Reviewing detective novels is difficult. How do I convey what a page-turner it is, without resorting to cliches, but also without plot spoilers?

What I love about Elizabeth George, though, is not just her ability to spin a gripping tale, but her characters. All of us who read through series of police procedural novels, with the same detective and trusty sidekick, do so because we love to revisit those characters we've come to know and love. It's a little like watching a soap opera. EG is also blessed with convincing psychological insight into a wide range of personality types. I find myself believing in all her characters, particularly by this point in the series, when it's easier to forget that she's made the annoying error of having her main character be a member of the aristocracy (typical American view of the English!).

In this story, Lynley and Havers take on the investigation of a high-profile kidnapping case, which takes Havers to Wiltshire while Lynley stays behind in London. Add to these two story strands the perspectives of the parents of the kidnapped child, and 600 pages flies by. The strands come together well for a - what is it they say? - 'Thrilling denouement'!