A Share in Death

A SHARE IN DEATH (Police Proc-Kincaid & James-England-Cont) - VG Crombie, Deborah - 1st in series Avon Books, 1993, US Paperback - ISBN: 9780061150401 First Sentence: Duncan Kincaid's holiday began well. Newly promoted DI Duncan Kincaid has accepted use of his cousin's timeshare. He didn't expect it to be a working holiday. However, when a body is found in the pool and the local DS claims it is suicide, Kincaid knows he can't ignore it. With DS Gemma James help from headquarters, it's up to Duncan to find the killer. I don't know how I missed this delighted traditional mystery. Happily, it is a police investigator, rather than an amateur sleuth, but the other classic elements are there; a multitude of seemingly unrelated suspects in an old manor house, now timeshare apartments and cottages, and no apparent motive. The characters are well developed and provide interesting subplots. I really liked the way the investigation was done by both protagonists and the descriptions of the environs. I've only read one other book in this series, but you can bet I'm going to read them all. Delightful!

Most first books in a series can be rather tedious because of the time spent by the author establishing characters as well as plot. But Ms. Crombie did an excellent job keeping this interesting. I can't wait to read the next in the series. I predict Ms. Crombie will be giving Martha Grimes and Elizabeth George a run for the money!!! Excellent read!!

This is the first Deborah Crombie mystery that I have read. It won't be the last! Duncan Kincaid is a very likeable Scotland Yard Superintendant. I get the feeling that he likes women for their own sake, and not simply because of physical attraction. The mystery itself is well plotted and provides an opportunity for the reader to deduce the murderer. I did not, but the clues were all there as the story unfolded about Kincaid's holiday at a time-share property in Yorkshire. This book has the authentic quality of an English mystery, but the author is an American. I recommend it as an excellent read.

This is one of the best "underdone" mysteries I've read in a long time. I was impressed by the way she held my attention and I didn't know "who dun it?" until the last. I've read so many mysteries, I tend to solve them about midway through the book-and this one I didn't.I am looking forward to reading others by her. I really enjoyed her protagonist in this book. He is refreshing.

I loved this book by Deborah Crombie. There is much potential here between Kincaid and James, and I'm sure sparks will fly in further adventures. No gore, no police procedures that tend to bog down a plot that I felt moved along nicely, and still had a surprise (for me) ending. This book had great characters that I am still thinking about three days and another book later. I've already purchased the others in this series and look forward to reading each one. Excellent.