Believing the Lie

Believing The Lie
First US edition
AuthorElizabeth George
SeriesInspector Lynley
GenreCrime novel
PublisherDutton (US)
Hodder & Stoughton (UK)
Publication date
2012
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (hardcover, paperback)
ISBN9780525952589 (first)
Preceded byThis Body of Death 
Followed byJust One Evil Act 

Believing The Lie is a crime novel by Elizabeth George. It reached third place on the 2012 best sellers list of The New York Times.[1]

Inspector Thomas Lynley is sent undercover to investigate a death that has been ruled an accidental drowning. With the help of Simon and Deborah St. James, he soon discovers a web of intrigue, secrets and lies.

Reception

The novel received mixed reviews, with critics commenting on the novel's length and the complexity of the plot. The New York Review of Books said: ''There may be a good 200-page book here, but it needs a solid plot point of view and a talented editor to dig it out.''[2]

Publishers Weekly commented negatively on what it called "statements of the obvious" and "platitudes".[3]

Kirkus Reviews described it as: ''Pared-down George, weighing in at a svelte 600 pages, but still strewn with subplots, melodrama, melancholy, a wretchedly unhappy Havers and the impossibly heroic, impossibly nice Thomas Lynley.''[4]

References

  1. ^ "Combined Print & E-Book Fiction". The New York Times.
  2. ^ "a book review by Kathleen Hennrikus: Believing the Lie". www.nyjournalofbooks.com. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
  3. ^ "Believing the Lie by Elizabeth George". www.publishersweekly.com. April 5, 2025. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
  4. ^ BELIEVING THE LIE | Kirkus Reviews.