Well-Schooled in Murder

Vizi e virtù dei college inglesi, nobiltà e popolo, popolarità e malattia. Tutto questo e altro in un romanzo molto ben scritto, con una certa tensione e suspance. Ogni volta che credi di aver scoperto il colpevole la George ti fa' locchiolino e ti fa cambiare strada. ( )

Con la excusa del policia, la autora se mete en la vida en una public School. Aparece muerto un alumno becario de una elegante escuela, y surgen todos los lugares comunes, los problemas de clase, los problemas del sadismo de los mayores con los alumnos de los primeros años. La homosexualidad, el compañerismo y la falsa lealtad. Los celos entre profesores, etc. Pese a los lugares comunes, bien llevado, bien contado, la verdad que resulta un buen cocktail, y mientras tanto se desarrolla la historia personal de Lynley, sus amigos y la sargento, y vemos como el trato entre todos ellos va puliendo las aristas para hacerlos cada vez más cercanos ( )

"Het motief is anders dan anders en de setting van de school was magistraal gekozen. De sfeer kwam dan ook zeer goed tot zijn recht en George heeft met dit derde deel weer een pareltje afgeleverd aan de lezers. Ik ben fan en ik blijf fan!" https://elinevandm.wordpress.com/2019/02/26/klassemoord-van-elizabeth-george/ ( )

Scotland Yard Inspector Lynley is asked to look for a boy who has disappeared from boarding school.

At the behest of an old Eton classmate, Lynley investigates the murder of a young student at a private school called Bredgar Chambers. In the course of the investigation, Lynley and Havers uncover a whole slew of seedy secrets and unsavory characters at the school.

The primary theme of the novel is class distinction and hierarchy, and how that plays out in the context of the school. Economic class is a factor, as well as class seniority within the various grades at Bredgar. Subthemes have to do with the desire for children, the choices parents make, and how those choices effect their offspring. One woman chooses to have an abortion--the result is she is unable to have further children. One woman chooses to have her baby, despite her youth and the opposition of her family, and the child is born with serious birth defects.

As usual, the tension between the characters of the aristocratic Inspector Lynley and working class Sergeant Havers adds to the drama of the central mystery. The trope of the upper-class detective and lower-class assistant(s) has been previously explored by classic authors such as Dorothy Sayers (Lord Peter Wimsey, who I detest), Margaret Allingham (Albert Campion, who is hit or miss), and Ngaio Marsh (Inspector Roderick Alain, who I quite like), but I think Elizabeth George does it best. Lynley's privileged position is as much of a hindrance as a help, and Barbara Havers's shoulder chip and struggles to take care of her aging parents make them both very relatable. My quibble is that Havers doesn't have a very big role in this case, and in general I prefer her to Lynley.

Throughout the novel, George's evocative writing style enriches and illuminates the narrative. The pacing does get a little tedious at times, especially with the subplot featuring Deborah and Simon St. James. I thought that whole part could have been eliminated. Also, there are a few too many twists in the plot for my taste. But even with these criticisms, I still very much enjoyed Well Schooled in Murder. ( )