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In Pursuit of the Proper Sinner is the
tenth novel in the Barbara Havers/Thomas Lynley series. Barbara's
job is in jeopardy because three months ago, she shot her gun at DCI
Emily Barlow, in order to save the life of her young friend Haddiyah
(see Deception On His Mind).
After three months of suspension, Barbara is about to suffer a big
blow, not only because from Sergeant, she has been demoted to
Constable, but mostly because the person she has to thank for still
being on the force is not Lynley, her long time partner, as she had
thought. Lynley seems to be the only one who can't understand what
prompted Barbara not to respect the chain of command. Simon, Deborah
and Helen (Lynley's friends and his wife), take Barbara's side, and
Thomas Lynley considers this a treason on the part of his wife.
Therefore, when a double-murder calls Lynley in
Derbyshire, he is at odds with both his wife and Barbara, and
chooses Winston Nkata to be his partner on the investigation. Nicola
Maiden, the only daughter of a retired undercover policeman who
asked for Lynley specifically, has been found dead in a place called
Nine Sisters Henge, in the moor. Her head has been bashed in with a
stone. Another body lies nearby: a young man, his face partially
burnt, has been stabbed repeatedly. Who is this man, what he was
doing with Nicola Maiden are the questions that prompt Lynley to
send Nkata to London, so that he can find the identity of the young
man and handle the London trail.
Authorized to ask for help, Nkata involves
Barbara in the investigation, but Lynley gives her uninteresting
tasks and what she judges useless computer research, while she wants
to be part of the excitement. Ignoring Lynley's orders several times
while following a hunch, Barbara will have to prove him that she is
right in order to rehabilitate herself in his eyes.
As other novels developed various themes, this
one examines the complicated relationships between parents and
children (even the relationship between Lynley and his mother is
evoked), as well as raises questions on the nature of sin, leaving us
wondering who the proper sinner is indeed...
In parallel to the murder investigation, what
is most interesting is the evolution of the lives of the main
protagonists. While I remember starting the series liking Lynley and
disliking Havers, I can't wait now for more Barbara scenes. In this
novel, I found Lynley terribly self-righteous, even if he redeems
himself at the end. George has progressively managed to shift the
reader's sympathy from one character to another. It was nice to see
more of Nkata too, and Helen was less shallow, therefore more
enjoyable than her usual self. I however foresee a divorce between
Thomas and Helen in a couple of books: these two just can't make it
work. And hopefully, Barbara's private life will get better in A
Traitor To Memory, which I will try to read before A Place Of
Hiding is published.
Not the best George, I however found In
Pursuit of the Proper Sinner very difficult to put down, as usually a great
story from a great storyteller. I recommend The Lynley/Havers
mysteries to everyone who loves a sophisticated, psychological
whodunit, but please, read them in the right order (starting with
A Great Deliverance),
In Pursuit of the Proper Sinner would be very confusing for someone who
hasn't met the main characters already. If you had to read only one
(which would be a shame...), read
Playing for the Ashes...
Rating: 
© Discussing Books, 05/26/2003 |
Critiques
