Customer Reviews

In the Presence of the Enemy

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I have been an Elizabeth George fan since high school, as she is the wife of my former high school principal. She very simply blew me away, with this one. I was in the Phoenix airport waiting for my plane to take off in bad weather, when approaching the climax of this book. The passengers beside me must have thought me a fright, when I literally gasped a "Oh No!" This book had me so completely caught up in the moment, a freight train could have barrelled through the cab of the plane without a wince from me. I love the way Barbara Havers begins to come into her own here and as always, Detective Thomas Lynley is at his charming and sensual best. I have often said, the idea of a perfect man, is what Lynley possesses. Thank you Ms. George, for another wonderful glimpse into the Britain that I love so dearly.

After a disappointing turn with Playing for the Ashes, George goes back to the creativity and readability that she showed in Missing Joseph. Equally pleasing is the emphasis on Barbara Havers (for those of us who are fans of the character). The supporting characters are well-drawn and in Eve Bowen, George has designed one of the most coolly evil characters I have ever encountered. Additionally, the careful reader is rewarded with a mystery that, while not simplistic, can be figured out before the perpetrator is revealed. Like most of the Lynley/Havers novels, this one delivers.

The genius behind Presence of the Enemy is the in-depth and comprehensive character analysis. Too many mysteries are driven by a contrived puzzle or by a shoot-em-up mentality. The real mystery in Presence of the Enemy is not the mechanics of the situation, but is the complicated entanglements of men and women's hearts. Transcending genre fiction, it is a true work of art.

Ms. George just gets better and better. I read one of her books by accident and enjoyed it so much that I went back to the first Lynley/Havers book and am reading them in sequence. Each stands alone, but it is fun to watch the characters develop. This book is the best one yet. Complicated plot with no loose ends, well written fiction as well as a good whodunit. Definitely worth reading!

Elizabeth George is the best living writer of mysteries in the English-speaking world, period. And this book, like all the others in the Lynley-Havers series, establishes her status at the top of the rankings once again.

Thumbnail plot sketch: A child is kidnapped. The child was the result of a week-long tryst years before, and the two parents have since both risen to prominence, but in very different ways. The mother (with whom the child lives) is a prominent and ambitious Tory politician. The father is the editor of a scandal sheet. The mother wants nothing to do with the father, and his paternity has never been publicly acknowledged.

When the child is kidnapped, the kidnapper insists that the father acknowledge the child or else the child will be murdered. The father is entirely willing to agree to the demand, but the mother is not - and believes that in fact the father himself is behind the kidnapping.

To relate much more of the plot would be to spoil it for the reader. But Lynley and Havers eventually get involved in the case, and there is the usual wonderful writing, complex plot, and rich characterizations that we always get in Elizabeth George's books.

I actually think this book is slightly weaker than some of George's other work, because to me the fundamental premises don't ring true. The mother's reasons for not wanting the father to acknowledge his paternity are unconvincing (to me, anyway), and the ultimate explanation for the crime has an implausible motive. Furthermore, as a frequent reader of crime novels I get very tired of the constant portrayal of all conservative politicians as hypocritical scoundrels. Some real life conservative politicians may well BE hypocritical scoundrels. But it has gotten to the point where you know immediately upon being introduced to the character, that (s)he will turn out to be a contemptible example of humanity.

That sounds like an awful lot of complaints for a five-star book, but George is just too talented, her writing too beautiful and too intelligent, to rate this anything but five stars. And please make sure you read it all the way to the end. If you can get through the last two paragraphs without tears, then you are heartless.

The Inspector Lynley/Barbara Havers series is listed under mysteries but they are splendid works of fiction that happen to be mysteries. "In the Presence of the Enemy" can be read without doing the whole series but you will surely want to go back to the beginning and read all the books after you have read this one.

Elizabeth George draws her characters in well-defined strokes making them interesting and very human, even the bad guys. The private as well as the professional lives of Inspector Lynley and Barbara Havers are also very well done. He, an English lord who happens to be a police detective, and she, from what may be called the other side of the tracks, each bring their own life experiences and prejudices (especially Barbara) to their work.

A child has been kidnapped. She is the daughter of a female member of Parliament who has no trouble using the girl as a prop for her career. The father is the editor of a scandal driven newspaper who receives a note instructing him to publish the story of his "first born" or he will not get the child back. The problem is that Mom and Dad are not married, they simply got together for a sex-filled weekend during a political conference years before. Dad has never met his daughter. Making matters worse, Mom is absolutely certain that Dad is behind the kidnapping and insists he is out to ruin her career and keep her from advancing in government. Dad wants the girl safely returned but he needs to keep news of her existence from his wife and young son who are not aware of her existence.

Lynley and Havers make a delayed appearance in this story because friends are quietly called on to try and find the girl without going to the police. Politcal Mom doesn't want a scandal. Lynley is understandably furious when he discovers what has been happening.

Some of the stories in this series have been filmed and are being shown on U.S. tv. They are fine in and of themselves but the richness of the characters and the fine plotting are very much diluted in the tv versions. The book is the real treasure.

(Paperback version.)
This mystery suspense thriller opens with the kidnapping of Charlotte, a.k.a. Lottie, a.k.a. Charlie, the ten-year old daughter of Eve Bowen, the Undersecretary of State for Britain's Home Office. Lottie, we soon discover, is the result of a brief but torrid romance with one Dennis Luxford while Eve attended a political conference eleven years previous. Now, Dennis is the editor in chief of The Source, a "tawdry and noisome" tabloid that has achieved spectacular gains in circulation by exposing the scandalous behavior of Eve's peers in the Tory government. The kidnapper is demanding that Luxford acknowledge his firstborn child on the front page of The Source. The problem is no one except Eve and Luxford are supposed to know that he is Lottie's daddy, and be it known, Eve's political career will be ruined. Certain that Luxford has staged Lottie's disappearance so he can print her humiliating disgrace, Eve hardly acknowledges that "she's gone missing." But the reader knows Dennis is innocent.

Elisabeth George develops this confused situation into an intricate and superbly plotted mystery with well-developed characters and rich dialogue. George writes in the King's (or is it the Queen's?) English, though. You might wonder what's going on when the sprat is told to shut his gob or he'll be gated for talking bosh. But then, it's a mystery isn't it.

Whether or not you're a fan of British mystery genre novels, this is a highly recommended read.

Elizabeth George is at the height of her impressive narraive powers in this great novel. IN THE PRESENCE OF THE ENEMY is beautifully constructed. Everything comes together at the end and no question is lef unanswered. The mystery is absolutely gripping.

Barbara Havers receives a lot of attention in this novel. In my opinion, she is the most complex and unique character you can find in any popular mystery series currently out. It is great that this novel offers the readers a chance to learn more about this fascinating character.

Fast moving, got to like the character Barbara Havers so much. Had no idea this was part of a large series until I went to look for more titles by same author. To my mind Elizabeth George is far superior to Nora Roberts, Iris Johansen, Mary Higgins Clark, or Sue Grafton who seem too formulaic after you read George. She is just much better at drawing characters that live and breathe. You're not just reading a book about them, you're in their company.

I thought the book was masterfully written, with excellent pacing and suspense. I really got caught up in it. But like other reviewers, I found basics of the plot seriously flawed. Luxford could have printed his story any time, without permission from Eve - consequently, her reactions were not plausible. Moreover, if someone wanted to press Luxford to print a story, why not immediately kidnap *his* child. And why didn't anyone realize the obvious fact that his child was at risk too and needed special protection? I found the resolution similarly illogical and disappointing. It was like taking a long and interesting journey in anticipation of a marvelous destination. Then the destination turns out not to exist and one must be content with the journey itself.