same time giving the outwardly unsentimental Barbara ample opportunity to show her heart, her courage, and her strength of character. You needn't have read George's previous books to relish this intelligent, finely nuanced performance. Stephanie Zvirin

Customer Reviews

Excellent, like all of its predecessors
I consider Elizabeth George to be the best living writer of mysteries, by a wide margin. In this book, Barbara Havers goes more or less "solo" by getting involved in a case outside of London where she is supposed to be on vacation. In addition to being a superb mystery, this book examines the racial friction generated by the influx of Pakistani immigrants into a seaside resort town in England. I can't speak for the accuracy of her analysis, but her portrayals of the cultural misunderstandings between the police and the immigrant community ring true to my ears. I don't recommend this book as your introduction to Elizabeth George's mysteries. The previous books introduce both of the main characters, Havers and her boss, Inspector Lynley. This book makes several references to the things she learned from Lynley, and to their partnership. The reader will understand those references much better if (s)he has read at least one of the previous books. However, I want to vehemently disagree with a couple of previous reviewers who downgraded this book on the grounds that Havers is a less interesting character than the absent Lynley. I think Havers is a MUCH more interesting character than the pampered and superficial Lynley. I didn't miss him at all in this book. As always, George's writing, characterizations, and plotting put her in a class of her own among mystery writers. This is not a little paperback for an afternoon; it's a real novel. If you love mysteries or if you simply love well-written, thought-provoking fiction, you should read every one of Elizabeth George's books.

Another Shining Star in the Mystery Genre
I read the hardback edition of this book last summer after checking it out from my local library. I had become a fan of Elizabeth George after hearing Derek Jacobi narrate''In The Presence Of The Enemy'', and, once again, I was pleased to find that Ms.George has skillfully blended the element of mystery with a lesson in culture, the case this time concerning a Pakistani immigrant and his young daughter. It helps the reader gain a better understanding of this particular group of people, as well as allowing them to spend a little more time getting to know Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers as a person separate from her partner, Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley, while still enjoying the thrill of helping Havers solve the case! A well-rounded piece of work, indeed!

The Mysterious Wonders of Elizabeth George Never Cease!
I have been a fan of Elizabeth George since I buying and listening to In The Presence Of The Enemy, read by Derek Jacobi, and, the mysterious wonders of this writer never cease! I was especially pleased to discover that the writer recognizes boys shouldn't have all the fun when it comes to crime-solving, as this particular mystery was given strictly to DS Barbara Havers, and it also gave me a better understanding of the Pakistani culture, as I was educated a little bit more every time I read the story, and again, it served its true purpose of being a fascinating mystery from the first page to the last!