Leave the Grave Green (Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James Novels)

Supt. Duncan Kincaid and his Sergeant Glenna James travel to rural England at the request of Scotland Yard's assistant commissioner, who was an old school mate of Sir. Gerald Asherton. Sir Gerald's son-in-law's body was pull from a nearby lock. Was Connor Swann murdered or was his death an accident, stranger still, how did he die? Growing emotional involvement bedevils their working relationship as Duncan finds himself draw the decease's estranged wife. This classic police procedural has as many twists and turns as the roads they travel. An excellent puzzle of deception with every character having something to hide and to loose. Nash Black, author of "Qualifying Laps" and "Taxes, Stumbling Blocks & Pitfalls for Authors 2007."

I'm a great fan of both Deborah Crombie and Jill McGown. Both of these authors present complex, satisfying mysteries with a believable relationship going on at the same time. This is a great read involving complex family interactions and excellent characterizations. The whole issue of the death of the young son, revealed in the first chapter, comes to an interesting conclusion.

Ms. Crombie is shaping into a writer of the kind of power shown in the early works of Martha Grimes and Elizabeth George. The later work of these two authors have suffered greatly. Due to I-don't-know-what their work has turned dark and grim, almost unforgivably so. Ms. Crombie's work is still light enough to enjoy without causing severe depression afterwards. I look forward to reading some more of her work. Highly recommended to lovers of the English mystery genre.

Deborah Crombie's work is not up to the level of Ruth Rendell's or Elizabeth George's, but she is a talented writer in the British tradition of police procedurals. In Crombie's novel, "Leave the Grave Green," Inspector Duncan Kincaid and Sergeant Gemma James investigate the murder of a young man named Connor Swann, who drowned under mysterious circumstances. Both Kincaid and James are divorced and afraid of relationships, and Crombie explores the tentative nature of their mutual attraction very nicely. The murder investigation is engrossing; it plays out interestingly and realistically. Crombie depicts her characters with a sharp understanding of human nature and, in her own quiet way, she delivers a murder mystery that satisfies. I love Inspector Kincaid and Sergeant James. They are marvelous characters who are vulnerable working people struggling to make a place for themselves both professionally and personally. I am looking forward to more books featuring Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James.

"Leave the Grave Green" by Deborah Crombie is her third novel featuring the Scotland yard team of Duncan Kincaid and Gemma Janes. They are called in to investigate the suspicious drowning death of Connor Swann. The book opens with a prologue describing another drowning that occurred long before Mr. Swann's. Part of the fun in reading this book is trying to figure out all the connections between the two drownings before they are revealed. Ms Crombie is so good at developing her characters that we have empathy with all of them, even those that make choices that lead to tragic consequences. Jones and Kincaid are appealing police officers. They have both been wounded in love and watching them reach out to each other is touching. In fact, this whole story is about how people deal with the aftermath of poor choices made in the name of love. My favorite mysteries tend to be a little darker than this one, but I'm going to read the next book in the series. I'm hooked!