Deception on his Mind
A Page-Turning Mystery Featuring Thomas Lynley, now appearing on BBC1 and iPlayer
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4.2 • 19 Ratings
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
The standalone novel in the bestselling series that inspired BBC's Lynley
Balford-le-Nez is a dying seaside town on the coast of Essex. But when a member of the town's small but growing Asian community is found dead near its beach, the sleepy town ignites with unrest.
While the Pakistani community demonstrates ad argues that the murder is a crime of hate aimed at an entire ethnic group, local police turn their attention to the leader of the Pakistani demonstrators, a young man who has long been a thorn in their side.
Working without her long-time partner, Detective Inspector Lynley, Sergeant Barbara Havers must probe not only the mind of a murderer and a case very close to her own heart, but also the terrible price people pay for deceiving others . . . and themselves.
Praise for Deception on his Mind
'A rich, multi-layered novel . . . All the important contemporary themes are covered and handled with a skill and sureness of touch that only years of practice can achieve . . . It all feels so right and real'
Guardian
'She can compete with the best . . . A book worthy of her immense talent'
The Times
'A gripping detective story . . . George builds up a complex picture of racial struggles and cultural differences'
Woman & Home
'A rich blend of crime, culture and class'
USA Today
'There is a mad scramble when the newest Elizabeth George mystery comes in. We fight over it; outright thefts off people's desks are not unknown; we fall on our knees and beg to borrow it . . . [Deception on his Mind] is a winner'
Denver Post
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
It's a little too long, but this rich, engrossing novel portrays a contemporary England that's culturally complex and simmering with tension. The star is moody police sergeant Barbara Havers, who's on leave from New Scotland Yard to recuperate from injuries suffered in In the Presence of the Enemy (1996) while Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and Helen Clyde honeymoon. When her neighbors, microbiologist Taymullah Azhar and his endearing young daughter, Hadiyyah, leave London to visit his family in Balford-le-Nez on the Essex coast, Havers follows them--out of boredom, curiosity and a little suspicion. She's also concerned for Hadiyyah, aware of riots that followed the recent murder of a Pakistani immigrant in Balford. In Balford, Chief Detective Inspector Emily Barlow asks Havers to help investigate the crime that sparked those riots. The murdered man, Haytham Querashi, was engaged to the daughter of Azhar's wealthy uncle, the sister of a hot-headed Muslim activist named Muhannad. Although the killing has racial overtones, other motives arise--love, jealousy, sexuality, religion, greed. Smuggling, burglary and other crimes also come to light. Hidden in the plot are subtle clues to the solution, which hinges on Muslim law and tradition. Havers astutely identifies the murderer but risks her career when she countermands orders from the ambitious, bigoted Barlow during a heart-stopping boat chase in the North Sea. This is an unusually elaborate and intricate mystery, but George keeps an unrelenting grip on her readers as the police constantly shift their focus among a dozen well-drawn suspects.
