Irritating, irritating, irritating.
That is the word to describe Elizabeth George's creation - Thomas 'Tommy' Lynley, Earl and member of the aristocracy who just happens to be a copper. Sounds familiar? Well, it should. When I first discovered the books of EG, some eight years ago now, I fell upon them with delight and thoroughly 
enjoyed them and the relationship between Lynley and his spiky, down to earth partner, Babara Havers.
However, right from the start I found the woman he was first in love with, Debs, and the woman he finally married, Helen, both excruciatingly painful examples of angst ridden, nit picky, finicky downright IRRITATING women, Helen taking the crown for being the female character I would most like to kick in the butt (after Irene Forsyte) and this tempered my enthusiasm for the books somewhat. However, on the whole I found them well written, detailed and plotted and read each one as they appeared with great pleasure.
BUT, about four books ago I began to find the writing tedious and pretentious. Why? cannot fathom it out, but I just felt that EG was spending far too much time on Lynley's background and personal life to the detriment of the main story line. Since starting reading this series I was introduced to D L Sayers and the divine Peter Wimsey. Each edition I bought has an introduction by Elizabeth George and it now strikes me that she has done what DL Sayers did and fallen in love with her detective and is beginning to make him more Wimseyish with each book. She is not DLS so she does not do it so well. In Wimsey the heart searching and self doubt which he suffers from during an investigation has a sure touch, it makes the reader feel sympathetic towards him. When this trait emerges in Lynley I, personally, find it acutely self indulgent and my kicking toes begin to twitch. The Wimsey/Vane relationship which is at the heart of the most enjoyable DL Sayers (for me anyway) is almost reflected in the Lynley/Havers prickly friendship and in this latest book, Careless in Red, we get the first intimation that they might have feelings for each other. The way it is dropped in and the way we are left hanging at the end leads me to feel that this is going to be drawn out as long as possible to keep us in suspense.
Careless in Red has Lynley tramping the coast line of Cornwall after his personal tragedy, trying to come to terms with his situation, when he finds a body (as you do) at the bottom of a cliff. He goes for help to a nearby cottage and we are off. When the local Superintendent (a divorced red haired and even spikier version of Havers) finds he is a policeman and one from Scotland Yard to boot, he is pulled in to help with the investigation and Havers arrives from London. I don't wish to give too much away, but the motive for the murder hit me between the eyes pretty quickly and the ending of the story is a bit of a cop out in my opinion. I have to say I was on page 201 before I began to feel in any way involved with any of the characters we are introduced to - they all seemed to lean towards the riddled with personal issues syndrome and while one or two is acceptable, to find nearly every protagonist with a problem and tearing themselves apart is a tad over the top.
So, what do I say about Careless in Red? As I have now read all the Lynley books (with the exception of What Came Before he Shot Her which I found totally dire), there is no way I am not going to read each one as they come out. I am hooked whether I like it or not and I cannot give up on them now, much though I might like to. However, (deep breath) a bonus is that Deb, once engaged to Tommy who broke Lynley's heart and who cannot have children and who blames herself for this on an earlier abortion she had years ago is now married to Simon, who Tommy crippled accidentally in an accident and who has suffered with guilt over his actions, whose father is Tommy's 'manservant' (Bunter anyone??) and who does not like his daughter marrying into the 'gentry' as he 'knows his place' does not appear in this book. For this relief much thanks.
The TV series which has just been dumped with no explanation (as was Foyle) soon veered off the storylines and plots of the books. However, though the character of Debs vanished from this series after episode one, Helen did not and I was astounded to see that she was even more whiney and self obsessed in the dramatisation which I did not think was possible. Some of the earlier episodes are popping up now on the Beeb so am watching again with great interest.
Oh and for all fans of detective series a new Midsomer Murders is back in a couple of weeks with Barnaby's daughter Cully (WHAT sort of name is that?) getting married, so no doubt he will be hauled off in the middle of the wedding to hunt down a mad murderer in Midsomer Crucis or Midsomer Wallow or Midsomer Completely Barking and his wife Joyce might actually have more than two lines to say. I cannot wait!
