Jens Hofmann Hofmann itibaren South Harting, Petersfield, West Sussex GU31, UK itibaren South Harting, Petersfield, West Sussex GU31, UK

I'm not going to outline the plot, which many reviewers have already, but I'll mention what I like and dislike about the author's writing. Elizabeth George has a remarkable vocabulary, and it's very satisfying to read a police procedural that's literate and intelligent--the antithesis of the James Patterson pablum. The description of the setting is meticulous and compelling--who would have thought that surfing on the Cornwall coast could be so seductive? George's characters have psychological complexity, but here is where I have one admonishment. The author's subplots are deeply detailed and supply more than enough "MacGuffins." I would limit or excise some of these in order to improve the pace of the narrative, especially because some of the characters are tangential to the crime.