Kissed a Sad Goodbye (Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James)

What can i say? Certainly nothing derogatory or bad. Why? Cause i just love her books. sorry, that's it!

I recently found this series of novels, and I continue to be impressed. Kincaid and James' relationship remains fresh and interesting because their flaws ring true. They are not a perfect couple and this keeps the reader interested. In this novel, Gemma is confronted with a "what if" moment. Should she open a door to new possibilities, or continue down a road that has no certain outcome? The supporting cast of characters are also well developed and there is a great deal of WW II history in this book. What keeps me coming back, though, is Kincaid and James.

I guess I'm lucky because this was my first Deborah Crombie novel, so I couldn't compare it to earlier "better" works as I read it. I enjoyed it so much, however, I checked out all the other Crombie novels from the library and read them. I can see a definite progession in her writing (not the story line between the two detectives but actual improvement in her ability to develop her characters.) She seems to write more and more satisfying novels as she goes along. While I read "Kissed a Sad Goodbye" I pulled out one of my maps of London, and followed the trail. This may have helped me enjoy it. I like to follow maps while I read if the author is naming and describing places. I also may have enjoyed the book more because I was in the Docklands in last fall, and walked the tunnel under the Thames to Greenwich and through the little village itself. I had wanted to see the tunnel since I read P.D. James novel "Original Sin". Mudchute was also featured in "Playing for the Ashes" written by Elizabeth George, and I think the area was captured in the film "Career Girls" too. Also, I am an inveterate tea drinker and fan, so I loved the description of the tea business.

Okay, should you read this one and then go back and read the others?This is newest in a line of very good books. I think that as in most cases, it is better to go back and find the first books and then read them in order. It makes more sense to me to follow the character development so you can enjoy how far the characters have come and how they came to be the people they are now. Go back and read All Shall Be Well, Leave the Grave Green, Mourn Not Your Dead, Dreaming of the Bones, and then Kissed a Sad Goodbye. Duncan and Gemma deserve your reading their stories.

Annabelle Hammond is so beautiful that men flock to her as Pooh Bear does to honey. Anyone who knows her figures she has it all since she has a doting fiancé and operates a tea business that she loves. However, someone must not have been a fan of Annabelle because the young woman with everything to live for was murdered. Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and his partner and lover Gemma James begin to investigate. Duncan finds the case difficult because of personalproblems. His beloved Gemma seems to be changing even as she seems to be hiding a secret from him. He also struggles to connect with a son he never knew existed until recently. The case is a major distraction. Many people seem to detest the victim, but he wonders who would have the strongest motive to kill her. To learn the truth and subsequently uncover the killer, the police will have to look to the distant past for the reason. The Kincaid-James series never seems to grow stale as Deborah Crombie continually modifies the personal lives of her lead characters. Because they already seem like an everyman or woman, the changes make them feel genuine. The delicious flashbacks to WW II enhance a brilliant who-done-it. Once again Ms. Crombie provides her audience with an especially entertaining novel.Harriet Klausner