Payment in Blood

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Payment in Blood
Payment in Blood.jpg
First edition (US)
Author Elizabeth George
SeriesInspector Lynley
Genre Crime novel
Publisher Bantam Books
Publication date
1989
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (hardcover, paperback)
ISBN 9780553284362 (first)
Preceded by A Great Deliverance  
Followed by Well-Schooled in Murder  

Payment in Blood is the second crime novel by Elizabeth George. [1] Like its predecessor, A Great Deliverance (1988), it features Inspector Lynley and Barbara Havers of Scotland Yard as they investigate a murder. On this occasion, the Inspector comes into conflict with the principles of the English upper class, of which he himself is a member. [2]

Contents

Plot

When Joy Sinclair, a noted and controversial playwright, is found stabbed to death in a locked room at a remote estate in the Scottish Highlands, Inspector Lynley and his irascible partner, Havers, are called to investigate. [3] The situation is further complicated by the list of high-profile suspects, which include a leading actress, a famous theatre producer, a director and Lady Helen Clyde, Lynley's old friend, with whom the Inspector is in love. [4]

Reception

The novel was generally well-received, [2] being described by Kirkus Reviews as: "Not quite as dazzling as its predecessor ...but still complex, rich, and accomplished enough to elbow the author between P.D. James and Ruth Rendell to form the new triumvirate of English psychological suspense." [4]

A German translation by Mechtild Sandberg-Ciletti was published first by Blanvalet in 1991 under the title Keiner werfe den ersten Stein. [5] It was subsequently also published in paperback form by Goldmann. [6]

References

  1. Rubins, Josh (12 November 1989). "WHO LEFT THE DAGGER IN JOY SINCLAIR?". The New York Times .
  2. 1 2 "Payment in Blood by Elizabeth A. George". www.publishersweekly.com. February 22, 2025. Retrieved 2025-02-22.
  3. Rubins, Josh (1989-11-12). "WHO LEFT THE DAGGER IN JOY SINCLAIR?". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2025-02-22.
  4. 1 2 PAYMENT IN BLOOD | Kirkus Reviews.
  5. ISBN   978-3764555917
  6. ISBN   3-442-42203-5