Playing for the Ashes

Inspector Lynley #7

by Elizabeth George

When the body of England's leading batsman, Kenneth Fleming, is discovered in the burnt-out shell of a country cottage, it looks like a clear-cut case of arson. Further investigation reveals an almost embarrassing multitude of suspects for from Fleming's lover to his son, nearly everyone in contact with Fleming seems to have a motive - and an opportunity. Inspector Lynley and his partner, Barbara Havers, are called in from Scotland Yard to help the local police force. They find a torment of twisted familial relationships and broken dreams - and as he brings the murderer to justice, Lynley must bear the weight of his own conscience.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Detective, British Literature

706 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Susan Elizabeth George is an American author of mystery novels set in Great Britain. Eleven of her novels, featuring her character Inspector Lynley, have been adapted for television by the BBC as The Inspector Lynley Mysteries.

She was born in Warren, Ohio, but moved to the San Francisco Bay Area when she was eighteen months old. She was a student of English, receiving a teaching certificate. While teaching English in the public school system, she completed an advanced degree in psychology.

Her first published novel was A Great Deliverance in 1988, featuring Thomas Lynley, Lord Asherton, a Scotland Yard inspector of noble birth; Barbara Havers, Lynley's assistant, from a very working-class background; Lady Helen Clyde, Lynley's girlfriend and later wife, of noble birth as well; and Lynley's friends Simon and Deborah St. James.

This Elizabeth George is distinct from the other author named Elizabeth George (Christian author).

Series:
* Inspector Lynley

Reviews

[Khanh, first of her name, mother of bunnies · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't always been fond of George's narrative style, and in the later books, the different POVs drove me nuts. That said, this book has one of the best characterization I've read in her books. Brilliant.

[Obsidian · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this one drags due to the narrative style. I didn't know who the heck Olivia Whitelaw was at first and even when I did find out, I didn't get what was going on until the very end. I have to say that the big left me feeling perplexed about a few things and I just didn't like how it ended. I can guess at what Lynley decides to do, but I wanted it spelled out. Yes, after reading more than 700 pages (yeah this book is a behemoth) treat me like I am stupid and tell me everything at that point. Also the sides stuff with Lynley and Helen and Havers and her mother did not enhance the book this time. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out all of the players and motives.

"Playing for the Ashes" has a unique case for Lynley and Havers. They get called up to investigate whether Britain's star cricket player, Kenneth Fleming was murdered or committed suicide. It takes a while, but there are many we find out who loved him, hated him, and some that were jealous of him. You don't know who would want to kill him, but things start to zero in on one suspect after a while.

Lynley is still trying to get Helen to marry him. Yeah, I refuse to talk about this anymore. George keeps portraying women in her books as people who need to be handled which is steadily aggravating me. Lynley does this case quite systematically though with him and Havers playing off each other very well. There's a point in time though that it looks like Lynley could be getting into trouble with Scotland Yard since he has not closed his case fast and seems to be dragging his feet on charging the one person everyone believes did it.

So in this one just like in the last book though, the secondary characters shine more. Olivia Whitelaw I did not like at all. Even through the end of the book, I didn't care for her. However, having her narrate what reads as a letter to the reader was quite brilliant. Olivia's mother, well there was a lot going on there. And the character of Kenny I found loathsome once you found out what was going on there too. George manages to make you at turns feel sorry and also despise the same people paragraphs apart.

The writing was good, but honestly this book did not need to be 700 pages. I was so tired of everyone by the end of this book. This could have been much tighter. The flow was off too. Olivia's POV kept taking me out of the book since I didn't get what was going on there until the end. Once I got it, I did go back and re-read just her parts. We can get an inkling about some people based on what she says and doesn't say.

The book ends with a decision to be made by Lynley about that fate of several people. Since this is the 7th book, I can guess what road Lynley takes. However, as I said above, I rather it would have been said. Thank goodness Deborah does not make an appearance in this one.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a big book, 681 pages and it too me over a week to read it, but it was worth it. Elizabeth George gets better by the book. A first class writer and story-teller, that keeps you in your seat, not wanting to put the book down. This one was about the murder of an England Cricketer, Kenneth Fleming, found dead a as result of an arson attack, in the cottage of his lover, who seems to have vanished. There are suspects abound for Lynley and Havers, plenty of motives for the death of Kenneth Fleming, who all in all was a likable guy, but thoroughly misguided. The story is told in two ways, one written like a personal diary by Olivia Whitelaw, a very unlikable character by all accounts, her mother taught Kenny at school and at the time of his death, was his mentor and was providing him with a home since the breakdown of his marriage. The investigation is anything but straightforward and when Lynley does think he has figured out the identity of the killer, he has to use some clever baiting and hope for someone to clear their conscience. I love how Ms. George keeps you guessing to the very end, always a pleasure for me. Lynley has also still not sorted out his relationship with Lady Helen, he is still waiting on an answer to his proposal of marriage and is now losing patience. Will they, won't they? Barbara Havers has moved to her new cottage in Chalk Farm and forms an unlikely friendship. I wish Barbara could find a little romance, she's had a hard life and is turning into a very likable and witty character. Love this series and the upside is, there are still lots to read. This one deserves a full 5 stars.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow.

[C. (Comment, never msg). · Rating 4 out of 5]

My seventh outing with the fabulous Elizabeth George brings us to 1994, the first to earn 4 stars lately. Volume four was the last to receive 5 stars. Her début had 400 pages and dropped to a typical 300. Weighty hardcovers later in the series foretell a metamorphosis into literary opuses. “Playing For The Ashes” heads that way with 678 pages.

I understood the complex family dynamics that extensive back stories added but disliked spending long chapters with two disgusting youths. My modern vocabulary incorporates moderate swearing and I have had to speak my mind to my parents. However, the way Olivia and Jimmy behaved towards each of theirs was not only uncalled for but descended to being gross. I prefer gleaning information from the series protagonists I befriend, as a general rule. The chapters containing Olivia or Jimmy were dirty. I never liked Jimmy but Olivia changed and became an animal rights rescuer. Go, girl!

Once the whole story emptied out, I saw that we did not need the sagas Elizabeth delved into to present two external tertiary characters. Many mysteries connect characters with incidents to cast their accountability in doubt. I did not need biographies on them. Everyone was related densely as it was. Individual backgrounds increased the superfluity.

The victim was a cricket player, a sport unknown to me in Canada. Even this title required a laboured explanation from Elizabeth: “test matches between Australia & England”. His girlfriend was a suspect, staying at the summer cottage of his elderly mentor friend. The mentor is Olivia’s Mother. The other suspect, Jimmy, is the victim’s son through his ex-wife.

It was wise to leave Simon & Deborah out this time. My favourite scenes were with Barbara in her new home. Helen’s marital dillydallying capped Thomas’s patience and this reader’s.

[Aleshanee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dieses Mal war sehr viel Handlung auf ein psychologisches Profil einer der Beteiligten ausgelegt, eine Art Tagebuch / Rückschau, was alles vor dem Mord vorgefallen ist. Das hat mir etwas zu viel Raum eingenommen, wodurch die Ermittlungen zu kurz kamen. Trotzdem war es insgesamt wieder sehr spannend bis zum Schluss!

[Jody Werth · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is way, way too long. By the time I had 150 pages left I didn't care who did it, I just wanted it to be over.

[Britta Böhler · Rating 4 out of 5]

30 Books in 30 Days / Book #4
(Started in July)

[Stef Rozitis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked this one better than the last one of these I read. I was quite engaged in Olivia's story for most of the book. In the end I just got worn down by sheer volume, there was too much of everything- emotion hardship, more emotion, miscommunication loneliness etc making all together a melancholy mood but I wasn't really into it. 680 pages is almost always too many and it was too many for me here- there were too many different things going on.

I am glad I liked Olivia because I really loathed most of the characters- Kenneth, Miriam, Garbriella. When it came to Jean and Jimmy I had an appalled sort for pity for them without wanting to spend much time with them and then there were scores and scores of support characters who were a little bit too well developed (I subscribe to the idea that you want to really engage with about three characters more than that becomes exhausting and/or confusing).

The murder was well plotted and Olivia's story was well used within that without making it obvious too early who did it (well it became obvious too early, but not because of Olivia and by then I was a bit worn down by other aspects of the story too).

Lynley and Havers are portrayed as polar opposites in a way that I think is supposed to make Lynley look really shiny and flatter him but to me he looks like a rich sexist (better censor out the word that comes to mind here). I continue to feel furious at the way Havers has no real role within the series apart from failing to be as privileged confident or powerful as Lynley. Initially I thought I would like that there was a female inspector in the book but she was just there for Lynley to be horrible to and tellingly wasn't even in on the end.

I have no time whatsoever for Lady Helen. She is toxic femininity personified- useless, irrational, beautiful (of course) and sympathetic to the male gaze. Every time she appeared in the book I cringed at the things she said or that Lynley said about her. Inexplicble and wearying: I felt there was an attempt to explain the "brilliant man attracted to ditzy female" phenomenon without a sound understanding of gender and in particular how insecure masculinity is. Nevertheless Lynley musing (and Helen's demand) on why he loves her took in surprisingly archaic notions such as "distraction" (a reformulated and slightly dysfunctional version of home as the feminine sphere) and then settled on the fact that she was "oh so sympathetic" so that this useless gnat of a human mind at least had the virtue of focussing on him the supreme (narcissistic) male. Lynley is a curious character for a female to have written because his narcissism is so sympathetically presented.

Of course Havers has no lovelife. In all things she must be opposite to and inferior to Lynley.

I've been scathing- aspects of this one were good. I liked the positive portrayal of animal activism, I liked that an awful lot! I also really did like that Olivia was such an "outlaw" and was written in a way that stressed the importance (and problem) of agency. Even though the uneducated working class characters (such as Jean and Jimmy and horrible Uncle Derek) were portrayed in such stereotypical ways, there was still a degree of sympathy for their desires and needs in life, and especially for the way family mattered to them.

I have read worse.

[Azita Rassi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best in the series yet. Strong characterization, tense plot and sub-plots, multiple important themes that were all skillfully handled without dropping or sacrificing any of them. Beautiful.

[Evie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Playing for the Ashes is the 7th book in the Inspector Lynley mystery series. Like all of her books, even a seemingly open and shut case is vastly complicated, as the motives for murder, and equally unhelpful suspects, slowly amass. “The Ashes” historically refer to the prize that is awarded in a Test cricket series played between England and Australia, and is fitting for a title, as the victim in this case turns out to be Kenneth Fleming, a late rising star on England’s team, murdered on the eve of the test matches. Reputable among his loved ones and colleagues, Lynley and Havers set out to flush out a cunning, remorseless killer.

The characters are slowly fleshed out, and you have to be patient with all of them as they relate their side of the story. I think this is where George is an expert in her craft and style. You feel like you’re working the case with the detectives; sometimes you even start to feel loyalties and prejudices toward certain characters. I found myself drawn to Fleming’s estranged wife, Jenny Cooper, and her turbulent relationship with her son, Jimmy. They just made my heart ache, and I completely understood her situation. Don’t even get me started on Lynley and Havers, possibly my favorite detective team ever. In this book, they really bridge the gap between colleague and possibly friend. By the end, it is never just a book about a murder, but it almost always leads to reflection on life and intimate relationships.

George is one of my favorite mystery writers; I’m pretty sure that this is the only reason why I didn’t give up on this one. It also seems like as I get deeper and deeper into the series, the weight of her books increases! This probably slowed my reading down, as after the first few days of toting it around, I had to opt for leaving it at home. I would read about a chapter a day, and that’s saying a lot, as her chapters tend to be quite long. Still, it’s my opinion that this book didn’t need to be over 600 pages; the open ended conclusion was a bit upsetting as well. As much as I love her, it’s almost like every time I want to pick up the next book in the series, I have to mentally prepare myself for a long, long reading trek. Most of the time it’s worth it; other times it’s just meh. Here’s to hoping the next one will hit a homer out of the park.

[Erin Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beware of Spoilers (also applies to Missing Joseph)
***
***
I appreciate the complexity and skill of intertwining another character's voice into the storytelling of this novel. While Olivia is unlikable in many instances, her story is interesting and develops in ways I didn't expect. In addition to the central mystery of the whodunnit, the story is propelled along by the mystery of her past and how she connects to the crime.

Also I realized after the sixth book, Missing Joseph, that I actively dislike Deborah. Since she is not in Playing for the Ashes, I enjoyed the book a lot more. At first in the series, I was interested in how Deborah was connected to Lynley and Simon, but once that was explained, I had a hard time understanding or sympathizing with her feelings about motherhood. Each time George delved into Deborah's personal drama in Missing Joseph, I was uncomfortably reminded that she is 24--so young and, despite being married, so immature. I still feel squicky about how her relationship with her "brother-uncle" Simon became a romantic relationship. Reminders of her continued immaturity do not dispel the squickiness, but only reinforce it. I'll take 10 books of Havers over another 10 pages about Deborah. I've gotten off topic, but that is a major part of why I prefer Playing for the Ashes over Missing Joseph (if only it had been called Missing Deborah).

Feelings about Deborah aside, I like the balance between Havers' and Lynley's personal lives and the mysteries large and small in Playing for the Ashes.

[barbara n. holman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have been reading the Inspector Lynley books in order and enjoying them very much. This is my least favorite so far, for many reasons. It is much longer than it needs to be, slow moving much of the time, laborious and even slightly repetitious, badly in need of better editing. It is weighted down with unnecessary description of details which only seem to sound like haughty sound-bites showing how much the author knows, and daring us to pick up a dictionary to look up some of her words. Or a map of London. Olivia's character is ugly, and it is difficult for me to read about someone so unlikeable, and with so much ugly language. The crime itself and the process of solving it is very, very good, just almost lost in the flotsam and jetsam of all of the countless words describing things that don't matter, or taking too long giving the reader "insight" into the characters. The whole cruelty of experimentation on animals story line is unnecessary, except for the twist at the end, and as ugly as Olivia's story. In the end, after reading all this stuff, not to know for sure what the Inspector decides about bringing the killer to justice is more than a bit annoying.

[Noella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hoewel dit verhaal eigenlijk veel te lang was, vond ik het toch spannend. Ik heb geen stukken overgeslagen, maar de auteur heeft alle gebeurtenissen en de achtergronden van echt àlle personages uitgebreid beschreven. In feite las ik dat wel graag, want achteraf bekeken kon je je zo wel veel beter een idee vormen van een mogelijk motief van iemand, of je kon beter begrijpen waarom iemand op een bepaalde manier reageerde op de gebeurtenissen.
Ik moet echter wel zeggen dat ik niet geneigd ben om als volgende boek er weer een te kiezen dat zo uitgebreid ingaat op alles. Dat zou teveel worden.
Hoewel ik nog geen andere boeken van deze auteur gelezen heb, en dus nog niets over inspecteur Lynley, vond ik het wel leuk om over de achtergrond van deze speurder te lezen.

[Kathy Davie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seventh in the Inspector Lynley mystery series set in modern-day London with Inspector Thomas Lynley and Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers with this particular story set in Kent.

My Take
Excellent as always. George is rather scary in some ways with how impossible it seems to solve the crime that occurs, and yet she lays it out for us in such a logical manner that it all makes sense in the end, even as she points the finger from one person to another after another.

Most of the story is a buildup of the supporting characters. Jimmy, Kenneth's son, is a tearaway whom everyone is expecting to end up in jail. He is so angry with his father for leaving his family and promising the moon, which he never delivers, that he would happily kill his father.

Olivia has been the typical wild child and the primary spoke of the wheel, as it's her viewpoint and evidence that is the "attacking shot". She's hated her mother, Miriam, for years for caring more for everyone else. It doesn't help that Miriam just has to manipulate everyone into doing what she thinks is best — Jeannie can testify to this. But at least Miriam is an equal opportunist. Jeannie has been put upon for years and that last encounter may have been the final straw.

Peeking at some of other reviews for this particular story, yes, I'd agree that George weighted the story down with in-depth analyses of the other characters that weren't necessary such as Mollinson…but, it was so very fascinating to read her fully-fleshed characters.
The Story
The unexpected discovery of Kenneth Fleming when he's supposed to be flying to Greece for a boating holiday with his son throws everyone, including the Kent constabulary for a loop.

Worse, there are so many who would like to see him dead.

The Characters
Detective Inspector Lynley plays the press and gets in hot water for it with his superiors at the Yard. Sergeant Barbara Havers is his partner and has made her first friend at Chalk Farm. It'll be interesting to watch this develop. Lady Helen Clyde is a friend of Lynley's.

Scotland Yard
Sir David is just itching to take Lynley down nor is he the only policeman Lynley is jerking around. Maidstone's Detective Inspector Isabelle Ardery is finding Lynley rather tyrannical in their so-called equal partnership. Detective Constable Winston Nkata.

Kenneth Fleming is a superstar cricketeer, the center around whom everyone involved pivots. Jimmy Cooper is his about-to-be 16-year-old son. Jeannie Cooper is his wife. Georgina is his fiancée. Guy Mollison is the captain of the English cricket team.

Miriam Whitelaw, Kenneth's teacher, most fervent supporter, and eventual best friend owns Celandine Cottage. Olivia is her daughter.

Living on a barge, Chris Faraday is an architect specializing in remodeling old homes. Amanda.

Martin Snell is the milkman.

The Title
The title is a play on a particular cricket game, The Ashes, traditionally played between England and Australia. The fact that this particular cricketeer died from carbon monoxide in a house fire…well, I'll leave it to you to judge as to how much of a play the title is.

[Cindy Rollins · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my favorite Inspector Lynley.

[Toni Osborne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 7 in the Inspector Lynley series

This is one edge of the seat gripping mystery offering several plots within its main plot, a great work of detective fiction, one of Ms George’s best.

The story opens when the body of England’s leading batsman Kenneth Fleming is discovered in a burnt out country cottage, an apparent victim of arson. Inspector Lynley and his partner Barbara Havers are called in from Scotland Yard to help the local police. Further investigation reveals a multitude of suspects, it seems that everyone knowing Fleming had motive to kill him. Once again they find themselves embroiled in a case where nothing and no one is really what it seems…..

This astonishing story is brilliantly written, an intricately woven tale of psychological suspense. Through her characters, the author explores in depth the hate-love relationship people have for each other and their reaction facing adversity. Olivia who provides much of the story in her own words is a rich and complex character. We also have the continuing saga in the personal life of Lynley and Lady Helen with Barbara Havers slowly adjusting to her new home.

This is one absorbing story that will keep the reader guessing to the very last page. It is very captivating, I highly recommend it.

[Lobstergirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

A typical George mystery, with her detectives Lynley and Havers well, convincingly, and likeably written and a few of the other characters scarcely believable and frankly nauseating. (Olivia in particular, who is misanthropic and virulently self-destructive up until the last few pages.) As is her wont, sports and causes are invoked (cricket and anti-vivisectionism). She overwrites: "Sodden cornflakes and ever-darkening banana slices marked the trajectory of the cereal bowl she'd upended." First, this is too many adjectives. Second, no one cares about the trajectory of some cornflakes and banana slices. It is a meaningless detail of the type that festoon her books. But occasionally she will semi-redeem herself by having Chief Superintendent Hillier call Lynley a "glib little fanny rat." What a fanny rat is, exactly, I don't know. But I would like to. Naturally for me it conjures images of gerbils and Richard Gere, but maybe I am way off base.

[A · Rating 2 out of 5]

I started reading this series a few months ago and have found some books are better than others. Playing For The Ashes was one of the poorer ones - very long but full of trivial detail e.g the chase between Lynley and Jimmy went on for several pages listing the many streets and various obstructions - why? It added nothing to the plot - was it to show how well the author knows London or just to make the book longer. I'm also starting to find Lynley very annoying so I'm not sure how far into the series I'll get.

[aPriL does feral sometimes · Rating 4 out of 5]

““In England the term “the Ashes” signifies victory in test cricket (cricket played at the national level) against Australia.””

The preceding quote is from the book. However, if you, gentle reader, are thinking, “I bet actually the title of this mystery genre novel is a sly double entrende about a dead body” you are right! The only thing this book has to do with game of cricket is that one of the characters is a star cricket player. But if you really are a fan of cricket and are expecting a game in these pages at some point, you will be very very disappointed in this book.

Readers who are fans of hothouse mysteries - which is what I call mysteries that tend to have a lot of doomed romances, diva performances and extreme angst along with murders and mystery - will find a lot to like in “Playing for the Ashes”. These hothouse plots do tend to lean to the chick-lit side of the scale, but they still are very entertaining for everyone, in my humble opinion. Both sexes are well represented as heroes or bad guys, the action is dark and deadly and briefly graphic, and it is difficult to quit reading at any point for the last 100 pages because the suspense of not knowing how it ends will drive the reader into missing work or staying up all night.

This is the 7th book in the Lynley/Havers mystery series. There is a convoluted plot, a mystery, a murder, tons of characters who could have done the murder, and of course, Thomas Lynley and Barbara Havers, English CID police officers. Since you really should read this series in order (the personal lives of Lynley and Havers are actually at the forefront of the action in almost every one of these novels, as are the distraught self-immolating suspects), the emotional level might be reduced because a reader beginning with the newer books will, in my opinion, not receive the full blast of emo crazy Elizabeth George injects into each and every book in the series. Of course, if emo crazy annoys the crap out of you in the first place, you won’t like this series anyway.

In this novel I could not guess who the murderer was, so I was in suspense throughout. I was highly entertained by the operatic plot. Best of all, one of the protagonists was a disgusting person who I would swear was an antisocial personality if she had been a real person, or at least an incredibly immature selfish ninny at best, so I felt free to despise her to my heart’s content, as well as feel superior in every way.

What more can any neurotic shy damaged nerdy bookworm with no life such as myself need for temporary validation? I highly recommend this book.

These books in the series so far explore realistically, despite the over-the-top self-destruction in each and every character’s life in each book, the emotional devastation that making and living with bad choices brings. I do not find each single instance of coming undone in these novels hard to believe, but the author does not do nuances. ALL of her characters tend to be in their heads as if they were still hormonal high school teens all of the time. I think for most of us readers, we have a friend, relative or acquaintance who did something like a George character once or twice, or we ourselves had a bad time once or twice. George likes to give readers their money’s worth by making sure EVERY character is screwing up really really bad.

The character who provided me with so much positive and elevated self-regard was Olivia. Her narrative and life takes up half of the pages, so if she does not pique your interest the book won't be fun for you. Her part in the book was to Live Large as a young adult going on 4 years old. She chooses a life as a drug addict and a prostitute to destroy her parents, who really are very sweet, but for some reason Olivia can’t seem to see them as regular people because they are wealthy and a bit conventional and they want to enjoy an expanded and worthy social life. Everything they do, especially her mother, Olivia misreads as hate, vengeance and abusive control. She can’t seem to like or love them, no matter how benign or ordinary they live their lives or what their expectations are for their daughter.

I think she simply has a horror of being controlled so strong that she can’t accept any kind of critical suggestion, much less a parental directive, so that being told it’s time for bed would have been enough to send Olivia into a room-breaking tantrum. Olivia also has a form of jealousy which is world-destroying, and a blinkered overly personalized view of why people expect her to follow directives and set goals.

Olivia writes a diary in alternating chapters in 'Playing for the Ashes' about her life which shows how bent her viewpoint is, but I suspect some inexperienced or youthful readers may not see that she overreacts to the world, misreads simple criticism as dislike or hate, and is obviously too self-centered to understand her self-destruction is only important to her family but there is a big world out there that she could have chosen to enjoy on her own.

Those of us who have known people like her will recognize the extreme diva mentality who think it’s all about them, no matter what the situation. Thankfully, only a few children, and I’ve known some, will go on to this kind of extreme self-degradation to punish a normal parent (it’s always been a parent in my real experience).

In real life, usually normal parents do not entirely blame themselves, but when they do, many have the maturity to recognize, parental guilt or not, that the self-destruction punishes the child more than the parent. Setting oneself on fire because you hated eating Brussels sprouts once a week, or doing homework, can be kinda wasteful of one’s life. At some point, the recognition that living well is the best revenge one can have, if revenge is the point, but actually simply living well for oneself is nice, revenge or not.

There was a 4 year old who used the technique of holding his breath to punish anyone who tried to make him do something or did not buy him a toy he wanted. Of course, any sane adult would understand: 1. if he did hold his breath long enough to pass out he would not die but he might bring relief to everyone by being quiet for awhile. 2. he would start breathing automatically again if he succeeded in holding his breath until he passed out. 3. he is an idiot child. Olivia was this kind of person.

Boy, did I have fun dissing Olivia every time it was her turn to vent and practice the kind of self-destruction which is meant to rub other people noses in their guilt, but instead results in everyone wondering about that individual’s maturity or sanity, or in my case, thinking, “too stupid to live”.

The writing is almost literary, but everything is too spelled out for the reader to be actually a literary read. Like I mentioned, I didn’t think it unreal, and I think George knows her emotionally impoverished families. Nobody is exactly polished or civilized, even when they are aristocrats. When I finished this novel, as I also did in finishing the previous books in the series, I felt satisfactorily sated with having lived within every character’s inner trailer-trash.

So much fun!

[lilias · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ll start with the most obvious thing about this book: it’s long. I’d argue it’s too long. While a lot of the detail that goes into character development would usually add to the overall book, here it was a bit… much. It got tedious. Partly, I think, because the murder itself isn’t that interesting. The victim isn’t that interesting. There’s no real feeling of urgency to get to the bottom of things, and that missing urgency could have make this book move along. It took me a long time to get through it. Yes, I have a baby and lights go out before I can read anything and I’ve been gardening up a storm… but I never needed to get back to reading.

I’d like to think a little editing wouldn’t take away from the emotion of the resolution (or lack thereof). I will say it’s nice to read a mystery I wasn’t able to figure out. It was also so nice to have more Barbara, less Helen, and no Deborah!

[Lisa (Harmonybites) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this one was an improvement over Missing Joseph, the last entry in the Lynley Mysteries and my least favorite of the novels to date. That one barely featured my favorite character in the partnership of Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers--here she's back in form. And it's not just her presence per se I missed, I think Lynley is a better, more interesting character with her to play off of as well. I remember one scene--the "Kwai Tan" bluff by Barbara where I smiled widely thinking this is a lot of why I love this character. And for once both the personal subplots with Havers and Lynley were hopeful and positive. I was particularly charmed by Havers developing a friendship with Hadiyyah--a charming little girl, seven going on eight, who is her neighbor.

The title "Playing for the Ashes" is a cricket term, and this mystery involves the murder by arson of cricket star Kenneth Fleming who rose from working class roots to play for England. Three very different women loved him and have been loved by him. There's Miriam Whitelaw, his former teacher, old enough to be his mother, who he was living with at the time of his death. There's Jean Cooper, the wife he's been separated from for years who still hopes she can get back his love. And there's Gabrielle Patten, his lover and wife of the team sponsor. It's these women, and those connected with them--Miriam's daughter, Jean's son, Gabrielle's lovers and husband--who hold the key to his death.

In a departure from George's usual style, the third person narrative is punctuated throughout with chapters in first person from the point of view of Olivia Whitelaw, the daughter of Miriam. Like one reviewer, I found this off-putting, especially since this begins the book and I found I greatly disliked Olivia. That never changed, even if I did find myself having sympathy for her by the end. I also noted this novel in the series overindulged in crude language. I'm no prude, and I don't usually even notice the use of obscenities, but in this case I felt a bit assaulted by their use. I also felt the Olivia chapters, and other scenes not involving the two detectives, were overlong and by and large an unnecessary drag on the narrative. The first Lynley mysteries, such as the first, A Great Deliverance were not much longer than 400 pages. This one was close to 700 pages. I worry George is succumbing to the problem you see in successful, and thus unedited, authors such as Tom Clancy and Stephen King, where their novels become bloated. I did enjoy this book though, enough to read more of the series.

[Jamie Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good Inspector Lynley mystery. The soap opera is more engrossing than usual, even though the first character introduced, Olivia, is so vile that I thought for a while that I wasn't going to enjoy the book at all. Her story is presented in first person, as she's writing an accounting of her life, and the early chapters are seriously off-putting.

Because of the title (the term "the Ashes" signifies victory in test cricket against Australia) I was half hoping, half dreading that there would be a lot of information about that mysterious English sport, but there isn't much. The book has nothing to do with Australia, either. We do have a murder victim who's a famous batsman for England.

I don't normally seek out contemporary mysteries. It was the British setting that attracted me to these (and the fact that I could borrow all of them from my mom) but the writing keeps me reading them. The melodrama is almost over-the-top, but I'm consistently drawn into the characters' lives, most especially that of Lynley and Havers. I'm looking forward to the next one.

[Karin Slaughter · Rating 5 out of 5]

my favorite in the series. Really tight plot and great pace.

[Bella (Kiki) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, my goodness! I first read this book the year it was published. It was my introduction to the magnificent Elizabeth George and her equally magnificent "Inspector Lynley" novels. Not too long ago, I read Something to Hide, her latest published Lynley book, and I loved it. I finished it wanting to spend more time in the company of Lynley and Havers, so I decided to reread Playing for the Ashes. I loved every page of it, and most of all, I loved spending time with Lynley and Havers. They have become best friends of mine.

This is the book in which Lynley and Lady Helen Clyde become engaged. It's the book in which Barbara moves from Acton to Chalk Farm and meets Taymullah Azhar and his daughter, Hadiyyah. It's the book in which Lynley first sees Havers' small cottage in Chalk Farm, inside and out. And, as far as I'm concerned, it's Ms. George's magnum opus, so far. (She, herself has said she hasn't written her magnum opus yet, and I hope that's true.)

George is such a good writer. Just fabulous. This book switches back and forth from Lynley's POV to Havers' POV to Olivia Whitelaw's POV to Jeannie Flemming's POV, however, at no time was I even the slightest bit confused. The transitions are so smooth, so good, so beautifully written that no confusion was possible for me. This also happens to be the only book of Ms. George's in which I guessed the killer correctly, but of course, it was a guess only, and I had no idea how the killing was accomplished or why, and it's not a spoiler to tell you that the killer does have an alibi.

Like many readers, I found the character of Olivia Whitelaw disgusting, just a horrible, rotten-to-the-core person. I tried to make allowances for her behavior, telling myself she was a victim of bad parenting, she was young, and she was terminally ill, but as much as I tried to work up any sympathy for her, I just could not. Every time I began to feel anything close to sympathy, the scene of Olivia meeting her father and mother by chance, and the horrible way she spoke to them, negated any sympathy I could have felt. As for Chris, I think he took her in because he likes fixing broken things.

There are so many suspects in this book. Just about everyone is suspect, but only one person, outside of the killer, knows the whole truth. Astute readers will be able to ferret out who that one person is, but they almost certainly won't be able to put all of the pieces together, just as Lynley could not, though he knew who the killer was. I think, with this book, the "why" is more important than the "who." But the "why," in a murder is always important.

Some readers say there was too much Olivia in this book. I can understand their feelings. I didn't like spending any time at all with Olivia. She seemed particularly hateful to me when she was thrilled with the excitement of engaging in Chris' nighttime activities but didn't seem to care about the cause, itself. That's when she lost my shred of sympathy for good. However, I don't see how her sections could have been shortened. If they had been, we would have had a different story altogether, and the irony of her inserting details about certain activities into her letter would have been lost. I could feel sympathy for Jimmy, though. He never spoke to either of his parents the way Olivia spoke to her mother and father, and he truly loved both of them.

I was a little baffled at the end of the book, just as some other readers were. I do think I know what Lynley was going to do, and I hope I'm right. I think Ms. George left clues scattered throughout the book that we don't pick up on until the end, and to me, that's masterful writing. As it is, I finished this book with an, "Oh, goodness! What a masterpiece!" (I'd still love to hear what other readers think about the ending.)

This is a dark book that deals with social issues as well as a murder investigation, but all of Ms. George's books deal with social issues as well as murder, and all are pretty dark. Havers lightens things up for us, and occasionally, Lynley does as well. I laughed as he flipped through one of Barbara's romance novels. I'll never forget that scene.

My very favorite "Inspector Lynley" book remains Just One Evil Act, but I think Playing for the Ashes is the best in the series, so far, and though it's Ms. George's longest book, I don't think it's too long at all. This is murder mystery as it should be written, and it's murder mystery as only Elizabeth George can write it. I couldn't recommend it more highly.

[Kerrie · Rating 2 out of 5]

ugh... this book was just a misery to wade through. Every one of the suspects / victims were appalling repulsive people. The only solution that I would have approved of was if they had ALL died in the fire. I came to hate the POV chapters. It's hard to separate the plot / mystery (not bad) with all of the excess & in my opinion unnecessary personal stories of the people who were involved in the murder / arson.

I'm giving this series one more chance, because I think they are well-written and I like the main characters. I'm hopeful that the next installment will be an improvement.

[Fay · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was unnecessarily long, the murder was vaguely described and Olivia was unlikeable. I had to bargain with myself to finish the book. Just about every character whined. I loved the first book of the series and was okay with the others but it’s becoming high soap opera. I missed St. James but he and Deborah whine too🙄. I’ll try one more.

[Eline Van Der Meulen · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Ik mis de vlotte aanpak uit de eerste delen van deze reeks. Er wordt zo sterk gefocust op de personages en zo weinig op de echte onderhuidse spanning dat het vaak hetzelfde aanvoelde. Een rustige, voortkabbelende beek zonder hindernissen onderweg." https://elinevandm.wordpress.com/2019...

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

After thinking about this overnight, I've had a change of mind about a few things.
-1) This is a murder mystery to be solved by experienced Inspectors and Detectives. Lynley actually says, "You can't be expected to anticipate evidence." So Scotland Yard doesn't train their employees to look for blood, footprints, clothing fiber, etc? Good grief, no surprise that there is no actual ending in this book (but one can make a pretty good guess and in the real world, not every crime is fully solved), Lynley is seems incompetent at times. Warning: if you like a black/white ending, don't read this novel. Cereally.
-2) I know nothing about the game of cricket. The author had 621 pages to tell me something, anything. (The murder victim is a famous cricket player). After reading my first Dick Francis novel, I learned a ton of stuff about horse-racing and found it exciting. George either knows nothing about cricket or assumes the reader does. Either way, the book fails in this regard. Hilariously, she thanks people for educating her about cricket in her "Acknowledgments" section. Too bad she didn't pass that information on to the reader.
-3) Often, the author just writes and writes about the same thing. At one point, George pens, "I don't need to tell you of Kenneth's success." Then she spends two pages writing about it. She DID need to tell us the story of Kenneth's background, so why deny that it's a vital part of the story?
-4) Helen, Lynley's great love, actually puts a tin of vichyssoise in a microwave (among other airhead issues that match Lynley's) because she doesn't like cold potato soup. Perhaps George is saying that Helen and Lynley are pulling each other down. There are many problems in their relationship, after all.
-5) Chris-a guy living on a barge- awakens and realizes "he needed to pee s0 badly that his dick (an oft used term in this book) was practically seeking out the toilet without his assistance." Okay, sorta funny, gotta go! Perfectly natural, a universal issue. THEN, finally, 2 pages later...he is still sorta eyeing the bathroom. No, NO, no.
-6) I don't mind that this is a very dark book with rotten, ugly people. I've read darker ("A Little Life" for example) but have usually been rewarded with some kind of redemption for someone. No redemption here.
-7) Oh, there HAD to be a chase scene lasting for what seemed like hours (about 500 pages) until one just doesn't much care. Cops, walls, deadends, gates everywhere. The goal is to grab young 16 y/o Jimmy- and it feels like every cop, Lynley and his side kick Barbara are racing around London as if George had to name hundreds of streets and places in L0ndon. I, personally, thought the chase scene through the Queen's bedroom in Buckingham Palace on the unbelievable side.* But I liked it when everyone climbs the Tower and takes Olympic level dives into the freezing cold Thames. I gave Barbara's triple lux backward dive a 10.**
-7) The author punishes, horribly, sexually active people. The message: if you like to have sex cause it's fun then you either are murdered or get a terrible disease. If you don't much like sex but mess around on occasion, George may let you live. MAYBE, but sex=bad. In 1994, 30 years after the sexual revolution? In her last book, sex was fun, baby, fun. Shagadelica!
But there are 619 pages in this edition, and maybe an issue such as the above every 50 or so pages that really stick out and bring the story to a screech halt. So I'll generously take only a point off, so far, so we are at 2 stars. Maybe these are all comic elements, intentional. Now:
+1) Barbra Havers' story continues to enthrall. She is Lynley's smarter-half, and she's a brilliant creation. She's real, she struggles financially and isn't beautiful (on the outside), and apparently she doesn't have sex cause no one has killed her yet or given her an awful disease. There is a great scene where Lynley, of true nobility, visits Havers at her very humble abode.
+2 Then there is Jimmy, a sixteen y/o boy who worshipped his famous athlete/dad Kenneth, and is perfectly portrayed: his monumental actions and sacrifices might just bring tears to one's eyes. Jimmy's mom, Jean, is stunned to see that her Jimmy is turning into a man. (But she isn't much surprised to find that both Jimmy and a younger brother masturbate a lot-Kenneth perhaps has y been clear on the subject, or she's just a good mom who gets it.) And oh, does Jimmy hurt because of what he feels he must do. And how Lynley uses Jimmy is simply cruel.
+3 Kenneth, who we hardly get to know, is a very smart, top-of-his-classes, ambitious student used and abused by a teacher. His early death is agonizing on several levels and for everyone in the book. After all, sports stars are the heroes for many, and have been since television showed them to us starting in the 1950s.
+4 Then there is Olivia. And the people involved in ARM, an organization saving animals from 'experimentation.'. And these animals, with their spines intentionally broken (and worse) dovetail perfectly into one character's descent into illness. This issue might make this book unreadable for some people.
+5 Then there is a darn good story here. Lots of red herrings, like in any good murder mystery. You may guess the villain early on - some red herrings are clearly real clues. Yes, an excellent 300 page not-so-cozy-British-murder-detection story. And not a single gossipy girl's school, vicar, body in the library, secret passageway, etc. So many tropes avoided.
So I must give George a perfect 5-star rating for her often stupendous characterizations. And minus 1 star for the stumbles that should have been edited out. There are very few epic murder mysteries. Eco's "The Name of the Rose" is one, and it's about half the length of "Ashes". Christie's epic, globe-trotting "Orient Express" runs about 200 pages and turns to an equally non-ending but oh-so-satisfying one. (If you've read it, you know what I mean. If not, you must!) At 621 pages, "Ashes" is, yes, a door-stopper. And I gotta read another, I'm hooked on Havers. Helen and Lynley? Dumb as doorknobs sometimes: they are super rich and sometimes it seems they don't belong in these novels. George, please, put Helen on a cruise, send Lynley back to 'Detective School" and move on! Besides, what is it with Lynley and his butler, Denton, and the constant playing of "Phantom of the Opera"? I LOVED that show, George sorta trashes it. Methinks she's a bit jealous. Me too, imagine the profits. Using my usual scale:
CAST - 5 stars.
ATMOSPHERE - 3 stars. *Didn't happen in the book, but it could have been edited out. **Some people do take a dive into the Thames. But still just a tad too much time is spent on this element.
CRIME- 5 stars. Unusual method, the victim is basically a good guy but a used and abused great athlete, the suspects are many but slowly dwindle.
INVESTIGATION -4 stars. Barb is on top of things, (Lynley a bit slow on the uptake and his entire interaction with the vulnerable Jimmy just wrong but you know things like this happen). But it's the reaction of the investigation by the characters that is fascinating.
RESOLUTION- 4 stars, very debatable. I say Lynley doesn't close the case (toward the end he says he may not be able to), others may say he does indeed. But, oh, if he does close the case, at least 4 character;s lives are impacted horribly.
Summary - 4.2. Even for its faults, my favorite of the series so far. George is a very good writer, and I think there is a 5 star novel right around the corner in this series.

[Kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

Successful structure.
Painful misogyny. Who’d
want love on these terms?