Payment in Blood

By: Elizabeth George

Narrated by: Donada Peters

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Inspector Thomas Lynley travels to Scotland to solve the untimely demise of a renowned playwright in the second novel of the #1 New York Times bestselling Inspector Lynley series.

Don’t miss the upcoming BritBox streaming series Lynley!

“George writes like Agatha Christie at the top of her game. . . . A joy.” —Washington Post Book World

The career of playwright Joy Sinclair comes to an abrupt end on an isolated estate in the Scottish Highlands when someone drives an eighteen-inch dirk through her neck. Called upon to investigate the case in a country where they have virtually no authority, aristocratic Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and his partner, Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers, grapple for both a motive and a murderer.

Emotions run deep in this highly charged drama, for the list of suspects soon includes Britain’s foremost actress, its most successful theatrical producer, and the woman Lynley loves. He and Havers must tread carefully through the complicated terrain of human relationships while they work to solve a case rooted in the darkest corners of the past and the unexplored regions of the human heart.

Critic reviews

"Satisfying indeed. Novelist Elizabeth George...has another hit on her hands."—Washington Post

"A vivid cast of suspects, an appealing team of sleuths...a country-house setting that will put readers in mind of the best of Agatha Christie. For fans of this type of puzzle, Payment in Blood is a must."—Plain Dealer, Cleveland

"A spectacular new voice in mystery writing...[George] invites comparison with both P.D. James and Ruth Rendell in the psychological interest of her characters and the intricacy and ingenuity of her plotting."—Los Angeles Times

"Complex, rich, and accomplished enough to elbow the author between P.D. James and Ruth Rendell."—Kirkus Reviews

Superb Narration

A typical Havers/Lynley mystery—rather longer than strictly necessary, and plenty of red herrings, but it’s all saved by the superb narration of Donada Peters.