| |
| |
Rating  - Diamonds Aren't Always A Girl's Best Friend
Kristin Cahill works at an auction house in London. She still lives with her folks, is harassed at work by her boss, stalked by a co-worker and is in love with a "posh" guy who constantly stands her up. When she is offered an art-deco a broach for sale (where her commission will be three or four thousand pounds) she feels her life has turned a corner. More than she knows. The broach was involved in a war crime during WW2 and is involved in a series of murders...including hers.
Gemma and Kincaid get to work on this mystery together, just like old times. But it's not appreciated by either of their assistants. Gemma's assistant is efficient and competent but she's got a secret history (maybe her family is royalty) and Kincaid's resents his place being usurped by Gemma.
Add to the mix, that the broach was designed by the father of an old friend of Gemma's who was killed by the Nazis, but lost during her escape from Germany, her friend's dead husband, an unsolved murder (actually two) from fifty years ago, a rich widow, her junkie son, her ex-lover. Oh, did I mention that Gemma's mum has leukemia and you have the makings of a wonderful mystery.
As always, Crombie does a great job of tying all the disparate people together into a nice solid ending. Plus we are left with ongoing questions that can only be answered in the next novel. Great story.
Zeb Kantrowitz
Rating - A solid entry in the Kincaid/James series
A marvelous diamond brooch is the catalyst for the action in this Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James novel. Its appearance in the catalog of an auction house sets into motion events that have their roots in the persecution of Jews in Nazi Germany and in the investigation of a fifty-year-old murder. When Detective Inspector Gemma James gets a distressed late-night call from her old friend Erika Rosenthal, who had been a refugee from Hitler's regime, asking her to look into the re-appearance of her diamond brooch, it precipitates a series of crimes which ultimately involve people in very high places. Gemma's partner, Duncan Kincaid, is soon involved and at the same time, Gemma must cope with stresses within her own family.
No one does better than Ms. Crombie the trick of involving the reader new to her series (and reminding the reader familiar with her work) without a lot of detail and without a lot of maneuvering to avoid spoilers. "Where Memories Lie" has quite a bit of cutting from various times in the past to the current investigation, which could be very confusing, and this too is very well handled. While a few of the characters border on the unbelievable, most of them are compelling and in some cases, truly touching. (Some readers may hear echoes of "The Manchurian Candidate.") The resolution of Gemma's family situation is a little too pat, but much about it is appealing.
Definitely recommended.
Rating  - Where Memories Lie
I continue to enjoy the wonderful mysteries created by Deborah Crombie. I love all of her books. They do not dissapoint.
Rating - Crombie does it again
I couldn't put this book down. Lots of action and the best of the British tradition. I can hardly wait for the next edition.
Go to the Product Information page
Customer Reviews for William Morrow,0061287512,9780061287510,0061287512,813.54 |
|
Books : Where Memories Lie: A Novel (Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James Novels) Customer Reviews
* For qualifying orders, make sure to select FREE Super Saver Shipping as your shipping speed at checkout.
