When asked the name of my favorite author, the name Elizabeth George is what first comes to mind. As I said in 2018, reviewing The Punishment She Deserves (5 stars), “I LOVE Elizabeth George, and have been reading the Inspector Lynley novels (or, as I prefer to call them, the Lynley-Havers novels) since the mid-1990s when introduced to them by a fellow librarian when we were stuck in an airport.” There are now 20 or 21 in the series, and Something To Hide is the latest.

I was super excited to get a copy of Something To Hide from Penguin GroupViking and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. I had no idea what it was about, only that I was being reunited with Inspector Thomas Lynley and Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers — good enough for me! 

So, here’s the thing: the Lynley-Havers books always include a cdentral mystery, but there is also a significant amount of character development as well as a focus on a particular topic. The characters have become people we KNOW, so I was happy to have both Thomas and Barbara present in the story. When I began reading, I was in the dark about the topic in this latest book: FGM, or female genital mutilation For anyone unfamiliar with it, you can Google it to get way more information than you probably want, but essentially  “Female Genital Mutilation comprises all procedures involving the removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons, as defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO).” Although it is illegal in England, where there are many immigrants (the Pakistani community in particular has been woven into several prior Lynley stories), and it helps to know that FGM is practiced in 31 countries in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.(It’s most prevalent in Djibouti, Egypt, Guinea, and Mali, where 90% or more of women aged 15 to 49 have been subjected to FGM. In this particular story, the focus is on Nigerian women. Although the practice is declining in Nigeria since it was outlawed in 2012, it is still quite common). I’m personally horrified by the practice, particularly the common practice of having it done by people without the proper training or instruments to perform even the simplest surgical procedure, but it is central to this amazing book, and Ms. George covers this sensitive topic without being overly judgmental (hard to do) or getting too clinical — she makes her points where needed.

The initial storyline revolves around the murder of a female police detective who died while participating in a task force in the Nigerian community in North London. Acting Detective Superintendent Thomas Lynley is assigned to the case, and is his usual refined and intelligent self, despite being thrown into cultural issues which have totally been outside his life as a Lord. Both Barbara Havers and Winston Nkata are part of the story, with the Nkata family being a welcome addition to the recurring case of characters in this series. 

The question comes up as to whether the murder of the detective was related to her work with the task force, trying to prevent FGM (something she knew a lot about, as she was a victim of it herself). She knows that the “...hideous practice of mutilating girls was not going to end simply because there were people who wanted it to end.” Despite being transferred out and away from the task force, she has continued to explore the situation, but she also has an estranged husband and jealous sister, who may or may not be related to her death. So it takes some digging to find out who might have wanted her dead and why.

A parallel storyline involves a traditional Nigerian immigrant family, which includes parents, a teenage son, and an 8-year old daughter. The domineering father has promised his teenaged son a virgin bride from Nigeria, which the son refuses even though his father has already paid a dowry. But the father isn’t content with marrying off his son, he is also set on recovering the money paid for the bride of his son by promising his young innocent daughter Simisola to be married off as well. It seems that the first step in preparing the child for the marriage is to have her cut in preparation. As Simi’s mother sees it, her intention in arranging the “ceremony” and presenting it as a party was “...to have Simisola made pure so that she could proceed into her womanhood.” EEEEEK!)

The two storylines (the murdered detective and the looming FGM of a sweet 8-year old in a traditional family) converge, as expected. Familiar bits of the story include Barbara resisting the ongoing efforts of Dee Harriman to get Barb into a romantic relationship and Thomas still trying to figure out the relationship between him and Daidre, the independent woman with whom he became involved after his recent relationship with Isabelle Ardrey  (the functioning alcoholic he was possibly in love with most recently) failed. Thomas hasn’t had great luck with women, and I hope Ms. George finds someone for him — see, the characters are REAL, we know them and care about them! Their lives have unfolded over 20 books, and although the books in the series can be read as standalones, I really recommend that people read them in order, as the plotlines and personal lives of the characters really do move as the stories go on.  

I NEVER reveal spoilers, but both storylines in this one are handled masterfully. Both the murder and the issue of FGM are resolved — or are they? There is an ongoing question as to whether it’s appropriate for outsiders to interfere in culturally significant but horrifying activities that the traditional immigrant families often see as part of their lives. Should these events and practices be subject to attention and regulation from the typically white outsiders, who are often crusaders for ways to advance the inclusion of the immigrants into life in the U.K. ?

I learned a LOT (OK, more than I wanted to know!) about FGM, and enjoyed the opportunity to explore the sensitive topic within the framework of a beautifully written novel with multiple stories to tell. Worth waiting for. Five stars for sure.