Garden of Lamentations

December 12, 2016
Det. Supt. Duncan Kincaid is still smarting from an unexplained reassignment and demotion, in bestseller Crombie’s absorbing 17th novel featuring Kincaid and his wife, Det. Insp. Gemma James (after 2014’s To Dwell in Darkness). He’s also troubled by loose ends after a grenade attack and devastating fire at London’s St. Pancras station and the cryptic utterances of his former boss, Chief Supt. Denis Childs. When Childs is attacked and sinks into a coma, Kincaid glimpses larger forces at work, sets out to unravel the mystery of Childs’s past and the trail of police colleagues who ostensibly died by suicide, and fears for the safety of his family and his investigative teams of past and present. Meanwhile, Gemma looks into the case of a nanny murdered in a Notting Hill garden, which affects the lives of one of Gemma’s friends and a ballet classmate of Gemma’s son. Through several points of view, this multifaceted novel provides a sobering cautionary tale about the exploitation of idealism and the abuse of power. Seven-city author tour. Agent: Nancy Yost, Nancy Yost Literary Agency.

February 1, 2017

Two (married) cops, two murder investigations. Such are the personal and professional stakes in Crombie's intricate latest installment featuring London's DI Gemma James and DS Duncan Kincaid (after To Dwell in Darkness). Duncan, still stung over a recent demotion, is deeply disturbed by the grenade attack at the busy St. Pancras rail station, especially coupled with the odd ramblings of his former boss Denis Childs. When Childs is attacked and left comatose, Duncan makes the connection to the recent suicide of a police officer and starts an investigation that turns nasty quickly. Gemma has her own homicide to probe, the case of a nanny found murdered in a Notting Hill garden. Nannies are so often the glue that joins disparate families and this one is no different, linking one of Gemma's friends with her son's ballet classmate. While the nanny seems perfectly angelic, Gemma suspects that something in her past got her killed and she's determined to unearth the secret. VERDICT An enthralling blend of suspense on the home front and possible scandal in the professional arena, with characters who are made as much for investigating as they are for each other, makes for a particularly strong series outing from an author who rarely disappoints. [See Prepub Alert, 8/15/16.]

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2016

Returning after a two-year hiatus, Scotland Yard detectives Gemma James and Duncan Kincaid wrestle with dual close-to-home cases. Gemma investigates the murder of a nanny they know, while Duncan puzzles over events suggesting that members of the force are being targeted by one of their own. With a 100,000-copy first printing.

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2016
A married couple of London detectives investigates parallel cases of murder and corruption. Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and DI Gemma James (To Dwell in Darkness, 2014, etc.) have three children, two cats, one dog, and not enough time for each other. While taking the kids to their usual activities, Gemma learns from a friend that a young nanny has been found dead in a locked private garden accessible only from the surrounding houses. Once she's assigned to the case, Gemma can't find a motive for anyone to kill this beautiful, blameless girl. Meanwhile, Kincaid, still haunted by a colleague's recent suicide, receives a cryptic message to meet at a pub, where he finds his missing former boss and mentor, Denis Childs. Childs warns Kincaid off asking too many questions, but when Childs is brutally attacked and left for dead on his walk home from the pub, Kincaid feels compelled to investigate. To keep Gemma safe, Kincaid hides his growing suspicions from her, creating an emotional divide between them. But when another cop turns up dead, Kincaid realizes that he must work with his trusted friends on the force--including Gemma--to root out the coverups and corruption. Densely plotted and with a balanced interplay between the domestic sphere and the intrigue of police internal affairs. Contemporary and propulsive.

COPYRIGHT(2016) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

This audiobook is the seventeenth in the popular Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James series, and that is a bit of a problem. For the listener to get all the preexisting relationships and plot points in place is like walking on paint that hasn't dried. Wait, did I know that? When did I learn it? Is it important? Why are my shoes sticking to the floor? Crombie plots effectively and writes well, but narrator Gerard Doyle doesn't do much to keep two heavily populated story lines and at least two different time frames distinct. He is good at a range of UK accents, but accents aside, many characters sound the same here. Nor does he in any way indicate when one time frame or plot line has shifted to another. Confusion follows. B.G. � AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

Starred review from December 15, 2016
A new murder and an old conspiracy preoccupy Gemma James and Duncan Kincaid and threaten to drive them apart in this seventeenth entry in Crombie's best-selling series. DI James is pulled from her regular station to investigate the murder of Reagan Keating, a young woman found dead in a private Notting Hill garden, because she has a personal connection to the case: Reagan was the nanny for a boy at the same ballet school as Gemma's son. DS Kincaid, meanwhile, is dealing with the return of his former boss, Denis Childs, who transferred him abruptly before disappearing for months. After a clandestine meeting in a pub, at which Childs warns Kincaid to stay out of things, Childs is struck in the head and left for dead. Kincaid then looks back to disturbing, unresolved cases in which colleagues died, but he keeps Gemma out of the loop to protect her as he works out a resolution. The strength of this series is in its characterizations, particularly those of James and Kincaid, as they balance the demanding work that they love and their family life. Another winner in a series that goes from one high point to another.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)