Rating: 
Summary: Dismal, depressing, dreary...
Review: ...all of which would have been OK if the plot had been able to keep one's interest: it doesn't. Elizabeth George's characters are a dysfunctional and improbable bunch, not one of them seem remotely realistic. The murder mystery disappears in a would-be psychological character study, and the result is frankly trashy and boring soap-operatic novel. George has a very bad understanding of English society, her portrayal of it is strangely quaint and doesn't reflect any England I've ever come across.
Rating: 
Summary: Very good, but some flaws
Review: A very enjoyable read - E. George's mysteries are definitely a cut above the usual. I enjoy the dynamics of the relationship between Lynley and Havers. I did think that the relationship between Lynley and Lady Helen was a bit over-wrought and I did get tired of how much time was spent on it.
But overall, I enjoyed the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Complex, Convoluted Mystery for the Modern Times
Review: Elizabeth George is an incredible writer that enfuses both her plots and her characters with realism. She constantly seeks to address the human condition, whether it is muscular distrophy, racism, senility or, in this case, deafness. George specializes in giving us the thoughts of the characters and in this way drives the story forward. This novel is no different as we seem to slowly approach the heart of the story in a circular, closing motion. The insights into deafness and the many ways everyone reacts to it are simply phenomenal. This is a difficult book to read with a slight touch of amorality but in this case, the story and the writing appears "correct". Once again, the reader is slowly drawn into the web, entering yet another of George's mysterious and quixotic worlds. A winner
Rating:
Summary: Complex, Convoluted Mystery for the Modern Times
Review: Elizabeth George is an incredible writer that enfuses both her plots and her characters with realism. She constantly seeks to address the human condition, whether it is muscular distrophy, racism, senility or, in this case, deafness. George specializes in giving us the thoughts of the characters and in this way drives the story forward. This novel is no different as we seem to slowly approach the heart of the story in a circular, closing motion. The insights into deafness and the many ways everyone reacts to it are simply phenomenal. This is a difficult book to read with a slight touch of amorality but in this case, the story and the writing appears "correct". Once again, the reader is slowly drawn into the web, entering yet another of George's mysterious and quixotic worlds. A winner
Rating: 
Summary: Good Mystery, but....
Review: Elizabeth George is spiraling into more and more sex in every book--the mystery swirls around sex, rather than relationships. Sex as a tool, sex as pleasure, sex as revenge, sex as everything.... I think just about every character in the book ended up sleeping with almost every other character in the book. I long for a return to mysteries where the mystery was the focal point. Other than this, the plot is well thought out, and the writing, as usual, execellent. The people are real, the places are real, and the plot has enough twists and turns so you don't get lost, though you do keep turning pages.
Rating:
Summary: Another Great Mystery From Miss George
Review: For The Sake of Elena is another great mystery from Elizabeth George, and remains my personal favorite, not only because it's another well-done mystery dealing with the question of who killed Elena Weaver and why, but also because the author deals so compassionately with the subject of the title character's deafness, and weaves it into the story in the form of the Deaf Students'Union at Cambridge. What's more, Derek Jacobi gives a beautiful performance speaking in Elena's voice. You should not miss the chance to purchase this for your collection!
Rating:
Summary: My first Elizabeth George book
Review: FOR THE SAKE OF ELENA is my introduction to Elizabeth George and her detectives Lynley and Havers. I enjoyed the twists in the plot; as soon as I had made up my mind that a certain character was guilty, a new piece of evidence would be discovered to deflect suspicion. All of the suspects were introduced early enough for the reader to ponder the guilt or innocence of each. I look forward to more of George's work.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Lynley-Havers Novel So Far...
Review: George has done a marvelous job in bringing to life one of her minor characters, the eponymous victim. She almost becomes a prism by which we come to understand the other characters through their understanding of her. Everything is provided for the reader here: a complex plot, strong character development, and the best action scene that George has written so far. If you have been disappointed with any of the others in this series and have stopped reading them, you might want to pick this one up.
Rating:
Summary: A work of art
Review: I enjoyed the artistic qualities of the first chapter as much as any I've ever read.
Rating:
Summary: I didn't like it that much
Review: I found it all too melancholic. Every single character was feeling so guilty for one reason or another they made the general atmosphere a bit too heavy / gloomy. Being a quite inexperienced book reviewer, my comments would then base on the instinctive 'after taste' once I've turned over the last page. This was my first Elizabeth George book which didn't exactly make me want to rush out and find another one of hers. I didn't find the motive for the brutal murder strong enough to justify it. Finding out 'who dunn it?' at the end didn't urge me to think "Oh I see., Of course it was him/her!, I could have guessed that, etc." (I'm trying hard not to give away and spoil it all for those who have not read it yet.) I think murder novel readers like it more when motives are really convincing / deserving.
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