In a Dark House (Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James Novels, 10)

This is a really fine murder mystery in the English style. DS Duncan Kincaid is called in to represent Scotland Yard in a murder/arson investigation of the burning of a warehouse owned by a prominent MP. It's an investigation that he could well do without at this minute as he is concerned about a hearing affecting the custody of his son. His partner and lover, DI. Gemma James, is not prepared to commit to marriage, even though the even tenor of their lives with their joined families is in jeopardy. After the charred body of a female is discovered in the aftermath of the warehouse fire, patient and detailed police work unravels the identity of the victim who is linked to the murder and disappearance of several women from the same district. Dr. Tony Kovak arranges for a casual friend to help kidnap his 10 year old daughter so as to prevent her mother from stopping custody arrangements, but doesn't bargain for his daughters' total disappearance. Yet another woman can't be located and is found murdered. It's a gripping, methodical plot and one which I would recommend to every reader who enjoys this style of mystery.

The literary merit of this mystery is very high -- as good if not better as anything P.D. James or Elizabeth George has written. Several plots intertwine deftly in a rather complex (but not so complex you have trouble following it) plot. I listened to the CD version, read beautifully, and that forced me to hear the story in a measured pace rather than rushing through the book to find out what happened next. The temptation will be to hurry through this book to find out what happens, but it's a book worth savoring. The plots involve several missing women -- including a child -- and an unidentified body of a woman found in a burned out warehouse. In addition to Gemma James and Duncan Kincaid, who both get involved in this although they are working in separate offices of Scotland Yard, a new "detective" character is added -- a young firefighter named Rose whose interest is in arson investigation. She suspects that this seemingly natural fire is anything but. My only criticism has to do with my impatience with the subplot involving Kit -- I'm tiring of it and wish the author would resolve this family problem, which apparently interests her more than it does me. But on the whole, I think this is a book you may want to keep and suspect it will be winning some awards.

Many current writers of mystery fiction have been hailed as "the heir to P.D. James." I believe that Deborah Crombie is the only person writing today who can come close to meriting that title. With each book she comes closer to equalling the depth and clarity of style of P.D. James -- while creating characters of her own. Each book in her series is literally better than the last, with In a Dark House stretching beyond genre fiction, just as P.D. James so often does. The fire symbolism, from one character's homemade candles to the burning of the warehouse that begins the story, is rich and powerful. Can't wait for the next one.

Deborah Crombie succeeds on at least three levels in the continuation of the Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James series. First, she skillfully develops the historic and contemporary meaning of Southwark, where the story is set. Architectural details, anomalies of language, and anecdotes of days gone by provide a rich and believeable backdrop. Yet the setting informs, rather than overwhelms, the story: no risk of drowning in meaningless detail. Second, the plot nests several mysteries without requiring all the characters to run into each other. Though nuanced, the questions at the story's center differentiate themselves sufficiently to make the reader follow closely the final pages. It would be hard not to care about how each problem resolves and Crombie conscientiously wraps up each of the plots. The primary reason to care so much about the plots is that the characters, both familiar and those making one-time appearances in the series, show rich diversity in character and within characterizations. About the few characters who lack depth, the reader is likely to think simply that -- well, they lack depth. It is true in life, so why not in fiction? But most of the personalities show the range of how well and how poorly people respond to difficulty. Their interactions are anything but predictable. When I pick up a book by this author, I always mean to make it last because I savor the tensions between characters, being immersed in the sights and sounds and smells of a foreign place, and the lovely economy of language in dialog and description, alike. And Deborah Crombie does not shirk from putting out a multi-course feast for the mystery reader. The problem, though, is that the stories she creates invariably drive me into turning pages. I tend to finish her books quickly because my curiosity drives me on, even as I want the story to last longer and longer. A tiny criticism: a personal subplot has strung out over several books. It seems artificial that it remains unresolved. But that's a fly in the neighborhood -- hardly a fly even near the soup of this exciting and interesting book.

Deborah Crombie's latest Gemma James/Duncan Kincaid mystery, "In a Dark House," is a blend of three or four plot lines that seem unrelated but eventually converge. Reading this novel is like looking through the lens of a kaleidoscope and wondering when the swirling colors and shapes will settle into a recognizable pattern. Fortunately, Crombie is highly skilled at developing character and an expert at juggling all of her plot elements, and she carries the reader along effortlessly. Gemma James and Duncan Kincaid have settled into their new house with their children, Kit and Toby. Although they are not married, Gemma and Duncan are a committed couple who have weathered many difficult times together. Their main worry now is an impending court battle against Kit's maternal grandmother, who has filed suit to gain custody of her thirteen-year-old grandson. Kit's grandmother, Eugenia, claims that Duncan and Gemma, who are both Scotland Yard detectives, are too busy with their professional lives to take proper care of a child. Neither Gemma nor Duncan have any intention of surrendering Kit without a fight. "In a Dark House" is chock full of suspense and criminal mischief. Superintendent Kincaid has been asked by his boss to investigate a suspicious fire and a homicide, which may or may not be connected. As a favor to Winnie Montfort, the wife of Duncan's cousin, Gemma looks into the sudden disappearance of a hospital administrator who had been sharing a house with Winnie's friend. Later, both Duncan and Gemma are on the trail of a child abductor who has kidnapped a young girl but has not made a ransom demand. In lesser hands, this novel might have degenerated into a confusing and melodramatic jigsaw puzzle with too many pieces. However, Crombie masterfully delineates each character clearly and succinctly, and she weaves the various plot threads together with a sure and deft touch. Gemma and Duncan are wonderful protagonists. They are brilliant and dedicated detectives, but they have learned over the years that it is a mistake to always put your job ahead of your family. The large cast of vivid characters includes Fanny Liu, a paralyzed woman who is panic-stricken when her flatmate, Elaine disappears, Rose Kearney, a young and ambitious firefighter who has the instincts of a keen fire investigator, and Dr. Tony Novak, whose bitter divorce from his wife, Laura, has put his beloved daughter, Harriet, at risk. The villains are evil and chilling, and there are many twists and turns to keep the reader turning pages at a fast clip. As always, it is amazing that an American author like Crombie perfectly captures British dialect and atmosphere. Her great success as a novelist, however, stems from her deep understanding of human nature and her ability to tell engrossing stories that combine action, drama, poignancy, and tragedy. She carefully leaves some loose ends untied, and I look forward to her addressing some of them in the next instal