Elizabeth George
3/5 stars
A vicar dies of poisoning and it's dismissed as an accident. Months later, Inspector Lyndley's attention is drawn to the case and he finds reasons to suspect murder.
George is a good writer, and for the most part this book is no exception. However, she described so much sex--consensual and non, and both teenage and adult--that bore no relevance to the plot, that it became ridiculous. She also tended to ramble on with colloquies, soul searching, and elaborate descriptions. Furthermore, the plot hinged on one huge coincidence. The story itself was still interesting, the development of personal relationships between recurring characters was good, and the ending was poignant. The real problem is that the tale could have been told succinctly in about half the pages, and been a much better book.
On a personal note: I began this as an audio book and was so frustrated by all the unnecessary sex and rambling that I gave up on it 3/4 of the way through. When I found myself thinking of it a few days later, I decided to try reading it, instead. I was able to skim all the annoying bits and get straight into the solution, so was able to finish it.
