A review by eawsmom
Garden of Lamentations by Deborah Crombie
4.0
The newest entry in the Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James series finds Gemma drawn into a murder investigation by a friend. A young woman is found dead in an enclosed garden in London; the garden is only accessible through a locked door or through the houses of those who live around it. Gemma's friend MacKenzie calls her to help at the beginning of the case because the victim is a model for MacKenzie's company; thanks to her husband's connections, Gemma is seconded to the case even though it is in a different jurisdiction.
While Gemma is trying to sort through the details of the case and determine what happened to the young woman, Duncan has his own set of problems to face. By chance, he discovers that his former boss, Denis Childs, has returned to London after a lengthy absence. After a clandestine meeting with Duncan, Childs is set upon and left for dead. Duncan makes connections between this attack and the apparent suicide of an undercover officer and begins to realize that all is far from well within the Met. Duncan's unease over the apparent corruption results in him distancing himself from Gemma in hopes of keeping her and the children safe.
Both cases are brought to a satisfactory conclusion, and Duncan and Gemma look to be on the way to a well-deserved reconciliation. (My hope is that future books will be devoid of conspiracy theories and Gemma and Duncan can simply concentrate on solving murders as they have done in the past.) This book can be read out of order, as the author does a good job of filling in details which a new reader might missed. However, as with most any books featuring ongoing characters, it will be enjoyed the most when taken in order.
While Gemma is trying to sort through the details of the case and determine what happened to the young woman, Duncan has his own set of problems to face. By chance, he discovers that his former boss, Denis Childs, has returned to London after a lengthy absence. After a clandestine meeting with Duncan, Childs is set upon and left for dead. Duncan makes connections between this attack and the apparent suicide of an undercover officer and begins to realize that all is far from well within the Met. Duncan's unease over the apparent corruption results in him distancing himself from Gemma in hopes of keeping her and the children safe.
Both cases are brought to a satisfactory conclusion, and Duncan and Gemma look to be on the way to a well-deserved reconciliation. (My hope is that future books will be devoid of conspiracy theories and Gemma and Duncan can simply concentrate on solving murders as they have done in the past.) This book can be read out of order, as the author does a good job of filling in details which a new reader might missed. However, as with most any books featuring ongoing characters, it will be enjoyed the most when taken in order.