Elizabeth George is simply a brilliant writer.
Her mysteries are psychological suspense at its best but what I like is the way her characters grow and evolve.
She is very careful to maintain their individual character as they interact with each other and with the events taking place but you never forget they are human and, therefore, are imperfect.
Since her characters grow with each book, I strongly suggest that the books be read in the order they were written.
I read the third one first and knew immediately that I had missed a great part of the character's lives.
After that I found the first one and read them in order.
It added so much to know the characters and to know what cases they had worked on before.
Like all of us, their involvement with each other and their work added to their knowledge and their compassion.
I do not have a favorite as each book added another layer to the body of work, but if I had to choose, it is the title What Came Before He Killed Her that I find myself thinking about the most often.
Many of Georges' books deal with children and how so often they are shortchanged.
Sometimes it is the parents who handicap their children and sometimes it is the lack of resources within the system.
In What Came Before He Killed Her it is a combination of both.
The main child, Joel, is simple a lost child.
He is inherently good, but overwhelmed by the responsibility of a mentally handicapped brother, a sister trying to find a place for herself, and circumstance that are way above the capability of any 12 year-old.
His crushing story will stay with you long after you close the book.
Again, I caution you to start at the beginning of the series with A Great Deliverance.
Her mysteries are psychological suspense at its best but what I like is the way her characters grow and evolve.
She is very careful to maintain their individual character as they interact with each other and with the events taking place but you never forget they are human and, therefore, are imperfect.
Since her characters grow with each book, I strongly suggest that the books be read in the order they were written.
I read the third one first and knew immediately that I had missed a great part of the character's lives.
After that I found the first one and read them in order.
It added so much to know the characters and to know what cases they had worked on before.
Like all of us, their involvement with each other and their work added to their knowledge and their compassion.
I do not have a favorite as each book added another layer to the body of work, but if I had to choose, it is the title What Came Before He Killed Her that I find myself thinking about the most often.
Many of Georges' books deal with children and how so often they are shortchanged.
Sometimes it is the parents who handicap their children and sometimes it is the lack of resources within the system.
In What Came Before He Killed Her it is a combination of both.
The main child, Joel, is simple a lost child.
He is inherently good, but overwhelmed by the responsibility of a mentally handicapped brother, a sister trying to find a place for herself, and circumstance that are way above the capability of any 12 year-old.
His crushing story will stay with you long after you close the book.
Again, I caution you to start at the beginning of the series with A Great Deliverance.