In Pursuit Of The Proper Sinner (2000) - Plot & Excerpts
Tenth in the Inspector Lynley mystery series set at Scotland Yard in London.The StoryThe daughter of an old friend of Thomas' is missing. Well, missing until she's found brutally murdered out on the moors in a henge. Nor is she alone in her death and it's this second victim that provides the clues and the public destruction of a number of people.The clues lead all over and both tidy up and destroy a variety of people as Lynley, Nkata, Havers, and Hanken push their way through the evidence leading to a high-end escort service, a brilliantly successful musical in the West End, a couple of artists who will crack you up, a happily retired couple building their retirement with a successful yet intimate hotel, and a beleaguered young man doing what he can to revive the family fortunes.The CharactersLady Helen Lynley makes me rather nuts. She's never able to come right out and say anything. Instead she dances around a topic until I want to strangle her. She simply keeps pushing and pushing at a person just like a therapist does when they want you to come to the realization on your own. And it does work in this instance…making me crazy!!What I like about Thomas Lynley is he can be such a stubborn ass but he does mull things over and is willing to admit when he's wrong. A bit of a Neanderthal but there's hope for this old dog to learn new tricks!Barbara Havers has been on suspension for three months since the incident in Essex over the summer in Deception on His Mind and the final results are in. She also learns where Thomas stood on the issue. Barbara is even more of a bulldog on this case. I understand where she's coming from but, lord, she does need to learn.DC Winston Nkata has a much greater role this time around—I do like him. He's intelligent with a great sense of humor and a desire to improve himself. I do like that we learn a bit more about his youthful history! He's also quite loyal and supportive.Brief glimpses of Simon and Deborah with a bit more with Lady Helen. Hadiyyah is as sweet as ever although a bit annoying with the constant repetition while her father, Azhar, is still the most amazing man. The nasty Assistant Commissioner David Hillier makes a very brief, vituperative appearance.In In Pursuit of the Proper Sinner, it all revolves around Nicola Maiden and her lifelong pursuit of what she wants…now. Her parents, Andrew and Nan, have always protected her from the negative aspect of her father's career in undercover work and she has never learned the value of spiritual self-fulfillment. Nik has always gone for immediate gratification and stopped at nothing to ensure it with never a thought for how it might impact anyone around her.Detective Inspector Peter Hanken of the Buxton police force is less than happy that the victim's father has requested Scotland Yard intrude on his case. He does provide George with the opportunity to examine the motives of a parent in protecting their child…for all the good that does.My TakeThis was such a sad story on so many levels. The end of a family line. The end of hopes. The useless death of an amazing person.Thomas is angry that Barbara could ignore the chain-of-command and is determined that she will learn her place while Lady Helen comes to a realization as to just why Thomas is really angry with Barbara.A fascinating look at how three different, strong people approach the evidence and the judgments they make based on it, the different directions it takes them. Each party has strong reasons for their choices and any one of them could be correct.In the end, it simply proves that one should never allow one's own perceptions to smear the evidence.Lots of red herrings in this story. And each little fish is interesting in its own right.The CoverThe cover is a bare interpretation of the murder scene with its sparse trees and not-enough stones for the Nine Sisters Henge. The title, however, is spot on as everyone from Havers to Lynley, Hanken to Maiden are all In Pursuit of the Proper Sinner.
Book 10, in the Inspector Lynley’s mystery seriesElizabeth George hasn’t lost her touch and her work continues to be amazing. She is one of the true masters at spinning webs of intrigue. A swift pace and an engaging protagonist had a stimulating effect on my imagination; it was quite exhilarating trying to guess the next move. This is a mind-absorbing fiction, as powerful and provocative as all the previous ones. This intricate plot and complex tale has D.I. Thomas Lynley on the scene of a grisly crime, in which a young man and woman have been brutally murdered and their bodies found in the wilds of Calder Moor. The case is also a sensitive one, it happens that one of the victims is, Nicola Maiden, the daughter of a former undercover officer and one of Lynley‘s past mentors.D.C. Winston Nkata is his lead assistant on the case. His usual partner, Barbara Harvers, has been demoted to Detective Constable for an incident the previous summer and ever since, both have suffered from a strained relationship. Although in the dog house for over stepping her boundaries, Barbara is determined, she is a woman of strong character and not the type to sit on the sideline. With this in mind, she clandestinely starts her own investigation, hoping to prove to Lynley that her renegade attitude can bring positive results and be an asset to his team….When Lynley found out what she was up to, my first reaction was can he take the grrr out of the tiger and get her to follow orders….As they dig deeper into the life of the two victims, a disturbing pattern emerges, suspects are plentiful, nothing is as it seems and everyone appears to be concealing something. The tension grows as each layer of deceit is peeled away, the result created an intense mystery populated with great characters. I found myself totally engaged till the end, it is a large book but I enjoyed every moment spent with it.
What do You think about In Pursuit Of The Proper Sinner (2000)?
Absolutely one of the best mysteries I've ever read! Wow! I couldn't stop reading all 716 pages. I have messed with my priorities big time! Ok, it has a lot of lurid detail in it, but for someone like me who worked with sex offenders in prison, that did not bother me. The parent child relationship was a killer for me. We had a rebellious teenage daughter and I could so relate to the parents' pain. Granted our daughter did not go as far as Nicola had, but she edged on the border of that. I knew the pain of trying to talk with each other; my husband and I. We did not agree on how things should be handled. We sought help from a psychologist whose only comment was that I was a very angry mother. Big help that was. I knew that. I went to a lawyer to get something to keep the guy away from her. That was a farce! He acted as if he had done all of the paper work, but never filed the injunction, not telling me. His excuse was that it really wouldn't have helped. He had told me that the prosecutor was not interested in dealing with situations such as ours. Oh boy! All of these things came to mind as I read the book. Our ending was quite wonderful in comparison to the book. Mother and daughter are good friends again and our marriage is strong. In contrast,there were so many things happening in and around the life of Nikola. She never knew in what fire she was dabbling; a real innocent in many ways. She was raised the pampered only child who was strong willed and rebellious and very much wanting it all. The parents never realized what a dangerous situation they had created in not disciplining their errant child. Who does? A child's misbehavior is not thought to be so serious, but it can and will be if never curbed. Of course, the book also tries to explain the existence of deviant sexual behavior, particularly dominant, painful sex. They do a good job of it too. Then there is the hurtful relationship between the male supervisor and the female subordinate; add to that the newly weds who are just learning about the male/female relationship and power in their relationship. And then the son whose father ignored him and whom he worshipped and on and on. This book is full of real relationships that have gone awry.
—Alice Harbin
Having read just two of Elizabeth George’s novels, she has become one of my favorite authors. I’ve discovered this book is part – the last- of a series of Inspector Lynley novels, but its certainly complete in its own right. It’s a coincidence that, in both books I’ve read, sexual deviancy/ excess plays an important part in the plot. Is this common with other novels by the author ?Throughout the novel, the author juggles with many balls in the air simultaneously, and we are guessing right to the end who are the ‘proper sinners’ – the hallmark of a good mystery. The characters are interesting, varied and well-defined – understandable since George has been working on them over a ten part series. I look forward to reading the other books in the series, probably not in proper sequence, as I pick up her books when and where I can get them – can’t afford to access them from my friendly online bookseller each time. I also look forward to viewing the Inspector Lynley BBC series, something I also just discovered – something you get used to when living a bit off the beaten track as I do.Susan George doesn’t seem particularly a woman’s writer, so I’m surprised that almost all the reviewers – in Goodreads - are female. Or is there something lacking in my masculine make up ?!
—Edgar
One of Lynley's former colleagues Andy Maiden has asked for his help in finding the person who murdered his daughter. It's a gruesome double murder and suspicion falls on Maiden. Barbara Havers has been demoted to Detective Constable after her performance in Essex and Lynley cannot forgive her behavior. He relegates her to general dogsbody and instead takes Winson Nkata as his partner. Aside from the gripping murder investigation, the real star of the book is the struggle both Havers and Lynley endure as neither can understand the other's actions. George depicts the tension between them superbly.
—Deb
