Payment in Blood

By: Elizabeth George

Narrated by: Derek Jacobi

“The Lynley books constitute the smartest, most gratifyingly complex and impassioned mysteries now being published.”—Entertainment Weekly

The career of playwright Joy Sinclair comes to an abrupt end on an isolated estate in the Scottish Highlands when someone drives an eighteen-inch dirk through her neck. Called upon to investigate the case in a country where they have virtually no authority, aristocratic Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and his partner, Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers, grapple for both a motive and a murderer.

Emotions run deep in this highly charged drama, for the list of suspects soon includes Britain’s foremost actress, its most successful theatrical producer, and the woman Lynley loves. He and Havers must tread carefully through the complicated terrain of human relationships while they work to solve a case rooted in the darkest corners of the past and the unexplored regions of the human heart.

©1995 Elizabeth George (P)1995 Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing, A Division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Satisfying indeed. Novelist Elizabeth George...has another hit on her hands." (Washington Post)

"A vivid cast of suspects, an appealing team of sleuths...a country-house setting that will put readers in mind of the best of Agatha Christie. For fans of this type of puzzle, Payment in Blood is a must." (Plain Dealer, Cleveland)

"A spectacular new voice in mystery writing...[George] invites comparison with both P.D. James and Ruth Rendell in the psychological interest of her characters and the intricacy and ingenuity of her plotting." (Los Angeles Times)

good book, but....

The book was good, but I found this to be the exception on audible- the recording was poor, so for the 1st time I was disappointed.

praise with reservations

Well-read but the quality of the recording is not good - I would probably have been happier had I heeded the warning about the quality and waited for an unabridged version with higher quality recording.

Good story, poor recording

This recording sounded like it was recorded from an old radio show. It was garbled and at times hard to understand. It was not Derek Jacobi, the reader, who was at fault. It was the technical side.

Poor Production value

This book sounds like it was recorded from a radio,,, a very old radio. I kept waiting for Edward R Murrow to interupt with War news

Bad recording quality

Any additional comments?

I cannot really say anything about the story since I could not bear to listen to it for longer than 10 minutes. The quality of the recording is bad, as if it was poorly digitized from an old tape. Admittedly English is not my mother tongue, but I never had any problems understanding audiobooks; and with this one I couldn't catch half of what the narrator says!
And for some reason return does not work. My first bad experience with you, Audible :(

Too short, awful sound quality

Would you try another book from Elizabeth George and/or Derek Jacobi?

I love Elizabeth George and have always treasured Derek Jacobi, but neither of them can be commended on this recording. For one thing, it's abridged - which should NEVER be done - and the sound quality sounds like something recorded in the early days with Alexander Graham Bell. I could barely understand much of it and it was not worth the credit I blew for it.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

My honest reaction was what - that's all there is?

What three words best describe Derek Jacobi’s voice?

Lovely, when recorded properly - which is not the case here.

Was Payment in Blood worth the listening time?

Only if it is a better quality recording and unabridged.

Terrible sound quality!!

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

It was very difficult to listen to this book until I got used to the very poor sound quality. It sounded like it was recorded in a tin can and being played back on an old phonograph. The Inspector Lynley stories are always very good, but I find the later (and longer) books to be better than the early books in the series.

What aspect of Derek Jacobi’s performance would you have changed?

I don't think the poor quality has to do with the actor's performance, but with how it was recorded.

Terrible Recording Quality

Please consider redoing this recording, I could barely follow the story...the sound quality was substandard. Even remixing it could likely help.

Recording is awful

What would have made Payment in Blood better?

Almost anything done with the recording could have made it better. It was excruciating to listen to as the quality was so terrible. I could not finish it and I could not get my money back because I buy so many that the time to return has expired

What was most disappointing about Elizabeth George’s story?

The narration was poor. The background music was even worse. It was almost impossible to stay focused on the story when the poorly incorporated music was behind the narration.

How could the performance have been better?

Eliminate the music.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Could not ascertain if there were any.

Any additional comments?

A complete failure, flop, an awful recording. If this had been the first audible book that I had listened to - I would never have purchased another one.

Lousy Sound Quality

They should simply re-record or get a hold of the master tape. This shouldn't be sold in it's current state.