THE PUNISHMENT SHE DESERVES by Elizabeth George (fiction/mystery)

Faithful readers of Elizabeth George will be happy to meet up once again with Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and his sidekick Sergeant Barbara Havers. It is hard to believe this is the 20th book in which this duo has appeared.  Most of this book belongs to Barbara Havers who is the star in solving a crime in Shrewsbury, a market town on the border with Wales. Besides the local crime they are sent to solve, a large chunk of the book is devoted to the drinking habits of their superior, Chief Inspector Ardery. It is always fun to witness the relationship between Lynley and Havers who couldn’t be more unalike.  Though I must admit while I was wild about George’s earlier detective fiction, by the end of this too long book, I was becoming weary of both characters.  The last few books in this series have disappointed me.  Perhaps it is time for George to move on and begin a new series.