What came before he shot her Is a continuation of the Inspector Linley series, the fourteenth book. This story is connected to the previous novel, With no one as Witness. A thrilling story about good versus evil, fate and desperate hope.
In this tragic story, Elizabeth George writes about the 11-year old Joel Campbell, about his personal life in the London sink estate. So far life isn’t very promising for him and his two siblings and cruel fate has forcibly transferred them deeper into the estate. Where life is though, threats are high and no one there to trust. He merely wants to keep his brother safe, and his sister from getting more into drugs, alcohol and jail. For him, the only way to achieve this is to ally himself with a dangerous gang leader. But is this man,called the Blade really someone he can rely on? With this story, the author masterfully demonstrates how fate can play badly with you. And how quickly one can go off the rails, placing the lives of others in grave danger, even if it was actually well-intentioned.
Initially, I naturally expected another unknown crime to investigate for Inspector Linley, as usual. I was a little disappointed, but after I got more into the story I comprehended why the author decided on an alternative approach, and I dived right into it. I was fascinated at how Elizabeth George manages the connection to Inspector Linley’s last book. One event chases the next, amazingly professionally written. The author describes the characters as very interesting, the realistic dialogues make you feel connected very clearly. You are involved in the plot right from the beginning. Although it is a tragic story, it’s an excellent book to discover with lots of pace. What I didn’t like so much was the use of slang, but probably this is frequently used in these neighbourhoods, so I nevertheless found it appropriate, even though I often had difficulties understanding it. It will leave readers with a great deal to think about.
I recommend it to everyone, but it is an advantage if you have already read the previous books.
