Elizabeth George does it again! She is an excellent mystery writer. Great Summer Read for all who love mysteries. I recommend you read all of her books with the connecting themes!

This mystery involves several different plots that are connected through the issue of female genital mutilation in the Nigerian community in London. A police officer is murdered and Acting Detective Chief Superintendent Linley and DC Havers investigate the case. I have enjoyed Elizabeth George’s novels, but this one was too long and somewhat difficult to follow. The solution to the murder was satisfying and the issue of female genital mutilation and its horrifying effects on the victims was well-researched.

Elizabeth George's Something to Hide is the 21st in her popular police procedural series starring New Scotland Yard Acting Superintendent Thomas Lynley and Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers.

This one follows several different storylines that are eventually linked and center on female genital mutilation in immigrant communities in the U.K..

Though it's quite a tome, I enjoy spending time in Lynley's world and followed the tale to its very surprising conclusion.

It has been a long time since Elizabeth George graced us with a new Lynley/Havers mystery. The topic around which the story revolves,, female genital mutilation, is a difficult one. Although this was not my favorite book in the this long running series, I learned a lot about how FGM can occur in a modern society and the rationale for it still being a practice. I congratulate George on tackling this most difficult topic.

4.25

This installment in the Lynley series has its usual alarming issues and occasional cozy interactions between long-standing characters. There is enough backstory to catch- up newbies to the series, but much for fans to laugh and reminiscence with. The novel begins with Deborah St. James as she starts a photography project she has been asked to work on, to highlight the trauma, both physical and emotional, of girls and women who have gone through female genital mutilation (FMG). As with all the books in this series, this is just the tipping point as readers learn of a murder case that circles back to the project. The descriptions of violence to bodies in the form of FMG and domestic violence are vivid. In her note, George discusses her research into FMG and the cultural issues as well as the experts she spoke with. It is reflected in the writing as it is woven into the mystery surrounding the death of a detective and how four families ( differing in race, disability, and culture) are connected to the victim and crime.

There are the usual light moments, mostly centered around DS Barbara Havers and her friend and colleague, Dorothea's determination to find them both recreational activities and romance. DI Lynley is especially gloomy in scenes, and he comes to realizations about himself and his future. DS Winston Nkata has a standout role in this novel and there are insights from his inner thoughts and his loving parents. A timely read with heartfelt and heart-stopping moments.

I listened to the audiobook and read along with a large portion of the book. Thanks to Penguin Random House LLC and NetGalley for the e-galley. My ratings and reviews are my own.

George has chosen a topic for her latest Inspector Lynley series that is getting a lot of press recently. Centering on a Nigerian immigrant family who is trying to find someone to make their eight-year-old daughter pure and a virgin seek out someone who will perform female genital mutilations (FGM) and the death of a policewoman who is determined to end this painful ritual. George is skillful at showing how even a mother who has suffered the continuing pain of this surgery succumbs to cultural norms as she searches for someone to make sure her daughter is pure for a husband. FMG will increase the bride price. Add in the violence of a father who is used to commanding his family to do his will and the physical violence he imposes on them to keep them under his thumb, a program that seeks to help Nigerian women break free from this horrid painful mutilation and there’s a lot to take in while reading. George skillfully navigates the territory as she also continues to make Barbara Havers and Winston Nkata into bigger roles in the story. Although lengthy, George makes sure the reader understands the cultural issues surrounding FGM.

3.5 stars. Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this as an ARC.
I love the Inspector Lynley, Detectives Havers, and Nkata series from Elizabeth George. From the first novel in the series, I have found the relationship between Havers and Lynley to be fantastically odd and quirky. I love how Barb is a mess in the best way, in her own right. I love how Lynley is buttoned up, and how Barb is changing him for the better in each successive novel. I also enjoy learning about Nkata and his charming family.
This novel centers around a particularly important topic, the barbaric custom of FGM, and in particular in the novel- happening in modern day London. I give George props for tackling such an important and weighty topic in a detective series. But I think the novel is in need of serious editing. I say this as someone who enjoys lots of extra details in my reading. The amount of unnecessary details weighed down the pacing of the novel. If the story had been whittled down by 5% or so, I would have enjoyed the pace of the story and not felt like details were bogging it down. I am sorry to say this, because it pains me to criticize another's work.
If you are a fan of the series, then you will want to read this story to not miss a chapter in the tale of Havers and Lynley. But I wouldn’t say it is a must read- which is sad given that George did a service to highlighting a sad and disfiguring practice most people know nothing about.
As always, I look forward to reading the next novel in the series.

This book deals with the topic of FGM so it can be an u uncomfortable read for some. The team investigates the deal of a police officer to find that she trying to expose the traditional cutting of young girls. This search leads them to the secret world of cutters that exist in London and highlights the changes that need to be mad to eliminate this abusive tradition.

This Inspector Lynley novel is about murder, secrets, the Nigerian community and delves into extremely important cultural classes and ideals. I found the pacing extremely slow and had to really make myself read this book. Is that because it was about a difficult topic, perhaps. I suggest you read it for yourself and decide.

** I received an electronic ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review of this book.

I have read almost all of the Inspector Lynley series, and this one was totally up to par. I did not know anything about FGM in the UK currently, and was shocked and horrified to learn so much through this story. It's an eye-opener. Meanwhile, all of our favorites -- Lynley, BArbara Havers, Deborah, Simon, and Nkata are present and accounted for and the saga of their stories continue! I love how Elizabeth George plays such a long game with any romances in this series. Every time you think one of the characters is getting close to happily ever after, there's a setback or a delay. Nonetheless love lives slooowly meander on. This story had a very cool unexpected twist at the end, which twisted AGAIN, and that was pretty cool.

I will recommend this to anyone interested in the topic of FGM. And for anyone who's never read Inspector Lynley before, this is just as perfect as any other place to start.

I always look forward to another installment in this series, for a revisit with the characters as much as an adventurous new plot. This was a difficult subject but well-researched and handled with honesty and dignity.

I've read every book in this series at least once — these are British-style, psychological murder mysteries with rich characterization and very vivid settings that are practically characters themselves. I'm thrilled to say that this epic mystery is among the best in the series.

In this installment, DI Thomas Lynley and his longtime sidekick, the ever-rumpled but well-intentioned Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers, start out investigating the murder of another police detective, but soon find themselves unraveling dark secrets that involve infidelity, family rivalries, and deep-seated tradition in London's Nigerian community. The mystery is VERY satisfying with plenty of likely suspects and many surprise revelations. And, as always, the interplay among the characters feels authentic and is genuinely moving.

If you're already a fan of Inspector Lynley, you'll be thrilled with this one, and it's a great place to start if you're new to this rich world that Elizabeth George has created.

“Something to Hide,” by Elizabeth George, Viking, 704 pages, Jan. 11, 2022.

Scotland Yard Detective Sergeant Teodora Bontempi is found comatose in her home. After she is taken off life support, an autopsy reveals she was murdered.

Until recently, Bontempi had been working on a special task force investigating female genital mutilation (FGM) within North London's Nigerian community. Detective Chief Superintendent Mark Phinney was Bontempi’s boss.

Acting Detective Superintendent Thomas Lynley is assigned to investigate. He is assisted by Detective Sergeants Barbara Havers and Winston Nkata.

Meanwhile, the Department of Education asks Lynley’s friend, Deborah St. James, to take photographs at Orchid House, a refuge for Nigerian girls who are at risk of FGM or who have been abused.

Tanimola Bankole works at Into Africa Groceries Etc., which is owned by his father, Abeo. To Tani’s dismay, his father has arranged for him to marry a Nigerian girl whom he has never met. Tani says he won’t marry her. His father has already paid the dowry.

When his eight-year-old sister Simisola tells him about her upcoming initiation ceremony, Tani confronts his mother, Monifa, and realizes his father is arranging Simisola’s marriage to get back the money spent on the dowry. The first step in the initiation is for Simisola to undergo FGM.

“Something to Hide” has a very complex plot, but all of these threads come together as George expertly weaves them into a whole narrative. It deals with a difficult subject, but she doesn’t go into too much clinical detail.

George writes excellent police procedural novels that are character studies in addition to being mysteries. Lynley and the other characters have real personalities. This is the 21st in one of my favorite series.

In accordance with FTC guidelines, the advance reader's edition of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

Elizabeth George never disappoints, and this latest Inspector Lynley novel is no exception. In one book she incorporates female genital mutilation, immigrant issues, assimilation, safe houses, and alsothemes of jealousy and arrogance. And in the end, all of the strands of plot come together in a very Dickensian way. A wonderful read.

How wonderful to be with Lynley, Havers, Deborah, Simon, Cotter, Nkata and Dee again. Even Hillier. And London. The tough subject matter of SOMETHING TO HIDE, FGM (female genital mutilation), was difficult though. Different cultures, traditions, and domestic violence and situations all played into the theme. George, as always, was masterful in weaving the plot in and around these social themes. And of course leaving little clues as to who the murderer could be. Trying to figure out the who, how, and why is always part of the fun of a Lynley and Havers mystery. I've been a fan of these mysteries since the first and the 21st offering did not disappoint.

Thank you to NetGalley and Viking for the digital advanced reader's copy.

4.5 stars

So, full admission: I have been reading George's Lynley series since I was in college, some twenty-five+ years ago, and happened to pick up Well-schooled in Murder in a bookstore.

I loved it, and have read every one since. Some entries in the series are more satisfying than others.

This one rates up there with some of George's best, and, if you haven't yet read any of the series, I do believe you could pick this one up and still enjoy it completely.

All of the recurring characters make an appearance in this one, and nearly all of them are at their best, complete with foibles, banter, bad habits, and even a few surprises. I'm loving the growing relationship between Havers and Dorothea, as well as the lovely cameos with Salvatore Lo Bianco. Nkata's parents are the best. Lynley continues to grow as he continues to learn how to live with grief. Even Deborah wasn't her usually annoying self (Deborah is often my least favorite chracter, ymmv).

The mystery lets us delve deeply into the lives of disparate characters - my favorite part of any George mystery. George manages to create complicated, conflicted characters who are often neither villain nor hero.

In this outing, an officer is murdered, and the murder is potentially connected to her work trying to stop female genital mutilation (FGM) in London's Somali and Nigerian communities, a horrifying ritual that is not easily stopped simply by making it illegal. George explores how difficult it is to change something that is a long-time part of a culture, even while she explores how our own systemic racism is just as difficult to change.

This one lost just a 1/2 star because a plot point hinged on a long-time character making a unlikely mistake, which simply didn't ring true to me.

However, the rest of the book is absorbing with a thought-provoking and timely mystery, and I always enjoy an outing with some of my favorite British police procedural mystery characters.

*language, FGM, adult situations

Many years back, I read a lot of Ms George’s Lynley novels and enjoyed the Morse-like slow-paced procedural and odd couple partnership of aristocratic DI Thomas “Tommy” Lynley and his slobby DS sidekick Barbara Havers. I drifted out of them after I tried What Came Before He Shot Her (2006) and didn’t much like the change in format. But when this new novel popped up on Netgalley, I thought I’d venture back into the very British world that this American author has successfully created and, while I didn’t love it and had a few problems with it, I quite enjoyed reading it.

It takes quite a while for us to get to the crime that provides the spine of the plot: a police officer, Teo Bontempi, is murdered and Lynley (now Acting Detective Chief Superintendent), DS Havers (no promotion for her!), and DS Winston Nkata are on the case.

But before we get there, we meet a bunch of other characters: posh photographer Deborah St James (wife of Simon who is a pal of Tommy and a forensic wizard) has been commissioned to take photographs of girls at a refuge, Orchid House, where we also meet the director Zawadi. Much time is also spent with Nigerian British Bankole family and the third strand of the plot is DCS Mark Phinney and his family. There are other characters too, who we meet through the investigation.

Phew! No wonder this novel is a hefty 700+ pages. All four of these plots are connected through female genital mutilation and the Nigerian community. And here is one of my first concerns - is this an appropriate topic for a white author to be tackling? Ms George knows it’s an issue because she has a character confront Deborah with the same question - why was a white photographer commissioned to take these photos? Neither she nor I are particularly convinced by Deborah’s suggestion that the intention is “to enflame as many as people as possible.”

This is a novel teeming with a plethora of well-developed characters from a broad swathe of London life. Ms George has got the talent and the willingness to take the time to build this initially dauntingly large cast. However, the two central investigators, Lynley and Havers, feel both caricatured and anachronistic. This is a series that’s been going since 1988, and while the fictional world around them has changed, they haven’t and it feels like an awkward juxtaposition.

I found this novel rather slow going and I think that’s more a reflection of me and my changing tastes and dwindling attention span, as I recall the earlier novels were similarly paced and I didn’t have trouble with that back in the day. I also found the actual mystery element to be rather unconvincingly resolved and there are several plots including a background mystery that just sort of fizzle out.

So, I’d say if you like lengthy, richly complex, but not particularly twisty police procedurals, then this is one for you. Sadly, for me, I feel I’ve rather moved on..

Thanks to Viking and Netgalley for the digital review copy.

I have read all of Elizabeth George’s books and loved all of them, but this one, maybe because of the subject or genital mutation, I couldn’t enjoy it the way I always did her other books.

As always, the author inserts plenty of twists and turns to keep the readers guessing as to the true murderer.

This book is number 21 in the series involving Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers and Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley. This is my first book to read in The Linley series. It reads fine as a stand alone novel.


This newest installmenr involves an unusually sensitive murder case during a London summer “hot enough, to make an iguana sweat.” An undercover officer who was investigating the illegal Nigerian “medical services” offered at a women’s health clinic in Hackney is found in a coma in her apartment flat. She is rushed to the hospital, yet she dies. The autopsy shows that a blow to her head fractured her skull. Everyone seems to be a suspect in the murder and as the case unfolds, the lies pile up. Everyone is harboring secrets. This includes the immigrant Bankole family who are in the process of forcing an arranged marriage on their 18-year-old son, Tanimola, and a horrific surgical procedure on their eight-year-old daughter, Simisola. Why the disfigurement to their own child? The procedure is necessary to get a “good bride price.”

I found this novel entertaining but no page turner. This could be partly due to my introduction to the characters in the 21st book of their detective career.