This Body of Death, by Elizabeth George

The latest installment of this addictive on-going series finds Thomas Lynley called back to Scotland Yard, after walking the cliffs of Cornwall for several months after his wife’s murder, to help investigate the murder of a young woman in a secluded cemetery. Old companions Barbara Havers and Winston Nkata also are involved in the case, which takes them to the New Forest, where ponies run free, the ancient art of thatching roofs is still very much alive, and things are not always what they seem to be. Added to the mix is the new acting supervisor, a woman with as many problems in her personal life as she has relating to her new staff. Elizabeth George, an American who writes as if she had spent her whole life in London, is the master of multi-layered psychological mysteries with memorable characters. I can hardly wait for the next one. 692 pp.