Playing for the Ashes (Mass Market Paperback)

by Elizabeth George (Author)
Key Phrases: governing core, nursing chair, Kenneth Fleming, Jean Cooper, Sergeant Havers (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
British crime writer George's seventh book featuring detectives Thomas Lynley and Barbara Havers spent seven weeks on PW's bestseller list.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
George is a gifted writer who spins rich, colorful, mesmerizing, multifaceted stories that combine an absorbing mystery with provocative insights into her characters' innermost thoughts and emotions. Her latest story once again features Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and his sidekick, Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers. Chalk and cheese when it comes to background, philosophy, style, and personality, Lynley and Havers easily forget their differences when a tough homicide needs solving--take, for example, the asphyxiation death of renowned, all-England cricket player Kenneth Fleming. The duo's inquiries turn up some disturbing facts about the cricket star. Not only was his personal life a shambles, but he had a very odd relationship with a former teacher. The case is more byzantine than any Lynley and Havers have encountered in their years as a crack homicide team, and even when they've identified Fleming's killer, the file isn't really closed. As usual, there's more to think about in George's story than simply whodunit. Readers will be astounded by the ease with which she weaves complex relationships and provocative moral, emotional, and ethical questions into the compelling plot. Another tour de force from one of today's best storytellers. Emily Melton --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 704 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (August 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553408453
• ISBN-13: 978-0553408454
• ASIN: 0553572512
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #94,622 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This is item 7 in The Thomas Lynley/Barbara Havers Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Terrific Plot But The Characters Could Have Been Better, January 4, 2000

By A Customer

No one plots as well as Elizabeth George and her books are worth every penny for that alone. With the execption of Barbara Havers, though, I just don't like her characters and find them more than a little unbelievable. (I can usually overlook this, however, because the basic story is so darn good.) With this book, however, Ms. George veers into the wierd and the absurd. Olivia was so very disgusting that I could barely finish the book despite the engaging plot. George did do a fabulous job of intertwining the two stories but Olivia was just too much of a freak to feel any empathy for her or for her plight. Frankly, I wished she'd just drop dead. Olivia, that is. I'm probably one of the least prudish persons in the world, but there are things I prefer not to read about in an otherwise first-rate mystery. The softening of Olivia would have done a lot to improve this book and render it a true classic. I wish Ms. George would leave the sexually explicit themes to others, but I'll keep reading--her plots are simply the best.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Commendable, but..., February 25, 2004

By A Customer

Numerous reviews have detailed the virtues of this work. I especially agree with the praise for George's integration of multiple plot lines and her employment of a "diary" element in the voice of Olivia.

I do have some reservations about Olivia, however. Though we may be persuaded to grant her a fair amount of native intelligence, it is hard to think she would have been a devoted student. So her level of articulateness frequently seems implausible.

The "romance" of Lynley and Lady Helen ranges from cloying to tedious. Helen describes herself as "utterly useless," and proceeds to do nothing to dispel this impression. (Elsewhere in the series she is depicted more favorably.) The best Lynley can muster is the assurance that she "distracts" him from the demands of his occupation. Some compliment from an ardent lover! On the other hand, Havers is surely George's most inspired character creation and does much to leaven the proceedings.

Despite its flaws, Playing For the Ashes is absorbing and mostly quite well written.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars more filling and tastes great, November 6, 1999

By	J. D. Morris (Berwyn Heights, MD USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

With this addition George's series takes up residence in your soul as well as your heart. If you're a new reader, start with A Great Deliverance, rather than the prequel, A Suitable Vengeance. You don't have to read them in order, but it's a good idea. In this book (like the last, Deception On His Mind), it is not Lynley and his friends who provide counterpoint to the mystery. As much as we like them, this is not a bad thing, although it may account for the seemingly slow start. But the several interwoven stories require no familiar backdrop. Once you're engaged, Olivia's tale brings enough beauty, mystery and pathos to etch her story into your soul. Read the other reviews. Even better, read the book.