Missing Joseph Audiobook By Elizabeth George cover art

Missing Joseph

Inspector Lynley, Book 6

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Missing Joseph

By: Elizabeth George
Narrated by: Donada Peters
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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 - a victim of accidental poisoning.

Unsatisfied with the inquest ruling and unsettled by the close association between the investigating constable and the woman who served the deadly meal, Simon calls in his old friend Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley. Together they uncover dark, complex relationships in this rural village, relationships that bring men and women together with a passion, with grief, or with the intention to kill.

Peeling away layer after layer of personal history to reveal the torment of a fugitive spirit, Missing Joseph is award-winning author Elizabeth George's greatest achievement.

©2008 Elizabeth George (P)2018 Random House Audio Crime Thrillers Fiction Mystery Police Procedural Suspense Thriller Thriller & Suspense Crime Village Winter

Critic reviews

"[George] proves that the classiest crime writers are true novelists." (The New York Times)

"Layered, intricate...deftly plotted, highly atmospheric." (Publishers Weekly)

"A totally satisfying mystery experience." (Denver Post)
Riveting Plot • Elegant Complexity • Dynamic Character Development • Lyrical Prose • Competent Writing
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A little on the slow side but still interesting. Could have done without Sir James and his wife’s issues.

Slow but interesting

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could be the era it was written but women are so whiney and insufferable, this one was more of a slog than the others. some beautiful writing here and there as always.

whiney

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SPOILER ALERT
This Lynley story has a lot of content about sexual activities, including a rape. The thing about Elizabeth George is that she's a very competent writer, so these descriptions are well done, and the narrator stops short (just) of chewing the scenery. So it comes down to whether you are comfortable with such content or not.
I'd have given this 3.5 stars if possible, but I didn't enjoy it as much as some of her other books partly because of the narration and partly because of the amount of space George devotes to all the bonking. (To be fair, George often gives lengthy descriptions, perhaps to the detriment of the plot.)

Bonking A Major Theme

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Meanwhile, what keeps me coming back is the continuing development of the five main characters. I also enjoy the ongoing British travelogue.

Interesting mystery but a few too many coincidences this time.

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A good deal of confusion with the chapter numbers seems very careless to me A A competent copy editor would have been able to fix that problem

Chapter numbers

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To me this was definitely not a typical Inspector Lynley novel considering the rather explicit sex scenes. For awhile I thought I was reading a pornographic novel. I was also worried about the absence of Barbara Havers throughout most of the story. I was quite relieved when she helped wrap up the mystery.
I did find the narrator annoying at first, but she grew on me and I found the entire plot riveting with the final outcome just out of reach till the end!
I’m just hoping to see more of Sergeant Havers in the next mystery.

Not what I expected but quite good

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This is the darkest and most violent in the Lynley series yet (which I am listening to in chronological order), but it is also thoughtful and reveals more of our beloved characters' deeper thoughts. I enjoyed the theme that weaved the mystery and the familiar characters together (especially Debra), subtle at first and then more clearly.

George's Darkest Yet

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In this book, the author has stepped up her game, presenting the reader with an elegant, complex plot, written in lyrical prose.
Highly recommended read.

Great story, excellent presentation.

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None of the other books had this kind of explicit language. I really love Linley and the Sgt. but this book really was a shocker. The story was convoluted and hard to follow. I hope the rest are NOT like this one.

Too much explicit sex.

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Well, I love this authors work generally, this book was disappointing because you never ended up really caring about any of the characters. There was violence and deeply revealing character flaws, which makes her dynamic character development. she made her point about motherhood and sexism and the sources of violence. Good but ultimately I'm really sorry I started this book. Great performance intriguing.

Disappointing

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