In a Dark House

I like this author and her characters so much I actually felt compelled to go BACKWARDS in the series to catch up on some installments I had not yet read. (Then, to justify my actions to myself, I thought - rather pathetically - well, Duncan and Gemma are my “friends” and so what’s wrong with wanting to catch up with them?)

This crime series features London Scotland Yard Detectives Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James (not yet married to each other in this book). The two of them juggle care for their blended family with investigating murders. They are both attractive, in love with each other, and well-adjusted. Imagine!

This book begins with suspected arson in a warehouse in Southwark that is owned by a politician. In the course of show more investigating the fire, a woman’s body is discovered, and it is clear she was murdered before the fire. For the rest of the book the detectives try to discover the connection between the various strands of the crime.

Complicating matters are a number of parallel plots all involving missing women who could fit the profile of the woman discovered in the warehouse.

Gemma joins Duncan in his investigation, as do the local firefighting team; Duncan’s partner - Doug Cullen; and the local inspector for Southwark, Maura Bell.

Evaluation: I have yet to be disappointed by a crime novel by Deborah Crombie. The crimes are complex enough to hold one’s interest, but not so much so that you’d have difficulty following them. And the characters are endearing. Although this is a part of an ongoing detective series, it can easily be read as a standalone. show less

In a Dark House by Deborah Crombie is the 10th entry in the Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James detective series. This is a series that has totally grabbed me, and once I pick up the next book, I literally can’t put it down until it’s finished. In this outing, there is a lot going on with a serial arsonist causing havoc, a body that needs to be identified, and a missing child that has been kidnapped. Apart part from their jobs, Duncan and Gemma also have the hearing about the custody of Duncan’s son looming over them.

As both Duncan and Gemma race against time to both find the missing child and to solve the various crimes, another body comes to light. Her identity actually helps to move the investigation along. Working together and with show more other members of their team, they slowly begin to put the various pieces together.

In A Dark House is a multi-layered story that the author keeps on track with deft plotting and fully developed characters. Crombie continues to build and expand upon Duncan and Gemma’s homelife and makes these characters feel familiar and empathetic. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and now look forward to the next one. show less

In the London borough of Southwark, in the wee hours of the morning, a vacant warehouse burns. What initially appears to be a routine fire becomes anything but routine when, first, a woman's naked body is discovered in the flames, and second, investigators learn that the building is owned by a prominent member of parliament. Scotland Yard detective Duncan Kincaid is assigned to the case and must diplomatically deal with, not just the politics of the situation, but also the tensions with the Southwark police, who resent the Yard's intrusion into their territory. Meanwhile, Duncan's significant other and former partner, Gemma James, becomes involved in the search for a missing woman who lived just a few blocks away from the burned show more warehouse. When it appears that their cases may be connected, Duncan and Gemma work together to solve the mysteries.

Crombie juggles several plot threads that eventually converge and finally resolve. She skillfully maintains a consistent degree of tension across the various threads, resulting in smooth transitions between scenes. Few writers could pull off a plot filled with so many coincidences, but under Crombie's hand they're hardly noticeable. Ultimately, though, there are too many coincidences to survive close examination of the plot, so I can't give it 5 stars.

The book can be read as a stand-alone. However, the development of Duncan and Gemma's relationship and family situation is one of the main features of the series. Readers who find this aspect of the series appealing will want to read the books in order. show less

With Kit's hearing with the judge over his grandmother's attempt to gain custody of him a few days away, Duncan is put on a homicide that occurred in a suspicious warehouse fire in Southwark that could be arson. Three women from the area are missing. The child of one of the women is also missing. Although it is Duncan's case, Gemma gets involved because her priest friend calls her to report one of the missing women. There's plenty to commend this book including a very smart female firefighter. Another strong entry in this series!

I had this book in print on my TBR, but when I spotted it in audio for download on my library’s website, I decided I wanted to see if the series is as appealing when listened to as when read. It is! The reader (Michael Deehy) was excellent with the ability to do a wide range of voices very well. I was shocked to see that the price for this audiobook on CD at Amazon was $95! Glad I have a library card! LOL Anyway, in this book, a serial arsonist is at work and it has turned into murder as a body, a Jane Doe, is found inside a burned-out warehouse. Add to the fact that the warehouse belongs to a prominent local politician and Kincaid has his hands full—and it couldn’t come at a worse time, as the hearing for his custody battle for show more Kit with his ex-mother-in-law Eugenia Potts is coming up very quickly. When Gemma responds to a call from her friend (and Duncan’s cousin-by-marriage) Winnie who is a vicar from Glastonbury filling in for a friend of hers in London asking her to come speak to one of her parishioners who is distressed over the disappearance of her flat-mate, she finds that Elaine Holland’s disappearance may be tied in to Duncan and the fire brigade’s arson/homicide case as well. And things become even more complicated when a couple of other women who vaguely fit the description of the Jane Doe also seem to have disappeared—including the warehouse owner’s daughter! While I figured out the whole mystery well ahead of time and wanted to shake Duncan and Gemma for being so thick, I can’t really fault them—these books are generally told from the POV of several people so you as the reader have benefit of knowing things that they don’t. And the audio version is every bit as compelling as the print versions of this series—I found I was inventing things that I could do while listening so I could finish the book! After I finished my weekly cleaning and ‘batch cooking,’ I even tucked my MP3 player into my jeans pocket and took a walk….if it gets me moving, you KNOW it was good. LOL If you’ve never read any of Crombie’s books, I highly recommend them in either form! show less

An abandoned warehouse burns next door to a women's shelter for victims of spousal abuse, an apparent case of arson. But it is the charred corpse within -- a female body burned beyond all recognition -- combined with the political sensitivity of the case, that entangles Superintendent Duncan Kincaid in its twisted skein.
At the same time, Kincaid's lover and former partner, Gemma James, is coping with twin crises of her own, one personal and the other professional. Gemma must put her private concerns aside to investigate the disappearance of a hospital administrator, a beautiful, emotionally fragile young woman who vanished without a trace. Yet neither Gemma nor Kincaid realizes how closely their cases are connected -- or how important show more the resolutions will be for a young child who was a victim of parental abduction.
In an old, dark, rambling house, nine-year-old Harriet worries about her feuding mum and dad, her friends, her schoolwork. Most of all, she worries about the strange woman who is her only companion in this scary, unfamiliar place. The events that led her there happened too quickly and are too complicated for a child to fully comprehend. But despite her youth and innocence, Harriet's awful fears will not be silenced: that she may never see her parents again ... and that her own life is in serious peril.
I liked the way you get an in depth view of characters other than Kincaid and James - Rose the firefighter, Kincaid's sergeant Cullen, the locum priest Winnie, Fanny the young Asian woman fighting a debilitating disease. Lots of lovely strands all meshed together in a plausible yarn. show less

I have read several books in this series but not in order. It is interesting to see how both the personal and professional relationships between the two protagonists ebb and flow. The story itself is an intriguing one. The pieces that eventually link was initially were separate investigations by Duncan and Gemma are a bit of a stretch but Crombie makes it work. It a good read.