Leave the Grave Green

There’s so much to like in this mystery series. Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James are likeable yet somewhat flawed Scotland Yard detectives. Each is working to overcome some issues in their past. The crimes are straightforward whodunnit murders with plausible endings, solved through solid police work rather than a sudden surprise reveal. In this installment the duo investigate the murder of a young man who got into financial difficulties and separated from his wife, part of a wealthy family with their own issues. Duncan and Gemma make the rounds of everyone who knew Connor or his wife Julia, each interview yielding clues to guide them to their next source. As they zero in on a likely suspect, new information is revealed which rearranges show more the pieces of the puzzle and points to the truth. The series also ends on a tantalizing cliffhanger concerning Duncan and Gemma, guaranteeing that it won’t be long before I read the next book. show less

Leave The Grave Green by Deborah Crombie is the third book that follows the exploits of DI Duncan Kincaid and Sergeant Gemma James. In this book their mutual attraction to each other brings them closer than ever, but does this do more harm than good? As these two detectives continue to dance around each other, they are also assigned to investigate the death of young man who is connected to a powerful family.

This young man has been pulled out of a lock on the Upper Thames River. Not sure if this is an accident, a suicide or a murder, Scotland Yard is called in. While on the one hand we have this slow romance to follow and root for, this is first and foremost a police procedural, and when forensics fail to offer much in the way of show more evidence, Kincaid and James must handle the painstaking work of going over the clues, interviewing and re-interviewing all the various witnesses, as they absorb themselves in the drowned man’s life, and try to trace what actually happened.

I am quite taken by both the main characters in this series, and I applaud the author’s adherence to police procedure. This book doesn’t hesitate to show the slow grind that police work can be, searching for the one wisp that will lead them in the right direction. I find these books quite involving with their blend of captivating romance and intriguing murder cases, and look forward to book number four. show less

No. 3 in the Kincaid/James detective series. Everybody "loved" Connor Swann; so why did his wife leave him and their lovely flat to return to her parents' home, and why did he end up wedged against a sluice gate in Hambleton Lock, quite unnaturally dead? Connor's father-in-law, a conductor of some considerable reputation, has asked that Scotland Yard send assistance to the locals to determine what happened to the man, so naturally it falls to Duncan Kincaid and his Sgt. Gemma James, to sort it all out. Personalities complicate it all, and there's plenty of unprofessional behavior going on from several quarters. A good advancement of the series, with an irresistible loose string dangling at the end of it all.

What a dog that Scotland Yard Superintendant Duncan Kincaid is turning out to be. He needs to stop thinking with his little head when he’s working on a case. Other than that one issue, this was another solid mystery that channels the classic style of Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers.

Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and Sergeant Gemma James are asked to look into the drowning death of Connor Swann, the son-in-law of Sir Gerald and Dame Caroline Asherton, partly because of their celebrity and partly because of the coincidence that their son Matt had drowned in mysterious circumstances many years earlier. Connecting the two deaths is their daughter Julia, sister to Matt and witness to his death, and estranged wife of Connor. Although the case seems quite simple at first, the more Duncan and Gemma investigate, the deeper the layers grow…. I had been picking up this series as I found the books, but when I tried to start the 17th book in the series, I realized I had missed far too many books to make sense of the show more relationships, so I went back to this title, the third of the Kincaid and James books. I’m enjoying the developing relationship between the two main characters, and with this particular volume I liked the complexity of the mystery; also, I didn’t guess the culprit until almost the very end, always a plus in a mystery series! Recommended - but do try to read the books in the correct order! show less

Duncan Kincaid and his sergeant Gemma James are called in when the son-in-law of a prominent musical family is found drowned in the Thames. There's an antagonistic wife, a heartbroken mistress, a weaselly bookie, and various other suspects. Can Kincaid work out whodunit without getting too personally involved?

I was a little irritated at Kincaid in this one, for spoilery reasons, but will continue reading the series to see where things go.

Scotland Yard Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and his sergeant Gemma James are called to investigate a suspicious drowning in the countryside outside London. Connor Swann, son-in-law of conductor Sir Gerald Asherton and his wife, soprano, Dame Caroline Stowe, has been found floating in the Thames battered and bruised, under suspicious circumstances. Julia, the Ashertons' daughter, had recently left Connor, who was a drinker, a gambler and fond of other woman. Because of the Ashertons' high profile, the Chief Superintendent wants extra eyes on this. As they begin to question those close to Connor, they discover this isn't the first time the family has experienced a tragedy related to drowning. When Julia was a small girl, she and her show more brother, Matty, were walking along the lock when he also fell in and was swept to his death.

Was Connor pushed to his death? He and Julia were separated, though he was still close to her parents, and there are several other important suspects that need to be investigated. Kincaid finds himself strongly attracted to Julia and, to his embarrassment, acts in an improper fashion whenever he's around her. What makes it even worse is Julia is the prime suspect in her husband's murder. This leads to some problems between Duncan and Gemma, who are fighting their mutual attraction to one another.

This is a fairly slow moving story. It's a true police procedural where Duncan and Gemma interview suspects and try to tie their clues together. It's not action packed and thrilling. The characters are well developed and the interaction was appealing. This is the third book in this series and I think I'll continue to read a least one more of them. There are some changes to Duncan and Gemma's relationship in this book and I'm curious to see where they take us. show less