The Punishment She Deserves, Elizabeth George's 20th Lynley Novel, performed by master narrator Simon Vance, is classic George—a sinuously nuanced novel of stylish prose and clever dialogue. This time, the handsome, aristocratic, impeccably mannered Inspector Lynley of Scotland Yard doesn't get into the action for quite a while, but Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers—scrappy, sartorially challenged but ever diligent—is there from the get-go, uncomfortably accompanied by Detective Chief Superintendent Isabelle Ardery, who's never had any use for her. They have been sent to the medieval town of Ludlow to investigate how the police handled the death of an accused pedophile and Anglican deacon who died while in their charge. The police say it was a suicide, but the deacon's influential father vehemently disagrees, and Havers becomes certain it was murder. Lynley, urged on by his loyal sergeant, finally gets involved, and together they tease out the truth. It's a long listen that's worth every minute.

INNOCENTS ABROAD
An unlikely love story, an oddball espionage caper set against Cold War shenanigans, a charmingly authentic portrait of a small Tuscan town and an irrepressible leading lady I'd really like to hang out with—all this and more tangle together in Christina Lynch's debut novel, The Italian Party, read by Edoardo Ballerini, who spikes his narration with a lilting Italian accent. It's 1956 when Scottie and Michael, a very attractive young American couple, arrive in Sienna. Just married after a quickie romance, they barely know each other and know nothing about Italy. Scottie thinks her new husband is in Italy to sell Ford tractors to the local farmers, and Michael thinks Scottie is a total innocent with a hefty inheritance. As they get to know each other, everything changes. Michael actually works for the CIA and is trying to stop a Communist takeover in Italy while harboring his own personal secret, and Scottie, who was pregnant when she met Michael, doesn't have a dime. Can they cope with these startling revelations? Hang on, it's a good ride with a surprising finale.

TOP PICK IN AUDIO
​​​​​​​Spending time with Commissario Guido Brunetti—wandering the labyrinthine Venetian calli, stopping for a quick coffee or a bite of his wife's fabulous meals—is the perfect way to celebrate Audio Month. Brunetti makes his 27th appearance in The Temptation of Forgiveness, Donna Leon's latest addition to her deeply atmospheric, brilliantly written mystery series. And as always, the incomparable David Colacci gives Brunetti and every other character the very voice Leon intended. Devoted fans know that it's not unusual for Brunetti, as an aficionado of Greco-Roman classics, to ponder justice, morality and the ambiguities of life, all of which come into play when, shortly after Professoressa Crosera tells Brunetti about her teenage son's drug use, her husband is found in the street with severe head injuries. Brunetti's staunch colleagues, whom I was glad to get to know a little better, help in connecting the seemingly unconnectable dots. Bravi!

 

This article was originally published in the June 2018 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

No. 1 New York Times best-selling George returns with the next mystery featuring DI Thomas Lynley and his partner DS Barbara Havers, who's in the lead here. Approached by a Member of Parliament with a request to investigate the supposed suicide of a constituent's son, New Scotland Yard's assistant commissioner sees an opportunity to stick Havers with an impossible case and thence get rid of her. (He's not a fan.) George's last title was in 2015, so folks will be clamoring.

British actor Vance does a strikingly effective job as narrator of the 20th book in George's series about highborn Scotland Yard Det. Insp. Thomas Lynley, in which he and his partner, Det. Sgt. Barbara Havers, investigate a questionable suicide in the rural town of Ludlow. The early chapters find Lynley deskbound while Havers and their autocratic supervisor, Det. Chief Isabelle Ardery, look into the suicide. Ardery ignores Havers's suspicions of murder and authenticates the suicide ruling. Circumventing an apoplectic Ardery, Lynley gets the case reopened, and he and Havers return to Ludlow, where their police work is interspersed by dramatic vignettes involving the local community. Vance's vocal interpretations never falter. His Lynley is definitely aristocratic, but tempered by charm and empathy. Havers runs an emotional gamut from bristling pugnaciousness to bouts of inferiority. Vance voices Ardery—who with her job on the line and her personal life in disarray grows increasingly dependent on vodka—with slurring, furious anger, and self-contempt. With its artfully described small-town atmosphere, meticulous plotting, and well-drawn characters, this is one of the author's finer novels, with series newcomer Vance delivering a flawless, nuanced performance. A Viking hardcover. (Mar.)

Bestseller George's stunning 20th Thomas Lynley novel (after 2015's A Banquet of Consequences) finds the detective inspector running things at New Scotland Yard in London while his partner, Det. Sgt. Barbara Havers, and his boss, Det. Chief Supt. Isabelle Ardery, investigate allegations of police malfeasance in Ludlow, England. Six weeks earlier, community support officer Gary Ruddock arrested Ian Druitt on suspicion of child molestation. Ruddock then brought Druitt to the unmanned Ludlow police station, where Druitt hanged himself. The Independent Police Complaints Commission cleared Ruddock of criminal wrongdoing, but Druitt's influential father wants a second opinion or he'll sue. To Ardery, the review is a formality; Havers, however, believes that Druitt was murdered and asks to reopen the case. When Ardery refuses, Havers consults Lynley, who can't resist getting involved. George tackles a number of emotionally charged social issues with sensitivity and grace. Exquisitely rendered characters and a powerful sense of place enhance the meticulously crafted mystery, which satisfies as a standalone while furthering the series arc. Author tour. Agent: Robert Gottlieb, Trident Media Group. (Mar.)