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Elizabeth George

エリザベス・ジョージ

Erizabesu Jōji

Aliases: Susan Elizabeth George

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1949-02-26 （Warren, Ohio）
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Warren, Ohio → San Francisco Bay Area, California → Orange County, California → Huntington Beach, California → Whidbey Island, Washington

Career

Occupations
Writer, High school English teacher, Creative writing instructor
Active Years
1975-2024
Affiliations
Elizabeth George Foundation
Influenced By
John Fowles, L.M. Montgomery
Nominations
Edgar Award nomination for Best First Mystery Novel by an American Author (1988)

Education

Foothill College
Degree: Associate of Arts
Year of Graduation: 1969
Country: United States
Los Altos Hills, California
University of California, Riverside
Faculty of English / English
Degree: Bachelor of Arts
Year of Graduation: 1970
Country: United States
English
California State University, Fullerton
Counseling and Psychology
Degree: Master of Science
Year of Graduation: 1979
Country: United States
University of California, Berkeley
Country: United States
Attended, no degree
California State University, Fullerton
Degree: Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters
Year of Graduation: 2004
Country: United States
Honorary
Northwest Institute of Literary Arts
Degree: Honorary Master of Fine Arts
Year of Graduation: 2010
Country: United States
Honorary

Awards

Agatha Award for Best First Novel
1988
Work: A Great Deliverance
Category: Best First Novel
Organization: Malice Domestic
Result: Winner
Anthony Award for Best Debut Novel
1989
Work: A Great Deliverance
Category: Best Debut Novel
Organization: Bouchercon
Result: Winner
Grand Prix de Littérature Policière
1988
Work: A Great Deliverance
Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

A Great Deliverance

1988 Mystery fiction

Introduces aristocratic Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and his working-class partner Barbara Havers as they investigate a gruesome murder in a Yorkshire village.

Class differencesFamily secrets
Adaptations
  • [TV series] The Inspector Lynley Mysteries (2001)

Payment in Blood

1989 Mystery

Lynley and Havers investigate the murder of a theater producer.

Theater worldBetrayal

Well-Schooled in Murder

1990 Detective fiction

Murder at a public school.

EducationYouth

This Body of Death

2010 Mystery

The Edge of Nowhere

2012 Young adult

First book in the Whidbey Island YA series.

Bibliography

  • A Great Deliverance
  • Payment in Blood
  • Well-Schooled in Murder
  • A Suitable Vengeance
  • For the Sake of Elena
  • Missing Joseph
  • Playing for the Ashes
  • In the Presence of the Enemy
  • Deception on His Mind
  • In Pursuit of the Proper Sinner
  • A Traitor to Memory
  • A Place of Hiding
  • With No One as Witness
  • What Came Before He Shot Her
  • Careless in Red
  • This Body of Death
  • Believing the Lie
  • Just One Evil Act
  • A Banquet of Consequences
  • The Punishment She Deserves
  • Something to Hide

Adaptations

  • The Inspector Lynley Mysteries (BBC, 2001-2008)
  • Lynley (BBC, 2024-)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Detailed psychological portraitsComplex interwoven plotsAuthentic British syntax and class nuances
Recurring Motifs
British class systemSocial moresPersonal demons

Health

  • Depression
    不明
    Used writing as a way to combat depression

Legacy

Acclaimed American author of the Inspector Lynley mystery series set in England, praised for authentic depiction of British society. Series adapted into successful BBC TV show. Founded foundation supporting emerging writers.

In Popular Culture

  • BBC TV series The Inspector Lynley Mysteries
  • New Lynley series announced for 2024

Quotes

  • Happiness is an inside job - it takes a long time to learn that.
    Source: Interview (2008)

Trivia

  • Began writing stories at age 7 using an old Remington typewriter from her mother.
  • Lifelong Anglophile since first UK visit in 1966.
  • Established Elizabeth George Foundation in 1997 for emerging writers.