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Believing the Lie: A Lynley Novel by…
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Believing the Lie: A Lynley Novel (original 2012; edition 2012)

by Elizabeth George (Author)

Series: Lynley & Havers (17)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
1,5427611,569 (3.58)60
In this novel Inspector Thomas Lynley is mystified when he's sent undercover to investigate the death of Ian Cresswell at the request of the man's uncle, the wealthy and influential Bernard Fairclough. The death has been ruled an accidental drowning, and nothing on the surface indicates otherwise. But when Lynley enlists the help of his friends Simon and Deborah St. James, the trio's digging soon reveals that the Fairclough clan is awash in secrets, lies, and motives. Deborah's investigation of the prime suspect, Bernard's prodigal son Nicholas, a recovering drug addict, leads her to Nicholas' wife, a woman with whom she feels a kinship, a woman as fiercely protective as she is beautiful. Lynley and Simon delve for information from the rest of the family, including the victim's bitter ex-wife and the man he left her for, and Bernard himself. As the investigation escalates, the Fairclough family's veneer cracks, with deception and self-delusion threatening to destroy everyone from the Fairclough patriarch to Tim, the troubled son Ian left behind.… (more)
Member:kkelley1226
Title:Believing the Lie: A Lynley Novel
Authors:Elizabeth George (Author)
Info:Dutton (2012), Edition: 1st, 610 pages
Collections:Your library
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Believing the Lie by Elizabeth George (2012)

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Showing 1-5 of 68 (next | show all)
Another intriguing and confusing addition to the series. Confusing, in a good way, as you're never sure what will happen next. Lots of character development for Lynly and Havers as well. ( )
1 vote majkia | Feb 24, 2024 |
(2012)Again, this series is just fun to read. Lynley is asked to investigate an ?accidental? drowning off the books. He can't tell anyone, especially those at Scotland Yard. He finds he has to get Barbara Havers and the St. Jameses in order to delve deeper into a family infested with secrets. Deborah St. James thinks that a sister-in-law of the victim is trying all methods of becoming a mother when in fact the woman is in fact a trans-gender who wants to desperately provide a child for her husband who doesn't know about the change. This leads to the woman's death by drowning and confirmation that the accident was just that. Barbara at the end discovers that the daughter of his next door neighbor has been taken away by the girl's mother and she is drawn to help the man who has become more than a neighbor in her eyes. Very good.KIRKUS REVIEWWhy investigate an accidental drowning?Wealth hath its privileges, and one of them, Lord Fairclough finds, is bending New Scotland Yard to his will by arranging for a discreet inquiry into the accidental drowning of his nephew Ian Cresswell. So Inspector Thomas Lynley (The Body of Death, 2010, etc.) is dispatched incognito to the Lake District, where his task is to determine whether Fairclough's wastrel son Nicholas perhaps jimmied loose the boathouse stones on which Ian slipped to his death. The coroner thinks not, but Lynley has asked forensic specialist Simon St. James and his photographer wife Deborah to nose around just in case there's evidence of foul play to be found. Meanwhile, back in London, DS Havers is engaged in another sort of research on the morosely dysfunctional Faircloughs, which includes Fairclough's warring twin daughters Manette and Mignon; his nephew Ian's corrosively angry son Tim and sexually rapacious ex-wife Niamh; as well as the man Ian left his family for, the foreign-born Kaveh; and, of course, there's Fairclough's recovering junkie/alcoholic son Nicholas and his beautiful, secretive Argentine wife Alatea. Muddying the landscape is a tabloid reporter who's eager to save his job with a juicy sex scandal, even if he has to make one up. Pedophilia, homophilia, infidelity, illegitimacy and greed will come into play, but it is Deborah, consumed with her own infertility, who sets in motion the final tragedy.Pared-down George, weighing in at a svelte 600 pages, but still strewn with subplots, melodrama, melancholy, a wretchedly unhappy Havers and the impossibly heroic, impossibly nice Thomas Lynley.
  derailer | Jan 25, 2024 |
Pleasing Lynley novel as usual from Elizabeth George, with various storylines woven into the narrative. The latter is also the book's weakness, as some of the stories are superfluous to the overall mystery. In addition there are too many copy-editing errors (dunlan is unforgivable). Having read the sequel, the cliffhanger seems unnecessary. ( )
  JoekRoex | Sep 19, 2022 |
I liked it although I did sometimes skim. But I am a fan of this series. ( )
  kathp | Jun 10, 2022 |
Wow, the amount of negative reviews on this one! It really surprises me because for me it was the first book in quite a long time that I liked, that I didn't hate and didn't hope for it to end already.

And I cannot really write about books that I like, so it'll be short: it was good! George's writing is as good as always. Whatever she describes, whatever she writes about - I always get pulled into it, always want to know what's gonna happen next and can't put the book down.

And okay, I hate Deborah too - but who doesn't? I've been living with this feeling since her first appearance.
Come to think of it, I cannot remember any likable female character in this series, except Barbara maybe. Because even Helen was yuck. (Sorry).

But all in all, it's a nice book and a very engaging reading, so give it a try. ( )
  alissee | Dec 8, 2021 |
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Epigraph
This life's five windows of the soul
Distorts the Heavens from pole to pole,
And leads you to believe a lie
When you see with, not thro', the eye . . .
WILLIAM BLAKE
Dedication
In loving memory
of Anthony Mott
brilliant raconteur
adored companion
always Antonio to me
First words
Zed Benjamin has never been called into the office of the editor before, and he found the experience simultaneously disconcerting and thrilling.
Quotations
Holly? Holly? What sort of name was that? Her former husband was going for a shrub?
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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In this novel Inspector Thomas Lynley is mystified when he's sent undercover to investigate the death of Ian Cresswell at the request of the man's uncle, the wealthy and influential Bernard Fairclough. The death has been ruled an accidental drowning, and nothing on the surface indicates otherwise. But when Lynley enlists the help of his friends Simon and Deborah St. James, the trio's digging soon reveals that the Fairclough clan is awash in secrets, lies, and motives. Deborah's investigation of the prime suspect, Bernard's prodigal son Nicholas, a recovering drug addict, leads her to Nicholas' wife, a woman with whom she feels a kinship, a woman as fiercely protective as she is beautiful. Lynley and Simon delve for information from the rest of the family, including the victim's bitter ex-wife and the man he left her for, and Bernard himself. As the investigation escalates, the Fairclough family's veneer cracks, with deception and self-delusion threatening to destroy everyone from the Fairclough patriarch to Tim, the troubled son Ian left behind.

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