She was later portrayed by Lesley Vickerage from series one through three (from series three she and Lynley had married and she was thus known as Helen Lynley) and by Catherine Russell in series five. . Yes, Helen is supposed to be beautiful and aristocratic. 17,854 ratings1,356 reviews. Inspector Lynley Mysteries along with Dalziel & Pascoe was axed by Peter Fincham who said that they had been running too long. She was sulky, surly and insensitive to the needs of anyone save herself. The 'Her' is one of Ms George's well-known characters, but you don't really know that until the last few pages of the book. Havers finds an address in Eugenies car suggesting that she was on her way to visit Pitchley. Really? It involves the shooting of Inspector Lynley's wife, Helen, but Inspector Lynley does not participate in this novel, nor is the novel a mystery. That's how the book ends. User Ratings 2. Helen resented her husband's work, but then why marry a detective? July 16, 2015 at 10:29 am. For one, the scenery was used to great effect, with the lines of telephone poles fading hazily into the distance and the wind rustling over the great stretches of browned grass of Kent. I'm usually a great fan of Elisabeth George, but this time nothing drew my attention : neither style or plot (or the absence of it !!! This particular scriptwriter is one of my favourites. You won't want to miss reading it. I watch it for Nathaniel as he's so amazingly gorgeous. Having advance warning that this book is not part of the Lynley series, but gives a background (or second point of view) of one of the things that happens in Lynley's life, I found this book amazingly brilliant. This page has been archived and is no longer updated. Forgot your password? That's all we have to say for the moment. In the meantime, the gun that she fired is traced to Rooker's best friend, ex-armyman Michael Wren. Gabrielle Drake (born 30 March 1944) is a British actress. "This was written in September 2005. Elizabeth George explains why she killed Inspector Lynley's wife Helen. I liked the Helen in the very first episode "A Great Deliverance". Losing Roy Marsden was like losing Connery as Bond. If you really find her unattractive and annoying, stop watching. Fake Brit: The very Scottish Sharon Small as the . Helen didn't make an appearance in season 4 so maybe the writers could have indicated she underwent a facelift or something like that, hence explaining the transformation from Lesley Vickerage, who herself transformed from Emma Fielding who played Helen in the Pilot (sort of like Dick York/Sargent in a way?). I got through it, but it was the worst Elizabeth George book I have read. If that is the case why is Silent Witness still around. For shortly after she dyed her hair blue it all fell out. But doing that only meant, without giving everything away, that THIS new Helen is destined to disappear from the series anyways. DC Havers and DC Billy Slaven discover a woman's body. It is the story of three children, mother is unhinged and under care, father is dead from a murder, grandma has abandoned them and ran away to Jamaica. On his way home, he stopped by the Chinese restaurant that was his favorite, and got take- away. They go to Finnegan's home to interview Grace, his wife, and Maureen, his ex-wife, who has forced her way into staying with Grace until Finnegan's will is read. Anthony Calf. 3 Does Inspector Lynley stay married to Helen? Sorry mystery_perry. Dingen die hij eigenlijk niet wil doen. Helen just turned tail and took off without notice. out of the characterAs for the Vickerage characterization, it is true that Elizabeth George found it appalling, but the relationship between Helen and Tommy in the BBC series was the BEST thing--apart from the Havers/Lynley tensions, of course--about it. Saw her last in P.D. Helen was no male. He only has one wife (so far! Despite that, Helen goes through the Finnegan files finds a love letter from Stephanopholous' wife, Gina. How can they expect us to accept that Helen would act the way on the show that the new Helen does? Like any good pilot episode, much screen time is devoted to introducing the cast, but "A Great Deliverance" manages a gruesome, twisting murder mystery into the bargain. And the link between Rooker's past and present is the troubled young woman who's currently on the run. I have always enjoyed the mysteries of Elizabeth George. I'm watching the series now - from start to finish (by renting the DVDs) and am just amazed at this Helen. It's a complete change from George's previous novels, I found the story too depressing and got tired of the use of slang after a while. It was sad & puzzling to watch Lynley grovel to such a cold and bitchy woman who couldn't have cared less for him, IMO. Lynley didn't change his position. She was sulky, surly and insensitive to the needs of anyone save herself.----------you're right: helen was really annoying, i couldn't stand her. They've finally just begun showing the newest series (last night here in Tucson, AZ, USA). One of the best Inspector Lynley episodes ever. Lynley and his pregnant wife Helen attend the funeral of Professor Dermot Finnegan. It's just too unbelievable and that's the nail in the new helen's coffin, in my opinion. The pilot episode, in two parts. In particular, Joel (who is so well-intentioned) and Toby. Helen and Lynley are just mismatched and I think Lesley Vickerage portrayed that well. This Body of Death is one of Georges best as she shows Lynley still dealing with wife Helens death, and as she introduces Isabelle Ardery and her story, and as she lets the mystery and investigation unfold. The two final episodes begin six months after Lynley's wife has been shot dead. why did they change helen in inspector lynley It picks up a mere three months from the last book. I don't know. Tey's 16-year-old daughter, Roberta, who witnessed the event, is now . 1 Episode 2002. The 40 something aunt and her 20 something boyfriend who take care of the 3 siblings are very implausible. She was my favorite of all the Helens. Guest stars included David Calder as Richard Martin, Anthony Higgins as James Pitchley, Patrick Kennedy as Gideon Martin, and Lesley Vickerage as Helen Clyde. The 2nd Helen is a much happier person and I like how she's actually made me give a fig if they get back together. I told him. The dust jacket implies that this book is part of the Inspector Lynley series, and I suppose it is, in a very peripheral way, but about a third of the way into it, having had nary a mention of any of the usual cast of those books, I flipped forward and found that apparently Lynley. as you all have pointed out this new Helen acts nothing like the old one. I couldn't put this book down! . Theolsd Helenfit the part well.She was supposed to look and feel that way.n She had just lost their baby andwas in the post partumdepression. As well as being. Can anyone tell me, please, why the actress was changed portraying Inspector Lynley's wife? Once Lynley married Helen, and once they resolved the critical issue of Helen's lack of self-worthshe chose the easy route, and she knows it. Inspector Thomas Lynley is an up-and-coming detective at Scotland Yard; he . Transitional. Fans of the series mounted a campaign to save it, with a petition and by contacting the BBC, but to no avail. Even her voice is annoying, as Helen. 4.04. The dialogue in the car where Havers promised Lynley she would save his dignity by making the video of his therapy session disappear actually made me laugh out loud, and the role reversal, with Havers bossing Lynley around and Lynley having to take the flak was, I thought, superbly done. What a boring Dalgliesh! But she treats Lynley terribly. Helen is a presence this season, however, and is now played by Catherine Russell. Their Aunt takes them in and tries to help, but she is woefully beyond her depth. I'm sure she or he is not the only person who missed the beauty and femininity of the old Helen.. . i never read nat parkers comment about that . Forgot your username? Why do they do that, switch actors for a main character - do they think we won't notice? Helen as played by Vickerage is a true wretch - not someone anyone would want to spend ten minutes with. I admit, this Inspector Lynley Mystery had some delightful moments. But even still I could probably accept her if 2. she acted like the old Helen. Since Lynley's (Nathaniel Parker) arrest and suspension for threatening a suspect, Havers (Sharon Small) has been without a partner. . I just read here in Forum a Swedish interview with Nat. Nicolas father, retired Superintendent in vice Andy Maiden, is convinced that his daughter is victim of a grudge killing by someone he helped put away. Just off topic I thought the one ep that Liza Tarbuck was in she was great, quite dry with a big sense of humour and I get the impression the new Helen is like that. . And what were the circumstances that led to his final act of desperation? No spoiler, but the 12 year old Joel is the person who kills Inspector Lynley's wife and the first half of the book is spent primarily on describing his anti social sister who becomes involved in drugs and very unsavory characters. Amanda Ryan. In this episode we learn Helen has been appointed a professor at some university in London. They did indeed change actresses that play his wife Helen. UCL, Imperial, King's College? He had DEFINED the role. In viewing Natural Causes last night we were surprised to see the Helen (Lynley's wife) is now being played by a new actress. It appears she's committed suicide, but Havers feels something is wrong and calls for assistance from Scenes of Crime Officers. You are correct in saying that the character of Helen should be written out of the series. Doesn't seem that we do, so I read some reviews and found we don't. It is a page turner. This time it's D. I. Fiona Knight (Liza Tarbuck), who is about to give birth. It appears she's committed suicide, but Havers feels something is wrong and calls for assistance from Scenes of Crime Officers. I have been to her readings a half-dozen times in a number of different cities. Some of them railed at me furiously; some of them said brava to a job well done. Helen sets off in her car to give the letter to Lynley but, on a quiet country road, someone shoots at Helens car, driving it off the road and into a tree. (She was an interior decorator, not in forensics.) The newest installment in George's Inspector Lynley series picks up directly where Believing the Lie left off. I'm a huge Elizabeth George fan and I've read every single book she's written so far but this was really not what I expected and I just couldn't get into the book from the very beginning. But I read George for the mystery part of her books. was created by Nora I just wonder about the relationship between Inspector Lynley, and the two Helens I have seen on screen. This is a terrible choice.Looks like all they were going for was similar haircolor. The killing was made to look like a suicide, but it is clear she was killed by a blow to the head and that her wrists were slit after her death. . Even her voice is annoying, as Helen. At least so far. Why was the attack on Helen Lynley so badly planned, with the poor black boys in the posh white neighborhood, no escape planned? Should she go along with the clothes her mother-in-law has sent to her, that all the Lords have worn through the generations, or should she start a new tradition & buy new clothes for her soon to be born baby. Lynley asks his wife Helen to help him understand the killing of a Bosnian family. Her husband, media magnate Eddie Price, was probably aware of it. . It is not easy to read, and the subject matter is depressing; however, it actually tackles and shows how a child can transition into someone who can do horrible things. Havers has apparently been assigned to several different people in the meantime. Having the couple continue to be estranged was therefore a workable solution--until Elizabeth George gave Helen a more significant "fate" in one of her novels.That is why I think they brought the character back, so they could sync it back up with the books. Fans of the series mounted a campaign to save it, with a petition and by contacting the BBC, but to no avail. 1:13:21: 1:13:25 Why did they think that? what is emerging is really, really good, and I wish they would market her books properly to reflect this change so that they'll reach the right audience. In A Banquet of Consequences, 18 months since Helens death, Lynley is slowly making his way into a new relationship with Daidre, the veterinarian we met in Careless in Red. Havers, who aroused boss Isabelle Arderys fury after going rogue on an international case (Just One Evil Act), is on her best behavior in . But the main idea contained in the line-viz., Helen's return to her home and kin-is neces- Zero crowd appeal. The posh cop, who drives around in a flash Bristol 410 car, is the 8th Earl of Asherton. I haven't seen the new Helen, though! The older brother (12 years old) shoots and kills Inspector Lynley's wife. Includes four mysteries: Natural Causes, One Guilty Deed, Chinese Walls, and In the Blink of an Eye. Even more horrifying is that the trigger was apparently pulled by a twelve-year-old boy. The police were brutes who descended on the family because of their mixed race. Maybe like someone said, Granada TV could pick it up.But I still don't like the new Helen and I think it would take a lot to get me to like her like Parker stop acting like she's the bee's knees -- we haven't even gotten to know her yet!. Both Vickerage and Parker played deeply flawed characters; watching them eat away at each other was the MAIN plotline of the series. It's the story of the Campbell children, 15 year-old Ness, 12 year-old Joel, and eight year-old Toby, who are left by their grandmother Glory. This is such a sad book also. Caught up, as she is, in her dilema, Thomas is involved in what appears to be a serial killer on the loose in England killing young boys. Let us through. Sheesh! It is well written, much like an old fashioned social history, but it is unrelenting in its' despair. She looks, dresses, talks, a generation OLDER than Lynley!The orginal Helen (Leslie Vickerage) was a perfect match in every way for him. I should not have been amazed. and it is; except not really. )I do not recommend it. Or that maybe the producers told her to portray Helen that way? "Have you seen - It doesn't matter." ." The "Helen" storyline should be written out--frankly, I would like to see Linley and Havers have a go! . A-plus. Where did he come from? The brutal, inexplicable death of Inspector Thomas Lynley's wife, Helen, has left Scotland Yard shocked and searching for answers. Conflicts permeate every page. The book closes with a slam-dunk ending that will leave you with your heart in your stomach! He's not taking it well, but in "Limbo," airing Sunday night, the discovery of the body of a young boy, some 12 . Havers, working temporarily for a new boss, is spunkier than I've ever seen her, and it's a joy to see the self-esteem that has finally come to her after years of working cases with Lynley. And there he tells us that there are 3 Helens in the Inspector Lynley episodes, but that it shall be the same person. until in the end, it makes perfect sense out of what we like to call a senseless crime. Guess who oh-so-conveniently dies in this episode, clearing the way for the fandom's, her entire family being wiped out by a group of Serbians, Later, the same scenario plays out again, with Helen at the muzzle end. That story begins on the other side of London in rough North Kensington, where the three, Thank you. Who is he? British crime investigation series based around aristocratic, Oxford-educated Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley ( Nathaniel Parker ) and his working-class assistant Sergeant Barbara Havers ( Sharon Small ). Really didnt like the first half. The story is a mystery in its own right as well because of how the theme of revenge plays out. To protect his family, Joel makes a pact with the devila move that leads straight to the front doorstep of Thomas Lynley.