Publishers Weekly Lord Bernard Fairclough, a wealthy industrialist, asks Det. Insp. Thomas Lynley to secretly delve into the accidental death of his gay nephew, Ian Cresswell, in bestseller George's less than satisfying 17th novel featuring the Scotland Yard policeman (after 2010's This Body of Death). Det. Sgt. Barbara Havers and other series regulars help Lynley try to unspool a tangled web of drug addiction and recovery, gay marriage, extramarital affairs, egg donation, and online sexual predators. As usual in George's work, the process of detection reveals more about those doing the detecting than the mystery itself. Some of the subplots-such as Havers's attempts to spruce up her appearance-lead to dead ends. Zed Benjamin, a bumbling rookie journalist, offers some farcical moments to lighten up the general gloom. Statements of the obvious ("Deborah hated being at odds with her husband") and platitudes for unbearably painful situations will annoy some, while others will see the denouement from a mile off. Agent: Robert Gottlieb at Trident Media Group. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Library Journal Because Inspector Thomas Lynley (This Body of Death) is romantically involved with his new boss, acting Det. Supt. Isabelle Ardery, she is doubly miffed when Lynley accepts an assignment from a superior officer that he must keep secret, even from her. The case involves the discreet investigation into the drowning death of Ian Cresswell, a member of the rich, dysfunctional family of Lord Bernard Fairclough. Lynley recruits his old friends Simon and Deborah St. James to accompany him to Cumbria to assist with the case. The couple, in the middle of an adoption crisis, are glad to help. Meanwhile, Lynley's old sidekick, the inimitable Barbara Havers, attempts to juggle a beauty makeover mandated by the stern Ardery with a covert probe on Lynley's behalf. Verdict The whodunit element peters out at the end, and the story, as is typical for George, is quite melodramatic. George's many fans, however, will be thrilled with this new episode in the lives of her lovable cast of characters. Strongly recommended for readers of British procedurals. [See Prepub Alert, 7/25/11.]-Jane la Plante, Minot State Univ. Lib., ND (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Book list *Starred Review* In the seventeenth Inspector Lynley mystery, Bernard Fairclough, who catapulted himself from sketchy origins and a line of improved lavatories to enormous wealth and a title, uses his pull to get Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley of New Scotland Yard on a death investigation involving Fairclough's nephew. The nephew, a grown man, has drowned after slipping from a scull on Lake Windermere in Cumbria, within sight of his uncle's stately home. While the death has been officially ruled accidental, Fairclough is convinced that his nephew met with foul play. And the standout suspect is Fairclough's son, Nick, very shakily rehabilitated from a lifetime of addiction. As Lynley and his friends, Simon and Deborah St. James, take on the family from different perspectives, they learn that prodigal Nick is just the most obvious one in a Medusa's tangle of family snakes. George moves Lynley from London to Cumbria for a good, old-fashioned country home mystery. Lynley himself only gets more fascinating, as each novel adds more layers to his characterization. The plot gets mired at times, though, in George's overexpansive exposition she can take most of a page to lay out a character's musings over whether to don a winter or a summer suit. Tension would be greater with less verbiage, but this is still great George. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Although an American, George stands shoulder to shoulder with P. D. James and Ruth Rendell as a grande dame of the British mystery. The ongoing success of the Lynley mysteries on PBS continues to bring in new fans.--Fletcher, Connie Copyright 2010 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

Copyright 1993 Cahners Business Information, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions Inc. Terms

School Library Journal : Gr 4-6-Mike is convinced that the neighborhood monastery, complete with ancient rock tower and 13 graves, is home to cannibalistic monks, who are cousins to vampires and whose favorite meals are 10-year-old boys. With three months to go until his 11th birthday, he suffers night fears and the dares of friends to climb the narrow wall that encircles the castlelike building until he actually meets its sole occupant-kindly, elderly Father Lawrence, a vegetarian. The unlikely friendship that follows underscores the theme of knowledge dissipating fear. While the story has the contemporary appeal of vampires and is told with some humor, it is a slight offering with little character or plot development. The narrow focus makes it predictable; Mike's one concern is too meager to sustain readers' interest for the duration of the book. And the boy may in fact not learn much from his friendship with the priest. In a humorous twist at the end of the story, 13 nuns move into the monastery, causing Mike great relief that now 10-year-old girls must beware.-Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School, South Portland, ME

Copyright 1993 Cahners Business Information, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions Inc. Terms

School Library Journal : Gr 4-6-Mike is convinced that the neighborhood monastery, complete with ancient rock tower and 13 graves, is home to cannibalistic monks, who are cousins to vampires and whose favorite meals are 10-year-old boys. With three months to go until his 11th birthday, he suffers night fears and the dares of friends to climb the narrow wall that encircles the castlelike building until he actually meets its sole occupant-kindly, elderly Father Lawrence, a vegetarian. The unlikely friendship that follows underscores the theme of knowledge dissipating fear. While the story has the contemporary appeal of vampires and is told with some humor, it is a slight offering with little character or plot development. The narrow focus makes it predictable; Mike's one concern is too meager to sustain readers' interest for the duration of the book. And the boy may in fact not learn much from his friendship with the priest. In a humorous twist at the end of the story, 13 nuns move into the monastery, causing Mike great relief that now 10-year-old girls must beware.-Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School, South Portland, ME

Copyright 1993 Cahners Business Information, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions Inc. Terms

School Library Journal : Gr 4-6-Mike is convinced that the neighborhood monastery, complete with ancient rock tower and 13 graves, is home to cannibalistic monks, who are cousins to vampires and whose favorite meals are 10-year-old boys. With three months to go until his 11th birthday, he suffers night fears and the dares of friends to climb the narrow wall that encircles the castlelike building until he actually meets its sole occupant-kindly, elderly Father Lawrence, a vegetarian. The unlikely friendship that follows underscores the theme of knowledge dissipating fear. While the story has the contemporary appeal of vampires and is told with some humor, it is a slight offering with little character or plot development. The narrow focus makes it predictable; Mike's one concern is too meager to sustain readers' interest for the duration of the book. And the boy may in fact not learn much from his friendship with the priest. In a humorous twist at the end of the story, 13 nuns move into the monastery, causing Mike great relief that now 10-year-old girls must beware.-Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School, South Portland, ME

Copyright 1993 Cahners Business Information, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions Inc. Terms

...More

Publishers Weekly In this Caldecott winner, Grandpa relives his vaudeville days for an adoring audience--his grandchildren. Ages 3-7. (Feb.)

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.