Elizabeth George Inspector Lynley Series Books In Order

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Inspector Lynley Books In Order

The Inspector Lynley series is considered a traditional mystery series with remarkably deep and complex characters. The books centre around Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley, an aristocratic, Oxford-educated gentleman, and his working-class partner, Sergeant Barbara Havers.

Fans of the books single out Elizabeth George’s character development, noting that the characters are not only fascinating and exceptionally well written but that Elizabeth has a deep understanding of people, something that shines through in DI Lynley’s character.

Lynley is a sensitive man who may be from an upper class background but always treats people equally and with respect. Handsome, intelligent, and wealthy—he is, in fact, a “man of infinite compassion,” as Elizabeth describes him, and a superlative detective. Havers is Lynley’s polar opposite in every way, and she starts off in the series disliking him. Additionally, there are several significant supporting characters that appear throughout the series and interact with Havers and Lynley.

The compelling whodunnits sometimes explore darker subject matter, but the fictional crimes are not written gratuitously. Elizabeth George handles these elements delicately and with a great deal of depth, offering insight into the darker aspects of human relationships. Her masterful writing of plot and character has resulted in a smart and gratifying series that has earned her many fans and much acclaim.

Some readers recommend reading A Suitable Vengeance (Book 4), a prequel story in the Inspector Lynley series, before A Great Deliverance (Book 1) as a proper introduction to the characters. However, this is not crucial. Each book has a self-contained mystery, but fans strongly recommend reading them in order to be able to follow the intricate plotting, which impacts characters dramatically as the series progresses. Reading the books in order will also give you a greater understanding and appreciation of the beloved characters, Havers and Lynley.

Inspector Lynley also appears in two stories outside of the main series. I, Richard includes an Inspector Lynley short story, and the character has a cameo role in The Evidence Explored.

1. A Great Deliverance

To this day, the low, thin wail of an infant can be heard in Keldale’s lush green valleys. Three hundred years ago, as legend goes, the frightened Yorkshire villagers smothered a crying babe in Keldale Abbey, where they’d hidden to escape the ravages of Cromwell’s raiders.

2. Payment in Blood

The career of playwright Joy Sinclair comes to an abrupt end on an isolated estate in the Scottish Highlands when someone drives an eighteen-inch dirk through her neck. Called upon to investigate the case, aristocratic Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and his partner, Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers, grapple for both a motive and a murderer.

3. Well-Schooled in Murder

When thirteen-year-old Matthew Whately goes missing from Bredgar Chambers, a prestigious public school in the heart of West Sussex, aristocratic Inspector Thomas Lynley receives a call for help from the lad’s housemaster, who also happens to be an old school chum.

4. A Suitable Vengeance

Elizabeth George gives us an early glimpse into the lives of Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley, forensic scientist Simon Allcourt-St. James, and Lady Helen Clyde in a superlative mystery that is also a fascinating inquiry into the crimes of the heart.

5. For the Sake of Elena

Elena lived a life of casual and intense physical and emotional relationships, with scores to settle and goals to achieve—until someone, lying in wait along the route she ran every morning, bludgeoned her to death.

6. Missing Joseph

Deborah and Simon St. James have taken a holiday in the winter landscape of Lancastershire, hoping to heal the growing rift in their marriage. But in the barren countryside awaits bleak news: The vicar of Wimslough, the man they had come to see, is dead

7. Playing for the Ashes

“The story begins with my father, actually, and the fact that I’m the one who’s answerable for his death. It was not my first crime, as you will see, but it is the one my mother couldn’t forgive.”

8. In the Presence of the Enemy

Hailed as the “king of sleaze,” tabloid editor Dennis Luxford is used to ferreting out the sins and scandals of people in exposed positions. But when he opens an innocuous-looking letter addressed to him at The Source, he discovers that someone else excels at ferreting out secrets as well.

9. Deception on His Mind

Balford-le-Nez is a dying seaside town on the coast of Essex. But when a member of the town’s small but growing Asian community is found murdered near its beach, the sleepy town ignites.

10. In Pursuit of the Proper Sinner

Calder Moor is a wild and deadly place: many have been trapped in the myriad limestone caves, lost in collapsed copper mines, injured on perilous ridges. But when two bodies are discovered in the shadow of the ancient circle of stones known as Nine Sisters Henge, it is clearly not a case for Mountain Rescue.

11. A Traitor to Memory

When an elderly woman is deliberately run down and killed on a quiet London street, Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley must discover why. It is an investigation that will lead him to walk a fine line between personal loyalty and professional honor.

12. A Place of Hiding

In one of her most compelling mysteries, bestselling novelist Elizabeth George explores the darker landscapes of human relationships. Here she tells a gripping, suspenseful story of betrayal and devotion, war and remembrance, love and loss…

13. With No One as Witness

In her 13th novel, New York Times bestselling author brings back her series characters with a twist and with a surprise ending that will shock her readers to the core.

14. What Came Before He Shot Her

The brutal, inexplicable death of Inspector Thomas Lynley’s wife, Helen, has left Scotland Yard shocked and searching for answers. Even more horrifying is that the trigger was apparently pulled by a twelve-year-old boy.

15. Careless in Red

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth George, a stunning mystery featuring Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley that explores the perfect crime.

16. This Body of Death

One of the most acclaimed entries in Elizabeth George’s New York Times bestselling Inspector Lynley series–a masterfully structured, multilayered jigsaw puzzle of a mystery rich with intrigue and atmosphere.

17. Believing the Lie

Inspector Thomas Lynley is mystified when he’s sent undercover to investigate the death of Ian Cresswell at the request of the man’s uncle, the wealthy and influential Bernard Fairclough.

18. Just One Evil Act

Barbara is at a loss: Hadiyyah, the daughter of her friend Taymullah Azhar, has been taken by her mother, and Barbara can’t really help. Azhar has no legal claim.

19. A Banquet of Consequences

The unspoken secrets and buried lies of one family rise to the surface in this stunning crime drama featuring Scotland Yard members Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers

20. The Punishment She Deserves

The cozy, bucolic town of Ludlow is stunned when one of its most revered and respected citizens–Ian Druitt, the local deacon–is accused of a serious crime.

21. Something to Hide

When a police detective is taken off life support after falling into a coma, only an autopsy reveals the murderous act that precipitated her death.

22. A Slowly Dying Cause

Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers and Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley are back in the next Lynley novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth George.