A Suitable Vengeance [Paperback]

Elizabeth George (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton Ltd (2004)
• ASIN: B000OVMU3K
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)

More About the Author

Elizabeth George is the New York Times bestselling author of fourteen novels of psychological suspense, one book of nonfiction, and two short-story collections. Her work has been honored with the Anthony and Agatha awards, the Grand Prix de LittÉrature PoliciÈre, and the MIMI, Germany's prestigious prize for suspense fiction. She lives in Washington State.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An Early Episode, May 25, 2000

By 

Jeffrey Davenport - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Suitable Vengeance (Mass Market Paperback)

For fans of the Lynley-Havers series, Elizabeth George offers an episode that occurs a few years prior to the time of the first book, A Great Deliverance. In this installment, she provides back-story that illuminates some of the complex inter-relationships between Lynley, Simon, and Deborah. Absent (but for a brief cameo) are Havers and her sharp words for the privileges of the upper classes -- which were in great need here. George, who is among mystery writers a master of characterization, here devises a mystery that seems not just secondary to the personal stories of her characters, but even incidental. In fact, the solution to the mystery seems a bit facile. Hopefully, in her subsequent novels George will return to the approach that worked well in the first three novels, wherein she spins a marvelous mystery that any observant reader could solve and, along the way, continuously deepens the reader's understanding of some very likable characters.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a must read for George fans., July 2, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: A Suitable Vengeance (Mass Market Paperback)

Having read all of Ms. George's books, I have found that the subplots surrounding her revolving cast of characters are often more engrossing than the mysteries they are solving. For this reason, I found A Suitable Vengeance to be most appealing since the murder(s) themselves revolve around Lynley and his family. The entire novel is backstory and a must read for any fan of the series.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thomas,Simon,&Deborah:what IS their past? GREAT mystery too., September 7, 2002

By 

"lynkfri13" (Waltham, MA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Suitable Vengeance (Mass Market Paperback)

*****Perfect for all: old fans and New to Elizabeth George,too: This could be read as the "first" in the series, although it wasn't written first.
*****It is definitely one of her best.
This book, in time sequence, "happened" before any of the "Lynley/Havers" mysteries. Excellent for those Lynley fans who want to know: What did happen between Thomas and Deborah? Simon and Deborah?
----AT the start, Deborah has just returned from college, home to her father (living with Simon). She announces her engagement to Tommy Lynley. They are going to his ancestral home, bringing a reluctant Simon, and a grimly cheerful Lady Helen as guests. Meanwhile Simon's young sister Sydney,has troubles with an abusive man. Tommy's younger brother may be using drugs. Why are Tommy and his mother alienated? Who's the mysterious woman that disappears without a trace?
****
When murder happens on the estate, all these story lines converge and intertwine in a way that explores the relationships, old and new of this extended "family" .
The resolution of the mystery was one of George's most inspired. As usual, the story is so intricate, it's difficult to imagine the difficulty of spinning this web.
Even more important to me, was the resolution of, at least some of the interpersonal conflicts.
*****ok I admit, I cried at the "happy" ending***********
This is an outstanding book for all mystery fans.