Product Description

An isolated beach on the island of Guernsey in the English Channel is the scene of the murder of Guy Brouard, one of Guernsey’s wealthiest inhabitants and its main benefactor. Forced as a child to flee the Nazis in Paris, Brouard was engaged in his latest project when he died: a museum in honor of those who resisted the German occupation of the island during World War II.

It is from this period of time that his murderer may well have come. But there are others on Guernsey with reason to want Guy Brouard dead: his wives, his business associates, his current mistress, the underprivileged teenagers he mentored—any of whom might have harbored a secret motive for murder. As family and friends gather for the reading of the will, Deborah and Simon St. James find that seemingly everyone on the history-haunted island has something to hide. And behind all the lies and alibis, a killer is lurking. In order to bring this person to justice, the St. James must delve into Guernsey’s dark history—both past and present—and into the troubled psyche of someone who may have exacted retribution for the most unspeakable crime of all.

In A Place of Hiding, bestselling novelist Elizabeth George marks new territory in the darker landscapes of human relationships. She tells a gripping, suspenseful story of betrayal and devotion, war and remembrance, love and loss...and the higher truths to which we must all ultimately answer.


From the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #79977 in Books
• Published on: 2004-08-03
• Released on: 2004-08-03
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 800 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780553582376
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Amazon.com Review
In this latest from bestseller Elizabeth George, China River, recuperating from a failed love affair, agrees to accompany her ne'er-do-well brother Cherokee to the Channel Islands to hand-deliver a set of architectural drawings to an expatriate millionaire whose plans to fund a museum commemorating the war-time exploits of his Guernsey neighbors comes a cropper after he's found dead under suspicious circumstances. George spins an intricate and lively plot that spotlights the efforts of series regulars Deborah and Simon St. John to help Deborah's old friends free themselves; in the process, she introduces a fascinating cast of secondary characters, many of whom had much more obvious motives to wish Guy Brouard dead than the California siblings who seem tailor-made for a frame-up. A fine addition to George's ouevre, this thirteenth outing in her popular series will delight her fans. --Jane Adams

From Publishers Weekly
Fans disappointed by George's atypical story collection, I, Richard (2002), will be relieved to find the bestselling transatlantic author back at the top of her form. This exquisitely plotted mystery bursts with well-developed characters, notably forensic scientist Simon St. James and his photographer wife, Deborah. Lured by the free airline tickets and the $5,000 fee, China River, an old friend of Deborah's, and her half-brother, Cherokee (their mother was into the hippie counterculture), agree to fly from sunny California to rainy England to deliver a package containing architectural drawings to Guy Brouard, a rich landholder on the Channel island of Guernsey. The drawings are for a museum Brouard plans to build on the island honoring those who resisted the WWII German occupation. When the philandering philanthropist gets murdered and the police arrest China, Cherokee turns to Simon and Deborah for help. Curiously, for all the victim's wealth, no one seems to benefit from his death. The theme of hiding-of hopes, of the past, of secret places-underpins this intricate story about friendship, anger, loyalty and betrayal. Comic touches provide some relief as the suspense builds to an unexpected and explosive climax. With her flair for language, George reinforces her reputation as one of today's finest mystery writers.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Deborah St. James is shocked when Cherokee River, the brother of the woman she lived with during her difficult student days in America, shows up on the doorstep of her London home. China River, she is told, is in a musty Guernsey jail, accused of murdering wealthy Guy Brouard during her stay at his Channel Isles estate. Stunned Deborah and her analytical husband, Simon, are soon on their way to Guernsey, and as usual in George's multilayered thrillers, it takes keen insight and hard work to disentangle the intricately woven snarl of secrets and lies that awaits them--the first of which surrounds Brouard himself. A familiar setup? You bet, but as the celebrated mystery writer's fans know, there's nothing predictable about the way George works things out. Once again, her nuanced characterizations drive the novel; the troubling private problems of Brouard's family and acquaintances must be fully limned before the murderer comes to light. That's true, as well, of the St. Jameses, perhaps the least vigorous of George's customary cast, whose investigations force them to confront difficulties in their own May-December marriage. Like the author's previous books, this commands attention. It's dense, complex, and riveting. Stephanie Zvirin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

Disappointing
I think it says it all when a reader whose favourite author is Elizabeth George can't finish this book. That's me. I have been really trying to go past half-way, where it was, actually, a struggle to get, for a couple of weeks and gave up. No need to analyse the reasons - just the fact that I had been amazed by most of her earlier novels (especially captivated by Deception in his Mind), put her up in my Favourite author box but couldn't read this one is enough. It could be the lack of Helen and Lynley and Barbara, it could be the setting that was depressing, it could be the length, but mostly, it was just boring. The characters were boring, not shallow nor undeveloped. They were simply not interesting. I just didn't care to find out why and how that person died. It's really such a pity, because Ms. George can do so much with her characters and has such a lovely style of writing. I don't know what happened here, but I'm so disappointed.

a disappointing 2 1/2 star read
I have to confess I was rather disappointed with "A Place of Hiding." Perhaps it was because Barbara Havers (my favourite character in the series that Elizabeth George has created) did not make even one appearance in this installment; or perhaps it was because the novel seem to completely lack any kind of suspense (esp in comparison to Ms George's first Lynely/Havers outing, "A Great Deliverance" -- a truly superb mystery novel, that); or because it took forever for the novel to unwind and move forward. For whatever reason, "A Place of Hiding" just did not live up to my expectations.

When an old friend (Cherokee Rivers) from Deborah St. James's past turns up at the St. James' doorstep begging for help, Deborah (and Simon, her husband and a forensic scientist) can hardly turn the poor man away. It turns out that Cherokee's sister, China, has been accused of murdering Guy Brouard on an isolated beach at Guersey (an island in the English Channel). Deborah is sure that her old friend is incapable of murder and is all for rushing off to prove her friend's innocence. But Simon is not so sure about the Rivers siblings, or about just what he and Deborah can really accomplish. And when it turns out that there are actually witnesses who saw China following Guy that fateful morning, both Simon and Deborah realize that its not going to be all that easy a task proving China's innocence. Finding a motive for this seemingly motiveless murder would be the first obvious step. And when the St. Jameses discover that Guy was not that well liked and that he had his fair share of enemies (two ex-wives, three estranged children, and a host of people he seems to have let down in one way or another), it looks as if the first steps have been taken to establishing that there may have been other suspects besides China. But Simon cannot let go of the notion that either one or both the Rivers siblings were involved in the murder, and his suspicions are beginning to take a toll on his relationship with Deborah. Will Simon be able to deal with his suspicions about the Rivers siblings (as well as his jealousy about Deborah's bond with them)? Or will his feelings get in the way of the investigation?

The main problem with "A Place of Hiding" (for me anyway) was that it took too long to unwind. The actual motive for the murder was not revealed until a little less than three quarters way through the novel (true there were a few other probable motives strewn about, but the authour, in my opinion, failed to focus on them concretely enough that it was hard to take these 'motives' seriously). And then there was the fact that the book seemed to be absolutely full of characters, whose every action was observed, dissected, picked through and presented for the readers pleasure. And some of these characters weren't even all that essential to the plot! After a while I just started skimming in order to get to the 'meat' of the mystery!!

So, if you like your mystery novels dense, where every shift in shadow and where every shade of a particular character's motivation is described, then "A Place of Hiding" should indeed satisfy. But is you're looking for a clever and suspenseful mystery novel, then you might want to give this latest Elizabeth George offering a miss.

Simon and Deborah play detective
A change from her previous novels, Elizabeth George brings two of her secondary characters, Simon and Deborah St. James, into the forefront. Thomas Lynley and Lady Helen make a brief appearance in the beginning of the novel. Barbara Havers does not appear at all.

The setting for Elizabeth George's newest novel is the English Channel island of Guernsey. Americans, Cherokee River and his sister China, act as courier's of a set of architectural plans to be transported to Guernsey per the request of businessman Guy Brouard. Guy is building a museum to honor Guernseymen who resisted Nazi occupation. Shortly after the Rivers' arrival in Guernsey, Guy is found murdered. China is arrested. One rainy night Deborah St. James opens her front door and there is River requesting her help. Deborah was China's roommate for her soul-searching three-year stay in California. Deborah feels a debt toward China and enlists her unwilling husband, Simon St. James, to aid the quest for the truth. What ensues is richly complex, multi-layered psychological drama. Sometimes it is too complex and too mult-layered.

There were a couple of problems with the book. There are an excessive number of characters. Some are simply not needed. The book was over 500 pages and it tended to ramble on quite a bit in the middle, which it a lumbering pace. The plot relied a little too heavily on misdirection that made certain elements confusing. It's still a pretty good book, but if you are Elizabeth George fan don't expect this to be one of her best.