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For the Sake of Elena (Paperback)

by Elizabeth George (Author)
3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
List Price: CDN$ 11.99
Price: CDN$ 10.79 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over CDN$ 39. Details
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For the Sake of Elena + Playing for the Ashes + A Suitable Vengeance
Total List Price: CDN$ 35.97
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  • This item: For the Sake of Elena by Elizabeth George

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Product Details

Product Description

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.


From AudioFile

For the Sake of Elena, a mystery in the style of P.D. James, is set at Cambridge University, where Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers investigate the seemingly senseless and brutal murder of student Elena Weaver. Derek Jacobi's accent, inflections and aristocratic timbre all work to create the English setting for the listener. He artfully changes the intonation and pitch of his voice to portray the various characters in this riveting mystery. Any confusion between characters is due to the author's convention of giving them several names. Musical accompaniment used in appropriate sections effectively heightens this mystery's suspense. A.A.B. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews

20 Reviews
5 star:
 (7)
4 star:
 (5)
3 star:
 (6)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:
 (2)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.8 out of 5 stars (20 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Utterly absorbing, Jul 7 2008
By Toni Osborne "The Way I See It" (Montreal, Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)   
This review is from: For the Sake of Elena (Paperback)
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. One day while doing her morning run someone lying in wait along the route bludgeons her to death. The university turns to the New Scotland Yard, who assigns Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and his partner detective Barbara Havers to solve the case. Entering the world of Cambridge University they sift through clues to Elena's elusive character to find her killer.

This mystery in my opinion was utterly absorbing one of Ms George best. The characters evoke a strong reaction; you are torn between liking and disliking them. They are very complex; each one has their weaknesses you can sympathize with. The story is well plotted absorbing you completely; you weave through a web of intrigues so intricate and subtle keeping you in suspense till the end. The author does a wonderful job capturing the inner world of college life and the role of well-meaning and loving individuals trying to meet the expectations of those they love.

On a secondary note, things are still left unresolved, one, is the confusion about Inspector Lynley's relationship with Lady Helen, he is ardently pursuing her, and second, Havers is still dealing with a dilemma on how to help her elderly mother. Both professional and private lives of the main characters are equally interesting and the author blends the two very well
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4.0 out of 5 stars New Depths of Character Amid a Transparent Plot, Dec 6 2008

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. A department store dummy would serve as well.

The beauty of For The Sake of Elena is that Ms. George does a thorough and fascinating job of describing the victim. Elena is an unusual character as well in that she lives somewhere between the hearing and the deaf world, finding solace in neither one. As a spirited woman with strong opinions, she finds herself able to twist the people and events around her into new directions.

In the background, Lynley uses Elena's death as a reason to pursue Lady Helen to Cambridge where she has gone to avoid him. His haunted pursuit of Lady Helen will ring strongly with those who love romantic novels. Barbara Havers also finds herself torn between pillar and post in trying to care for her aging mother while maintaining her career. Lynley and Havers soldier on through this complication in a way that will remind you of an old married couple dealing with adversity. It's solid stuff!

The book's major disappointment is the murder mystery. It's painfully transparent, and the red herrings are too obviously red to be any good.

Had Ms. George planned to write a romantic novel instead, this book would probably have worked much better as she magnificently displays all of the positive and negative aspects of attraction and romance for your full consideration.
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1.0 out of 5 stars Dismal, depressing, dreary..., Oct 4 2003
...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 them seem remotely realistic. The murder mystery disappears in a would-be psychological character study, and the result is frankly trashy and boring soap-operatic novel. George has a very bad understanding of English society, her portrayal of it is strangely quaint and doesn't reflect any England I've ever come across.
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 		 Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Complex, Convoluted Mystery for the Modern Times
Elizabeth George is an incredible writer that enfuses both her plots and her characters with realism. Read more
Published on Aug 15 2003 by Avid 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 Jul 20 2001 by Carol Peterson Hennekens

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Great Mystery From Miss George
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... Read more
Published on Jun 29 2001 by Carla M.Golden

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

4.0 out of 5 stars My First Elizabeth George Book
This was my first Elizabeth George book, and I enjoyed it. She is an intelligent writer, and she knows how to develop characters. Read more
Published on May 1 2000 by S. Schwartz

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