The plot of the latest Havers and Lynley novel takes place directly after the events of A Banquet of Consequences. DS Barbara Havers is fighting to hold on to her current position within London's Metropolitan Police and her partner Thomas Lynley is doing his best to assist her. While Havers is keeping her nose clean with the boss and taking tap dance lessons, a delicate internal probe has been sent to their department. She and the department's commander Isabelle Ardery are sent to investigate an apparent suicide of a suspect in custody in Shropshire. The local police have staffing issues, which may have contributed to this suspicious death. But Havers finds that the evidence does not support this theory and wants to dig further. Ardery disagrees, threatening Havers to keep her in line. When new details emerge, Havers returns to Shropshire with Lynley to find the truth. Verdict The continuing story of beloved series characters and an engrossing plot make for a blockbuster combination that will reward longtime George fans and readers who appreciate serious mysteries. [See Prepub Alert, 9/25/17.]-Kristen Stewart, Pearland Lib., Brazoria Cty. Lib. Syst., TX © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

*Starred Review* The death of a person in police custody always presents problems. Even after local authorities and an independent police commission find the death of accused pedophile Deacon Ian Druitt in jail in the historic town of Ludlow, England to be a suicide, Scotland Yard is asked to investigate. Newly appointed DCS Isabelle Ardery is sent to look into the case, taking along impetuous DS Barbara Havers, but when their report is inconclusive, DI Thomas Lynley must step in to help wrap up the case. Along the way, George threads in the activities and the secrets of the people of Ludlow, eventually tying the various plotlines into the crime at the center of this well-wrought mystery. George's Inspector Lynley series is more about characters than crime, and she is sympathetic to the human failings of those characters notably, in this case, those of an Indian doctor who overmanages her daughters' lives and of the acerbic Ardery, whose alcoholism has already caused the loss of her marriage and her twin sons and is now threatening her career. The sheer size of this book (more than 700 pages) shouldn't dissuade readers: bolstered by George's polished prose, the twentieth Lynley mystery moves briskly along, showing the author at the peak of her powers.--Leber, Michele Copyright 2018 Booklist

More mayhem most British from practiced mysterian George (A Blanket of Consequences, 2015, etc.): the 20th Inspector Lynley novel.The "she" of the title is a floating pronoun: It could refer to a victim or to DS Barbara Havers, who has been sent up to A.E. Housman country from New Scotland Yard to investigate a murder most foul. Or is it a suicide most foul? In any event, the unfortunate demise while in police custody of Ian Druitt, a respected deacon of the Church of England lately suspected of pedophilia, turns out to be grounded in plenty of motive, whether deserved or a smoke screen for another crime. Enter Detective Chief Superintendent Isabelle Ardery, a woman hardened by a horrid divorce and too-liberal application of alcohol to her many problems, for when it turns out that Druitt is well-connected and an MP has come calling for favors, Assistant Commissioner Sir David Hillier, a Yard honcho with a nose for sniffing out political and personal opportunity, sends not Inspector Lynley but Ardery to help Havers with the case, thus putting another "she" in line for punishment. George is an ascended master of the artfully tangled plot, elaborate without being overly busy; everyone who enters into the picture plays a part. Lynley is rather far afield at first, as Havers takes the lead--and given that Lynley was first introduced in 1988, 30 years ago, he's coming up on retirement age anyway. But once Ardery turns out to be trouble, enticing Havers to chug down "some kind of vodka in a glass the size of my mum's Easter bonnet" and neglecting some key evidence in the ugly case, Lynley is back on the scene, and not a minute too soon. George, though American, is at home in the all mod cons world of suburban England, and she weaves many topics into her pages, from alcoholism and binge drinking to immigration, rave culture, nationalism, town versus gown, and police politics. Oh, and there's no shortage of suspects, either.Long but rewarding: trademark George, with elements of the classic procedural nicely joined to today's headlines. Fans won't be disappointed.

Bestseller George's stunning 20th Thomas Lynley novel (after 2015's A Banquet of Consequences) finds the detective inspector running things at New Scotland Yard in London while his partner, Det. Sgt. Barbara Havers, and his boss, Det. Chief Supt. Isabelle Ardery, investigate allegations of police malfeasance in Ludlow, England. Six weeks earlier, community support officer Gary Ruddock arrested Ian Druitt on suspicion of child molestation. Ruddock then brought Druitt to the unmanned Ludlow police station, where Druitt hanged himself. The Independent Police Complaints Commission cleared Ruddock of criminal wrongdoing, but Druitt's influential father wants a second opinion or he'll sue. To Ardery, the review is a formality; Havers, however, believes that Druitt was murdered and asks to reopen the case. When Ardery refuses, Havers consults Lynley, who can't resist getting involved. George tackles a number of emotionally charged social issues with sensitivity and grace. Exquisitely rendered characters and a powerful sense of place enhance the meticulously crafted mystery, which satisfies as a standalone while furthering the series arc. Author tour. Agent: Robert Gottlieb, Trident Media Group. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.