A Great Deliverance

By: Elizabeth George

Narrated by: Derek Jacobi

To this day, the low, thin wail of an infant can be heard in Keldale's lush green valleys. Three hundred years ago, as legend goes, the frightened Yorkshire villagers smothered a crying babe in Keldale Abbey, where they'd hidden to escape the ravages of Cromwell's raiders.

Now into Keldale's pastoral web of old houses and older secrets comes Scotland Yard Inspector Thomas Lynley, the eighth earl of Asherton. Along with the redoubtable Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers, Lynley has been sent to solve a savage murder that has stunned the peaceful countryside. For fat, unlovely Roberta Teys has been found in her best dress, an axe in her lap, seated in the old stone barn beside her father's headless corpse. Her first and last words were "I did it. And I'm not sorry."

Yet as Lynley and Havers wind their way through Keldale's dark labyrinth of secret scandals and appalling crimes, they uncover a shattering series of revelations that will reverberate through this tranquil English valley- and in their own lives as well.

©1992 Susan Elizabeth George (P)1992 Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing, Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing, A Division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Spellbinding...a truly fascinating story that is part psychological suspense and part detective story." (Chicago Sun-Times)

"Pure entertainment from its insidious beginning to its gripping end." (The Washington Post Book World)

"Exceptionally assured and impressive...highly entertaining." (Newsweek)

Relationships...they are always so complicated.

An ugly, yet riveting mystery that tells stories about human strengths and weaknesses that go beyond the crime being investigated. A bit long, after you know for sure who dunnit and how ugly the crime is. Well performed.

Great book; sorry it's abridged

Great performance and very good tale. Very disappointed that it isn't the full length version.

The first and best Elizabeth George

This is the book that made me an Elizabeth George fan. It's power and force are in it's treatment of the subject of sexual abuse in a very human, psychologically complex way. Read it first, preferably unabridged.

Go With the Paper Version

I really enjoy Elizabeth George's work, but the this audiobook is much too condensed and has poor audio quality.

Love Elizabeth George's writing

I have read many of these books before and now am enjoying revisiting them on Audible. The characters build and become more complex with each story.

abridged version

to much left out of this edition. if it were not Jacobi narrating it would hardly be worth the effort.

Modern British mystery

If you could sum up A Great Deliverance in three words, what would they be?

Characters well developed.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Lots of twists & turns in the plot.

What does Derek Jacobi bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Brings the characters to life.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, too long for that, but didn't want to go too long in between sittings.

Excellent mystery and delivery!

I loved this book. It’s introduced me to the works of Margaret George, and I’ll continue to read/listen. Fabulous narration, as well!

Disappointed the Book was Abridged

I didn't look carefully enough at the details & I was surprised this audiobook was so severely abridged. That said, it was well done. The Abridgement tackled the most relevant details but left oh, so much out.

Unfortunately Abridged

The abridgment was done somewhat poorly, resulting in a story that was rather choppy in parts. Other than that, it was good. The performance was spectacular.