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    A Great Deliverance
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    A Great Deliverance
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    A Great Deliverance
    Audiobook (abridged)2 hours

    A Great Deliverance

    Written by Elizabeth George

    Narrated by Derek Jacobi

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    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.

    Now into Keldale's pastoral web of old houses and older secrets comes Scotland Yard Inspector Thomas Lynley, the eighth earl of Asherton. Along with the redoubtable Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers, Lynley has been sent to solve a savage murder that has stunned the peaceful countryside. For fat, unlovely Roberta Teys has been found in her best dress, an axe in her lap, seated in the old stone barn beside her father's headless corpse. Her first and last words were "I did it. And I'm not sorry."

    Yet as Lynley and Havers wind their way through Keldale's dark labyrinth of secret scandals and appalling crimes, they uncover a shattering series of revelations that will reverberate through this tranquil English valley-and in their own lives as well.


    From the Paperback edition.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateJul 5, 2000
    ISBN9780553750836
    Unavailable
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    Reviews for A Great Deliverance

    4/5

    1,011 ratings56 reviews

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    • 4/5
      I'd seen this one on "Mystery" years ago and it was OK. My mom likes reading/listening to mysteries so I asked her if the book was better. Much. I may read the rest because this one was so hard to find in digital audio. The subject matter of the mystery was disturbing, but the internal lives of the main characters, Havers and Lynley, were just as intense. So I agree with Mom. Much.
    • 4/5
      The Book Report: The first book of the ongoing Inspector Lynley/DS Havers series, this book reads more like the fourth or fifth in the series, which I intend as a compliment. The author is very assured as she tells the story of a murder in an idyllic North Country village, one that seems from the start to be open-and-shut. As always in a mystery, though, there are many many twists and turns to the tale. Family secrets from every imaginable quarter. Horrible crimes past, as well as present, suppurate through the skin of the story, causing the characters to blanch regularly. (Readers too.) Lynley, an urbane and polished public school/Oxford First beauty, comes alive as a wounded man of many facets and a sharp, critical eye. His emotional acuity is high order; his past, as we know it so far, explains that quite well. Havers, who here in the first book is presented in all her hideous glory as receiving a Very Last Chance at being permanently assigned to Scotland Yard's prestigious Criminal Investigation Division, seems hell-bent for leather on tossing the opportunity away because, as Lynley says, "{she's} mad at him" and justifiably so.But, in patented mystery fashion, miscreants are punished and those less culpable find some measure of relief from their hideous, tormented sadness. Hard to argue with those results since they occur so seldom in reality.My Review: Is murder always wrong? Can you be sure of your answer? I know I've never been able to be absolutist about the topic. Reading this book, I felt absolutism and unimpeded judgment flapping their flightless wings desperately, sensing their ever-deeper immersion into the stock-pot of my subconscious.I don't know about you, but there are times I think a good murdering rampage would do the world a power of good. Problem is, the bad guys have the weapons.And reading this book, well, I just don't know that justice as practiced by the courts and described by the laws can really do a good enough job. And believe you me, that thought scares the bejabbers out of me. It makes me think about the nature of crime, and of punishment, and of the intersection of the two; it makes me afraid of the apparently boundless human capacity to commit horrible acts; and it makes me think hard about what I want out of my time on this planet...and whether I'm doing a single thing to make that want become fact.A very great deliverance indeed, this book. In entertaining me, it also grew me up a little more.
    • 3/5
      I have another Inspector Lynley books in the series but - I can't say I liked this one - It had me engaged, but the story line was just too disturbing for me to say I enjoyed this one.
    • 4/5
      First in Elizabeth George’s Inspector Lynley mysteries, A Great Deliverance is a fascinating tale of mystery and suspense set in the Yorkshire countryside. The scenery and people are evocatively described and fit my memories of Yorkshire perfectly. The relationships are fascinating, not just between high-class Lynley and low-class Havers, but also between Lynley and his past, Havers and her past, and all the families and friends intertwined with their tales. The author cleverly weaves backstory into the plot, keeping the tension high and revealing details just when they’re required. There’s a nice touch of humor and surprise in coincidence and detection too. And the American tourists are delightfully odd. It’s a long, slow read with lots of twists and turns, devastating misdeeds, and fascinating resolution. I really enjoyed it.Disclosure: As a treat, I hope to work my way through this series, starting here of course.
    • 4/5
      A grisly murder at a farmhouse in the country sends a priest to Scotland Yard asking for help in assigning blame. This is the first in a series of mysteries, which was recommended to me by a fellow book club member. Since our reading tastes often align, I decided to check it out. The beginning was a little slow going, especially as many characters were being introduced. George also shows a number of rather questionable attitudes towards immigrants and women, which was a bit off-putting. But once we got into the meat of the story, I was quite intrigued by the multitude of mysteries that started showing up, as well as the characters in the small town. I found myself describing this book as similar to the television show Midsomer Murders, if Midsomer Murders was any good. There is a similarity with the small town rumors and people not being quite as they seem, along with shocking murders that aren't depicted in overly gruesome ways. I wouldn't go quite so far as calling this book a "cozy" mystery because there is a bit of rather uncomfortable crimes described, but it is not done to shock, merely to move the plot along and/or explain motivations.Overall, despite its issues, I liked this book enough to continue along with the next book in the series.
    • 4/5
      OK, I see what the hullabaloo is over Elizabeth George! I actually ~listened~ to this, and am ready to get more audios. Good story, had me guessing, great characters, nice development (considering everyone was introduced in this book) that didn't drone on...


    • 5/5
      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. Now into Keldale's pastoral web of old houses and older secrets comes Scotland Yard Inspector Thomas Lynley, the eighth Earl of Asherton. Along with the redoubtable Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers, Lynley has been sent to solve a savage murder that has stunned the peaceful countryside.
    • 4/5
      Late in the game to start reading this series by Elizabeth George; most seem to have been made into a series on PBS, but I have not watched any of them. The story is a police procedural with a lot of other issues mixed in, including the crazy workings of the people in a remote British village. The two main characters are DCI Thomas Linley, an aristocrat who has a drive to solve crimes and the DS -- Barbara Havers -- he is assigned to. This is Havers last chance to make it as an investigator, as she has put off all the other DCI she has been assigned to. A strong story, with lots of moving parts, but I found the book very slow to start and almost put it down; once the action got going, however, it was very satisfying.
    • 4/5
      I love detective stories- especially ones that can keep me guessing as to who-done-it- this one did do that.I would consider this an average read, quick and slightly suspenseful but have to say not one of my favorite authors. The writing style is fine but parts of the story plot leave something to be desired I'm afraid. I do not know why so many detective stories need to either have the main character a cop that drinks too much or have problems between the detective partners. This is where this story bombed in my opinion- especially the reasons presented as to what caused this distance/misunderstandings whatever between these two detectives. It spoiled the story for me.
    • 3/5
      Dark characters, dark sub-plots, darker plot, an intense and hard to put down read.
    • 4/5
      Oh Fuck All!

      Yes, I cursed, but it is a British term and DI Havers uses it all the time. I am exercising my knowledge of British culture. I am actually rather proud of myself.

      Seriously, however...who the bloody-hell knew?! I have not been reading the Inspector Lynly mysteries in order because I purchase copies of the books from the library bookstore. This means, I grab whatever others have donated to sell. This also means there has been a lot of jumping around and trying to piece together the histories of DI Lynly and DI Havers from brief allusions made during the intrigue and action of the current mystery, supported by the television series shown on PBS's Masterpiece Mystery. This book is the first of the entire Elizabeth George books revolving around Inspector Lynly. I learned so much in terms of the relationship between Lynly, Helen, Deborah, and St. James, as well as the rather dysfunctional relationship between Havers and her parents. I refuse to give spoilers so you are on your own. Enjoy!
    • 1/5
      Wow. This is a pretty terrible book; maybe I've missed something, because nearly all the other reviewers seem to like it, but I thought it was extremely bad. All the characters seem to live in soap-opera world, where everything is big and overblown (the American couple are extremely LOUD and OBNOXIOUS and don't fit into the plot at all, everyone - EVERYONE - has DEEP DARK secrets that come to light at the overblown climax, and the confession at the end is unbearably written with the most inane, fictional, could-not-be-farther-from-actual-reality "crazy person" dialogue). It was like an episode of scooby doo, with more gore and tortured characters. George managed to shoe in a really remarkable number of tragic backstories, which for a novel with a relatively short character list, is impressive. But by impressive I mean unbearably dull. Why is Havers so unprofessionally angry and vindictive all the time? Because of her sad personal life? Because she actually comes off as a total psycho, with motives that don't match the petty ferocity of her words. Why is Lynley so perfect, but just tragic enough to be the quintessential broken hero? Does Elizabeth George want to jump him? Why is the dialogue so convoluted? Why do none of the characters operate like real people? Why is there so much melodrama? Why was this book published? Why did I finish reading it???
    • 3/5
      Once I got the characters straight, this was a very good story. I'll try the next in this series and let you know.
    • 3/5
      This books marks the beginning of the Inspector Lynley series, though the focus of the book is very much Lynley's partner, Barbara Havers. He and Havers are sent north to investigate the murder of a reclusive farmer, seemingly killed by his daughter. Havers loathes being paired with Lynley. She is unattractive and argumentative, dealing with mentally ill parents. She sees Lynley as the beneficiary of unearned class privilege. I wanted to like this book. I usually like books like this, but it was hardly one of my favorites. The novel is written in absolutely purple prose, and this is a case in which the prose interrupts the reader's ability to enjoy the book. There are also character issues. Havers is irritating and angry. There's no subtlety to Havers. Everything seems to devolve into full-on vitriol. We learn that Havers was kicked out of CID because of anger issues. By the end of the book the reader is supposed to understand Havers's issues. While I certainly felt some sympathy, I still found the depths of her pathological anger to be inexplicable. Her class issues are never really explained either. Finally, the American couple at the hotel is simply ridiculous. George is American; she should know better.
    • 5/5
      I chose to read this one, as the first of the series, based on a general recommendation of the author, Elizabeth George, by my former boss and mentor. I quickly got lost in the book, both through the excellent story telling and the manner in which George writes. I was thrilled with her style and enjoyed it immensely. I will definitely be recommending George and this book often in the future.
    • 4/5
      For me, these books are a bit of a guilty pleasure, in that some of the writing is sub-par, particularly in this book the depiction of the two American tourists. I had to rush past those bits in order to keep going, along with the love scenes between Deborah and SImon. Ugh. However, this attests to the power of the rest of the story, including the mystery itself and the beginning relationship between Havers and Lynley. Picturing the two actors from the BBC television series, Nathaniel Parker and Sharon Small, both helps and hurts as you read. He is not blonde, but otherwise perfect for his role as the earl/detective. However, Sharon Small is much too pretty and tiny to be much like the descriptions of the fat, terribly unattractive Sgt. Havers of the novels. The desolation of the rural characters' lives in their small village is well portrayed in the novel, as is the pain felt by both Barbara and Thomas throughout their investigation. Of course the push and pull of their relationship is the crux of the series, and is somehow compelling enough to make me want to read the entire series start to finish. That's why I've returned to this book, the first of the series, after reading one other.
    • 5/5
      This is actually the first book written in the Lynley/Havers series, although it isn't first chronologically. As with all of George's books, this one is a masterful mix of murder mystery and character portraits that will carry throughout the series. We get to know Barbara Havers in this one, who, despite her rough edges, is someone I really like. The characters are all so complex, and that's what I like. The murder itself is a grizzly decapitation where there is more than meets the eye. Great read! I look forward to reading all the others.
    • 4/5
      This was George's first Inspector Lynley novel. It was an intense, disturbing read due to the crimes involved, but that said, George handled her material with compelling detail including rich plot and character development. The theme of the book was how each of the characters dealt with the damage done to them by past experiences. Fortunately by the end of the book the two main characters, Lynley & Sargent Havers, had begun to let go of some of their demons. My main disappointment with the book stemmed from the initial treatment of Lynley (too good to be true) and Havers (completely unlovable) and the one sided caricature of the American tourists. By the end of the book George allowed us to view a more balanced portrayal of both Lynley and Havers so that we could believe in their humanity.
    • 4/5
      I've watched Lynley on TV and wanted to read the series from the beginning. Interesting to compare the visual image from the book with the TV series - Lynley is clearly not blond on TV. The appeal is in the characters as they negotiate emotional terrain rather than in the crime itself. George uses the crime as a way to draw out vulnerabilities in Lynley, Havers and others. Very well written and I liked how she tied in the opening scene with the end, although not what happened.
    • 4/5
      This is the first book in the Inspector Lynley/Sergeant Havers mysteries. I have watched the PBS series for years and loved it, so this was a natural progression.Tommy Lynley is a wealthy young man who works as a police inspector because he wants to. Barbara Havers is a sergeant from a lower class family who has been kicked down from CID to uniform multiple times because she can't get along with a single inspector she has worked with. As her last chance, she is paired with Lynley to investigate the decapitation of a farmer, whose daughter will only say "I did it. And I'm not sorry." No one believes the daughter is capable, and there is no evidence that she did it, so the investigation begins.A great story, once you get the characters straight. There is a lot of background that makes the TV series clearer.
    • 4/5
      Inspector Lynley and Sargent Havers from the Scotland Yard come to a small village in Yorkshire to investigate a murder. William Teys is found dead, beheaded lying over his dog and his daughter, Roberta is sitting besides him. Roberta confesses to the murder but is found to be mentally imbalanced. During the course of the investigation all secrets of the villagers come to the fore and the climax send a shiver down your spine.The author has tried to give you a picture of the characters from an emotional point of view and has succeeded. A very different and appealing way to approach the mystery. A very good read overall.
    • 3/5
      I'm not a huge Elizabeth George fan; I pick them up second hand or remaindered. I find them to be decent bathtub, beach or blanky reading, even though they are too brutal and melancholy to be cosies.This is the first one, and does explain some of the personal relationships that I'd never quite got. American author George chooses to write English mysteries, with a Noble Sleuth to boot. This one even features a classic Ugly American. I wonder what George's story is? She's not a bad writer, but something about her upper crust characters is off-putting and rings false to me. A bit derivative, perhaps? Thomas Lynley is not a patch on Peter Wimsey.Anyway, this is the first meeting of odd couple Scotland Yard detectives Lynley (male, a Lord, gorgeous, rich, compassionate) and Havers (female, working class, unattractive, poor, massive chip on shoulder). Together they solve a very ugly crime set in a beautiful Yorkshire village, both bringing vital insights to the case. Good stuff, and I'm going to read another one even if I don't rank it among the greats.
    • 5/5
      Roberta Tey is found standing over her decapitated father with an axe and tells those who find her, "I did it. I'm not sorry." Scotland Yard's Lynley and Havers are sent to investigate. Although I could find fault, this was an engrossing and ultimately moving read. The major jarring fault for me were two instances of coincidence, and one in particular I thought stretched things too far--otherwise I'd say as a mystery the plotting is exemplary, with one particular twist outside the main line of the murder mystery that came close to moving me to tears. That moment involved investigating Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers, a character type that comes close to cliche in mystery fiction I've read--the female police officer with a huge chip on her shoulder that makes her impossible to work with. The "short and dumpy" working class Havers is partnered with Inspector Thomas Lynley, who is everything she is not and hates. A "golden boy," Lynley is a handsome, rich titled charmer. It's more the story of these two forging a partnership than the murder mystery in rural Yorkshire that grabbed me. George is terrific at showing their disconnect. In Lynley's case it's more that he doesn't know what Havers has to deal with--and she's not letting him in. In Havers' case it's her class prejudices and hasty presumptions that lead her to grossly misread Lynley. While I wouldn't call George's prose style literary--it's clean and straightforward in structure and style--it is stronger than most genre fiction even in this first novel. She's a great storyteller, with a gift for making you care about her characters, and I was propelled through the 400 plus pages in practically one sitting. There is disturbing material in this novel--be warned. But I thought it ultimately warming and well worth the read.
    • 3/5
      This is my mum's favourite series and I've seen the TV series already. I enjoyed the first one and would like to at some point get around to reading the others - but some of them are so thick it makes you feel afraid to!
    • 5/5
      I have just read all the foregoing reviews. Good Lord, everyone, it's a novel! I don't agree that we should be able to guess the outcome early, or that we shouldn't be able to guess the outcome at all. I believe that all we require of a novelist, any writer really, is to be entertained.Thank you, Ms. George, for becoming a novelist. I'm very glad that you did.
    • 3/5
      Themes: family secrets, crime, love, social classSetting: Yorkshire, England and London, 1990sRoberta Teys is found next to the decapitated body of her father. She immediately confesses and doesn't say another word. The village is shocked. They all know Roberta. Surely she couldn't have killed her father. There must be another explanation. The local police investigate, but there are a lot of loose ends. Why was the family dog killed? If Roberta did it, why? And if not, who? Scotland Yard is called in. Inspector Thomas Lynley, who is also the 8th Earl of Ashcroft, is assigned the case along with Inspector Barbara Havers. Havers is on her very last chance to stay keep her job. Too bad she can't stand Lynley.I had a little bit of a hard time with this book. I found the case interesting, and the two main characters were well drawn. But Havers with her enormous chip on her shoulder almost ruined the book for me. I did a little research online and found that the series does continue, so I decided to keep listening to see if things looked up. Then I thought that for Scotland Yard detectives, they were awfully slow to figure out what the motive was, almost unbelievably so. Is this really the first case of this type they had ever worked on? If so, they are fortunate indeed. I couldn't believe how long it took them to spot the signs of what was going on, and Havers didn't ever figure it out until 'all was revealed.' That's a bit thick, if you ask me. (I hope that wasn't a spoiler! I'm trying to be discreet.)But these flaws aside, I am planning on reading the next book in the series. I liked Lynley and Havers and I want to read more. I haven't seen any of the PBS series, but I've been warned that the two are a little different, which is only to be expected. But I will pick up the next book. 3 stars, and I hope that the next one is better.
    • 4/5
      I've read a few of the books and seen a lot of the TV series so I thought I'd read more of the books.This is where Lynley and Havers team up. She has a chip on her shoulder about him because he's wealthy and it appears he's bought his way to where he is and she's also had to fight traditional male dominance in her post. Lynley also has a reputation for being a bit of a ladies man.They're teamed up to investigate a murder of a man whose daughter was found with the murder weapon, an axe in hand, but the why is important to discover. I got the why pretty early in the story for myself, it was following the developing relationship between Havers and Lynley that really caught my interest. A good read, but there were moments that fell a bit flat.
    • 3/5
      A successful mystery, the first in the Inspector Lynley series. The character development of Lynley and Harris was very well done. The background information on Yorkshire was most interesting. An enjoyable book, but too much of a page turner for bedtime reading.
    • 4/5
      A very overweight 19-year-old is discovered in her family's barn along with her dead dog and her dead father who has been decapitated with an ax. Lynley is assigned to the case and he has been partnered with Havers as a last ditch effort for her to try detective work. This was an incredible mystery and brilliantly written. The story was oh-so-much more than just a mystery, it was also very much character driven. Both Lynley and Havers are very complex characters and their personal stories are a vital part of the book. I am much taken with Inspector Lynley, and Havers' character develops through the book with a revelation near the end. Very compelling reading! The mystery itself was well done and a page-turner for me. I stayed up late last night reading until I couldn't keep my eyes open any more, then woke up and finished the book in the morning. I have actually seen this episode of the TV Show, so I knew whodunit and why, but while that did spoil the shock value of the ending for me it did not interfere with my enjoyment of the book at all. Fortunately, I have only seen one other episode of the show (a more recent one, not based on a book) so that will not interfere with my reading of any other books. I am highly looking forward to reading the next one in the series. Recommended.
    • 4/5
      The debut novel of this well-regarded mystery novelist. George introduces Thomas Lynley and Barbara Havers of the New Scotland Yard, as they set out to investigate a seemingly open-and-shut murder in York. The characters are interesting and likable despite how very different they are, and their relationships make for a good subplot. The murder story itself is engaging as well, with sufficient twists to make this something to a page-turner.