A new, large, fully immersible Lynley and Havers novel! Although Inspector Lynley and Sergeant Havers don’t appear until almost a quarter of the way through, Elizabeth George introduces a lot of characters before then and they all keep the intrigue simmering nicely.
The setting is Poldark country, although the new fortunes to be made come not from tin but from the lithium to be extracted from water under the granite in some tin producing areas (please forgive my unscientific interpretation). Michael Lobb was being pursued by Cornwall Eco Mining to sell them the property which had been in his family for over a century and from which he made his living creating tin and pewter artefacts and jewellery; however, as the book begins Michael has been found murdered, and several suspects emerge.
Police officers and suspects each have their own back stories and they are all interesting and consequently never make for confusing reading. One thing I liked very much was the murdered man’s own story being told through the pages of his diary. I haven’t seen this done before and, while he is discussing people close to him, he is, of course, shedding light on his own character. What an interesting way to write a murder mystery!
Lynley and Havers’ lives are brought up to date, and Barbara (Havers) for once gets to see how the other half lives. If they’re thinking of bringing back The Inspector Lynley Mysteries series, this story would make a smashing episode. I’m ashamed to say I had previously lost my enthusiasm for Lynley and Havers for a while, but A Slowly Dying Cause has awakened it but good. Highly recommended!
Published by Pan Macmillan
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