Payment in Blood

by Elizabeth George

Book Overview

The career of playwright Joy Sinclair comes to an abrupt end on an isolated estate in the Scottish Highlands when someone drives an eighteen-inch dirk through her neck. Called upon to investigate the case in a country where they have virtually no authority, aristocratic Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and his partner, Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers, grapple for both a motive and a murderer. Emotions run deep in this highly charged drama, for...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0553057014
• ISBN13: 9780553057010
• Release Date: August 1989
• Publisher: Bantam
• Length: 312 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Really good

Even though George paints a somewhat old-fashioned portrait of English life, she is still able to write very very good mysteries. Her detecive thrillers are clever, intuitive, have nice twists, good, well evoked settings, and are very well written, if somewhat OVER written. the mystery here is first class as ever. she writes with the style of agatha christie, and comes up with solutions that the dead queen would be proud of. It is only a shame that Lynley is not quite as interesting as Poirot. However, the relationships the main characters 5 characters really are VERY interesting. they add weight, credibility, and realism to the story. they add a more personal and intimate side, and prove an ongoing drama to mix with that of the different crimes which come up in each book. She is very good at drawing her character, and very good at coming up with agatha christie style plots. her psychology is accurate, and her writing very descriptive. Definitely worth a read. This second book was very very good. So far, i dont think she written a bad one, and i've read nearly all of them. A good build up A Great Deliverance, and got the series off to a really smashing start.

Theatre, mystery, and love...what more can you ask for

Payment in Blood is one of my favorite Elizabeth George mysteries -- primarily because it involves the theatre world and as someone who has worked in the theatre, I enjoyed seeing her treatment of actors and directors (quite accurate in some areas). Lady Helen Clyde, with whom Lynley was somewhat in love with, is dating a member of a new theatrical production which complicates the relationship between the two. How can he proceed it this case when the result may mean breaking Lady Helen's heart?

Payment In Blood Is Bloody Well Done!

I am a long-time mystery fan and have been an Elizabeth George fan since I first heard ''In The Presence Of The Enemy''on audio tape, so when I received Payment In Blood, I knew I would not be disappointed! Indeed, Payment In Blood is bloody well done, because it is the delicious twists and turns in search of the answer to the question of who the murderer is and what the motive was, as well as Derek Jacobi's beautiful interpretation of the soft, musical brogue of the Scottish Highlands which makes this mystery particularly enjoyable!

Amazing read!!!

I bought all of Elizabeth George's book with her team of detective. I love them all. Her talent for mystery writing and psychology of characters is unique. She is one of my favorite authors of all time.