Wednesday 2 March 2016

Book Review: Deception On His Mind

9th of 19 books!
This is a log series of books. I like to latch onto an author's mystery series, to see the development over time. It's rather like a long movie. This series was tricky. Elizabeth George is wonderful. I began the books, then realized that the library didn't have them. Next, we took off to a used book store, where they had some. Borrowing hubby's Kindle, I chose to download two of them, just for posterity.

The book series was begun in 1988, and the last was published in 2015. I like the development of the various themes. This one deals nicely with racism against certain races in the coastal town. It adds to the tensions and .

What has caused a slow-down in Kindle buying, and other eReaders, is that the books aren't any cheaper on an eFormat. The two I bought were $13.99 apiece. What the heck! My hard copy was $9.99.  Then, I discovered that one book (A Suitable Vengeance–1991) was a prequel. Did that ever tick me off! I am sure my fellow book club fiction authors could tell me how and why an author would do this. Anyone?!

Anyway, she is a creative writer, with an amazing vocabulary. The two books I read on Kindle were enhanced by the dictionary in the toolbox. (That was a learning curve!) They all take place in England, and you really ought to read them in order. I found, too late, this list: Books in Order. Hubby printed it off so that we could take it about with us.

They (Books in Order) also state:
Elizabeth George’s books have not only thrilled readers across the world, they have wowed audiences on television for six seasons. The-Inspector-Lynley-Mysteries (Masterpiece | The Inspector Lynley Mysteries | PBS – 2002is a BBC-television series based on the characters and stories of Detective Inspector Thomas “Tommy” Lynley of Scotland-Yard, played by Nathaniel-Parker. The series also featured Lynley’s partner Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers, played by Sharon Small.
Elizabeth George


    Image result for elizabeth george novels
    Elizabeth George
    Susan Elizabeth George is an American writer of mystery novels set in Great Britain. She is best known for a series of novels featuring Inspector Thomas Lynley, 19 in number as of 2015. Wikipedia
    BornFebruary 26, 1949 (age 67), Warren, Ohio, United States

10 comments:

Yamini MacLean said...

Hari OM
Not a fan of her work, but completely understand when others are.

The epublishing thing is interesting; popular authors can obviously charge a premium. One thing to bear in mind though, the big A have ultimate control over pricing of ANY work published through them and they can reduce the price at their own cognizance = royalties to author altered also.

For kindle pub, authors offering over the $9.99 price point settle for 35% royalties minus 'delivery costs', which are charged per MB of download. For the $13.99, Ms George may (I say may) be earning $4, possibly less. For the hard copy, assuming Createspace royalties apply, for the $9.99 it is possible she is receiving about the same... but if priced over the ten dollar mark, that hard copy royalty would drop considerably; also, according to length of book, the costs would rise - because there are various printing costs to contend with - which the author carries.

A difficulty with the epub rise is that there is a tendency to forget that books are artisan products with hours, days, weeks... of toil behind them (not that all show that, of course). ...we should all be so lucky as to have the talent and skill to sell so many books over so many years!!! YAM xx

troutbirder said...

Since patience is a virtue I've been buy more books lately at our local Goodwill store instead of the ereader...Yikes.:)

William Kendall said...

I haven't read any of her work, actually.

Unknown said...

Jenn,

Amazon will not charge more than $9.99 for an ebook if they can help it, but the large publishers routinely do, and I doubt that Elizabeth George has any say in how her books re priced.

If I recall correctly, A Suitable Vengeance was the first book she wrote, but not the first one that sold. That's why it was published as a prequel.

I gave up on the series because there are so many books and all of them so long, it would have taken hours to catch up. She's a wonderful writer, though.

Kay said...

Thank you so much for your recommendation. There's a whole bunch of her books that I can borrow for my Kindle at our public library.

Red said...

I don't read mysteries but I know I should. I know I'm a lazy reader. I'll write this down. I just might try it.

Alyssa Goodnight said...

I enjoy following a mystery writer (and detective) over time as well. It feels very chummy, doesn't it. :)

Powell River Books said...

You have to admire someone who can write so many books. It's hard work as you know. - Margy

Sarah Laurence said...

That's a useful link, books in order, thanks for sharing it. A Kindle would be useful for looking up words. I still prefer a print book, especially when it's cheaper!

Ellen Booraem said...

I loved the PBS series (BBC, I guess) but have only read one or two of the books, and of course out of order. There are one or two shockers in the series--one HUGE one-- that it's probably too bad to know about beforehand. (I'm sure you know which one I mean!) But thanks for the reminder--I should pick up some of the later ones.