Search - The Inspector Lynley Mysteries - Set 3 on DVD

The Cinematic Lynley & Havers Reach Beyond the Books.

mirasreviews | McLean, VA USA | 07/23/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This third series of Inspector Lynley Mysteries finds Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers (Sharon Small) demoted to Detective Constable on account of her assaulting a fellow officer with a flare gun, as you may recall from "Deception on His Mind", the last film in Series 2. Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley (Nathaniel Parker) is now a married man, but his wife, Helen Clyde (Leslie Vickerage) is in the background in all but one of the films. As is common to Elizabeth George mysteries, these stories revolve around the sordid secrets of dysfunctional families. Fans of the Inspector Lynley novels observe that the Sergeant Havers of the films is essentially a different character than that of the books. The differences are more pronounced in Series 3, as some effort has been made to make Barbara less frumpy with respect to wardrobe and makeup. Inspector Lynley's longer, tousled hair and more laid back attire may or may not increase his sex appeal, but they make him seem less aristocratic. I find the films in this Series to be about equal in quality, but it is important to watch them in order.

The four films in Series 3 are "In Pursuit of the Perfect Sinner", "A Traitor to Memory", "A Cry for Justice", and "If Wishes Were Horses". The films are each about 90 minutes long. Fans of the Inspector Lynley novels will notice that "A Cry for Justice" and "If Wishes Were Horses" are unfamiliar titles. They're not based on books. Elizabeth George has given the BBC permission to use her characters in original movies for which she has script approval. Six films not based on her novels have been approved thus far, so we will be seeing at least 4 more of them in the future. For those who are nervous about the direction the films are taking, I quote Elizabeth George from a Washington Post online interview: "The BBC knows where the characters are heading. We are in contact. I read the treatments for the episodes and then the screenplays as well. I comment on them and control what happens to the characters on film." I have to say that the tone, style, and themes of the 2 independently conceived episodes match the episodes based on books very well. But "If Wishes Were Horses" stretches credibility more than the other films.

"In Pursuit of the Perfect Sinner" investigates the frenzied murders of a young couple as they were camping in the countryside. The dead woman, Nicola Maiden (Emma Willis), was the errant daughter of a retired vice detective (Timothy West) who believes she was killed for revenge by someone he sent to prison. Her companion, Gerard Cole (Tom Lawrence), was an artist whose relationship to Nicola is unclear. Inspector Lynley requests that Constable Havers be excused from street duty to assist him is researching Mr. Mayden's old cases. But Havers doesn't take well to desk work and enlists a boisterous young Constable Billy Slavin (Al Weaver) to help her look into neglected avenues of investigation. Havers' breaches of discipline make her relationship with Lynley antagonistic for the duration.

"A Traitor to Memory": Havers decides that she prefers resignation from the police force to demotion. Inspector Lynley tries to convince her to stay by involving Havers in the first murder investigation at hand, that of Mrs. Eugenie Martin, who was run over several times while crossing a street on rainy night. Simultaneously, across town, her son, acclaimed violinist Gideon Martin (Patrick Kennedy) ran from the stage unable to play during a concert. Detective Sergeant Brian Leach (John McGlynn), the first officer on the scene, displays an unusual interest in the case. Files and evidence are disappearing. It smacks of a police coverup perpetrated by Chief Inspector Webberley (David Burke) to conceal the facts of another case that involved the Martin family 20 years before.

"A Cry for Justice": A longtime employee of the prestigious Crucible Club, Morag McNicholl (Catherine McDonough), is found dead in her apartment, a murder made to look like a suicide. Her wallet is missing, but a mysterious £10,000 cash is untouched. Newly reinstated Detective Sergeant Havers goes undercover, against Lynley's protestations, as secretary for Crucible Club owner, socialite Jemma Sanderson (Jenny Agutter). Jemma's husband Nigel Sanderson (Terence Harvey) is a wealthy philanthropist being hounded by investigative reporter Red McGuire (Daniel Ryan) for past, and perhaps continuing, misdeeds. Short telephone calls to Morag in the weeks before her death point to a young man, Daniel (Stephen Webb), who was seen hanging around her apartment building. And the near-bankrupt Crucible Club's finances don't quite balance.

"If Wishes Were Horses": Forensic psychiatrist Dermot Finnegan (Oliver Cotton), who mentored Helen early in her career, is murdered shortly after his testimony denies an appeal to an abused woman imprisoned for murdering her husband. The woman's father, Noel Shakespeare (Paul Copley), conducts an obsessive crusade to free his daughter and has been in contact with another man whom Finnegan's testimony put behind bars, Stephen Stephanopoulous (George Jackos). Finnegan's meek wife Grace (Jemma Redgrave) is playing hostess to his first wife Maureen (Barbara Flynn), a blunt, sardonic woman who detested Dermot but aims to stick around until his will is read. When Helen is seriously injured by an attack on her car, apparently connected to the Finnegan case, Lynley takes his anger out on Havers."

Far Above The Crowd....

T. R. Martino | Clifton, NJ. | 09/18/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This particular detective series stands above the slew of whodunnits. There's only one other detective series in its class that comes to mind - and that is the Sherlock Holmes series which starred the wonderful Jeremy Brett. There's something terribly interesting about the relationship between Lynley and Havers. It's always strictly platonic and professional, and yet, it's something more....a friendship. I affectionately refer to Havers as Lynleys' 'work spouse'. Those familiar with the series, and newcomers, will find that to some extent this is true. Friendship aside, there is much hard core detective work in this series. I enjoy Lynley and Havers brainstorming sessions and even their arguments, which can be scathing. I have to mention a word about the actor Sharon Small. It needs to be stated that Ms. Small fits so seamlessly into the role of Havers, its almost unbelievable. Overall, this is a high quality and very entertaining detective series which only comes along once in awhile."

Lynley = Love

M. Flanigan | Falls Church, VA United States | 09/29/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This series is great. The acting is great. The stories are great, even the two not based on Elizabeth George's books are great. The funny thing is that the books are so complex that you can watch the show and then read the book and not all be spoiled because they are so different, but they are both so good. My only complaint is that the sound on BBC productions consistantly sucks. How can their be an entire country with bad sound production? But I can't blame the DVDs because it's been like that on every British show I've ever seen via DVD or BBC America."

British best

E. Harrison | usa | 03/03/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"the best of the detective series and a must for your own cllection dvds"