Cathy C. (cathyskye) -
Long-time fans of Deborah Crombie's wonderful series might find To Dwell in Darkness a bit of a mixed blessing. In the "good" column is no longer having to wait for the next book and to be rejoined with the best married police officers in all of crime fiction. In the "not-so-good" column is a lack of the richness and depth of story that fans have come to expect.
Most of the rushed quality to this book is due to its time frame. This is the most thriller-like of all Crombie's books, with the action taking place in just four days. A lot has to happen in a short period of time, and that means that all those secondary characters who add so much to the series are scarcely seen or even mentioned. I missed them, as I'm sure other readers will.
Another thing that will drive some readers absolutely wild is that Duncan's situation-- which was a cliffhanger in the last book The Sound of Broken Glass-- is not cleared up by the end of this book. Yes, To Dwell in Darkness ends in yet another-- rather chilling-- cliffhanger, but unlike some readers who prefer that everything be resolved at the end of each book, I do not mind a dangling plot line. I tend to like story arcs that develop over the course of a few books, and I trust Crombie to deliver the goods. (It also doesn't hurt that I was present at an author signing in which Crombie said that she's going to deal with Duncan's situation in the next book.)
While Duncan is dealing with the explosion at St. Pancras, Gemma has her own case to solve, but even though her investigation does provide Duncan with the inspiration to solve his own, there's so little of it that Gemma almost feels like filler, and that didn't set well with me at all. However, her case does prove that it's often the attention to even the smallest of details that can go on to solve murders.
Yes, I've been grumbling just a bit, but there is a lot to like in this book. I enjoyed seeing Duncan out of his comfort zone. He's used to being liked at work, and he's not in his new position. His second-in-command, Detective Inspector Jasmine Sidana, seems to have little use for him at all, and Duncan has to learn how to deal with that. Cat lovers in particular will rejoice when Duncan and Gemma's two sons rescue a mother cat and her kittens and insist on bringing them home. Speaking of those two sons, as the series progresses, I am more and more impressed with the oldest. Kit is growing up and proving that he can think on his feet and take appropriate action when something doesn't feel right.
Crombie is known for weaving a bit of history into her books, and in her latest she shares her knowledge of London train stations. She had me so fascinated that I was looking up the London station from which our train will be leaving for Inverness next year.
I always look forward to Deborah Crombie's next book, and I'm all for any author trying something different, but I have to be honest and admit that I'm hoping that she's got the thriller out of her system and will return to the richness of her earlier books. To Dwell in Darkness is a good book. It's just not her best.
Most of the rushed quality to this book is due to its time frame. This is the most thriller-like of all Crombie's books, with the action taking place in just four days. A lot has to happen in a short period of time, and that means that all those secondary characters who add so much to the series are scarcely seen or even mentioned. I missed them, as I'm sure other readers will.
Another thing that will drive some readers absolutely wild is that Duncan's situation-- which was a cliffhanger in the last book The Sound of Broken Glass-- is not cleared up by the end of this book. Yes, To Dwell in Darkness ends in yet another-- rather chilling-- cliffhanger, but unlike some readers who prefer that everything be resolved at the end of each book, I do not mind a dangling plot line. I tend to like story arcs that develop over the course of a few books, and I trust Crombie to deliver the goods. (It also doesn't hurt that I was present at an author signing in which Crombie said that she's going to deal with Duncan's situation in the next book.)
While Duncan is dealing with the explosion at St. Pancras, Gemma has her own case to solve, but even though her investigation does provide Duncan with the inspiration to solve his own, there's so little of it that Gemma almost feels like filler, and that didn't set well with me at all. However, her case does prove that it's often the attention to even the smallest of details that can go on to solve murders.
Yes, I've been grumbling just a bit, but there is a lot to like in this book. I enjoyed seeing Duncan out of his comfort zone. He's used to being liked at work, and he's not in his new position. His second-in-command, Detective Inspector Jasmine Sidana, seems to have little use for him at all, and Duncan has to learn how to deal with that. Cat lovers in particular will rejoice when Duncan and Gemma's two sons rescue a mother cat and her kittens and insist on bringing them home. Speaking of those two sons, as the series progresses, I am more and more impressed with the oldest. Kit is growing up and proving that he can think on his feet and take appropriate action when something doesn't feel right.
Crombie is known for weaving a bit of history into her books, and in her latest she shares her knowledge of London train stations. She had me so fascinated that I was looking up the London station from which our train will be leaving for Inverness next year.
I always look forward to Deborah Crombie's next book, and I'm all for any author trying something different, but I have to be honest and admit that I'm hoping that she's got the thriller out of her system and will return to the richness of her earlier books. To Dwell in Darkness is a good book. It's just not her best.
Cyndi J. (cyndij) reviewed To Dwell in Darkness (Duncan Kincaid / Gemma James, Bk 15) on + 1032 more book reviews
16th in the Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James series and definitely better if you have read the previous. Kincaid has been inexplicably transferred from Scotland Yard to a force in Camden, and his wife Gemma James is working a child murder at her new job. Kincaid's team is called to a bombing at St. Pancras train station where they encounter James' colleague Melody Talbot, who's there to watch her boyfriend in a concert. Some protesters in the area seem to have a connection with the incident, and it quickly turns into an interesting puzzle. Kincaid doesn't trust his new subordinates quite yet so he shares his investigations with his ex-sergeant Doug Cullen, Talbot, and of course his wife. Crombie looks to have started a longer story arc related (perhaps) to corruption in the force, and this book resolves the train station incident but sets up another dangerous plot with a little cliffhanger at the end. Good sense of place in this one, Crombie does a good job describing the train station and the little chapter heading factoids are very interesting. I was happy that she took a break from the extensive flashbacks this time, there's some of it but not pages and pages. I enjoy the personal interactions of them all, I liked that most of the minor characters were given a mention, but I think I'm reading the books too close together; I am starting to feel a little skeptical about how these four find the time to work together like that. However, there's only one book left until I'm caught up with this series, so problem almost solved.
I very much liked this book. The plot is good and it is always a pleasure to read about the familiar characters. The latter is the only negative. If you have not read the previous books in this series, it would be difficult to understand much of the character motivation or interaction. It is not a stand-alone book.
