From Publishers Weekly
In her first story collection, eminent British author George (A Traitor to Memory) presents five nimbly written and gripping tales, each with a stunning conclusion. "Exposure" concerns declining sexual prowess, as gossipy architecture students speculate about Polly Simpson, who is suspiciously friendly with elderly men touring Abinger Manor, where one oldster dies mysteriously just as some historic silverware is stolen. In "The Surprise of His Life," high-powered CEO Douglas Armstrong, obsessively jealous and mistrustful of his young wife, learns too late that she's planning an astonishing final surprise for both him and the reader. Similarly, a young widow in "Remember I'll Always Love You" is horrified to discover the secret double life led by her late husband, purportedly a sales director for a biotech firm, but in reality something far more sinister. A melancholy tone pervades "Good Fences Aren't Always Enough," in which an elderly Russian refugee, Anfisa, scandalizes her socially conscious neighbors in fashionable East Wingate with her determination to live life her own way. In the title story, ambitious and murderous schoolteacher Malcolm Cousins is determined to perpetuate the reputation of his hero, Richard III, while also absconding with the wife and substantial legacy of a former school chum. A brooding, gloomy dust jacket suggests gothic themes, but the tales are thoroughly modern in setting and subject. Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
George, author of the deservedly popular Thomas Lynley/Barbara Havers mysteries, tries her hand at the short story form with this collection of five tales. Each story is introduced by George, who describes how she came to write it. "Exposure" is a condensed version of a Thomas Lynley mystery, while both "The Surprise of His Life" and the title story mix horror with humor to portray the desperate acts of men at mid-life, ending with a wittily vindictive twist that will appeal to fans of Ruth Rendell. "Good Fences Aren't Always Enough" probes a clash between a fiercely family-oriented young mother and her new neighbor, an aging, eccentric Russian immigrant. In "Remember I'll Always Love You," Charlie Lawton, a grieving young widow, sets out to find her deceased husband's estranged family and discovers a deadly secret. George, whose last novel, A Traitor to Memory, ran to nearly 800 pages, excels at writing in a more condensed way. Satisfying and memorable, this collection is highly recommended for most public libraries.--Jane la Plante, Minot State Univ. Lib., NDCopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From AudioFile
The recent PBS "Mystery!" program featuring Inspector ThomasLynley created new interest in Elizabeth George's intriguingseries. Many listeners have enjoyed her audiobooks, both abridged andunabridged. This collection of George's stories is a real departure,and although performed in the capable voice of Derek Jacobi, anunsuccessful one. Several of the stories are set in the U.S., andCalifornia, land of the boogie board and macramé, is not Jacobi'shome turf. He's so out of context, that he unfavorably colors thebelievability of characters and narrative. In the title story, "I,Richard," and another that features Detective Lynley, Jacobi isexcellent, but the short story form does not seem to show off George'sstrengths. However, the afterword interview with the author is a plus.R.F.W. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine


From Booklist
Best-selling novelist George's fourth collection of short crime stories shows her skill at delivering distilled shocks to the reader's nervous system. In five fairly long tales, George serves up psychological detection in one, Stephen King-like horror in another, a puzzle mystery, a history mystery, and one that gives an O. Henry twist to the O. J. Simpson case. As in her novels, George is in absolute command of the stomach-wrenching realization and the sudden, sickening turn of events. Only one story, "Exposure," falters. This is a reworking, with a new point of view and a new victim, of an old George story based on murder on an architectural tour of a stately home. George's tone is inexplicably acidic and mean-spirited toward all her characters in this one story, making the reader uneasy for all the wrong reasons. The introductions provided for each story are marvelous in themselves, offering insights into George's working methods and thought processes. Her introduction to "The Surprise of His Life," for example, examines both the possible motivation and time line in the O. J. Simpson case and her transformation of this material into an effectively creepy story. Jealousy, greed, obsession, rats, Richard III, and bioterror--what more could a crime collection have? Connie Fletcher
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Review


"In her first story collection, eminent British author George (A Traitor to Memory) presents five nimbly written and gripping tales, each with a stunning conclusion."
--Publisher's Weekly

Praise for Elizabeth George:

“Elizabeth George reigns as queen of the mystery genre. The Lynley books constitute the smartest, most gratifyingly complex and impassioned mystery series now being published.”
--Entertainment Weekly

“A master of the English mystery.”
--The New York Times

“Ms. George can do it all, with style to spare.”
--The Wall Street Journal

“It’s tough to resist George’s storytelling, once hooked.”
“George is a master...she upholds the English tradition beautifully.”
--Chicago Tribune

“George explores her characters’ dreams and fears with a penetrating grace that makes reading her books a joy.”
--The Washington Post Book World

“A fascinating list of subjects...wrenching stories...George conveys them all with exceptional grace.”
--People



From the Hardcover edition.


Review


"In her first story collection, eminent British author George (A Traitor to Memory) presents five nimbly written and gripping tales, each with a stunning conclusion."
--Publisher's Weekly

Praise for Elizabeth George:

?Elizabeth George reigns as queen of the mystery genre. The Lynley books constitute the smartest, most gratifyingly complex and impassioned mystery series now being published.?
--Entertainment Weekly

?A master of the English mystery.?
--The New York Times

?Ms. George can do it all, with style to spare.?
--The Wall Street Journal

?It?s tough to resist George?s storytelling, once hooked.?
?George is a master...she upholds the English tradition beautifully.?
--Chicago Tribune

?George explores her characters? dreams and fears with a penetrating grace that makes reading her books a joy.?
--The Washington Post Book World

?A fascinating list of subjects...wrenching stories...George conveys them all with exceptional grace.?
--People



From the Hardcover edition.

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
Elizabeth George is at the top of her game, having won every major mystery award for her novels (including A Great Deliverance and A Traitor to Memory), and with her work being dramatized for PBS's Mystery! series. Now she offers her first collection of short fiction in the U.S., containing three revised versions of older stories and two new pieces, plus illuminating introductions by the author to all five tales.

George's stories are a skilled exploration of the dark minds of ordinary people contemplating the worst of crimes. "Exposed" concerns a university course on the history of British architecture, during which an adult student suspiciously dies while roaming Abinger Manor. George's beloved detective Thomas Lynley happens to be on hand and immediately sets to work solving the case. The title piece "I, Richard," is a gratifying tale centering on an impoverished historian who's spent years pursuing a letter written by Richard III on the eve of the Battle of Bosworth. His passion grows into an obsession and soon drives him to the very edge of insanity. In "The Surprise of His Life" -- an innovative take on the archetypal tale of a husband planning the murder of his wife -- George uses all of her inventiveness and subtlety to spin pure gold from a standard plot of the mystery genre.

In I, Richard, Elizabeth George digs deep into the ugliest tendencies of human nature and lays them bare with a beautiful and lyrical narrative voice. Here you'll find chills, irony, and powerful satire that will hook you from the opening page -- a royal feast of thrills and suspense written by the queen of British mystery. Tom Piccirilli

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"In these five tantalizing and original tales, George plumbs the depths of human nature - and human weakness - as only she can. From the chilling tale of a marriage built on an appalling set of lies that only death can reveal, to the final, title story about a penniless schoolteacher whose ambition turns murderous, I, Richard is filled with page-turning drama, danger, and unmatched suspense." Whether the setting is urban or suburban, affluent or middle class, no one is safe from menace. Thanks to Inspector Thomas Lynley, a squabbling group of Anglophiles discovers a killer in its midst.... But little help is on hand when a picture-perfect town is shattered by an eccentric new resident's horrifying pet project.... And when a wealthy husband is haunted by suspicions about his much-younger wife, it becomes clear that a man's imagination can be his own worst enemy.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

In her first story collection, eminent British author George (A Traitor to Memory) presents five nimbly written and gripping tales, each with a stunning conclusion. "Exposure" concerns declining sexual prowess, as gossipy architecture students speculate about Polly Simpson, who is suspiciously friendly with elderly men touring Abinger Manor, where one oldster dies mysteriously just as some historic silverware is stolen. In "The Surprise of His Life," high-powered CEO Douglas Armstrong, obsessively jealous and mistrustful of his young wife, learns too late that she's planning an astonishing final surprise for both him and the reader. Similarly, a young widow in "Remember I'll Always Love You" is horrified to discover the secret double life led by her late husband, purportedly a sales director for a biotech firm, but in reality something far more sinister. A melancholy tone pervades "Good Fences Aren't Always Enough," in which an elderly Russian refugee, Anfisa, scandalizes her socially conscious neighbors in fashionable East Wingate with her determination to live life her own way. In the title story, ambitious and murderous schoolteacher Malcolm Cousins is determined to perpetuate the reputation of his hero, Richard III, while also absconding with the wife and substantial legacy of a former school chum. A brooding, gloomy dust jacket suggests gothic themes, but the tales are thoroughly modern in setting and subject. (Oct. 29) Forecast: Advertising in national newspapers and magazines as well as holiday catalogs, plus NPR sponsorship announcements, should help sales approach those of the author's novels. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

George, author of the deservedly popular Thomas Lynley/Barbara Havers mysteries, tries her hand at the short story form with this collection of five tales. Each story is introduced by George, who describes how she came to write it. "Exposure" is a condensed version of a Thomas Lynley mystery, while both "The Surprise of His Life" and the title story mix horror with humor to portray the desperate acts of men at mid-life, ending with a wittily vindictive twist that will appeal to fans of Ruth Rendell. "Good Fences Aren't Always Enough" probes a clash between a fiercely family-oriented young mother and her new neighbor, an aging, eccentric Russian immigrant. In "Remember I'll Always Love You," Charlie Lawton, a grieving young widow, sets out to find her deceased husband's estranged family and discovers a deadly secret. George, whose last novel, A Traitor to Memory, ran to nearly 800 pages, excels at writing in a more condensed way. Satisfying and memorable, this collection is highly recommended for most public libraries. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 7/02.]-Jane la Plante, Minot State Univ. Lib., ND

AudioFile