When a young girl vanishes in London without a trace, her MP mother becomes convinced that the kidnapper is the child's father, until Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and Sergeant Barbara Havers uncover a web of deception, betrayal, and death. 110,000 first printing. $100,000 ad/promo. Tour. In her previous novels, including the bestselling Playing for the Ashes , George has developed the characters of forensic scientist Simon St. James, Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers to a fine degree. In this, her eighth novel, the secret love child of an ambitious politician and a sleazy tabloid publisher is kidnapped. When Scotland Yard gets involved, Lynley and Havers must elude death as they search for the child and her kidnappers. An insightful and haunting novel of ideals corrupted and retribution visited upon the heads of the innocent. In this latest novel from the author of Playing for the Ashes (Bantam, 1994), the kidnapping of a child wreaks havoc on the lives of her mother, a conservative British MP, and the child's secret father, the left-wing editor of an anti-Tory tabloid.Though the novel starts slowly, it is nevertheless riveting, and much of the action focuses on detective Barbara Havers, second to Scotland Yard's holier-than-thou-inspector Thomas Lynley, the series star. The denouement is rather abrupt and the motive mixup ludicrous, but George is still one of the best mystery writers around. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. Another intriguing if overblown case for Scotland Yard's well- born Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and his down-to-earth Sergeant Barbara Havers (Playing for the Ashes, 1994, etc.), with some crucial input from Lynley's old friend, forensic scientist Simon St. James. Eleven years ago, Dennis Luxford, editor of the fast-rising anti-Tory newspaper The Source, had a short-lived affair with Eve Bowen--then a reporter, now a power-hungry MP slated for stardom in the Conservative Party. Luxford was never named the father of Charlotte, child of that affair, and Eve, long married, has refused all contact with him. Now, Charlotte has been kidnapped, and Dennis, married to Fiona and father of eight-year- old Leo, has been commanded to acknowledge his first-born on The Source's front page--or Charlotte will die. Eve, paranoid in her ambition, accuses Dennis of manufacturing a muckraking plot against her and refuses to call in the police or to agree to the kidnapper's demand. The acknowledgement of parenthood goes unpublished, and days later Charlotte's body is found in a canal in Wiltshire. Sergeant Havers is dispatched to the scene, there to work with local Detective Constable Robin Payne in a case made urgent by the kidnapper's renewed demands--and the life of a second victim at stake. With its unconvincing and off-the-wall plot, heavily detailed but repetitious investigations, and psychological misfits, political ploys, and power plays enough to furnish three novels, this latest from George seems bent on testing the patience and fortitude of her devoted fans--though, once again, thanks to her undeniable story-weaving skills, most will happily stay the course. (Literary Guild alternate selection; Mystery Guild main selection; author tour) -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. Elizabeth George has been hailed as "an master practitioner of the modern English mystery"* and each of her previous seven novels has been an international bestseller. With In The Presence Of The Enemy , her finest work yet, George once again explores the incendiary themes of passion and betrayal that have made her a master of the genre she has made so distinctly her own--the classic detective story that is also a richly creative novel. When a young girl disappears from the streets of London without a trace, her mother, a well-respected MP, is convinced she knows the identity of the kidnapper--the child's father. But Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and Sergeant Barbara Havers soon learn that nothing in this investigation is what it appears to be, and that in betrayal and deception, lies death. Praise for Elizabeth George: "Ms. George can do it all, with style to spare."-- The Wall Street Journal "Ms. George proves that the classiest crime writers are true novelists."-- The New York Times Book Review "A master of the modern English mystery."-- Entertainment Weekly * The Sun, Baltimore Copyright © 1996 by Susan Elizabeth George.