Kissed a Sad Goodbye

No. 6 in the Kincaid/James series. A beautiful, successful businesswoman is found dead in a London park. The careful way her body and clothing are arranged suggest she was killed by someone who knew her, and there is no lack of potential suspects when Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James begin their investigation. A lot of family history comes into play, and Gemma wonders how far back in time the cause of this murder may extend. Interspersed with the modern mystery are sections telling the story of how three of the characters came to know each other as children, after being evacuated from London to an estate in the countryside during WWII, and how their lives became entwined, leading to the current situation. A few too many "bits" and show more complications here, in the personal lives of the victim, the suspects and the investigators; it's a minor quibble, but I do wish Crombie had left just one or two plot elements out. show less

Excellent addition to series which further develops Kincaid's discovery of Kit; and learning how to navigate the waters of this precious new relationship. This along with a challenging case of murder of a beautiful young woman, {and many red herrings}, and Gemma's familiarity and attraction to one potential killer slows relationship between Gemma and Duncan.

I particularly enjoyed the historical background of WWII in Kissed a Sad Goodbye. Stunningly well done!

Outstanding characters, settings and dialogue make this novel an excellent read.

Kissed a Sad Goodbye by Deborah Crombie is the sixth book in her Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James series and in this outing they are investigating the murder of a young woman from a prominent family in the tea importing business who have many secrets. Using the technique of merging past and present storylines, the present is affected by the story of a child who was evacuated to the country during World War II. Through this story, the background of a couple of characters are revealed that becomes important in the modern day investigation.

Meanwhile Duncan is working on how to help Kit adjust to the information that he is the boy’s father and how to make this new relationship work in both their lives. Meanwhile Gemma is making some decisions show more about her own life and although her relationship with Duncan is secure, she wants to ensure that there is room for personal growth as well.

These are excellent books that not only deal with mysteries but the development of the on-going relationship between the investigators. These are adults who work together and are finding themselves personally involved as well. I very much enjoyed the setting of Kissed A Sad Goodbye. The author gives a real sense of place to Greenwich, the Docklands and East London. This is a series that just keep on getting better. I am looking forward to book number seven. show less

Sixth in the Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James British police procedural series. I absolutely love this series! The mysteries are interesting, the characters are fully-fleshed and very real, and the books are a nice blend of integrating the personal lives of the characters with a decent mystery. This one had its origins back in the Blitz of WWII and was set on the Isle of Dogs with a local businesswoman brutally murdered and laid out in Mudchute Park there. As the list of suspects grew and new clues were added via flashbacks into the past, the mystery became more mysterious and I truly had no idea who the murderer was until just before it was revealed. Always a nice surprise. I often will give some of my favorite series books an A simply for show more enjoyment, but this one deserved an A+ and gets it! show less

Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and his sergeant, Gemma James, are assigned to investigate when the body of a beautiful young woman, meticulously laid out, is found in a park on the Isle of Dogs. It takes little time to identify her, but then begins the arduous task of sorting through all her complicated family relationships, her multiple love affairs and the many reasons various people might have to kill her. All of which is very inconvenient for Duncan, who had promised to take his just-discovered son Kit to Wimbledon for the tennis and had to bow out of that promise, and for Gemma, who is rather strongly attracted to a suspect in the case….This is the sixth Kincaid/James novel and, like the others, I find it a kind of comfort-food show more read - not terribly demanding of the reader, but entertaining enough and with a number of plot twists to keep the reader engaged. I do like this series, although Ms. Crombie seems to have a penchant for having her main characters fall, quite inappropriately, for people with whom they should not become entwined. The main characters are all growing and evolving, and their relationships to each other are also evolving, which is nice to see. A mild recommendation from me, then, although I definitely will continue reading this series. show less

Annabelle Hammond is found murdered on a park on the Isle of Dogs. Is it a love triangle? Does the murder have roots in the present or the past? I love the Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James series by Crombie, but this installment is one of my least favorite in the series. There are two storylines related to the mystery that are going on -- one more absorbing than the other. The ones closest to the victim are all lying because each has something he's trying to cover up or someone he thinks he is protecting. The interaction between Duncan and Gemma seemed to be a little bit off in this installment as well. In spite of its flaws, it is still a good mystery.

Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and Sergeant Gemma James are a team, both officially and in their private lives. He's widowed, she's unattached, both have children from the previous relationships. The difficulties of single parenthood, an emerging romance, blending families, and demanding careers provide an underlying story that carries the reader along with the primary plot - solving a murder.

In this story, a young woman is found murdered, there are suspects and opportunities galore. Motivations abound, but so do alibis. Woven into the present day investigation is a back story about children who were evacuated from London during World War II to a large country house in Surrey. The backstory gradually paints the characters of two of the show more main characters, whose families are each involved with the murdered woman. Only after they delve into the past can Duncan and Gemma finally uncover the motivation for the current crime and thus solve the puzzle of who actually committed the murder.

In addition to the mystery, I especially liked learning about the Isle of Dogs, a dock area of London during the war that has undergone a renovation over the years. show less