a great deliverance book review

Chapters 1-5: The Murder and Initial Investigation

The novel opens with the discovery of William Teys’ body, leading to the involvement of Inspector Thomas Lynley and Sergeant Barbara Havers. They begin their investigation in the village of Keldale, encountering a community rife with tension and secrets.

Chapters 6-10: Uncovering Family Secrets

As Lynley and Havers delve deeper, they uncover the troubled history of the Teys family. Roberta’s abusive past and William Teys’ tyrannical nature come to light, shedding new light on the dynamics within the family.

Chapters 11-15: The Intricacies of Village Life

The detectives navigate the complexities of village life, encountering a range of characters with their own motives and grievances. As they peel back the layers of secrecy, they begin to piece together the events leading up to the murder.

Chapters 16-20: Unraveling Motives and Suspicions

The investigation leads to the revelation of long-held grudges and motives for the murder. Lynley and Havers confront the challenge of untangling the web of deceit and unearthing the truth amid a community rife with conflicting accounts and hidden agendas.

Chapters 21-25: Confronting the Truth

As the investigation reaches its climax, Lynley and Havers confront the harrowing truth behind the murder and its underlying causes. The resolution brings to light the profound impact of long-buried secrets and the consequences of unchecked abuse.

The novel is punctuated by a series of significant events that drive the narrative and propel the investigation forward.

• Discovery of William Teys’ Murder
• Introduction of Inspector Thomas Lynley and Sergeant Barbara Havers
• Uncovering the Dark History of the Teys Family
• Interactions with the Villagers and Unraveling Motives
• Climactic Confrontation and Revelation of the Truth
• Family Secrets: The novel delves into the impact of buried family secrets and the lasting repercussions they hold.
• Class Divide: The contrasting backgrounds of Lynley and Havers highlight the theme of social class and its implications in the investigation.
• Abuse and Trauma: The exploration of abuse and its psychological toll features prominently in the story, shaping the characters and their actions.

The novel offers insights into the complexities of human nature, the enduring effects of trauma, and the intricate dynamics of small communities. It also delves into the struggle for justice and the complexities of unraveling the truth in the face of deep-seated animosities.

Readers will be drawn into a riveting tale of mystery and suspense, where the tranquil facade of village life gives way to the dark undercurrents of betrayal and anguish. The multifaceted characters and intricate plot offer a compelling exploration of human nature and the enduring impact of buried secrets.

"A Great Deliverance" captivates readers with its evocative portrayal of a murder investigation set against the backdrop of a picturesque English village. With its richly drawn characters, intricate plot, and exploration of profound themes, the novel offers a gripping and insightful reading experience. Elizabeth George skillfully weaves together a tapestry of secrets, lies, and the enduring quest for justice, ensuring that the story lingers in the minds of readers long after the final page.

A Great Deliverance FAQ

What is the genre of 'a great deliverance'.

The genre of 'A Great Deliverance' is mystery fiction.

Who is the author of 'A Great Deliverance'?

The author of 'A Great Deliverance' is Elizabeth George.

When was 'A Great Deliverance' first published?

A Great Deliverance was first published in 1988.

Is 'A Great Deliverance' part of a series?

Yes, 'A Great Deliverance' is the first book in the Inspector Lynley series.

What is the setting of 'A Great Deliverance'?

The setting of 'A Great Deliverance' is in the English countryside.

Who are the main characters in 'A Great Deliverance'?

The main characters in 'A Great Deliverance' are Inspector Thomas Lynley and Sergeant Barbara Havers.

Is 'A Great Deliverance' a standalone novel or part of a series?

'A Great Deliverance' is the first book in the Inspector Lynley series, but it can be read as a standalone novel.

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A Great Deliverance by Elizabeth George

Ian Rankin's first book in his best-selling Rebus series was slow to sell, for a very good reason. It wasn't actually that good. It was workmanlike and only sold subsequently because it was the first in the series. A Great Deliverance is actually quite a good book. I opened it with some trepidation. The fact that an American was writing about an earl who had become a policeman didn't inspire a lot of confidence, but I was more than pleasantly surprised.

After the beheading of a farmer, the local police are satisfied that they have the murderer. His daughter, Roberta Teys, was found next to the body and she's confessed her guilt but a priest persuades Scotland Yard that there's some doubt. Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers extracts Inspector Thomas Lynley (otherwise known as the eighth earl of Asherton) from a wedding and they start their investigations.

The book was first published in 1988 but it's only small points like the sending of Havers rather than a quick call on the mobile which makes the book seem dated some twenty years later. The character development is excellent. I thought that the 'posh cop' would be too over the top for me, but he's believable and the contrast between him and Havers, whose clothes sense matches her background, is well handled. Once again, it could have been farce, but it wasn't. The book was worth reading for the characters alone.

Which is just as well, because the mystery element is on the light side. It's a good story – but most people will have worked out what happened long before the end. It's definitely worth reading though because it sets the scene for the books which follow and some of those, such as With No One As Witness are really rather good.

For those who do enjoy the 'pop cop' stories we can recommend the work of P D James and particularly The Lighthouse .

Elizabeth George's Inspector Lynley Novels in Chronological Order

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• Elizabeth George
• Reviewed by Sue Magee
• 3.5 Star Reviews
• November 2003

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A Great Deliverance: Inspector Lynley, Book 1 Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

To this day, the low, thin wail of an infant can be heard in Keldale's lush green valleys. Three hundred years ago, as legend goes, the frightened Yorkshire villagers smothered a crying babe in Keldale Abbey, where they'd hidden to escape the ravages of Cromwell's raiders.

Now into Keldale's pastoral web of old houses and older secrets comes Scotland Yard Inspector Thomas Lynley, the eighth earl of Asherton. Along with the redoubtable Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers, Lynley has been sent to solve a savage murder that has stunned the peaceful countryside. For fat, unlovely Roberta Teys has been found in her best dress, an ax in her lap, seated in the old stone barn beside her father's headless corpse. Her first and last words were "I did it. And I'm not sorry".

Yet as Lynley and Havers wind their way through Keldale's dark labyrinth of secret scandals and appalling crimes, they uncover a shattering series of revelations that will reverberate through this tranquil English valley - and in their own lives as well.

• Book 1 of 21 Inspector Lynley
• Listening Length 11 hours and 2 minutes
• Author Elizabeth George
• Narrator Donada Peters
• Audible release date October 23, 2018
• Language English
• Publisher Random House Audio
• ASIN B07H9BLKW8
• Version Unabridged
• Program Type Audiobook
• See all details

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Customers say

Customers find the characters interesting, fascinating, and realistic. They also describe the plot as captivating, heart wrenching, refreshing, and satisfying. Readers praise the writing style as well-written, intricate, and emotional. They describe the visual design as engaging, vividly described, and lovingly written. However, some customers feel the ending is disappointing and infuriating.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Customers find the plot captivating, engaging, and tragic. They also say the ending is excellent and the book is an incredible gripping read. Readers also mention that the book has interesting characters and subplots that keep them reading. They describe the narrative warmth as refreshing and the solution to the crime as a surprise.

"...fact, we learn through Lynley's actions that he is actually a caring and sensitive man and a detective who is passionate about his job...." Read more

"...and some complicated background stories, but they are suspenseful and engaging as well as filled with interesting and complicated characters...." Read more

"...The ending in this book is excellent .One thing is seriously lacking and really does not involve the author...." Read more

"...all too often discourages passion, this narrative warmth is, well, refreshing ." Read more

Customers find the writing style well written, descriptive, and satisfying. They also say the characters are outstanding and the book is a nice escape novel that's reasonably realistic. Customers also mention that the mysteries are not blatantly obvious at the beginning or implausible at the end.

"This book took me just two days to finish. The writing is superb and the characters are amazing...." Read more

"...All in all, I found this to be a remarkable first novel by a talented writer , and I look forward to reading more about Lynley and Havers." Read more

"...The novel, in Ms. George's style, is very well written ; taking place in the UK.The most enjoyable part, I found, was the ending...." Read more

"...chooses action over introspection. The prose is precise ; the pace, never slow but always controlled. What's wrong with that?..." Read more

Customers find the characters interesting and fascinating. They also say they're realistic.

"...The writing is superb and the characters are amazing . There is no one perfect character here, even the 'good' guys have flaws...." Read more

"...but they are suspenseful and engaging as well as filled with interesting and complicated characters ...." Read more

"...this book, my first Elizabeth George mystery, because I liked the character development , the scenery and the plot...." Read more

"A character driven story , well told, and throughout, each one of the characters changed in a believable way...." Read more

Customers find the visual design engaging, vividly described, and well drawn. They also say the prose is highly detailed and fascinating.

"...the characters she presents are engaging, the surroundings are vividly and lovingly described , and the prose is highly engaging...." Read more

"Gripping, tragic drama, not the usual murder mystery fare. Beautiful , sensitive, intricate characterizations...." Read more

"...Most disgusting of all was her gross depiction of poor Roberta ...." Read more

"...is wonderfully written with lusciously drawn characters and gloriously painted settings ...." Read more

Customers are mixed about the content. Some find the book has wisdom, beauty, love, and hope contrasted with ugliness. Others say the sexual content is destructing, revolting, and upsetting.

"...But this one was almost more gore than I could stand . What a disappointment! I just love Lynley and his perceptivity and sheer humanity...." Read more

"......" Read more

"...CAUTION SENSITIVE READERS:There is harm to children. It is revolting and upsetting. There is also cruelty to an animal...." Read more

"...Enjoyed eighty percent of this one but hated the graphic pedophilia at the end . It was unnecessary." Read more

Customers find the ending of the book disappointing, depressing, and annoying. They also say the publication is terrible and has typos and poor printing.

"...This is a nice 'escape' type novel, but not serious literature , by any means. Some of the plot is very contrived." Read more

"... Very annoying ! Also noticed some grammatical errors near the end, shell instead of she'll." Read more

"...This was not one of George's best works but I will continue to read her and hope to discover another gem." Read more

"...It's so unnecessary and horrendous and upsetting. I'm angry to have wasted my time on this book only to be sucker punched with this at the end." Read more

Customers find the beginning of the book extremely slow and the plot too simplified.

"The book was a bit slower than I am used to, but it was a good read and I am looking forward to the rest of the books in this series...." Read more

"This was a very slow starter . I did enjoy learning more of the background stories of Havers and Lynley. They are great characters...." Read more

"...I was extremely let down. I thought the pace of the book was extremely slow and the plot was too simplified...." Read more

" It started slowly , but as soon as Barbara appeared, the story line and the characters came to life. Not disappointed!" Read more

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First book in the series must have really gotten readers attention when it was written in the 80s

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This psychological murder mystery (432 pages) was published in May of 1988 by Bantam. The book takes you to Yorkshire, England. Melissa read A Great Deliverance and loved it; it wouldn't be on our site if she didn't recommend it.

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A Great Deliverance

A lynley novel, elizabeth george.

This is the first book in the stunningly good Inspector Lynley Series by American author Elizabeth George. Rich with unforgettable characters and meticulously plotted murders, these British-style mysteries are emotionally engaging and impossible to put down.

Scotland Yard Inspector Thomas Lynley (Eton educated, wealthy, and titled; he’s an Earl, for goodness’ sake) and his partner Barbara Havers (street smart, unpolished, relentless) are an unlikely pair. Their differences make them an unstoppable force when it comes to solving crimes, but their personal interactions are another matter entirely, ranging from prickly to heated to frigidly silent.

They’re aided in investigations by a support crew of equally complex and winning characters: a forensic scientist with a bitter backstory, a mercurial photographer with whom everyone falls in love, and Lady Helen Clyde, a sophisticated velvet glove with plenty of steel beneath.

This first novel in the 21-book series is set on the Yorkshire moors, in a village that’s haunted by a 300-year-old legend. The ghostly wail of an infant can be still be heard in Keldale Abbey, a tiny victim of a deadly raid so long ago.

However, Lynley and Havers are on the scene to solve a modern crime: A young girl is accused of killing her religiously devout father with an ax. After admitting to the crime — I did it. And I’m not sorry. — she has refused to utter another word. But the Scotland Yard detectives are not convinced she’s the culprit.

Quirky, suspicious characters abound: the uncle who stands to inherit, the parish priest, an organist who puts on airs, a model-to-be, and an eccentric artist.

It soon becomes clear that everyone in the village is connected in some way to the gruesome murder and simmering fury that precipitated it. As Sergeant Havers gets closer to understanding the truth, she’s forced to acknowledge the dark secrets she harbors in her own heart — and the seeds are planted for what will become a life-defining relationship between her and Lynley.

He had never thought of himself as much of a praying man, but as he sat in the car in the growing darkness and the minutes passed, he knew what it was to pray. It was to will goodness out of evil, hope out of despair, life out of death. It was to will dreams into existence and spectres into reality. It was to will an end to anguish and a beginning to joy. — Elizabeth George

No need to read these books in order, but if you’re into epic character arcs, reading the series in order is a fantastic ride. (We are not fans of #13 and #14; forewarned is forearmed.)

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A Great Deliverance: 1 (Inspector Lynley) Paperback – 1 May 2007

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• Book 1 of 21 Inspector Lynley
• Print length 432 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Bantam
• Publication date 1 May 2007
• Dimensions 13.06 x 2.26 x 20.35 cm
• ISBN-10 0553384791
• ISBN-13 978-0553384796
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• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bantam; Reprint edition (1 May 2007)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 432 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0553384791
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0553384796
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1 kg 50 g
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 13.06 x 2.26 x 20.35 cm
• #20,512 in Thrillers and Suspense
• #21,474 in Mysteries (Books)
• #29,032 in Crime Fiction (Books)

About the author

Elizabeth george.

Elizabeth George was born Susan Elizabeth George in Warren, Ohio.

She is a graduate of University of California in Riverside. She also attended California State University at Fullerton, where she was awarded a master's degree in Counseling/Psychology and an honorary doctorate of humane letters

Professionally, she started out as a teacher. She was employed at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana initially, but there she gave in to her bent for organized labor and was summarily fired along with ten other teachers for union activity. She moved on to El Toro High School in El Toro, California (now called Lake Forest, California), where she remained for the rest of her career as high school English teacher. While employed there, she was selected Orange County Teacher of the Year, a tribute in part to the work she'd done with remedial students for nearly a decade. She left education after thirteen and a half years when she sold her first novel, A Great Deliverance, to her longtime publisher Bantam Books.

She has won the Anthony Award, the Agatha Award, and France's Le Grand Prix de Literature Policiere for her novel A Great Deliverance, for which she was also nominated for the Edgar and the Macavity Awards. She has also been awarded Germany's MIMI for her novel Well-Schooled in Murder.

Most of her novels have been filmed by for television by the BBC and have been broadcast in the US on PBS's MYSTERY. Visit her website at www.elizabethgeorgeonline.com

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Review: 'The Deliverance' is full of cliches and gets laughs, not scares

The Lee Daniels film stars Andra Day, Glenn Close and more.

It's no fun to hate-watch when talented people make terrible films. Such a specimen is "The Deliverance," an all-star, devil-made-me-do-it horror show now on Netflix with an overqualified cast, underfunded special effects, a sinkhole of a script and a nutso confidence in its own nonexistent profundity.

The creative force behind "The Deliverance" is Lee Daniels, deservedly Oscar nominated as best director for "Precious" and lauded for the hip-hop drama series "Empire." "The Paperboy," The Butler" and "The United States vs. Billie Holiday" are also on Daniels' resume, but "The Deliverance" stands alone as his first -- and hopefully last -- foray into the supernatural.

Review: 'Blink Twice' is a ticking time bomb of a movie that makes every second count

It's a blessed relief to report that Daniels initially holds back on the scare stuff in the campy, cumbersome screenplay by David Coggeshall and Elijah Bynum. There is, however, a kernel of a socially aware Black family addiction drama in the story that should have been nourished.

The vivid, versatile Andra Day, who earned an Academy nod as the blues-singing Billie Holiday, takes the central role of Ebony, a recovering alcoholic and struggling mother raising three kids on her own while her husband is deployed in Iraq. Ebony is neglectful, even abusive, relying on drink and drugs to dull the financial and emotional pain of depending on scraps to raise teenaged Nate (Caleb McLaughlin of "Stranger Things"), Shante (Demi Singleton of "King Richard") and younger Andre (Anthony B. Jenkins).

Ebony leans on her formerly abusive white mother, Alberta (Glenn Close), who is now undergoing chemotherapy at a local hospital where her newfound Christianity does not stop her from hitting on Melvin, a Black nurse half her age played by Omar Epps.

Review: Clichés come fast in 'It Ends With Us'

Close, one of the best actors on the planet, is willing to go for broke in the role. Over-the-top Alberta wears a frightful wig to hide the tufts of hair still standing on her bald head, stuffing herself into tight blouses and winking lewdly at any passing hunk. But Alberta, ashamed as a parent, is determined to redeem herself with her grandkids, allowing Close to bring empathy and depth to a character that a lesser actor would reduce to a coarse cartoon.

The funny, ferocious byplay between this white mother and biracial daughter could have made for searing drama. But about 40 minutes in, Daniels sends in the hell hounds of demonic possession and the movie falls to cliched pieces.

The result is a scare flick that borrows from "The Exorcist" to the point of grand larceny. "The Deliverance" is very loosely based on a true story, but nothing about the subpar hauntings in "The Deliverance" feel remotely believable. Buzzing flies and creaking basement doors? Please!

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The actors do their best to redeem the rank cliches they're handed. Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, nominated for an Oscar for her role in "King Richard," brings strength and dignity to the role of Reverend Bernice, who performs the exorcism, er, the deliverance. And Mo'Nique, who won a supporting Oscar as the monster mom in "Precious," plays Cynthia, a social worker who finds it hard to believe that Satan is responsible for the bruises on the tender bodies of Ebony's children.

Who's the real villain here -- a demon who turns innocents into raging beasts, or an abusive parent who claims the devil is the culprit? Daniels lets that provocative question hang in the air while filling the screen with every cheap terror trick in the book. It's hard to be scared by a movie that makes it so easy to laugh it off the screen.

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Review: 'The Deliverance' is full of cliches and gets laughs, not scares

It's no fun to hate-watch when talented people make terrible films. Such a specimen is "The Deliverance," an all-star, devil-made-me-do-it horror show now on Netflix with an overqualified cast, underfunded special effects, a sinkhole of a script and a nutso confidence in its own nonexistent profundity.

The creative force behind "The Deliverance" is Lee Daniels, deservedly Oscar nominated as best director for "Precious" and lauded for the hip-hop drama series "Empire." "The Paperboy," The Butler" and "The United States vs. Billie Holiday" are also on Daniels' resume, but "The Deliverance" stands alone as his first -- and hopefully last -- foray into the supernatural.

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Review: 'Blink Twice' is a ticking time bomb of a movie that makes every second count

It's a blessed relief to report that Daniels initially holds back on the scare stuff in the campy, cumbersome screenplay by David Coggeshall and Elijah Bynum. There is, however, a kernel of a socially aware Black family addiction drama in the story that should have been nourished.

The vivid, versatile Andra Day, who earned an Academy nod as the blues-singing Billie Holiday, takes the central role of Ebony, a recovering alcoholic and struggling mother raising three kids on her own while her husband is deployed in Iraq. Ebony is neglectful, even abusive, relying on drink and drugs to dull the financial and emotional pain of depending on scraps to raise teenaged Nate (Caleb McLaughlin of "Stranger Things"), Shante (Demi Singleton of "King Richard") and younger Andre (Anthony B. Jenkins).

Ebony leans on her formerly abusive white mother, Alberta (Glenn Close), who is now undergoing chemotherapy at a local hospital where her newfound Christianity does not stop her from hitting on Melvin, a Black nurse half her age played by Omar Epps.

Review: Clichés come fast in 'It Ends With Us'

Close, one of the best actors on the planet, is willing to go for broke in the role. Over-the-top Alberta wears a frightful wig to hide the tufts of hair still standing on her bald head, stuffing herself into tight blouses and winking lewdly at any passing hunk. But Alberta, ashamed as a parent, is determined to redeem herself with her grandkids, allowing Close to bring empathy and depth to a character that a lesser actor would reduce to a coarse cartoon.

The funny, ferocious byplay between this white mother and biracial daughter could have made for searing drama. But about 40 minutes in, Daniels sends in the hell hounds of demonic possession and the movie falls to cliched pieces.

The result is a scare flick that borrows from "The Exorcist" to the point of grand larceny. "The Deliverance" is very loosely based on a true story, but nothing about the subpar hauntings in "The Deliverance" feel remotely believable. Buzzing flies and creaking basement doors? Please!

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The actors do their best to redeem the rank cliches they're handed. Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, nominated for an Oscar for her role in "King Richard," brings strength and dignity to the role of Reverend Bernice, who performs the exorcism, er, the deliverance. And Mo'Nique, who won a supporting Oscar as the monster mom in "Precious," plays Cynthia, a social worker who finds it hard to believe that Satan is responsible for the bruises on the tender bodies of Ebony's children.

Who's the real villain here -- a demon who turns innocents into raging beasts, or an abusive parent who claims the devil is the culprit? Daniels lets that provocative question hang in the air while filling the screen with every cheap terror trick in the book. It's hard to be scared by a movie that makes it so easy to laugh it off the screen.

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A Great Deliverance Summary & Study Guide

A Great Deliverance Summary & Study Guide Description

Elizabeth George's first novel, A Great Deliverance, finds Inspector Thomas Lynley of New Scotland Yard in the small northern village of Keldale on the wild Yorkshire moors. Inspector Lynley, who also happens to be the 8th Earl of Asherton and a born aristocrat, is investigating a murder there with Sergeant Barbara Havers. Sergeant Havers was recently demoted for being difficult to work with, and the William Teys murder case is her opportunity for reinstatement at CID (Criminal Investigations Department of the British Police). There is a problem, however. Havers detests Inspector Lynley. He is a womanizer and a rogue as far as Havers is concerned. Havers is convinced that Lynley looks down his nose at anyone other than the high-born and beautiful: Havers is neither. Living in the working-class neighborhood of Acton, Havers is painfully aware of the class difference which exists between herself and Lynley. Living with her aging, ailing parents, Havers knows that getting back into CID is her ticket out of poverty and squalor.

Roberta Teys, the murder victim's youngest daughter, has confessed to decapitating William Teys with an axe. Subsequently, Roberta is sent to Barnstingham Mental Asylum by her cousin, Richard Gibson, who stands to inherit William Teys' farm. When Inspector Lynley and Sergeant Havers arrive in Keldale, the village is deserted. After checking into Keldale Lodge, however, the peaceful village becomes the site of petty jealousies, romantic rivalries, and deadly secrets. It seems that William Teys was someone who was well-liked and respected in his community. It is strange then that Teys' young wife Tessa would abandon him and their two daughters shortly after Roberta's birth. It seems even stranger that Roberta's older sister, Gillian, would run away from home at the age of sixteen never to be heard from again.

The inhabitants of Keldale are a colorful lot. The parish priest, Father Hart is a chain-smoker with a very nervous disposition. Mrs. Burton-Thomas, an eccentric aristocrat, has turned her ancestral home, Keldale Hall, into an upscale destination for travelers with money. Ezra Farmington, the handsome local artist, was never on good terms with William Teys. Nigel Parrish, the snooty church organist, has quite a few secrets of his own. The startlingly beautiful Stepha Odell seems to know details associated with the murder case that no one else in Keldale knows. And finally, there is the matter of the baby ghost whose cries originate from the stones of ancient Keldale Abbey.

Inspector Lynley and Sergeant Havers have their hands full and the folks in Keldale are determined not to make this an easy investigation for the unlikely pair.

Read more from the Study Guide

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The Deliverance

“The Deliverance” would have worked just fine if it had functioned solely as a domestic drama infused with the thorny, real-world issues of addiction, poverty and racism.  

This is territory director Lee Daniels knows well, having given us a searing exploration of these subjects with his Academy Award-winning 2009 film “Precious.” Daniels made his name as a filmmaker with an affinity for difficult characters and raw relationships, as we’ve also seen in “The Paperboy” and “The United States vs. Billie Holliday.” And he’s amassed an impressive cast here, including Andra Day, Glenn Close, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor and “Precious” Oscar winner Mo’Nique. 

But he’s taken all that promise and tacked a standard horror story about demonic possession onto it. He’s trying to slam two different movies together, with uneven and increasing unconvincing results. Once “The Deliverance” turns into a full-tilt genre movie, it offers the kinds of scares we’ve seen countless times before: kids skittering up walls and lingering in the air, graphically vile invective spewing from the mouths of babes, and the crack-crack-crack of evil contorting bodies in unnatural positions. 

Trouble is, “The Deliverance” is far more effective when Day’s single-mom character confronts her metaphorical demons, rather than her literal ones. 

The film is inspired by the case of Latoya Ammons, who moved with her family into a Gary, Indiana, rental home in 2011. Soon, she began noticing strange occurrences and disturbing behavior from her children. Eventually, a priest conducted an exorcism, and the house was demolished.  

Here, screenwriters David Coggeshall and Elijah Bynum have taken that core notion and moved it to the unstable home of Day’s struggling mother, Ebony, in working-class Pittsburgh. Day has an immediacy to her screen presence that can be startling, a volatility that makes her fearsome even before anything starts going bump in the basement. Raising three kids–teenagers Nate (Caleb McLaughlin) and Shante (Demi Singleton) and their younger brother, Andre (Anthony B. Jenkins)–while also tending to her own mother (Close), who’s suffering from cancer, would be enough responsibility for one person to handle alone. But Ebony is also an alcoholic fighting a constant battle to stay sober. Dealing with her mother, Alberta, offers its own set of challenges–and Close, chain smoking in a collection of flashy wigs and cold-shoulder tops, gives a brash performance that makes her Mamaw from “Hillbilly Elegy” look demure and mindful. 

This time, Mo’Nique is the one investigating reports of abuse and neglect in the home as an agent of Child Protective Services, and that’s before the kids start acting erratically in school. A scene in which Ebony delivers a swift backhand to her youngest child for talking back at the dinner table reveals that such concern is warranted. Mo’Nique brings a world-weariness to the role but also a feeling of genuine concern. Similarly, Ellis-Taylor offers warmth and strength as an apostle–don’t call her an exorcist–who might just be the family’s salvation. But while Ellis-Taylor’s graceful presence is always extremely welcome, the supernatural element of the story that her character ushers in marks the point at which the film starts to decline. 

It’s not that “The Deliverance” becomes too unsettling; quite the contrary, once it’s obviously about a demon feasting on Ebony’s family, it feels too safe. We’ve seen these images and heard these words before. What’s frustrating is that Daniels is a filmmaker known for leaning into the lurid, for milking the melodrama. He takes risks, for better and for worse, and that’s exciting. For a while, Ebony is an unreliable conduit into this scenario, so it’s intriguingly unclear as to what’s happening in a drunken haze and what’s a legitimate threat.  

But once the film shifts into a different gear, Daniels can’t quite match the turbulent intensity he established earlier. There’s nothing in the iffy visual effects that’s as frightening as the real-world threats these kids face just getting through the day. And given the mish-mash of tones at play, it’s sadly fitting that the whole thing ends on an awkward note of rushed uplift. 

On Netflix now.

Christy Lemire

Christy Lemire is a longtime film critic who has written for RogerEbert.com since 2013. Before that, she was the film critic for The Associated Press for nearly 15 years and co-hosted the public television series “Ebert Presents At the Movies” opposite Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, with Roger Ebert serving as managing editor. Read her answers to our Movie Love Questionnaire here .

• Andra Day as Ebony
• Glenn Close as Alberta
• Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor as Rev Bernice James
• Mo’Nique as Cynthia Henry
• Caleb McLaughlin as Nate
• Tasha Smith as Asia
• Omar Epps as Melvin
• Demi Singleton as Shante
• Miss Lawrence as Asia
• James William O’Halloran as Satan
• Todd Anthony as Ahman
• Colleen Camp as Doctor Hoffsteder
• David Coggeshall
• Elijah Bynum
• Lee Daniels
• Thomas Westfall

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Onscreen possessions can be a scary thing, and it’s not only because a person’s body can suddenly (and horrifyingly) bend so far backwards that the crunch of bones sounds sickening. Lee Daniels’ The Deliverance , which claims inspiration from real events , pairs the possession with a very personal and well-developed family story. The latter is so good and intriguing that, when the demonic possession begins to overshadow it, I found myself frustrated with the supernatural elements of the film. Written by David Coggeshall and Elijah Bynum, The Deliverance kept me hooked — until it didn’t.

The Deliverance (2024)

The deliverance is ripe with tense, layered family drama, it's what keeps the film going.

Daniels and Co. do a great job building up the dysfunctional family dynamics. Andra Day plays Ebony, a single mother of three who’s struggling to pay bills and has taken in her ill mother, Alberta (Glenn Close), with whom she has a contentious relationship. Every bad thing Ebony ever learned was from her mother, who’s trying to gain forgiveness by going to church. If Ebony gets frustrated enough and slaps her youngest, Andre (Anthony B. Jenkins) across the mouth, she blames Alberta for setting that example first.

Mo'Nique also stars in The Deliverance , playing Cynthia, the social worker who checks in on Ebony's family.

Ebony’s eldest kids — Shante (Demi Singleton) and Nate (Caleb McLaughlin) — oscillate between being afraid of Ebony and defying her. And yet, Ebony, who’s been to jail and has had her kids taken away from her by Child Protection Services, is always there to defend them. The Deliverance lays the groundwork for its story so well that when the eerie stuff starts to happen, we’re led to believe it’s Ebony who’s been abusive. The supernatural, in this case a demonic possession of Andre, initially complements the family drama and leaves us guessing.

There’s also a layered tension that exists between Ebony and Alberta. There are obviously some unresolved issues there, some of which are aired out in the open, but their relationship is central to understanding the family and how they function as a whole. The film has something to say about the generational trauma of mothers and daughters, as well as how race can affect the nature of their relationship. In one scene, Ebony is speaking with the doctor about her kids, but the doctor looks to Alberta, ignoring Ebony’s questions. Later, Ebony accuses Alberta of not standing up for her.

The supernatural, in this case a demonic possession of Andre, initially complements the family drama and leaves us guessing.

The scene is a testament to the racial undertones embedded in the film, and I’m glad the film doesn’t ignore how that plays into the already fraught connection between Ebony and Alberta. To that end, The Deliverance ’s family moments boast enough tension to keep the story afloat and steady. There’s a chill in the air that is occasionally due to the supernatural moments, most of which happen offscreen in the first two-thirds of the film, but are primarily tied to Ebony and her family. As a family drama, the film is effective, but then it unfortunately breaks down.

The Deliverance Wants To Be Two Different Movies

And only succeeds at being one.

Netflix's horror thriller functions as two disparate movies combined into one. In the final third, the family drama is mostly set aside to focus on the demonic possession of Andre. Reverend Bernice James (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor) plays a big role in that, telling Ebony about the history of her home and what happened to the family who lived there decades before. It’s your run-of-the-mill supernatural explanation, but what really derails The Deliverance is the insincerity behind it. If not for the believable performances by Day and Ellis-Taylor especially, I would have laughed out loud at the astonishing tackiness of it all.

Because it is tacky. It’s not enough to throw out the rest of the film because of it, though, since the buildup to the possession was good on its own and shouldn’t be punished for the film’s inferior final act. The Deliverance takes possession very seriously, and I appreciated its connection to breaking generational trauma. When Bernice talked about Jesus protecting Ebony’s family, I found myself believing it because of her conviction. At the same time, the film nearly falls apart because it shifts its focus to be about the supernatural, which was honestly better as an offscreen mystery.

The Deliverance is bolstered by the cast’s commitment to the story and their characters. Without them, the film would’ve easily been overshadowed by its finale.

Scenes of Andre crawling up walls or Ebony shouting at the demon in another language to leave her son’s body destroys the seriousness of the family dynamic. It also quickly causes The Deliverance to lose steam. Daniels could have opted to make two very distinct movies, but shoving them together here makes no sense and undercuts the familial stakes at its core. The Deliverance is bolstered by the cast’s commitment to the story and their characters. Without them, the film's ending wouldn't have been remotely believable.

With a great cast and multidimensional family drama making up its foundation, The Deliverance ’s good manages to overshadow the bad. I only wish Daniels, Coggeshall and Bynum had let the characters and their relationships continue fueling the central conflicts. The possession storyline was just not strong enough to make up for an already intriguing setup that didn’t fully benefit from the inclusion of the supernatural.

The Deliverance is streaming on Netflix August 30. The film is 112 minutes long and rated R for violent content, language throughout and some sexual references.

A woman returns to her childhood home to confront dark secrets from her past. As supernatural forces emerge and family tensions rise, she must uncover the truth behind her haunting visions and protect her loved ones from an ancient evil threatening their lives.

• Andra Day and the rest of the cast are well worth watching
• The family drama is good, filled with tension and depth
• The film's themes are thought-provoking
• The supernatural horror doesn't live up to the fantastic setup
• The supernatural can be tacky, but it's saved by committed performances

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The Deliverance movie review: There’s no deliverance from this conflict ridden tale

Updated on: 30 August,2024 06:54 PM IST  |  Los Angeles Johnson Thomas | [email protected]

• Text  

Set in 2011, this film follows the template set by ‘The Conjuring’ universe. Stripped of spookiness or nuance, the narrative goes perversely dramatic over a substance abusing single Mom’s efforts to stay afloat

The Deliverance movie review

Film: The Deliverance   (Netflix) Cast: Andra Day, Glenn Close, Anthony B. Jenkins, Mo’Nique, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Caleb McLaughlin, Demi Singleton, Anthony B. Jenkins  Director: Lee Daniels Rating: 2/5 Runtime: 112 min

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“ The Deliverance ” is based on the real-life story of LaToya Ammons. She had claimed that demons were responsible for the violent behaviors within her household and it took an exorcist to cleanse the home of its unholy mess. Aiming to be the Black equivalent of ‘The Exorcist’ this film is neither scary nor thrilling. It’s just a whole lot of drama about a dysfunctional family whose tryst with the devil pushes them straight into the protective hands of God. Lee Daniels, best known for his Sundance hit ‘Precious’ tries his hand at horror with “The Deliverance” - but the result is neither becoming nor precious.

Set in 2011, this film follows the template set by ‘The Conjuring’ universe. Stripped of spookiness or nuance, the narrative goes perversely dramatic over a substance abusing single Mom’s efforts to stay afloat.

Ebony (Audra Day) is a recovering alcoholic and parent to three children: Nate ( Caleb McLaughlin ), Shante (Demi Singleton), and the youngest Andre (Anthony B. Jenkins). Her estranged husband who is deployed in Iraq is not expected home anytime soon and a huge stack of bills need to be paid. Her interfering cancer patient mother, Alberta (Close), who lives with her, isn’t making things easier for her either. They have just moved house and the new home is so spooky that strange things begin to occur.

Flies start showing up from the basement, Andre sleepwalks and exhibits signs of truancy. Alberta has stopped her chemo sessions for want of money, Social worker Cynthia (Mo’Nique) trails Ebony in the hopes of catching her red-handed and several more such turbulence lie in wait. Then there’s always some tension between Alberta and Ebony. When things start to go wrong all fingers point towards Ebony. No one believes her when  she swears she isn’t drinking and something is wrong in her house.  It’s only when she meets up with a lady pastor that they realise that they are living in a house haunted by evil spirits - which then (of course) needs to be delivered from Evil. By not using the word exorcism the film probably hoped to be perceived as different. But it’s not.

The screenplay by David Coggeshall and Elijah Bynum fails to transition seamlessly from family drama to horror. The scares don’t appear for a very long time. Thefilm plays out more like a social issue drama and is never convincing even when it ends with the exorcism. Ebony’s survival story might have been far more interesting if dwelt on at length. But the narrative veers into B movie territory with images of haunting and inexplicable violence and everything begins to go haywire.

Close steals a march over the rest of the actors here because most of them do overwrought without much emotion or heft. Close’s casting though, feels weird because the ‘real life’ Indiana woman never had a white woman for her mother. As Reverend Bernice James who calls herself an apostle, Aunjuanue Ellis-Taylor comes across as half-baked. Andra Day fails to garner sympathy for the character she plays, the kids have sketchy characters and the social worker is way too nondescript an entity to leave an impact.  

This exorcism film is rather inept and lacks conviction. The culture-related cliches overwhelms any originality. The make-up is shoddily done and the performances don’t really light up the screen.There's nothing much here to attract the horror fan.

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‘The Deliverance’ Review: The Power of Camp Compels Him

Lee Daniels directs Andra Day and Glenn Close in an exorcism tale that includes melodrama along with the scares.

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By Amy Nicholson

The director Lee Daniels frees his actors to exorcise their demons with audacious performances that rank among the most memorable of their careers. (If you’ve yet to see the mischief Nicole Kidman gets up to in “The Paperboy,” you’re in for a hoot.) With “The Deliverance,” a riotously wacky horror flick, Daniels adds actual demons, too, sending his latest troubled heroine, Andra Day, straight over the edge. Day, a Grammy-winning musician, earned a Golden Globe Award and an Oscar nomination for her performance in Daniels’s “ The United States vs. Billie Holiday .” Not only can she sing and act — here, she’s an outrageous scream queen.

Day plays Ebony, a single mother plagued by bills, alcohol addiction and her own violent temper. Her three glum children — Andre (Anthony B. Jenkins), Nate (Caleb McLaughlin) and Shante (Demi Singleton) — have endured years of abuse even before something wicked in their new home urges the tykes to hurt themselves and each other. Adding to the pressure, Ebony’s born-again, floozy mother, Alberta (Glenn Close), has moved in to recover from cancer (and criticize her daughter’s cooking), while a social worker named Cynthia (Mo’Nique) drops by to monitor the kids’ bruises, and, when pushed out the door, hurls as many nasty quips as she gets. When the spooky business starts, Ebony barely notices. She simply slams the basement door and keeps on trucking.

The script by David Coggeshall and Elijah Bynum is a riff on the 2011 case of Latoya Ammons, whose claims that evil spirits had overtaken her family were corroborated by a Department of Child Services case manager, a medic, a police captain and a priest. But “The Deliverance” is driven by Ebony’s struggle to convince anyone to believe her — the pitiless authorities refuse to look past her own flaws. To the audience, however, she deepens into a riveting character study, particularly in one close-up where Ebony agonizes over whether maintaining her truth is worth the terrible personal consequences.

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• AV Undercover
• Heavenly father, please protect us from the ridiculous exorcism horror The Deliverance

An exorcism of cartoonish proportions is the focal point of Lee Daniels' completely inept horror movie.

There is a warped logic to Lee Daniels, filmmaker of nose-boppingly obvious melodramas and sordid stupidity, moving into horror. In an exorcism film, reason is often the only thing standing in the way of the haunted family getting some relief. But Daniels’ big, broad tone doesn’t lend itself to his ultra-serious tale of addiction, suffering children, cycles of abuse, and the compelling power of Christ. With every over-the-top line of dialogue and tone-deaf gamble, The Deliverance inches closer to becoming a parody of itself.

This is partially because Daniels seems completely out of his depth working within the genre, and partially because the family drama surrounding the horror is laughably confounding. Perhaps that’s to be expected from Daniels and his two male screenwriters—David Coggeshall (of The Family Plan ) and Elijah Bynum (of Magazine Dreams , the Jonathan Majors bodybuilding movie that might never see the light of day)—attempting to tell a ghost story about single Black motherhood.

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Ebony (Andra Day) has just moved into a new place with her kids—teenagers Shante (Demi Singleton) and Nate (Caleb McLaughlin), and elementary schooler Andre (Anthony B. Jenkins)—and her white mom Alberta (Glenn Close, following Hillbilly Elegy with another outrageous slice of Netflix camp). Day reunites with Daniels after earning an Oscar nomination for her debut performance in The United States Vs. Billie Holiday , though she’s given an infinitely less inspiring role here. Ebony is a one-note wreck, abusive, boozing, and caustic. She slaps her children around, batters them with curses, and steals their savings for a quick drink.

The Deliverance is an abrasive movie, even when that abrasiveness is so exaggerated as to be a punchline. Glenn Close’s willingness to be a caricature is weaponized, shouting things like “Do it, bitch,” while dressed in an array of bad wigs, low-cut tops, and daisy dukes. The worst Child Protective Services worker imaginable (Mo’Nique) swings by from time to time, keeping loose, hands-off tabs on Ebony’s increasingly brutalized children. Even an exterminator, called in about the house’s smell of decay, doesn’t make it out scot-free, weathering racist remarks after swearing at his clients. This aggressive tone never coalesces into an oppressive atmosphere, nor does it connect its characters’ pain with the supernatural using any kind of metaphor. This is no Babadook . It’s not even deep enough to pass as one of the many copycat horror movies “actually about trauma” that surfaced in the decade since.

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Instead, The Deliverance views its Bad Mom with a scold’s paternalism, punishing Ebony’s lack of faith (which lapsed after God failed to intervene as she was being sexually assaulted as a child) with an onslaught of hellish happenings—the spiritual version of conservatives wagging their fingers at rape survivors. The film takes a similarly contemptuous perspective towards the impoverished family’s absent father figure and Ebony’s alcoholism. Alberta used to be the same kind of abusive drunk, but she goes to church, so she’s all good now. It’s all so loud and insulting that it’s hard not to laugh; it’s more of a Scary Movie than a scary movie.

And yet, inspired by the Ammons haunting which plagued a family in Gary, Indiana back in 2011, The Deliverance dutifully trudges on down to Spirit Halloween, filling its cart from the bargain bin: black flies buzzing out of nowhere, a basement door opening by itself, a demon masquerading as an imaginary friend, footsteps thumping in the middle of the night. Daniels incompetently checks things off his shopping list of clichés without investing in tension, pacing, or the basic construction of a scare.

The Ammons house has already been the subject of one movie (Zak Bagans’ pseudo-doc Demon House , which A.V. Club contributor Noel Murray predictably called “hooey”), and it’s barely the subject of this movie. The more compelling imagery documented by the original case—a religious mother desperately anointing her children’s foreheads with olive oil crosses and constructing an altar in her basement—are discarded in favor of a pandering character arc where a doubting Ebony finally lets Jesus into her heart.

Also discarded are the tangible realities of systemic poverty. Ebony’s family is always having wooden, on-the-nose conversations about being broke or fielding phone calls from debt collectors, but their home is spacious and well maintained (except for the demons). Shante gets the new iPhone she asks for, and Alberta continues to get her cancer treatments. Even CPS doesn’t ever seem like a real threat. The only real-world specter The Deliverance ever even tries to conjure is the concern that there’s not actually a haunting, but that it’s just an increasingly violent Ebony’s feeble excuse.

But long before that’s disproven by outrageously silly makeup and ugly effect work, we know that’s not true. The half-hearted efforts put towards seeding doubt about the extent to which the main character is beating her children is merely another distasteful flavor in this miserable meal. The gravity of child abuse contrasts, for example, with the ridiculous supporting characters that haphazardly pop up. A skeezy Omar Epps plays Alberta’s one-scene wonder of a caregiver, who seduces her by showing up at Shante’s birthday party and, finding a mic, dedicating a song “to your sexy grandmother.” This GILF hunter is never seen again.

When The Deliverance finally quits procrastinating, the plot quickly, confusingly escalates. A random exorcist (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor) turns up out of the blue and finally gets down to business after an hour of straight nonsense. The only thing is, it’s not an exorcism. It’s a deliverance, which is the same thing except the demon isn’t the target—Ebony’s lack of faith is. The Deliverance is, in this way, more of a God’s Not Dead movie than a “God, Help Us Not Be Dead” movie. This all builds to a final act nearly wacky enough to justify slogging through the rest of the film; if the awful writing makes The Deliverance seem like an unwitting spoof, the filmmaking of the climax unintentionally reaches the raucous delirium of Sam Raimi’s Drag Me To Hell .

A profane and violent movie—where the villains include Child Protective Services, medical doctors, and mental health professionals while the hero is Jesus Christ— The Deliverance is alternatingly dull and totally nuts. It is never scary, and only sometimes holds your attention. Even then, it’s usually for an off-putting reason, like considering the audacity of two men writing a graceless scene around understanding something, “Black woman to Black woman.” Lee Daniels may not have found a fitting home for his histrionic filmmaking, but at least in this genre, it can sometimes be an accidental gift.

Director: Lee Daniels Writer: David Coggeshall, Elijah Bynum Starring: Andra Day, Glenn Close, Mo’Nique, Anthony B. Jenkins, Miss Lawrence, Demi Singleton, Tasha Smith, Omar Epps, Caleb McLaughlin, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor Release Date: August 30, 2024 (Netflix)

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‘The Deliverance’ Review – This Holy Horror Is More Than Just an Exorcism Story

The Deliverances goes beyond traditional horror. It intricately weaves faith and societal issues within a broken family, birthing many themes worth analyzing.

Lee Daniels’ The Deliverance will be reduced to an exorcism story. Reducing movie analysis is a usual get-out when dealing with a provocative movie about important nuisances. There’s a keen, mirroring message in this horror that starts with a broken home.

The story, inspired by the real-life experiences of Latoya Ammons, follows single mother Ebony (Andra Day), who moves into a new home with her three children and mother, Alberta (Glenn Close), in Gary, Indiana. The family experiences demon-like occurrences that manifest into something more dangerous as the film progresses.

As a premise, the framework of The Deliverance will not cause any astonishment or feelings of originality. It’s simply a horror movie revolving around a house slowly falling apart. It’s a popular theme: Netflix embraced it with Remi Weekes’ His House , and in serial format, M. Night Shyamalan’s Servant is the prime example of this type of sub-horror evolving into a weekly mystery.

The Deliverance is more about the “why.” Why is this family specifically enduring the horrors that transpire in this movie?

Audiences seeking thrills and jumps will be disappointed. The film is a character examination. Ebony, assumedly, has a torrid past. There’s an inclination that she’s struggled with drugs and alcohol and an angle that suggests she has pushed boundaries with her children, bordering on abuse.

Andra Day plays the character with deprecation. Ebony is a walking, self-inflicted victim of her past, traumatized by life’s failure to succeed on a specific path. I was impressed with the range; her vulgarness is ugly, but often, you see the character’s yearning to be a caring mother shine through the layers of hatred within her. It’s a brilliant performance.

The character supporting the mother’s experiences, which equally makes The Deliverance worthwhile, is Ebony’s mother, Alberta, played by Glenn Close. A supporting performance worthy of awards, Alberta represents the character with an alternative view. She has experienced the darkness and brings her perspective from the light.

Glenn Close puts in an award-worthy supporting performance in ‘The Deliverance’ (Credit – Netflix)

The movie juxtaposes themes that will provoke some audiences but, on the other hand, will be massively misunderstood. The Deliverance is heavy with religious meaning in the backdrop, but fronting the family are the social problems that haunt them. Broken homeness is the variable to the experiences faced, and what melds it all together is the pre-proposed demon.

In that sense, The Deliverance makes the demon-like occurrences secondary to the circumstances. It feels necessary to understand that the demon is not important at all. While watching the horror, it’s important to place the horror to the side and focus on the circumstances that swindle the family, which extends to the school and the social services officer.

The perspective of the other characters is no less important due to the occurrences that impact them. The meaning behind the story results in the circumstances and the occurrences being tied together, knotted tightly into a single entity. 

The exorcism is the crux and pre-defined. It’s the generic component of the story, which audiences may labor and wait upon. However, the best use of time is to sit and examine the thematic layers burdening the characters: the broken home syndrome, the sufferings of children, finding light after a dark past, and finally, the ultimate awakening of finding Jesus Christ.

Yes, eye-rolls will follow with my lay-up to Christianity there. Unfortunately, due to the nature of our secular society, secularists support the separation of church and state, which means the themes are oddly misconstrued in profound, meaningful films.

Secularist viewers will separate the religious meaning from Ebony’s circumstances. They will not conclude that the lack of faith, a father absent from the home, discipline, and conscientiousness in the family home are tied to the downfalls of a secular vision.

Meanwhile, followers of Jesus Christ will see only their faith with a movie plainly tying the loose ends of a family’s circumstances due to their lack of holy awakening.

There’s no correct answer; it depends solely on how you view it. Servant had similar, long-threaded themes.

While allowing this movie to breathe amongst its audiences, my main interest is how it will be perceived. It’s a sad shame if it’s reduced to a predictable horror with a predictable outcome. I sincerely believe Lee Daniels and his co-opted writers had a vision. That vision attacked the gray area between life decisions and faith, manifesting it into horror.

The Deliverance has far more meaning than its presentation. It deserves analysis, especially with the amount of mirroring that takes place.

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Article by Daniel Hart

Daniel is the co-founder of Ready Steady Cut and has served as Editor-in-Chief since 2017. Since then, Dan has been at the top of his game by ensuring that we only produce and upload content of exceptional quality and that we’re up to date with the latest additions to the streaming and entertainment world.

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