IN THE PRESENCE OF THE ENEMY

Another intriguing if overblown case for Scotland Yard's well-born Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and his down-to-earth Sergeant Barbara Havers (Playing for the Ashes, 1994, etc.), with some crucial input from Lynley's old friend, forensic scientist Simon St. James. Eleven years ago, Dennis Luxford, editor of the fast-rising anti-Tory newspaper The Source, had a short-lived affair with Eve Bowen—then a reporter, now a power-hungry MP slated for stardom in the Conservative Party. Luxford was never named the father of Charlotte, child of that affair, and Eve, long married, has refused all contact with him. Now, Charlotte has been kidnapped, and Dennis, married to Fiona and father of eight-year-old Leo, has been commanded to acknowledge his first-born on The Source's front page—or Charlotte will die. Eve, paranoid in her ambition, accuses Dennis of manufacturing a muckraking plot against her and refuses to call in the police or to agree to the kidnapper's demand. The acknowledgement of parenthood goes unpublished, and days later Charlotte's body is found in a canal in Wiltshire. Sergeant Havers is dispatched to the scene, there to work with local Detective Constable Robin Payne in a case made urgent by the kidnapper's renewed demands—and the life of a second victim at stake. With its unconvincing and off-the-wall plot, heavily detailed but repetitious investigations, and psychological misfits, political ploys, and power plays enough to furnish three novels, this latest from George seems bent on testing the patience and fortitude of her devoted fans—though, once again, thanks to her undeniable story-weaving skills, most will happily stay the course.