What Came Before He Shot Her (2006) - Plot & Excerpts
What Came Before He shot her, by Elizabeth George. A-plus.Borrowed on CD from the public libraryI think this book is the best one Elizabeth George has ever written. The concept for it is intriguing as well. In her last book, “With No One as Witness” we saw the unfolding of the needless and tragic shooting of Inspector Lindley’s wife. We learn that the alleged shooter is twelve years old. In this book, Ms. George takes us back for an explanation of how this shooting occurred. Hence, “What Came Before He Shot Her” as a title.The Campbell children are met with bad fortune from the beginning. The three children, Vanessa, Joel, and Toby, are mixed race children. Their father is west Indian, and their mother is White. Their father is shot and killed because he is in the wrong place at the wrong time. Their mother has a psychotic break and is committed to a psyche ward. The children must move in with their grandmother who is more interested in her useless husband, George and his pals. And when her husband decides he wants to go back to Jamaica and offers Glory a chance to go with him, minus the children of course, she dumps the three children, without warning to them, or to her daughter, upon Kendra, the only member of the family who is managing to pull together and make something of herself. There are tensions from the beginning with first Vanessa getting in with the wrong crowd and aligning herself with The Blade. Then, after she leaves him, (something a woman never does, not to mention a 15-year-old girl) the Blade takes it out on their family. Joel and Toby are having their own trouble with Neil Wyatt, who took an instant dislike to Joel, and who threatened to harm Toby as a way to get at Joel. Joel, the one child of the three who had potential, figured out that he would have to align himself with the right people in the street to protect himself and his brother. And therein lies the tragedy of this book. I know it sounds like hyperbole, but the tragedy of this book is of the magnitude of Shakespearean tragedy. The worst of it is that there are people along the way who want to help each of the children, including the police and their social worker, and their aunt. But the help is too little too late. This book describes the harshness of urban street life for mixed race children in London. The haves and have-nots are different in different cities, but this book describes the tragedy of children who must make adult decisions too early, and who live with mistakes that they, or other family members, make. It’s not so much a mystery as a character study. I don’t know if Elizabeth George plans to let us know what happens to Joel and the rest of the family in future books. I don’t know if the Lindley-Havers series is at an end. It will be interesting to see what Elizabeth George does next.
Elizabeth George is one of my favorite authors. She writes stuff I love to read; characterization first, great plots, but for me, it's always the characters and how they react to the plot that drive a great read. I think she surpassed herself in this book; I'm somewhat surprised to see that the ratings don't reflect that. It's a departure from her series in that her regular characters don't appear until the very end, but the three children who carry the book are written superbly. It's a look into the lower-class that exists in any city and town worldwide, and it's stunning. The children, oldest sister, middle brother, and younger emotionally stunted brother are dumped by their grandmother on an aunt's doorstep, literally. Their father was shot on the street some years earlier, an innocent victim, and their mother is institutionalized with severe depression. How they struggle to make a life, and how their aunt struggles to integrate them into her single lifestyle is so empathetic and well-told that the author's passion for her message shines on every page. Truly, it's one of the best books I have ever read; it has stayed with me all this time, and made me consider what hopeless lives so many children lead. It made me want to do better for all the children I come in contact with, and isn't that the point of a good book?
What do You think about What Came Before He Shot Her (2006)?
Let me start by saying that I am a loyal fan of Elizabeth George. I started reading her mysteries in high school, and even had the fantastic opportunity of interviewing her for a high school research paper. I have been to her readings a half-dozen times in a number of different cities. I will read anything she publishes.This is the second book of hers that I just didn't like. The other one was a collection of short stories called I, Richard. I was completely onboard to love this book. In her last installment of the Lynley series, she killed off a main character, and this latest book was going to go into the killer's mind and background. Instead of tying up loose ends, George tried to write a social commentary on race and class in London. She also took the opportunity to add a lot of racy scenes into her repertoire. I hated her attempt on every level. The sex scenes were over-the-top unnecessary, and the race/class breakdown dragged on. I had trouble finishing the book, and I *love* this writer. In the end, not much was revealed, and what was required some tedious research into the minutia of what happened in the previous novel.
—Jennifer
Can a book be worth reading when you know the ending? This one was. In the prior episode of Inspector Lynley his wife was shot in a "random" shooting. This book is the story of the boy involved and what lead up to the shooting. It is a tale of three children who lose their father and mother in different ways and end up being dumped with their aunt. Their fight for survival due to the circumstances which brought them here and the paths they choose illustrate a situation which happens daily results in a frustrating tale of how humans interact, misunderstand each other, fight for control of their lives and, by doing so, the lives of others and in the end often just give in.
—lynn
This was quite possibly the worst book I have ever read. Not because it was badly written. It was actually very true to life and I was easily able to picture what was happening.However, it was so damn depressing. You know that the main character, Joel, shot someone, that's the whole premise. But the book starts way before that, leading up to the shooting. I wanted to scoop up Joel and take him away from his life, to try and save him. He was a good kid, all he was trying to do is keep his family together and nothing he did worked. His whole family was crumbling and each page revealed something even more horrible.I gave the book to a friend of mine and told her I don't want it back. Ever. And then I read a book about vampires in the fashion industry because I needed something, anything, that was less horrifying. I'd rather face vampires any day than have to live the life Joel was leading.7/22/2013 - I had to change my rating - this is a more than 2 star book. Even though it completely devastated me, it was brilliantly written.
—Dana Marie
