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Book Review By Leonore waluk
With No One as Witness by Elizabeth George

    Two main characters inhabit the British crime novels of Elizabeth George. They are Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Lynley and his partner Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers. They are assisted by Detective Constable Winston Nkata.
   With No One As Witness finds this team involved in the murders of young boys in London, England. The boys are 12 and 13 year olds. The boys have been murdered over a period of 4 months. The first 4 boys were of black or mixed race and no connection was made between their deaths. When a 5th body, a white boy, is discovered and similarities in the manner of their deaths are noted, DCI Lynley and DS Havers are given the case along with DC Nkata.
   The investigation centers around the employees of a Center for Troubled Youth when it is discovered that there is a connection to the center and 5 of the boys.
   The Assistant Commissioner of Police gets involved in the press releases of the investigation and a feud developes between him and Lynley which hampers the investigation. Feelings run high because of the very young age and the brutality perpetrated on these boys and the race is on to find the sadistic killer before another boy is victimized.
   


Plot & Themes
Tone of story - suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
How difficult to spot villain? - Difficult, but some clues given
Time/era of story:
What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 90%
Kind of investigator
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot?
descript. of violence and chases - 10 %
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40 %
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40 %
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10 %
Crime Thriller Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status:
Age: - 40's-50's
Ethnicity/Race

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Profession/status:
Eccentric: Yes
How sensitive is this character?
Intelligence - Average intelligence

Setting
City? Yes
City: - London

Writing Style
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths
Explicit sex in book? Yes
What kind of sex: - vague references
Unusual forms of death - asphyxiation
Unusual form of death? Yes
Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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