What Came Before He Shot Her

Don't miss Lynley, a new series streaming September 4 on BritBox!

#1 New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth George delivers an explosive, "absolutely riveting" novel (Entertainment Weekly) that delves into the events leading up to the shocking murder of Inspector Lynley’s wife.

The brutal, inexplicable death of Inspector Thomas Lynley’s wife, Helen, has left Scotland Yard shocked and searching for answers. Even more horrifying is that the trigger was apparently pulled by a twelve-year-old boy.

That story begins on the other side of London in rough North Kensington, where the three, mixed-race, virtually orphaned Campbell children are bounced first from their grandmother to their aunt. The oldest, fifteen-year-old Ness, is headed for trouble as fast as her high-heeled boots will take her. That leaves the middle child, Joel, to care for the youngest, Toby. No one wants to put it into words, but something clearly isn’t right with Toby.

Before long, there are signs that Joel himself has problems. A local gang starts harassing him and threatening his brother. To protect his family, Joel ends up making a pact with the devil—a move that leads straight to the front doorstep of Thomas Lynley.

The anatomy of a murder, the story of a family in crisis, What Came Before He Shot Her is a powerful and emotional novel, full of deep psychological insights, that only the incomparable Elizabeth George could write.

A kind and well-loved woman was brutally and inexplicably murdered. The pregnant wife of a respected police inspector, her death has left Scotland Yard shocked and searching for answers. Perhaps most horrifying of all, the trigger of the weapon that killed her was apparently pulled by a stranger . . . a twelve-year-old boy.

The anatomy of a murder, the story of a family in crisis, What Came Before He Shot Her is a powerful, emotional novel full of deep psychological insights, a novel that only the incomparable Elizabeth George could write.

“George pulls out all the emotional stops.” - Washington Times

“Dickensian in its heft, its vividness of characters and bleak London settings, and its rage at society’s faillures.” - Seattle Times

“George’s best since A Great Deliverance.” - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“[A] dark, chilling tale of desperation and revenge.” - Booklist (starred review)

“Compels our attention and compassion. Gripping and intense, this is modern crime writing at its finest.” - Rocky Mountain News

“Another winner from the current master of the classic English mystery” - Atlantic Monthly

“George is a brilliant writer. Her characters are vivid, and her storyline moves with a seeming inevitability that allows us to believe all the unexpected turn of events.” - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

“This novel resonate[s] long after the story is told.” - Globe and Mail (Toronto)

“Elizabeth George’s profoundly moving new novel seems destined to be remembered as the ultimate whydunit...George is in top form here.” - Washington Post Book World

“[A] searing examination of the lives of one horribly dysfunctional family. . . . A stinging indictment of a society unable to respond effectively to the needs of its poorer citizens.” - Publishers Weekly

“A tour de force from a writer flexing her muscles as she’s never done before....Absolutely riveting.” - Entertainment Weekly (Grade: A)

“A refreshing departure...[George] took a gamble with this one, and it pays off brilliantly.” - Time magazine

“Ms. George can do it all, with style to spare.” - Wall Street Journal

“Elizabeth George reigns as queen of the mystery genre. The Lynley books constitute the smartest, most gratifyingly complex and impassioned mystery series now being published.” - Entertainment Weekly