Erin K. (ekaptian) reviewed Kissed a Sad Goodbye (Duncan Kincaid / Gemma James, Bk 6) on + 21 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
A nice balance of characterization (particularly Kincaid's relationship with his son) and a great whodunit.
Ann G. (anitag) -
Helpful Score: 1
This is the 6th book of an enjoyable mystery series. In this book Kincaid is called to investigate the murder/suidice of a young women who is not well-liked and has had a vicarious life. There are several complicated plots that Crombie goes through and manages very well. i highly recommend.
Cheryl R. (Spuddie) -
Helpful Score: 1
Sixth in the Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James British police procedural Scotland Yard series. I absolutely love this series! The mysteries are interesting, the characters are fully-fleshed and very real, and the books are a nice blend of integrating the personal lives of the characters with a decent mystery. This one had its origins back in the Blitz of WWII and was set on the Isle of Dogs with a local businesswoman brutally murdered and laid out in Mudchute Park there. As the list of suspects grew and new clues were added via flashbacks into the past, the mystery became more mysterious and I truly had no idea who the murderer was until just before it was revealed. Always a nice surprise, since I often am able to pick out the murderer well in advance. I often will give some of my favorite series books an A simply for enjoyment and for the characters, but this one deserved an all-around A+ and gets it!
Kim H. (mreading) reviewed Kissed a Sad Goodbye (Duncan Kincaid / Gemma James, Bk 6) on + 41 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Exciting, complicated but skillfully written!!
Mary D. (mqu) reviewed Kissed a Sad Goodbye (Duncan Kincaid / Gemma James, Bk 6) on + 38 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
One of the stronger installments in a very satisfying series.
Elaine (Fulltimer) reviewed Kissed a Sad Goodbye (Duncan Kincaid / Gemma James, Bk 6) on + 179 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
This series about Gemma James and Duncan Kincaid are some of my favorites. You can't go wrong with any of them.
Gloria B. reviewed Kissed a Sad Goodbye (Duncan Kincaid / Gemma James, Bk 6) on + 158 more book reviews
A murder mystery out of Scotland Yard. A good read.
K E M. (Rampallion) reviewed Kissed a Sad Goodbye (Duncan Kincaid / Gemma James, Bk 6) on + 158 more book reviews
The body of a lovely young woman is found in London's fashionable Docklands area. She turns out to be Annabelle Hammond, the director of an old family firm of tea merchants. She was a woman of tremendous talent and sexual appetite, but also the kind of harsh and abrasive personality that provides plenty of motives for murder. The Hammond family is also historically linked to the self-made property developer Lewis Finch and his son, an activist dropout and street musician. The other suspects include a spineless boyfriend who works at the tea firm, a secretary too loyal to be true, and herrings of various shades of crimson. Kincaid and James have to solve it all, even as their own personal problems threaten to intrude. Thanks to Crombie's enviable ability to bring people and places to life with a single phrase, the story zips along like the new Docklands electric railroad.
Nancy E. (neckrote) reviewed Kissed a Sad Goodbye (Duncan Kincaid / Gemma James, Bk 6) on + 119 more book reviews
Another great book by Crombie.
Linda G. (Doc) reviewed Kissed a Sad Goodbye (Duncan Kincaid / Gemma James, Bk 6) on + 359 more book reviews
I am a big Deborah Cromie fan and this one, as always, is interesting as well as well written. She is often compared to P.D. James. I like her better.
Barbara L. reviewed Kissed a Sad Goodbye (Duncan Kincaid / Gemma James, Bk 6) on + 988 more book reviews
Scotland Yard's Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James face their most haunting case yet when the past devastatingly intersects with the present.... â The call from Scotland Yard couldn't have come at a worse time for Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid. He has promised the weekend to Kit, the eleven-year-old son of his ex-wife. The son he never knew he fathered -- who doesn't yet know Kincaid's true identity.
But Duncan's best intentions are shattered by an investigation that draws him in and swiftly consumes him. It seems to begin with the discovery of the body of a beautiful young woman in an East London park. But Kincaid and Sergeant Gemma James will discover that this case has long roots that reach far back into the past, and that resentments which should have been decades buried still have the power to hurt -- and maybe even the capacity to kill.
But Duncan's best intentions are shattered by an investigation that draws him in and swiftly consumes him. It seems to begin with the discovery of the body of a beautiful young woman in an East London park. But Kincaid and Sergeant Gemma James will discover that this case has long roots that reach far back into the past, and that resentments which should have been decades buried still have the power to hurt -- and maybe even the capacity to kill.
Cyndi J. (cyndij) reviewed Kissed a Sad Goodbye (Duncan Kincaid / Gemma James, Bk 6) on + 1032 more book reviews
Sixth in the series about Scotland Yard detectives Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James. A new reader could pick up the series here, but there has been a major development in the last book, so reading it first might help with the relationships. The theme in this book is all about betrayal: husbands and wives betraying each other, parents betraying children, children betraying parents. Kincaid and James are assigned to the case of a beautiful woman, the heir and manager of a famous tea company, who's been found dead in a park. She seemingly had everything, but as they learn more it seems she had some not-so-beautiful character traits. But there are issues here which reach a long ways back, back into the days of WWII, and are told in flashbacks. Kincaid is also attempting to build a relationship with the son he never knew he had, and it's not going that well. Lots of info about London's Docklands, and the Isle of Dogs, nicely inserted into the story.
Jane C. (auntb) reviewed Kissed a Sad Goodbye (Duncan Kincaid / Gemma James, Bk 6) on + 20 more book reviews
Excellent
Shirley J. (NoShushing) -
I really like this series.
Linda P. (katknit) reviewed Kissed a Sad Goodbye (Duncan Kincaid / Gemma James, Bk 6) on + 355 more book reviews
As Duncan Kincaid tries to get to know the son he never realized he had, the murder of a young woman keeps getting in the way. The past keeps tangling intriguingly with the present.
Eadie B. (eadieburke) -
Scotland Yard's Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James face their most haunting case yet when the past devastatingly intersects with the present....
Book 6 is a very good installment to the Kincaid/James police procedural series. I liked the way the author wove the WWII past into the present day murder case. I enjoyed reading about Kincaid's relationship with his new found son, Kit, and Gemma's reaction to his fathering skills. There were lots of interesting new characters who became suspects on my list for the murder only to be surprised when the murderer was finally revealed. I found the book to be very well-written and it's hard to believe that this British mystery is actually written by a Texan. I look forward to Crombie's next installment and highly recommend this series to those who love British mysteries.
Book 6 is a very good installment to the Kincaid/James police procedural series. I liked the way the author wove the WWII past into the present day murder case. I enjoyed reading about Kincaid's relationship with his new found son, Kit, and Gemma's reaction to his fathering skills. There were lots of interesting new characters who became suspects on my list for the murder only to be surprised when the murderer was finally revealed. I found the book to be very well-written and it's hard to believe that this British mystery is actually written by a Texan. I look forward to Crombie's next installment and highly recommend this series to those who love British mysteries.
Tracie E. (trace624) reviewed Kissed a Sad Goodbye (Duncan Kincaid / Gemma James, Bk 6) on + 63 more book reviews
The call from scotland Yard couldn't have come at a worse time for detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid. He has promised the weekend to Kit, the eleven year old son of his ex-wife. The son he never knew he fathered who doesn't yet know Kincaid's true identity. But Duncan's best intentions are shattered by an investigation that draws him in the swiftly consumes him. It seems to begin with the discovery of the body of a beautiful young woman in an East London park. But Kincaid the Sergeant Gemma James will discover that this case has long roots that reach far back into the past, and that resentments which should have been decades buried still have the power to hurt and maybe even the capacity to kill.
