Liz Loves Books.Com.

I’ve long been a fan of the Lynley mysteries – Literary crime fiction at it’s best, with A Banquet of Consequences Ms George has hit top form once more.

I’ll be honest and say since the series game changing event that occured in “With No-one As Witness” I felt that the author lost her way a little – whilst the ensuing novels were still good it lost a little something for me – but in A Banquet of Consequences that little hiccup seems to have been shaken off and she is back to doing what she does best. Delivering a tour de force of a crime story with our favourite characters heading back into normal territory and being those we love to read about.

Havers is toeing the line – Lynley finds he doesn’t really like this after all. There are some great humerous moments to be had around that and their interactions with Dorothea (a character who I’d like to see get a good deal more page time) and at last I felt that both Lynley and Havers were regaining lost ground.

Plus the trademark construction is back at its finest – where the crime in question is explored from many angles, giving us a picture of all those caught up in it, from the before during and after. What this author does incredibly well are people. From all walks of life, those who end up on the radar of Lynley and Havers are always fascinating whatever their background. In this case we have an author, a publicist, a mother who has lost a child to suicide and those that surround them – the sheer intricacies of all the interpersonal relationships make for some great reading and it is utterly compelling throughout.

As an entirety this series is simply stunning in its complexity, gorgeous prose, character building and addictive reading quality. Despite the odd downturn, where I believe it’s possible Ms George was grieving as much as her characters were, I would still highly recommend every novel that features Inspector Lynley and co.

You can read any one as a standalone but I would recommend reading in order as far as possible – if only to see the developing friendship between Lynley and Havers  – a dynamic duo if ever there was one.

I loved it.