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Type of bind: Mass Market Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN num: 9780060545611
ISBN number: 0060545615
Label: Harper
Manufacturer: Harper
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 784
Printing Date: March 01, 2006
Publishing house: Harper
Release Date: February 28, 2006
Sale Popularity Level: 58622
Studio: Harper
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Product Description:
The police never suspected a serial killer was at large until they found the fourth murdered boy -- the very first white victim -- his body draped over a tomb in a London graveyard. Suddenly a series of crimes and a potential public relations disaster have Scotland Yard on the defensive, scrambling to apprehend a maniac while avoiding accusations of racism.
Detective Superintendent Thomas Lynley, distracted by concerns for his pregnant wife, has been assigned to the investigation, along with his disgraced partner, Barbara Havers, who's fighting for her professional future. Winston Nkata -- deservedly, if hastily, promoted to detective sergeant -- is the grey face who will speak to the media. But none of them can imagine the tenacity and ingenuity of the killer they seek . . . and no one is prepared for the savage, shocking instant when everything will change forever.
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers -
E.George is widely considered one of the masters of the police procedure genre. This is, for practical purposes, the very first of her novels that I have read (I remember vaguely another one, some years ago, but forgot all about it). It is solid stuff and she is for sure one of the stars in her profession.
The main subject of this novel is a serial killer who targets boys of 12 to 14 years, more often coloured ones. Other themes are police bureaucracy and leadership problems. Plus of course the amazing world of charities looking after endangered youth.
Why not 5 stars?
First of all, the thing is too big! I wanted to read it on a long flight, and could not finish. Is that a quality criterion? Of course not, except that I think she could have kept it slimmer. The result of the size is that off and on it does get a bit slow...
Another reason: while her main characters are all realistic ones (the aristocratic, nice and competent team leader Linley; the competent, but disorganized and socially imbecile Havers; the grey sergeant Nkata with the crush for a woman who rejects him and the Brixton Warriors experience; the boss from hell, top cop Hillier), they do not appeal to me, emotionally, on the same level as John Rebus, Arkady Renko, or Aurelio Zen.
The plot is suitably complex for such a brick of a book. The interest lies not only in 'detection' (which is of course the mainstay of the genre), but also in apparently thorough knowledge of London's geography and social structure. While EG definitely has a sense of humour, she has the good sense of not trying to be funny.
All in all a good experience, and I may repeat it for another long flight. (not the same book, silly; another one of the series of course)
Rated by buyers -
This is an excellent entry in the Inspector Lynley series, full of interesting and surprising twists, with a gripping story. Ms. George, as usual, deals with very deep currents of human psychology and is quite thoughtful about the society she depicts. The book, however, it is a bit verbose for this reader's taste, which is why it garners only four starts. But then, again, sometimes there is nothing better than sitting down with a long book one knows one will enjoy.
Rated by buyers -
This is a hefty tome, but I got through it pretty quick. A much better read, I thought, than "For the Sake of Elena," the one other novel by Elizabeth George I have read so far. I prefer "cozy" British mysteries, in general; see Christmas is Murder: A Rex Graves Mystery, but "With No One is Witness" did not get too grisly for my taste.
The denouement for the personal side of the story did threaten to overshadow the serial murder theme, and I have to say my favorite parts in the whole book involved Havers, and not really the mystery side so much. Her relationship with her ethnic neighbors, especially the daughter, was very believable. Another issue I had was with the dialect, especially Nkata's, which proved distracting. I was raised in the UK since two years old, and Brits do not use the words "suss" and "twig" ALL THE TIME. Still giving it 4 stars because this writer has loads of talent and obviously did exhaustive research for this book.
Rated by buyers 
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I have been a fan of Elizabeth George since her very first book. I loved her depth of characters and felt like I knew each and every one. I pushed one of my sons and my daughter to read her books, which they did and was always raving about her writing. At the end of "With No ONe As Witness", I threw her book across the room and burst into tears - I was devasted - so senseless. I said I would never read her again. Many months later I purchased the following book supposedly explaining "With No One As Witness". I still have not been able to pick it up and read it. I have no idea at this point whether I will ever touch another of her books again.
LaRae Mullin
Rated by buyers -
Gripping plot, superbly written, convincing character development.
Lynley and Havers of New Scotland Yard have been my favorite crime solving team since the beginning. I was happy to see that they're back together, and that Lynley has gotten his head back in the game and out of wedded bliss and the angst of private life. Although I enjoy learning about the characters' backgrounds, and thus making them more likable and realistic, George may take this a tad too far in my mind.
Office politics and the recuperation from previous accidents nearly obliterate the serial murder investigation of young London boys. As always, everyone is a suspect, and George holds nothing back in describing the degenerate side of London, and leaves the reader gaping at the conclusion.
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