Believing the Lie by Elizabeth George

This is the 17^th book in George’s long running series starring Inspector Thomas Lynley, a British Lord turned Detective and one of Scotland Yard’s finest.  

This book begins with a lie, is saturated with lies and at the end, no one is really set free by the truth.   Lynley is sent to investigate an accident and to prove that it’s not a murder.  The problem is that he can’t tell anyone that he is investigating so he needs to concoct other ways to interview suspects and inspect the scene of the crime.  As his investigation continues all sorts of lies and secretes are revealed while he is struggling with his own problems after the death of his wife a couple of books ago.

I’ve read most of the books in this series and was starting to get a bit tired of the characters and the story telling.  But my faith has been restored in this latest book. Unlike most series, this is a book that you could read and not have any need for the back ground.    There’s enough of a sense to give you an idea of what has gone on before but this is a story where the characters are trying to move on from their past and learn from their mistakes.

The best part for me is that this is a long book but I didn’t lose interest in the story.   I’m looking forward to seeing how she continues the tale in subsequent books.

419 by Will Ferguson

419 is the nickname for the Nigerian-run internet scam that preys on people’s natural desire to help someone in need.  Just after reading this book I received an email much like the ones portrayed in this book.   Fortunately I knew enough to just delete it and not respond!

Laura Curtis’ father dies in a car crash that at first seems like an accident and is later ruled a suicide.  During the investigation it is revealed that he has been a victim of an internet scam and has lost all his life savings.    In her grief, Laura decides that the perpetrators of the scam must pay for what they did to her father.    And thus starts a quest for revenge that will have her questioning her beliefs, her lifestyle and her relationships.

Juxtaposed on this plot line is another plot that follows the Nigerian scam artist and his family along with a mysterious woman whose journey across the desert is interspersed between these two story lines.   At times this is a complicated book to follow but the stories do eventually intersect and resolve.

I enjoyed this book although I found some of the descriptions a bit long and boring.  There is a lot of African history which didn’t always add to the flow of the book in my opinion but was interesting none the less.  You won’t find much of the humour that Ferguson is so well known for in this story but the tale is well-told and will convince you to double check your email security.