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A Novel (Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James Novels, 19)
by Deborah Crombie
New York Times bestseller Deborah Crombie returns with a "gripping police procedural" (Washington Post) featuring Scotland Yard detectives Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James as they race to solve the shocking murder of a young woman before panic spreads across London.
On a rainy November evening, trainee doctor Sasha Johnson hurries through the evening crowd in London's historic Russell Square. Out of the darkness, someone jostles her as they brush past. A moment later, Sasha stumbles, then collapses. When Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and his sergeant, Doug Cullen, are called to the scene, they discover that she's been stabbed.
Kincaid immediately calls in his detective wife, Gemma James, who has recently been assigned to a task force on knife crimes which are on the rise. Along with her partner, detective sergeant Melody Talbot, Gemma aids the investigation. But Sasha Johnson doesn't fit the profile of the task force's typical knife crime victim. Single, successful, career-driven, she has no history of abusive relationships or any connection to gangs. Sasha had her secrets, though, and some of them lead the detectives uncomfortably close to home.
As the team unravels the victim's tangled connections, another murder raises the stakes. Kincaid, Gemma, and their colleagues must put even friendships on the line to find the killer stalking the dark streets of Bloomsbury.
"Crombie is as skilled as Louise Penny or J.D. Robb in developing characters while entwining personal lives with riveting police investigations. With four years since A Bitter Feast, the previous book in the series, the author's fans will be eager to catch up with her characters." —Library Journal (starred review)
"Skillfully plotted... perfectly balances the investigative action with the characters' true to life personal problems... Crombie provides plausible suspects and motives amid entertaining interplay, including some friction, among the members of the squad. This entry can be read as a standalone, but it will give special pleasure to fans who have grown fond of the couple over the years." —Publishers Weekly
"Crombie, as usual, presents a fascinating puzzle, loaded with twists and a grand dose of London atmosphere...This is a worthy excursion into the lives of a popular sleuthing duo." —Booklist
"Her new book, A Killing of Innocents, was worth the wait as Crombie once again showcases her ability to intertwine family drama with a gripping police procedural. Crombie fans will welcome updates on Duncan, Gemma and other favorite characters, but A Killing of Innocents stands on its own for anyone new to the series. —Washington Post
"My most recent crime read was A Killing of Innocents by Deborah Crombie. New to the series but got pulled in immediately by the interesting plot and engaging range of recurring characters." —Ann Cleeves, New York Times bestselling author
"Situated in the rich, historic Bloomsbury district of London, A Killing of Innocents is a superbly plotted work of suspense that immerses the reader in the intriguing world of Scotland Yard. But Crombie also gifts us something equally compelling: a very modern portrait of richly intertwined and diverse characters navigating the competing demands of work, family and romance. There is such humanity in all of Crombie's creations, particularly the lead married detectives Gemma James and Duncan Kincaid, making this stand-alone book and its background series such a noteworthy and satisfying addition to the genre of psychological suspense." —Natalie Jenner, international bestselling author
This information about A Killing of Innocents was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Deborah Crombie is a native Texan who has lived in both England and Scotland. She now lives in McKinney, Texas, sharing a house that is more than one hundred years old with her husband, two cats, and two German shepherds.
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