I'm looking for anyone who might have watched this series on PBS this year. I was watching the very last episode that I'd TiVO'd today (In the Blink of an Eye), and it turns out that our local PBS station lost the feed at the very end! AAAAACK! If anyone can fill me in on the very end, I'd appreciate it. It appears that Netflix has failed me on this one.

*spoilers*

It cut off at the point where the girl went to confront the guy in the parking lot and pulled a gun on him. I got a couple of glimpses of shots later, but I did see a funeral shot. I'm assuming that Helen stepped in and was killed?

TIA for any help/confirmation of what happened!

Yup. She was shot and died at the scene. which surprised me a lot, b/c I read What Came Before He Shot Her , which is about events leading up to Helen's death, and it didn't happen that way at all. Usually the PBS series remains truer to the written plots. If you had told me last year that Helen was to die, I wouldn't have cared, but the actress who played Helen in this last series was much better.

Thanks so much! Thanks also to mannsb (Margaretann) for PM'ing me.

I'd read the series. The last series (set 4) was filmed before publication of the book where Helen died, IIRC. So since then, the TV episodes have been apart from the books. (Though not all of the series matched the books, either.) Elizabeth George says she actually has more of a say in the plot lines now, even more than she did on her own books! Strange, but true.

I didn't really care for either cast for Helen. Never did get Helen's personality. But I like the ones who play Lynley and Havers. I think they've got the personalities down, but they don't look anything like I've pictured them from the books. I more view the TV series as a "stand alone", and really enjoy them that way.

Thanks again!

Yes, the Lynley TV series really is a completely separate animal from the books.  DH is really into the TV series (he's never read the books).  While I like the portrayals of Lynley and Havers I never could get into the TV series because it diverged so much from the books and I couldn't really understand why some of the storyline decisions were made.

Yeah, they kind of cheaped-out by trying to cram entire books into one episode. I've really enjoyed the new ones they've created just for TV over the last two seasons. They're really entertaining, and it's easier to "let go" of the books that way, LOL!

I just cannot bring myself to watch the tv series because of the MAJOR differences in the characters of Lynley & Havers, mostly appearance. Lynley in the books is fair and very British aristocratic looking and Havers is plump, and a general mess as to her clothing (a big part of her personality is the lack of care she takes in her dress - mismatched socks, clothes dragged from the laundry pile, etc) and I just cannot look at those actors and SEE the characters in the books. I find it so distracting that it takes away from the plot. I know that is crazy but, George is one of my favorite authors and they just seemed to diverge so far from the books it bugs me.

I have "What Came Before He Shot Her" in my TBR pile and seem to keep putting off reading it. I would rather she continued to focus on the characters established than do a back story novel.

bookaddicted,

Just a warning - What Came Before is not a Lynley /Havers book. They appear only briefly - extremely briefly. I liked it a lot, but many readers felt mislead. My review:

http://tinyurl.com/32lvgs

Linda

The Inspector Lynley series is my favorite series.

While "What Came Before He Shot Her" differed greatly from the rest of the series but I did find the book interesting. I did not enjoy it as much as the Lynley-Havers books. I also don't understand why fans were peeved about it. I read the inside flap and understood that Lynley and Havers were not going to figure promptly into the book.

The Lynley-Havers characters in the book do differ in appearance than the actors in the PBS series but I like both. I agree that neither actress chosen to play Helen met my expectations for the role (in mannerisms or appearance).

I have found several of the Inspector Lynley PBS series DVDs available at my library. I missed a couple of episodes from last year.

Anyone know if George has a new book coming out soon?

Her next, Careless in Red, is slated to be released in May 2008. It goes back to the Lynley characters some weeks after the last Lynley novel.

Thanks for that info, Charlie.  I'm looking forward to another Lynley book.