Ok, so I just started George's Payment in Blood. I've read about 75 pages so far. And there are a couple of questions I'm just dying to have answered!
WARNING: PLOT SPOILERS TO FOLLOW.
Ok, so I'm only a little ways in, but what's with Lynley and Lady Helen? Is he suddenly in love with her now that she's hookin' up with someone else? And what's up with Havers? Last novel, I thought SHE was in love with St. James and had these other weird hang-ups about Lynley. Oh, I think Havers is an intriguing character, by the way. But why's she now all sympathetic and empathetic towards Lady Helen. Seriously, is Havers "into" Helen? Is this just a way for her to turn the knife a little in Lynley? So what's the deal. When my friend Zee mentioned George's novels to me, she said that what she liked was the relationships between the characters and this important past that they clearly share, yet what exactly that past is, is not totally clear. And Zee's right; I want to read and read, partly because I want to find out the solution to the murder, but mostly because I want to know about these characters.
A final note: I think that like P.D. James, my other new favorite mystery writer, I feel like George has this interesting understanding of human nature. I so much want to work on the British murder mystery (and yes, I know George is really American) as a genre. This sounds like this great way to bring together so many of my interests: medievalism, women's studies, popular culture.
1 comment:
i think lady helen is a figure of grace and kindness for havers--the exception, or the rule breaker to the eaton school boys. somewhere she mentions helen's kindness to her in the lapse between this case and the first in which we meet the pair. and as far as lynley he's typically taken her for granted--always falling back on her to "ease him" somehow. and of course not until she finds a fellow who is easing her does he realize he's in love with her. that's my facile read on the whole take.
i'm so excited by the way, i've "ordered" the next two george books --my parents will bring them out when they visit next week. i did see the newest george book in the teensy english paperbak section in the bookstore here but i'm looking forward to reading through the series.
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