A Share in Death

Book Description:
A week's holiday in a luxurious Yorkshire time-share is just what Scotland Yard's Superintendent Duncan Kincaid needs. But the discovery of a body floating in the whirlpool bath ends Kincaid's vacation before it's begun. One of his new acquaintances at Followdale House is dead; another is a killer. Despite a distinct lack of cooperation from the local constabulary, Kincaid's keen sense of duty won't allow him to ignore the heinous crime, impelling him to send for his enthusiastic young assistant, Sergeant Gemma James. But the stakes are raised dramatically when a second murder occurs, and Kincaid and James find themselves in a determined hunt for a fiendish felon who enjoys homicide a bit too much.

My Thoughts
I am show more opening my literary world to new authors and Deborah Crombie is among the newbie number. Although, I have not read any of Ms. Crombie’s work before it is very reminiscent of the game of Clue and early Sherlock Holmes novels. The potential villain lurking among the innocent is a classic suspense novel tactic. However, Ms. Crombie took this tactic and spun it much to her advantage weaving a titillating tale and a trail of clues for the reader to follow.

Horror in the hot tub: Sebastian is electrocuted while taking a relaxing dip.

Cruelty on the court: Penny is bludgeoned to death with an old tennis racquet.

Scare on the stair: Hannah is shoved down the stairs by a malevolent hand.

This book is heavy laden with subterfuge among its interesting blend of characters.

Even with all the clues, I never guessed who the villain was. This was a very well-crafted and well-paced story. show less

At just under 200 pages, this first book in the Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James mystery series was a bit lightweight. Set in a country hotel, every guest is a suspect and as one murder leads to another, everyone must be questioned. Kincaid, who is with Scotland Yard, is actually at the hotel on holiday and inserts himself into the investigation with predictable response from the local police force. The final conflict takes place in a predictable setting as well. The second it was mentioned I knew where the story was headed.

These tropes have all been used in any number of mysteries or TV crime dramas. And yet I enjoyed the book, especially the Duncan and Gemma team, and look forward to seeing them again in the next installment.

Superintendent Duncan Kincaid of Scotland Yard is on holiday, taking his cousin's timeshare for a week and leaving work behind. Or so he thinks, until one of the people he meets is found murdered. The bumbling local Chief Inspector thinks it's suicide, but Duncan knows it's not, and he's rather reluctantly drawn in to this mystery. Which of the guests or employees could have killed the man, and why?

I was a little surprised by this police procedural in that it reads a lot like a cozy: small town setting, cast of characters and potential subject in the almost claustrophobic space of the timeshare, and not a lot of gory details. Barring a few details about police work and jurisdiction, I felt like there was more similarity between A Share show more in Death and, say, an Agatha Christie novel than Louise Penny. The story suffered a bit from being drawn out over a busy week and my having to start and stop every 10-20 pages in the beginning, but I was mostly interested. There were so many characters I had to write them down to keep them apart, and I was annoyed by the fact that just about every female gets charmed to some degree by Duncan. I did find the mystery itself solid, finding the solution both surprising and inevitable (I'd definitely pegged someone else as whodunit), so it's one I would recommend to the right reader. show less

Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid is not convinced he needs a holiday, and he'd never choose a posh timeshare in Yorkshire if he was. However, when his cousin gifts him just such a vacation, there's no point in wasting it. Unfortunately, work follows him there when a dead body is found floating in the jacuzzi. Despite it being a case for the local police, Duncan can't ignore the case, especially when the body count begins to rise.

I enjoyed this mystery well enough. I was a little confused by the timeline of who booked their week at the timeshare when, a detail that proves to be of some importance. However, this was no doubt compounded by the fact that I was listening to the audiobook and couldn't flip back to check the facts. I'll show more read more in the series, as I hear they grow stronger a few books in. show less

A copy cat Agatha Christie trope along with a set of disparate (and dysfunctional) characters. Unenjoyable largely because the pace is ridiculously chatty to no end, none of the characters were characterized in a way to make them engaging, except perhaps Cassie, the manager in the timeshare property. She was delightfully nasty and acerbic.

Kincaid was a weak type for a main character, flitting from one woman to another as if hunting for someone to fill an empty life. The author never made him out to be an effective investigator despite his elevated position in the Met. The murders were clumsy and evoked no sense of suspense or originality.

The first in a series, and suffering from the usual problems of the setting up etc, but there are now nineteen books in the series so I must assume that they get better! I enjoyed this one enough to want to go on to the next. It was easy to read and there were no glaring cultural errors, which is impressive given that the writer is American and the book is set firmly and recognisably in Britain.

Newly promoted Scotland Yard Superintendent Duncan Kincaid books a short vacation at a Yorkshire luxury timeshare, hoping for some quiet time and solitude. Unfortunately for him, on his second day at Followdale House a body is discovered in the whirlpool. At first it appears it to be a suicide, but Kincaid thinks otherwise. The local CID headed by DCI Nash is called to the scene. Nash is a nasty piece of work who resents Kincaid's presence. Of course Kincaid needs to investigate the death because Nash is screwing it up due to his resentment, and then there's a second suspicious death.

One of the other guests at the timeshare is the probably the killer, but which one? Of course nobody is who they appear and most have an undisclosed show more backstory (with shades of an Agatha Christie story). It all comes to an exciting conclusion and most of the loose ends are tied up. (Although the bull headed and inept DCI Nash gets off scotfree from his bad behaviour).
This is an above average police procedural mystery story, that has elements of a cozy. It's got an interesting plot and good timing. Kincaid is an engaging protagonist which probably accounts for the subsequent success of this series. Gemma James does not play a big role in this story -- her face-time is limited -- but likely that changes in later books.
The book was written in 1993 and it is therefore missing such 21st Century communication as cellphones and texting. There is mention of DNA testing. Other than that the story does not show its age. I think I've found another good series to follow.
Highly recommended reading! show less