Careless in Red: A Novel

This novel has a cast with too many supporting characters.It needs a table in the front to list who is related to whom.
The opening chapters in particular lack sufficient focus to hold one's interest.
Not her best novel by any means.She now has stiff competition from other British police procedural writers such as Graham Hurley,whose principal characters are generally more believable,don't have titles,don't live in South Kensington

I started to bail on this book several times, and now I wish I had. I was intrigued by Santo's murder, since initially he didn't seem to be one who had enemies. This book is way too long. Should have been edited to make it cleaner and quicker. I like my mysteries to zip along more than this lumbering tale. I wish it were tighter, with fewer characters. Definitely one of the plot lines did not move the story along. The ending was unremarkable.

Elizabeth George in my favorite writer, and I purchased "Careless in Red" the day it came out. I was so disappointed in the reviews that it took awhile for me to start it. Big mistake. I thought it was terrific. Perhaps not quite in the league with "Playing for the Ashes" or "Deception of his Mind", but close enough. First, I did not find the characters names hard to remember, or the plot hard to follow. If you are writing about people who live in Cornwall, Tom, Dick and Harriet are not realistic choices. While I did eventually guess the murderer, it took awhile, and certainly made sense. I never found the "who" to be really important in an Elizabeth George novel, but rather the "why".

Second, I found her group of primary and secondary characters to be very appealing and sympathetic. More so then in most of her book. Reviewers who complained, surely could not be regular readers. Elizabeth George's topics have always been realistic, and some of her themes are not pretty.

Third, what do you do with a character who has lost his beloved wife and son in such a horrible manner. To me, having Lynley walk for 43 days until he stumbles upon a body, is as good as any other means for opening the book. I certainly would not have expected him to hit the bars or the booze. I liked Helen and will miss her. During the last 2 years, I have periodically re-read all 13 books, and realize while Helen may have appeared to be fluff on the outside, she was a class act with a strong inner core. I felt the same way about Daidre, who was also a class act, in different ways. She appeared to be exactly what Lynley needed to come back to the world of the living. There was nothing improper about their relationship, as some reviews have suggested. I wondered if she would reappear in future books, much down the road, as their differences would be interesting to see play out on paper. Yes, Havers comes back to aid her dear friend, and as always she is perfect. I did not like Bea, as much as some readers. At times, she appeared too much like (not in looks)to Havers, and there can only be one. With the exception of "A Place of Hiding" all of Elizabeth George's books are 4 to 5 star rating. My only criticism is that it was Helen, not Deborah, who was done away with. I can not figure out what two such dreamy men could see in such a boring, dim-wit women. 13 books, no growth, no personality, leads to boring story-line.

For the record, the three is based solely on the fact that like it or not the woman is a bloody brilliant writer...Now having said that.. I will take up the choice of my title...;-) I now see why a fan can learn to hate the writer... although hate is not truly how I feel, I am still not over the killing of Helen (and I speak for many of us) but also that ridiculous attempt at social statement, trying to in some way let us the readers understand, quote "what came before he shot her" unquote...a total rip off for consumers as these books are not cheap, and falsely called a Lynley/Havers novel.. to which I still take umbrage.. 'Whatever'..as in another review I wrote, I say to her: "Ms George you developed your popularity based on serial detective novels.. Dickens you are not".... But let me get back to 'Careless in Red' The only saving grace for me about this novel was the truly realistic suffering on the part of Thomas Lynley... I needed that catharsis myself.. although some readers felt it out of place, I felt it the only wise thing she has done since before the deed itself.. Why, because he was suffering unbearably just like many of us, at the loss of our beloved Helen and her unborn child.. and in doing so it made Ms George accountable for having inflicted this upon him in the first place...As a writer she must have some bond with Lynley, and so now she must look at what she caused by her decision...
The book as a whole botherd me for many reasons..Mainly most of the characters were so annoying... and self pitying.. I could go on.. As for the end of the book with a murderer getting away..another, Whatever... But I am at the mercy of the writer, because, as most fans will agree, like it or not, any book with our Barbara in it is a must read... ;-)

Really? You guys liked this book? Unfortunately for me, I read this one after I read Playing for the Ashes and a third one - can't remember the title - In all three, the author is definitely out to get the sexually adventerous libertines of the world, even if it ultimately has nothing to do with the plot (the third one I read....the one where Lynley goes to Scotland and the two young people die out on the rocky hills somewhere). Anyway, I was puzzled by the author's apparent moralistic self-righteousness until I saw of list of books by her on Amazon which includes something about loving God with all you mind. Oh, well, that explains it. Elizabeth, relax and live a little. Jesus Christ!