Where Memories Lie

This is an excellent addition to the author's series. The worst thing about it is that now I am caught up with the series and have to wait until she finishes her next book!

As usual, Crombie intersperses flashbacks with her current-day story. In the wrong hands this can be an irritation, but she does it skillfully and in such a way that it adds to the mystery and plot. She also capably ties everything together at the end, unlike some authors who try this technique and end up leaving the reader confused. I recommend all the books in this series.

The book starts with the discovery of a long-lost brooch in an auction catalog; Gemma James and Duncan Kincaid get involved because the brooch had belonged to their friend Erika Rosenthal. Crombie show more weaves together murders from the 1950s and now which Gemma and Duncan must resolve. Along the way, she gives us more details about their life and Gemma's family.

I will admit that I was able to guess the modern-day murderer's identity by about halfway through, but that didn't detract from my enjoyment of the remainder of the book. show less

I realize that I've been reading a lot of romance novels lately, so that's what's on my mind, but even if I hadn't, it would have been hard not to notice that *this* is how you write a love story.

First, the mystery -- first class, as is typical with Deborah Crombie. Solid characters, solid story, and an ending that actually took me by surprise. I'm afraid that anything else I say will be a spoiler, so I'll just leave the mystery part at that.

As to the love story, or stories, I should say, since it seemed to actually track the cradle to grave cycle of relationships by using four different couples to show it. At the core, of course, was Kincaid and James. Not until the very end did it become clear what was happening in their show more relationship, but I found the ending to be beautiful and touching in a way that I hadn't expected. Then there was the storyline with Gemma's parents, the very tentative relationship (that may or may not have a future) between Doug Cullen and Melody Talbot, and then the relationship that is core to the mystery itself, that of Gemma's friend Erika Rosenthal and her husband, the story of which largely takes place in 1952.

All in all, a rich and engaging book with many layers throughout, that makes me want to go back to the beginning of the series and read it straight through. show less

First Line: The day was utterly miserable for early May, even considering the expected vagaries of English weather.

When a diamond brooch, stolen decades ago, turns up for sale in a London auction house, the owner, Dr. Erika Rosenthal, turns to her friend Inspector Gemma James for help. Rosenthal and her husband escaped Nazi Germany, and the brooch was stolen on their journey to England. Gemma barely begins to investigate when a young auction house employee connected to the sale of the brooch is killed. Soon anyone who had anything to do with the brooch seems to meet a fatal accident.

Woven in with this mystery is the unsolved murder of Rosenthal's husband in 1952, but in many ways, this book has more to do with the personal lives of the show more characters than the mystery... at least it felt that way to me. This is not a complaint because Crombie's characters are some of my absolute favorites, and their lives are just as important to me as the mysteries they solve. Fortunately Crombie is quite skilled at providing intriguing mysteries while advancing the lives of her characters.

Although I deduced the killer about halfway through the book, if I'd twigged to one small clue, it would have been much earlier. Once learned that one small clue seemed so obvious that I feel I should turn in my Junior G-Man badge in shame.

If I ever have any sort of reading slump, I've become accustomed to turning to Crombie to get me back on the rails. Unfortunately I have only one book left in the series before I'm all caught up and forced to wait for the newest one. You may not be able to tell from there, but I'm sitting here pouting. show less

Where Memories Lie by Deborah Crombie is book number 12 in the Duncan Kincaid, Gemma James series and, as in many of the books, the story has roots in the past. In this case we are taken back to WW II and a couple of German-Jewish refugees. Gemma’s friend Erica Rosenthal has asked her for help as an expensive item of jewellery that was stolen from her years ago, has turned up at a London auction house.

When Gemma starts to investigate, the young woman who brought the piece to the auction house is murdered. Another murder quickly follows as the man who placed the jewel is also murdered. Duncan Kincaid is bought into the case to investigate the murders and both Gemma and Duncan enjoy working together again. The Art-Deco brooch was show more designed by Erica’s father, and she says the jewel was stolen by the man who was paid to smuggle her and her husband out of Germany. Now Gemma believes that Erica is next on the murderer’s list.

As always I enjoy these books as the plots are complex and involved, and the relationship between Duncan, Gemma and their sons is heart-warming and interesting. This book brings about a major development in their relationship which has me happily anticipating the next book. show less

Deborah Crombie is very strong at portraying complicated, conflicted characters believably. Where other mystery writers will have one-dimensional minor characters, Crombie’s seem like they could step off the page as flesh and blood. It’s a wonderful talent, and adds to the attraction of her long series of books. Many authors have a large cast of recurring characters, but Crombie’s aren’t just thrown in to pad the story. There is a major dose of domestic drama to add to the mystery plot, true, but they are skillfully integrated in a way that increases the tension.

The plot of Where Memories Lie takes place in the past as well as the present, which adds some complexity, but viewed in retrospect the motive and culprit are possible show more to identify relatively early on. Not that I did. I found the dénouement a surprise and satisfying. Full marks for a good read. show less

Crombie's books get better and better. The characters are each unique with layers of complex emotions. The dialogue is never static or dull. Crombie's books have great timing as well.

Where Memories Lie like others in the series pulls in a previous character and further develops his/her life story. As a Jewess I found Erika Rosenthal's history especially moving. I am also proud of her strength and determination to study, and accomplish positive life goals.

Crombie also continues to develop Duncan's and Gemma's personal lives as well. I find that key to a good series.

Very good read.

When Erika Rosenthal learns that a valuable brooch that once belonged to her has been entered in an auction at a London firm, she turns to friend and neighbor Gemma James for help. Gemma makes an unofficial inquiry on Erika's behalf. When one of the auction house employees dies suddenly, requiring Scotland Yard to investigate, Gemma talks her domestic partner, Duncan Kincaid, into requesting the case. Duncan, Gemma, and their current working partners work together to solve a crime with roots in Germany's Holocaust.

Although this is one of my favorite series, this book seemed a little flat to me. Maybe it was the fact that I read it right after reading a non-fiction book about the Holocaust, and fiction can't compare to the reality of show more what happened during those years. I had trouble identifying with Gemma, who took personal leave to spend time with her seriously ill and hospitalized mother and then spent most of that time working on Duncan's case. I've been through serious illnesses and hospitalizations with both of my parents, and I spent as much time as possible at the hospital with them, particularly at the beginning of the hospitalization when they were undergoing tests and we were waiting for word from doctors about the prognosis and course of treatment.

I think this book would work as a stand-alone. However, most readers will want to read the books in this series in sequence, since the main characters' personal lives are as important as the crimes they investigate. show less