No Mark Upon Her (2012)

I like this series. I especially like the setting in this book. The Thames. The rowing and rowers. The continuity from previous books. ( )

Received for Review
Challenge: 2012 Mystery/Thriller Challenge
Overall Rating 4.25
Story Rating 4.50
Character Rating 4.00

First thought when finished: I really like Deborah Crombie's writing and didn't feel lost once even though this is the first book I have read by her.

What I Loved: Deborah Crombie was excellent at making a series book easy enough to read as a stand alone. I imagine that fans of the series will pick up on some of the character things more than I did. However, it was the mystery itself that pulled me in. I was never quite sure who did it or what relationships (the suspects) were not quite what they seemed. This to me is an excellent mark of a good thriller.

What I Liked: I really liked the setting with the pubs, English countryside, and fun sayings. I was really taken away by the way Deborah captured the small nuances that made you feel like you were transported over the pond.

Final Thought: While I really wish I would have read a few more in the series before this one, I never felt lost. I would highly recommend this book to mystery/thriller fans.

This is a good mystery–it’s clear, concise, suspenseful, and everything gets wrapped up at the end. It also includes quite a bit of information about rowing as a sport, which I found interesting. I thought I had figured out who the bad guy was about half-way through the book, but I couldn’t for the life of me come up with a motive, so Crombie had me stumped–that’s a huge plus. I like when mysteries can stump me.

I have one complaint about No Mark Upon Her, but I’m not sure it’s a fair complaint, so take it as you will and don’t let it stop you from checking out the series as a whole:

Too much of the storyline in the book is about Duncan and Gemma’s domestic life...

Read my full review at Between the Covers... ( )

Deborah Crombie has a unique writing skill, the ability to blend a police procedural with a realistic domestic drama. Over the years, Crombie has taken Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James from police partners to married couple, facing the difficulties of coping with three children and rising careers in the London Met. While I read her books (this is her 14th) as a mystery fan, I’ve always been impressed how authentic the large recurring “supporting cast” and principal characters resemble real, flesh-and-blood people, not the one-dimensional walk-ons that so many authors employ. The tensions and conflicts that Gemma and Kincaid face as a two-career couple, with their bosses, with their work partners and with their parents, seem real and human too.

But, as I say, I’m a mystery fan, and while Crombie introduces the culprit into the story a little later than is fair to the reader, it’s a good story, set amidst the Thames rowing community. Again, the cast of suspects and witnesses is well developed with unique three-dimensional personalities. The culprit, unfortunately, is a little less believable, but to say why would be a definite spoiler, so you’ll have to decide for yourself. It’s a satisfying read nonetheless. ( )

Written with the excellence and compexity of a P. D. James or a Ngaio Marsh, "No Mark Upon Her" is an engrossing read from start to finish. The details were exact, the characters rang true, and the mystery kept one reading long after midnight. I loved it and would read any book written by Deborah Crombie. ( )