The Punishment She Deserves

4 MAY

Soho
London

First had come the requisite clothing, and her choice was simplicity itself. She already had dozens of slogan-bearing T-shirts she could wear only some of them being truly objectionable so the single purchase she made was two pairs of leggings, black in colour since black was supposed to be slimming and God knew she wanted to look slimmer than she actually was. Next, naturally, had come the footwear, with an astonishing array of choices she had absolutely not known could exist online or anywhere else. Black, of course, there was lots of black, but there was also the choice of beige, pink, red, silver, and white. One could have glitter as well. One could choose from soles of leather, resin, rubber, or a synthetic material of unnamed and, one hoped, eco-friendly origin. Then came the ribbons or the laces. Or the ankle straps with buckles. And finally presented were the taps themselves. Toe, toe and heel, none at all . . . although why one would purchase tap shoes without taps didn t make much sense to her. She ended up choosing red it was, after all, her signature colour when it came to footwear and she went with straps and buckles as she could not see herself being responsible for keeping either laces or ribbons tied for the length of time that they would need to be tied: ninety minutes each lesson.

The last thing Barbara Havers had ever expected when she d agreed to tap-dancing lessons in the company of Dorothea Harriman, the department secretary of her division in the Metropolitan Police, was that she would actually enjoy the activity. She d gone along with the plan merely because she was worn down after listening to relentlessly given arguments on the subject of the benefits of tap dancing as exercise. Although most forms of exercise that didn t involve pushing a shopping trolley up and down the aisles of the nearest Tesco had long been anathema to Barbara, she d fairly quickly run out of excuses on the subject of

Elizabeth George is the New York Times bestselling author of twenty psychological suspense novels, four young adult novels, one book of nonfiction, and two short-story collections. Her work has been honored with the Anthony and Agatha awards, two Edgar nominations, and both France's and Germany's first prize for crime fiction, as well as several other prestigious prizes. She lives in Washington State.

Praise for The Punishment She Deserves
 
Rich with descriptive detail and emotional nuance. Several alternating plot threads unspool at length, all of which weave tightly together with pleasing inevitability. . . . What has been said before deserves repeating: From suspense to social commentary, from violence to pathos, from villainy to possible redemption, Ms. George can do it all, with style.
Wall Street Journal

The Punishment She Deserves contains all the trademarks that have made George a grandee of the genre: an intricate and thoughtful plot (this one includes various forms of addiction and numerous examples of misguided parenting), a multiplicity of carefully conceived and richly executed characters and the continuing evolution of Lynley s and Havers personas. No George novel and especially not this effort is one through which the reader should sprint. Instead, take time to reflect on the issues George raises and to savor her genius.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch
 
Meaty, psychologically probing . . . Lynley becomes, for a significant portion of the narrative, a kind of peripheral player, yielding the investigative center stage to his colleague, Detective Sgt. Barbara Havers. This is a canny and risky move on George s part, and she makes it work through building Havers into a character who s fascinating in large part for how different she is from Lynley; their personal contrasts fuel the novel.
The Christian Science Monitor

In . . . George s skillful telling, Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers (working class, rumpled and smart) takes the lead probing death in a medieval market town; her boss, Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley (aristocratic, cultured and smart), takes a back seat.
The Seattle Times (naming The Punishment She Deserves one of 2018 s best thrillers)
 
Elizabeth George knows how to keep a reader turning the pages of her books. . . . George takes her time to