Customer Reviews

Well-Schooled in Murder

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4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

In this, the third installment of the Lynley-Havers series, George expands upon her literary approach and succeeds resoundingly. Set at a typical British public school, Well-Schooled in Murder deals primarily with class and the subtle, but sometimes brutal, means by which class distinctions and pecking-orders are maintained. Disappointing however was the de-emphasis upon Havers, except for some interesting insights into her private life. I felt that this book more than either of the previous could have provided Havers with an opportunity to indict the British class system, but she merely slaps it on the hand with a few salty remarks. Regarding the mystery itself, George's skill at plot development increases with each outing in this series. Fans of Simon and Deborah will be pleased to learn that their lives and histories are explored much more fully than before and that these characters have evolved to become as important (if not more) than Havers. While pleased with the ever-improving excellence that George applies toward character and plot development, I hope that she returns to the original theme which made the first novel, A Great Deliverance, shine -- the conflict/cooperation between Lynley and Havers as representative of the evolution of Britain from an aristocracy to a meritocracy.

"Well-Schooled in Murder" is an entertaining and well-written mystery by Elizabeth George. Detective Inspector Lynley and Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers investigate the brutal torture and murder of a young British boarding school student named Matthew Whately. As in so many police procedurals by such skilled authors such as Ruth Rendell, George explores the hypocrisy and brutality that underlie the British veneer of politeness. With believable dialogue and careful plotting, George explores such social problems as class snobbery, abuse by older students against younger students, and the friction between parents and children. George also gives glimpses into the private lives and psyches of Havers, Lynley, Simon St. James, and his wife, Deborah, all of whom are trying to cope with serious personal problems. With compassion and insight, George's novel reveals that when people are grossly dishonest with themselves and others, they may destroy not only their relationships but one another's lives, as well. I recommend "Well-Schooled in Murder" for fans of thought-provoking British murder mysteries.

Well-Schooled in Murder is a fascinating and critical look at social class, the traditions of English public schools and the problems with having a "stiff upper lip." What is more remarkable is that those themes are developed in the context of an unusually complex and rewarding murder mystery. This book barely misses becoming a classic in detective fiction and will greatly reward fans of Elizabeth George's series about Thomas Lynley and Barbara Havers and those who do not know the novels.

This is the third book in the series. You can read this book as a stand-alone, but it will work better for you if you first read A Great Deliverance and Payment in Blood.

As the story opens, Lynley is still reeling from having destroyed his relationship with Lady Helen. She's gone off to Greece and sends him occasional noncommittal post cards. Lynley is burying himself in his work. That's making life hard on Barbara Havers whose parents are not doing well.

John Corntel, an old school chum from Eton, approaches Lynley for unofficial assistance in locating a missing student who was under the chum's care. The situation soon changes when the student is found in an unlikely place dead, nude and having been tortured. Lynley takes on the case to avoid having free time to mourn his lost love. A delayed autopsy means that Lynley has to develop a sense of means, motive and opportunity without knowing the facts. The various "suspects" and "witnesses" do their best to mislead him, adhering to a code of silence that protects their most delicate secrets as well.

As the case evolves, it's not a pretty picture that is revealed behind the "privileged" walls of Bredgar Chambers.

There's little to complain about with this book and much to praise. There's a powerful subplot about the marriage of Simon Allcourt-St. James that nicely develops Simon and his wife as characters. You also get a deep look into several other marriages and relationships. Elizabeth George seems to be saying that as much as we crave intimacy with others; such intimacy will probably bring us more pain than pleasure or happiness. That's a pretty downbeat message, and one that keeps the book from working quite as well as it could. The lesson is that we have to perfect ourselves with another perfected person who shares a mutual attraction before we can achieve happy intimacy. Even then, if we are not candid with one another . . . all bets are off!

Ms. George is equally suspicious of physical attraction. It only seems to lead to no good in this book.

For fans of taut, challenging plotting, this book has few peers. It's as though Ms. George wanted to move away from writing novels that contain mysteries into writing mysteries that reveal the darkest secrets of the human condition. I defy any normal reader to sense the outcome of this book in all of its dimensions until right before the end.

This book will haunt you the most if you read it on a dark and stormy night when unhappiness is poisoning your sleep.

I have read six of George's Lynley series (A Great Deliverance, Payment in Blood, Well-Schooled in Murder, Deception on His Mind, In Pursuit of the Proper Sinner, and A Traitor to Memory) and am beginning to wonder if George deliberately writes Lynley as a bad detective. Sure, the murders get solved, but mostly through luck or a timely (if unlikely) confession. And Lynley seldoms follows police procedure, or even common sense. In one book he has Helen Clyde question/comfort a murder suspect. I hardly think she is qualified to do so, and anything she would learn would, very likely, not be admissable in court. In another book, he absolutely refuses to listen to Haver's evidence, simply because he dislikes the idea that she wasn't fired from the force. In another he disregards evidence that would solve the mystery in the hopes of pinning it on someone with whom Helen is having an affair, thereby letting jealously dictate how he conducts an investigation he should have removed himself from (conflict of interest, anyone?). It just seems as though George writes Lynley as an unlikable, sexist dolt. Pity Havers couldn't be the main character in ALL George's books, since she seems to be the brains of this crime-fighting duo.

In this novel, the murder is again solved (and committed) through luck. In this case, a lucky, if completely illogical, suicide. The killer himself seems unnaturally lucky to have been able to drag a bound child through the school and its grounds and then drag his dead body back through the school campus without being noticed once. Apparently there is no night watchman or janitor at this "prestigious" boarding school.

And then we have Lynley completely IGNORING a case of spousal abuse (there is no justification in beating your grieving wife, no matter how much YOU are 'grieving') and actually covering up for an obvious pedophile simply because he is an "Eton chum", thereby leaving this man in a position of power over children in a boarding school. Horrible. I lost all respect for the character of Lynley and the writer at that point.

While I found Havers' home life to be tragic and compelling, I found Lynley's mooning over Helen to be childish and dull. And I find the age differences between George's main "romances" (Thomas/Helen and Simon/Deborah) to be disturbing. These men treat these women like children, but then George writes these women to be LIKE children.

Worst George novel I've read so far. I will contintue to read her work, simply because I find the character of Havers to be interesting. Lynley can rot.

"Well-Schooled in Murder" was the first book in the Inspector Lynley series that I had read, having been attracted initially by the murder's setting in a British school, rather than by the author's name, with which I was unfamiliar.

Although I found the subject matter extremely disturbing, i.e. the torture and murder of a young male student, the level of detail Elizabeth George gives to the physical setting and the fleshing out of her characters, made me feel as though I were an internal observer of the events themselves, rather than simply a reader on the outside.

Despite this, I felt the primary characters and array of suspects lacked warmth; I didn't experience any particular empathy for them and, consequently, focused my attention more on the brilliantly-conceived plot, which kept me eagerly turning the pages as each layer of the story was revealed.

"Well-Schooled in Murder" is well-crafted and an excellent addition to the Inspector Lynley series and has spurred my interest in reading other books in this British mystery series.

From the moment the reader begins the book on page one until the last word at the other end, he or she is treated to another delicious course of the author's consistently well-done writing! Indeed, as a well-written page turner, Well-Schooled In Murder earns an A-plus for meeting and exceeding the expectations of fans of Elizabeth George's work!

Ah, murder at the English public school. It's practically a mandatory setting for writers of English mysteries. And while I haven't read all of these books, this certainly is a solid example of this sub-sub-genre. There are dysfunctional families, odd faculty members and alumni/parent politics. More importantly there's the school's honor code and then the unwritten but very powerful student code. (Reminds me of some military academy scandals we've seen in the USA.)

In all events, this is a good read assuming the reader is looking for the features of an English mystery - not much gore, a bit of class struggle, a stiff upper lip hiding the passions underneath and such. Some of the other reviewers said this was boring a read. I'd counter that the book is what it sets out to be, an exercise of the mind rather than the gun.

A note to readers not familiar with Elizabeth George -- this is a series that is well worth reading in order. The relationship of Lynley and his partner, Havers, is a complex one and grows in each book. Likewise, the story of St. James, his forensic consultant, doesn't make much sense when read out of order (in my experience). This is the third book in the series.

So, want to settle in for the night and be transported to English school life - this is a good choice.

This is an awesome book. Each time I read another of her books I never cease to marvel at how well done they are. The story is complex, the human psyche that she reveals is so real. And the mystery is good. This book is particularly heart wrenching as it deals with the death of a young child. Lynley and Havers find themselves caught up in so many underlying plots, and each one, as it is revealed, is worse than the last one that they discovered. It has been a long time since I've read a book that deals with the dreadful death of someone young with so much compassion and empathy. Yes, it's dreadful, but we the readers feel compelled to read it in order to find out who did this terrible deed, and we, like Lynley and Havers, try to make some sense of it. I have enjoyed all the Elizabeth George novels that I've read, but this one is my favourite so far. We see the human side of so many of the characters - Lynley, Havers, St. James and his wife Deborah - all are laid open to our view. Hopefully, we too can feel compassion for them and their troubles.

I was dismayed by Ms. George'm s constant reference pairing Pedophilia with homosexuality. Further demonstrating her English provincial mores of this perversion by allowing her protagonist, Inspector Lynley to actually protect a fellow classmate and not disclose or better yet arrest the fellow for possessing "child pornography"(even giving it a name seems to relegate it's status to acceptable seems beyond comprehension).

I had an odd reaction to this book. I am not usually horrified by reading novels about violent events, and there are other books that I have read and reviewed and have not been adversely affected by when other people have had concerns--Martha Grimes' The Lamorna Wink comes to mind.

Interestingly enough, Well Schooled In Murder upset me very much. I am not sure what the main issue is for me here, but the murder of the child Matthew, and the graphic depiction of his parents, first happy and full of joy in their world, and then plunged into horrifying grief, really bothered me. I almost stopped reading several times, and then decided that I neede to persevere. I'm glad I did, I guess, and I will certainly continue with Elizabeth George's series, which I have really loved so far, but this was hard for me.

I also found the estrangement of Deborah and Simon Alcourt St. James difficult and painful. As I think about it now, Simon's comment to Deborah's question of "how do we get back?" is important. He says "we go on," and maybe that is the answer to most of the pain in this book.