A young student at St. Stepen's College, the daughter of a professor up for a prestigious post, is found brutally murdered on an isolated jogging path. Unwilling to turn the killing over to the local police, the university calls in New Scotland Yard. Thus Lynley and his partner Havers enter the rarified world of Cambridge University, where academic gowns often hide murderous intentions. For both officers, the true identity of Elena Weaver proves as elusive as the mythical creature whose image decorated her dorm room. Not until they come to terms with the woman she was will they have a line on the killer--who just may kill again.
For the Sake of Elena: Inspector Lynley Series, Book 5
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From Publishers Weekly
Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley of New Scotland Yard investigates murder at Cambridge University as he continues his suit for the love of Lady Helen in George's ( A Suitable Vengeance ) latest well-crafted mystery. The high-born Lynley and his sergeant, Barbara Havers, whose personal dilemmas revolve around choosing adequate care for her increasingly senile mother, are sent to advise the Cambridge constabulary after student Elena Weaver, a long-distance runner and daughter of highly respected university history professor Anthony Weaver, is found battered to death near a running path. As the investigation reveals that Elena, who was deaf, was not at all the innocent naif her doting father imagined, Lynley comes to understand Lady Helen's deep-rooted questions about their relationship and their individual independence. Another murder occurs and assorted extracurricular passions among prominent academics are bared; George also explores such issues as whether deafness is a cultural stigma or a genuine handicap, the nature of family identity and betrayal, and the imperatives of the creative temperament. While elements of the plot are somewhat stretched, George's story never fails to engage. 50,000 first printing; $50,000 ad/promo .
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Kirkus Reviews
The fifth outing for Scotland Yard's Inspector Lynley (rich, sleek aristocrat) and Sergeant Havers (rough-edged, bitter plain- Jane)--this time called up to Cambridge to investigate the brutal murder of a sexy, unstable, deaf student. Who ambushed Elena Weaver during one of her usual early- morning runs and pummeled her to death? Suspects abound--especially once an autopsy reveals that Elena was pregnant. She had accused one teacher of sexual harassment, had been having an affair with another (married) one. She'd also been involved with a deaf-rights activist. Meanwhile, she was having stormy times with her overprotective father, a Cambridge don hoping for a major new appointment, and with her edgy stepmother. And is it just coincidence that the woman who finds Elena's body, an important local artist, was the sometime mistress of Elena's father? As usual, George lays on the psychosexual Sturm und Drang with a sure, if slightly heavy, hand; the dialogue occasionally thickens into awkward, stagy speeches. Also as usual, the sleuths contend with personal anguish: Havers must deal with a senile mum; Lynley continues his tediously drawn-out courtship of Lady Helen--an overwrought imitation of Lord Peter and Miss Vane. But, though uneven and puffy, this is George's best work since her debut (A Great Deliverance)--a generally absorbing job in the P.D. James manner, without the excesses and missteps of the other Lynley/Havers outings. -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Avid Reader
Format:Paperback
Elizabeth George is an incredible writer that enfuses both her plots and her characters with realism. She constantly seeks to address the human condition, whether it is muscular distrophy, racism, senility or, in this case, deafness.
George specializes in giving us the thoughts of the characters and in this way drives the story forward. This novel is no different as we seem to slowly approach the heart of the story in a circular, closing motion. The insights into deafness and the many ways everyone reacts to it are simply phenomenal. This is a difficult book to read with a slight touch of amorality but in this case, the story and the writing appears "correct". Once again, the reader is slowly drawn into the web, entering yet another of George's mysterious and quixotic worlds. A winner
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
For The Sake of Elena is another great mystery from Elizabeth George, and remains my personal favorite, not only because it's another well-done mystery dealing with the question of who killed Elena Weaver and why, but also because the author deals so compassionately with the subject of the title character's deafness, and weaves it into the story in the form of the Deaf Students'Union at Cambridge. What's more, Derek Jacobi gives a beautiful performance speaking in Elena's voice. You should not miss the chance to purchase this for your collection!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio Cassette
This is the third Elizabeth George novel I have purchased from amazon.com, read by Derek Jacobi, and I consider it to be the author's master work! True, it is just as well written as her other books, but what sets this apart is the fact that Jacobi brings alive the beautiful sensitivity of the story through his reading Elena Weaver's few lines toward the end, the sound of his tear-filled voice also bringing the listener to tears of their own! This is definitely a must-have for anyone who is both an Elizabeth George fan, as well as a fan of this versatile British actor.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
New Depths of Character Amid a Transparent Plot
I love novels that do character development well. In the typical English murder mystery, the victim is usually a bloodless body which quickly disappears from the story after dying. Read more
Published on Dec 6 2008 by Donald Mitchell
4.0 out of 5 stars
Utterly absorbing
5th book in the Inspector Lynley series
Elena was a student at St. Stephen's college, living a life of casual and intense physical and emotional relationships. Read more
Elena was a student at St. Stephen's college, living a life of casual and intense physical and emotional relationships. Read more
Published on July 7 2008 by Toni Osborne
1.0 out of 5 stars
Dismal, depressing, dreary...
...all of which would have been OK if the plot had been able to keep one's interest: it doesn't. Elizabeth George's characters are a dysfunctional and improbable bunch, not one of... Read more
Published on Oct 4 2003 by A reader
1.0 out of 5 stars
Uncle
I'm finally calling it quits with this series. Only a devoted Harlequin fan would find the interminable Tommy-Helen, Simon-Deborah, Barbara-parents soap opera to be tolerable,... Read more
Published on Feb 18 2003 by dbphoenix
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absorbing characters- One of her best!
~ * ~ This is one of Elizabeth George's better novels. It's utterly absorbing, and the characters will evoke strong reactions- like or dislike, sometimes both! Read more
Published on Oct 19 2002 by "lynkfri13"
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best one so far...but....
This is a good novel. not merely a crime or mystery novel...a good novel.
the writing is good, the characters are great and interesting, the plot is probably her ebst so far,... Read more
Published on Jan 25 2002 by RachelWalker
4.0 out of 5 stars
Thomas and Barbara head to Cambridge
There's much to like in this, the fifth book published of the Lynley/Havers series. Anglophiles will throughly enjoy the details of college life in Cambridge. Read more
Published on July 20 2001 by Carol Peterson Hennekens
3.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent book, disappointing mystery
Like all Elizabeth George's books, this is beautifully written and the characters are wonderfully well developed. As the title suggests. Read more
Published on Jan 19 2001 by Ann Mintz
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Best Lynley-Havers Novel So Far...
George has done a marvelous job in bringing to life one of her minor characters, the eponymous victim. Read more
Published on Jan 8 2001 by Jeffrey Davenport
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good Mystery, but....
Elizabeth George is spiraling into more and more sex in every book--the mystery swirls around sex, rather than relationships. Read more
Published on Aug 18 2000 by Russ White
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