Customer Reviews

A Traitor to Memory (Random House Large Print)

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(31)
3 star:		(53)
2 star:		(50)
1 star:		(30)

 

 

Those who are hooked on Elizabeth George's characters and closely follow what happens to them will get a lot for their money in this book, although maybe quantity does not always best quality. This time, the spotlight centers on DI Lynley and his new wife, Helen, and his superior, Superintendent Malcolm Webberly and his wife, Frances. My personal favorite character, Constable Barbara Haverly plays quite a minor role, unfortunately for me. Other reviews outline the plot, so I won't reiterate it, just say that in my opinion, this book could have done with a bit of editing. No matter how outstanding the writing (and Ms. George is an outstanding writer), that in itself cannot hide the fact that the plot is draggy and repetitious. I had to force myself to continue around page 483, although I did find it worth it to get to the end, page 719. Also, unlike her earlier books, a sentence here or there seemed a bit awkward or self-concious. If you are new to the Elizabeth George detective series, I wish you the joy of finding a mine of truly superb mystery stories, with all the finest examples of plotting and characterization and supense. However, I would suggest first reading "Playing for Ashes" or "In the Presence of the Enemy". In my opinion, these are much more finely honed examples of her craft.

Linley, Havers, and Co. are on the hunt for a vehicular killer...they need to figure out why someone killed Eugenie Davies, and the solution lies 20 yrs in the Davies family past. To make matters worse, their Chief, Webberly, is connected to the case. Somehow, the events also connect to the fact that Gideon Davies, then an 8 yr old prodigy, now a world class violinist, has lost his ability to play music.

The plot is convoluted, needing 700+ pages to reach its end. Tho there are some interesting characters, the style can be annoying---Gideon's psychiatric analysis via a journal he shares with his doctor alternates with the traditional narrative chapters. One problem seems to be that the time frame for the journal chpaters doesn't mesh neatly with the "real time" narrative chapters. In addition, I saw the major plot resolutions coming very early--which is fine if the characters and story offer some other strong interest....but I'm sorry to say that this time George fails in that department...

And for those who like to see a lot of character development with Linley, Havers, and the other recurring characters...it just isn't here this time.......Nkata gets the most action on the personal canvas, and even that is limited. There's a bit about Linley and Deborah that resolves an old issue tho....

If you've read the rest of the George Canon, then you'll like this book well enough, but it won't be a favorite......I advise new readers to try her earlier works....this one is NOT a good place to start....even if you aren't interested in the development of the recurring characters.

Eugenie Davies death was no accident. Someone struck her down with their car, and then continued to run over body, leaving nothing behind but a gruesome crime scene, and many questions.

What was Eugenie doing on the street that rainy night? Why was she carrying the name of the name that found her body? Who in her life would want her dead? And, is there a connection between her death and the brilliant violinist who lost the ability to play?

Detective Thomas Lynley wants answers, and once his investigation has begun he will discover more questions without answers, one of which will challenge him both professionally, and personally.

For the first time, Lynley's career is put on the line, as his superior, the man who put him on this case, had a connection to Eugenie Davies many years before in a major criminal trial.

Lynley enlists the help of his long time partners, Barbara Havers and Winston Nkata to untangle the web of secrets surrounding Eugenie's death.

'A Traitor To Memory' is a good, but VERY, VERY long mystery. Those familiar with George's previous works may be a bit surprised at the slow start the novel has, but as each secret is revealed, a new piece of the intricate puzzle falls into place. Well written (as usual), featuring a large cast of characters, and many plots twists, 'A Traitor To Memory' is a good book for a long weekend.

Elizabeth George has made a career of writing smart mysteries, that contain interesting characters, and gripping plots, and her latest is no exception. Fans should enjoy this new addition to the Lynley series despite it's length, and somewhat slow pacing.

Nick Gonnella

Elizabeth George is one of my favorite mystery novelists, and it may be that as a result I'm being rather more generous than I might be-- I certainly think that _A Traitor to Memory_ is the weakest of her work to date, but that's not so terrible given how uniformly strong her work generally is.

This mystery, which begins with a strange hit and run killing, takes us through the mind (and journal) of a violin prodigy, into the history of some of the familiar characters, and explores the idea of children and the past.

Strong points: complex and well-realized characters, generally high quality of the writing

Weak points: confusing time flipping and lame ending

I, at least, enjoyed the read despite the flaws.

This is a long novel. There are some thicker-LOOKING hardbounds, on my shelf, but they're in bigger type. "Novel length" is sometimes defined to be 60-80,000 words. By my best estimate, "Oliver Twist" is about 170,000 words; "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," 220,000 words; Stephen King's "Insomnia," 300,000. Well, "A Traitor To Memory" tips the scales at 365,000. I can't imagine what the paperback is going to look like.

It's taken me almost two weeks to read this book, and I've been spending a lot more of my life reading it than I usually spend in reading. I was immersed in it, loved every minute of it, and I'm at loose ends now that I've finished it and have to return to normal life.

It is a very complicated plot with an awful lot of characters. As usual in whodunnits, I am totally unable to keep track of the "puzzle" aspects. So I cannot tell on what page Ellery Queen could have solved the puzzle. What I can say is that, reading it for pleasure--well, actually racing through it because I was continuously desperate to find out what came next--I was gratified at the skill with which Elizabeth George blends the threads and keeps everything comprehensible. I couldn't figure out whodunnit--I never can--but I never had any problems remembering who's who. Not even the guy with three aliases--four if you count his cybersex "handle," TongueMan.

The character development is wonderful, and even though the mystery plot requirements mean that many of the characters need to be very unpleasant people, this is brought out gradually. The plot-specific characters seem real, I get involved with them and care about them. My right brain is completely committed to believing they are real long before my left brain notices that they are one-dimensional monsters devised to function as cogs in the plot machine.

For whatever reasons Elizabeth George lives in California and chooses to write British mysteries. Being an Anglophile myself I enjoy this, although sometimes it does get a little overdone--you know the sort of thing, "As she listened to the telly, Adele put the Horlick's on the Aga. 'Bollocks, the biscuits have gone missing. Nigel dear, could you pop round to the baker's and fetch some scones?''" In this novel, she has a wonderful American character and, in a wonderful bit of transatlantic cultural virtuosity, gives her a slightly exaggerated Americanism, an American seen through British eyes. I really like Libby, the American in question, and it just wrings my heart to see her becoming involved with that rotten Gideon...

Thomas Lynley, Lady Helen, Deborah and Simon St. James make appearances as relatively minor characters; the soap opera among these continuing series characters does get advanced a bit. There's not much about Barbara Havers' personal life in this one; I was hoping to find out how she's getting on with her Pakistani neighbors, especially Haddiyah. On the other hand, we get to know Winston Nkata personally in this one and something seems to be developing between him and one of the mystery-plot characters.

I have thought of forming a Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Barbara Havers. In the universe George has created she sometimes seems to be playing the part of Job. But George is merciful to Havers in this book. So many characters in this tragic novel end up disappointed or far worse; by comparison what happens to Barbara seems quite bearable.

I'm going to ask my wife to pay attention near the when she reads this, and double-check for me. It does seem as if there are a number of loose threads that are not essential to the plot but that one wishes would be tied up. As the book ends, there are least two characters who I am no absolutely certain whether they are alive or dead. In fact, even at the end I am not absolutely, positively 100% sure that I know whodunnit or what the motive was. I don't think clearer-headed readers will find this a problem, though.

It does occur to me that George is one of a number of authors for whom I wish someone would compile an detailed index. You know (just inventing here, no spoilers) Ian Clarke: discovers Celia is pregnant, p. 123; buries secateurs in the garden, p. 146; suspects Denis, p. 156; interviewed by Havers, p. 205; lies to Nkata about photo album, p. 280...

I have been an Elizabeth George fan for a long time, and I've come to expect certain things from her. This book did not deliver on most of them.

My biggest gripe is the ending. Don't worry, I'm not going to give it away here; but I would be remiss if I didn't describe my reaction of frustration and annoyance. I almost didn't make it to the end, and after the concerted effort that was required to do so, I felt extremely cheated.

This book is much too long, and there are way, WAY too many side characters and subplots. The narrative labors along like an overloaded freight train, weighted down as it is with all the excess baggage the author has piled on it. Its glacial pace is slowed even more by the frequent interjection of first person segments narrated by a character called Gideon, who is possibly the most singularly annoying individual I've ever encountered between the covers of a book.

Lynley and Havers pop in here and there, but their parts in this drama don't amount to much more than cameo appearances, in my opinion. Winston Nkata plays a larger role than either of them, and fond as I have come to be of him, this did not begin to make up for seeing so little of Tommy and Barbara. Ms. George needs to realize that we Lynley/Havers fans pick up one of her books out of a desire to read about Lynley and Havers, not an assortment of uninteresting and most unsavory secondary characters.

In my opinion, any Lynley fan dedicated enough to put up with such hardships to stay with this book all the way to the end is entitled to a payoff in the form of a satisfying conclusion. But sadly, the ending George provided only added to my frustration. My reaction could be summed up as follows: "THIS is what I suffered through all that for?"

I can't recommend this book to anyone except diehard Lynley fans like myself, who want to follow the whole series. If you do choose to read it, don't say I didn't warn you!

Like many of the other reviewers here, I find this novel disappointing after some of the very high standards George has set in previous novels.

I was not jolted by the shifts in time or the disjointed narration at all--that worked just fine for me. I was mostly and absolutely disappointed by what I have seen George do very well in the past: really explain characters and their motivations so that everything makes sense.

This work, however, has several characters who seem to behave inexplicably and the conclusion is so inconclusive. I mean, yes, there's a conclusion, but one keeps asking Why? So what? What for? How does this make sense? And, finally, what about all those other characters who just quietly dropped out of the story.

I agree with other reviewers who suggest tighter editting; although I was never bored and I did not feel myself lapsing into longeurs, I felt cheated at the end by the lack of conclusion. You have about 700 pages and I feel that I want, and need, some sort of conclusion about the characters to whom we are introduced.

To the best of my knowledge, this lack of satisfactory closure is NOT a characteristic of George and I have never really felt disappointed before. Her book MISSING JOSEPH was the only one I really got bogged down in; A TRAITOR TO MEMORY did not bog me down, but I tossed it across the room when I was done well and truly disappointed.

Also I am not that brilliant and rarely try to guess the outcome of a mystery; this one just seemed very obvious to me from close to the beginning. Everything that seemed obvious turned out to be just that...obvious. I like to be tricked and played with by an intelligent mind.

Of course I plan to read the next George book when it comes out. Almost all prolific writers have a tendency to be uneven.

Fans of mystery writer Elizabeth George are likely to be a little disappointed in the latest installment of the Lynley-Havers series. For starters, there is very little of either Thomas Lynley or Barbara Havers in the book, they are more or less supporting players in the drama which centers around one of the more dysfunctional families in recent literature.

The tragic tale of the Davies family, told in flashback/diary format, is ultimately gripping and very well written - but it is intercut with a real-time crime-solving narrative that is confusing, cluttered with unecessary plot elements, and ambiguous.

This long book, in need of much sharper editing, is nonetheless a must read for Lynley-Havers addicts who wouldn't want to miss even the smallest tidbit of character development, but it is not likely to attract and hold many new readers.

Okay - so this wasn't the best of the bunch - I'm still a fan, I still care about the characters, and I will wait not too patiently for the next, hopefully better, installment.

I say it up front - I didn't manage to finish this book. I fought my way through page 424 but by then was so incredibly bored and annoyed that I just couldn't go on any further. This is a big leap from times when I basically devoured each Elizabeth-George-novel. The main problems of the book are these:
- Way too much room is given to all kinds of side characters. If they were at least interesting, I could live with it, but their stories are so long-winded and boring. A large part of the book is devoted to the rantings of Gideon (not really a side character, though), in the form of a written report to his psychiatrist. I hated this technique when George used it in "Playing for the Ashes" with Olivia's diary and I hated it even more here. After Gideon needs 10 pages to describe the fact that he started up violin lessons, I skipped the Gideon parts.
- There are too many side characters. Constantly new character appear, each one with a full background story, much room dedicated to his/her thoughts, no matter how uninteresting and unimportant they are. All these new people make the read really confusing.
- Hardly any Lynley and Havers. I personally buy the Lynley/Havers series books because I want to read about Lynley and Havers solving a case. Here, they make a few appearances, far too little to support a Lynley/Havers book. Even worse, the scenes with them are uncharacteristically boring. On some pages I was wondering whether it was really Elizabeth George who wrote this book. What ever happened to Havers' being feisty? And since when is she on friendly-teasing terms with Helen? This made no sense at all and was just not the Havers I "know". The development between Lynley and Helen was not welcome to me at all and didn't fit with their characters either.
- The murder case and investigation were tedious and not gripping. The early Elizabeth George books, which had just a fraction of the volume of her later books, were absolute page turners. Everything was interesting, one was dying to know who the killer was and one was gripped by every minute of the investigation. Later books became more tedious and paid too much attention to the family history of victims, suspects and about everybody else (Missing Joseph and Playing for the Ashes were worst, In Pursuit of the Proper Sinner was marginally better). This book dives so deeply into family history that I just didn't care anymore who the murder was. There was just so much stuff around the story and so many long-winded scenes that reading was no fun.
I wish Elizabeth George would get back to her earlier crisp and thrilling style of writing. I know writers develop and have to develop, but her books just seem to get longer, more side-tracked and far away from the points that made reading the Lynley/Havers series so much fun. A real pity and a great disappointment.

I went on vacation this summer to my mother's house in Florida. She had gotten two new books for me to read--"A Traitor to Memory" and P.D. James latest. I started reading Elizabeth George because she is one of my favorite writers and I usually thoroughly enjoy her books. However, this book was way too long!! The same plot, characters and all the ramifications could have been told in 500 pages and been a much better book. I guess what I don't understand is why the publishers, her editor, etc. don't/can't tell an author that they have "diarrhea" of the pen and the book will suffer for it. Because this one did--it's way too long. By the time I was finished I really didn't care who had done what--I was thoroughly bored with the whole thing and just wanted it to end. Please somebody, tell Ms. George to tell the story faster next time. I'm sorry to say that I really did not enjoy this book and hope that her next book is better.