Where Memories Lie

June 2, 2008
When a diamond brooch stolen decades ago turns up for sale at an upscale London auction house, the brooch's owner, Dr. Erika Rosenthal, a retired academic who escaped Nazi Germany with her philosopher husband, David, during WWII, turns for help to her friend Insp. Gemma James in Crombie's lively 12th mystery to feature Gemma and Scotland Yard's Duncan Kincaid (after 2007's Water Like a Stone
). The suspicious hit-and-run death of Kristin Cahill, a young clerk involved in the brooch's sale, is but the first in a series of fatalities to befall people connected to the auction. Crombie raises the suspense by alternating the contemporary story, which includes news of Gemma's mother's battle against cancer, with flashbacks to the investigation of David's unsolved murder in 1952 while he was working on an exposé about Nazi sympathizers. With its echoes of Elizabeth George and even Danielle Steel, this entry will appeal as much to newcomers as to series fans. 7-city author tour.

There's an interesting phenomenon underway in the world of the British crime novel. The once tidy subcategory of the police procedural has spawned a sub-subcategory--the police family saga, which includes Crombie's popular series featuring Scotland Yard detectives Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James. We still have thefts and murders and other mysterious doings, but the nonvocational aspects of their lives get equal attention in the narrative. Jenny Sterlin, who has read earlier entries in the series, has everything well in hand. She reads the narrative with energy and subtlety, which add considerable pleasure. In addition, her characterizations of the large cast are believable, individual, and vibrant. The pleasures include Dr. Erika Rosenthal, who retains her strong German Jewish accent in spite of her lengthy residence in England. It all sounds right. R.E.K. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine