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| Where Memories Lie: A Novel (Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James Novels) | 
 enlarge | Author: Deborah Crombie
Publisher: William Morrow
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $10.99
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Avg. Customer Rating:  20 reviews
Sales Rank: 6558
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 304
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6 x 1
ISBN: 0061287512
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780061287510
ASIN: 0061287512
Publication Date: July 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Erika Rosenthal has always been secretive with her friend and neighbor, Detective Inspector Gemma James, about her past, except for one telling detail: She and her long-dead husband, David, came to London as refugees from Nazi Germany. But now the elderly woman needs Gemma's help. A unique piece of jewelry stolen from her years ago has mysteriously turned up at a prestigious London auction house. Erika believes the theft may be tied to her husband's death, which had always been assumed a suicide. Gemma has a tough challenge. She must navigate the shadowy and secretive world of London's monied society to discover the jewelry's connection to David's murderer. However, the cold case needs to be put back on the books and possibly into the hands of her partner, Duncan Kincaid. When a second, present-day murder kicks the investigation into high gear, Gemma becomes more determined to exact justice for Erika—in a case that will have lasting repercussions.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 15 more reviews...
"Yesterday her life had cracked open and there could be no putting it back." July 6, 2008
25 out of 27 found this review helpful
In Deborah Crombie's "Where Memories Lie," Superintendant Duncan Kincaid and Detective Inspector Gemma James have settled into domestic tranquility with their sons from former relationships, thirteen-year-old Kit and five-year-old Toby. Kincaid works in Scotland Yard and Gemma is stationed in Notting Hill. Although they are no longer professional partners, they still depend on one another for advice and support. Gemma's friend, Erika Rosenthal, is a retired academic who left Berlin with her husband, David, at the beginning of World War II. One evening, Erika asks Gemma to come over to discuss an important matter. It seems that an Art Deco brooch made of diamonds set in platinum has surfaced and is about to be auctioned off at a house called Harrowby's. Erika's late father, Jakob Goldshtein, was a master jewelry maker who created this exquisite item in 1938 and gave it to his daughter. It was stolen from her fifty years ago under tragic circumstances and she never expected to see it again. Erika asks Gemma to find out how a British auction house managed to acquire Jakob's masterpiece. Gemma agrees to make inquiries, not realizing that her visit to Harrowby's will set off alarms in the mind of a cold-blooded killer.
The author makes excellent use of flashbacks to 1952 London, in which an inspector named Gavin Hoxley investigates the murder of Erika Rosenthal's husband. Gemma studies Gavin's case notes, and as she learns more about Erika and David's lives, she begins to realize how the past and the present have converged, "as if time had rippled." Duncan and Gemma team up, pooling their resources to solve a series of brazen homicides. Meanwhile, Gemma has problems of a more personal nature. Her dad, Ern Walters, who always treats her with a touch of disdain, shows up at her home one evening while she is out. He tells Duncan that Gemma's mum, Vi, has collapsed and is in the hospital. Since Vi has always been lively, independent, and energetic, Gemma is dismayed to learn that her mother has a serious illness with an uncertain prognosis. Gemma is also guilt-ridden because her busy schedule has kept her from looking in on her parents more often. She struggles to come to terms with her mother's illness, her father's resentment, and her fear of accepting Duncan's marriage proposal.
Crombie has assembled a varied and colorful cast. Gemma and Duncan are soul mates who are enjoying their well-earned contentment after years filled with misfortune and heartbreak. Erika Rosenthal is a dignified and self-sufficient woman who keeps her own counsel until she is ready to tell her horrifying tale. Kristin Cahill is an ambitious and attractive girl with an art history degree who is employed at Harrowby's. She is in love with Dominic Scott, a "pretty boy" with bad habits and unsavory associates. Dom's mother, Ellen Miller-Scott is a beautiful, haughty, and wealthy woman who disapproves of her son's irresponsible behavior. Harry Pevensey is a pretentious actor in decline. In spite of his shrinking bank account, he still has a taste for the finer things in life and is hoping for a substantial "payoff from the recent little financial gamble he had let himself be talked into, against his better judgment." Doug Cullen, Kincaid's sergeant, is unlucky in love and is uneasy when Gemma tries to match him up with one of her colleagues, DC Melody Talbot.
Her effortless writing style, smooth dialogue, and strong characterizations make this one of Crombie's most satisfying works. She skillfully demonstrates how events that date back half a century have a way of reaching out and influencing the present. In addition, Crombie shows the disastrous consequences of prejudice, greed, ambition, and pride. "Where Memories Lie" works on many levels--as an intriguing murder mystery, an exploration of an appalling chapter in European history, and a deeply affecting tale of complex personal relationships. This is a poignant and engrossing installment in a deservedly long-running and popular series.
12th in a series and one of the best...even, perhaps, THE best June 30, 2008
17 out of 19 found this review helpful
Deborah Crombie is a Texan who writes a fabulous British mystery series. Now in its 12th installment, her Duncan Kincaid-Gemma James mysteries are complex, involving and cleverly crafted; the progression of the love story between the two cops and their interactions with friends and family is compelling; the secondary characters, good and bad, are always exceptionally well drawn. But this one, which focuses on Gemma's old friend Erika Rosenthal and what happens when a long missing and valuable old diamond brooch of hers turns up at a London auction house, is just superb and gets my vote as Crombie's best yet. If you're already a fan of the series you'll remember Erika from earlier appearances in the series and will have doubtless come to like her as much as Gemma does. Now it would appear that several seemingly unconnected murders, both past and present, can only be solved by digging all the way back to Nazi Germany and Erika's sad and, till now, closely guarded history.
If once you've finished this gem, you find you'd like to go back and follow the Duncan & Gemma story from the beginning (highly recommended as you're sure to gain a richer appreciation for Crombie's work and her characters), here's the list as of June 2008: 1. A Share in Death, 2. All Shall Be Well, 3. Leave the Grave Green, 4. Mourn Not Your Dead, 5. Dreaming of the Bones, 6. Kissed a Sad Goodbye, 7. A Finer End, 8. And Justice There Is None, 9. Now May You Weep, 10. In a Dark House, 11. Water Like a Stone, 12. Where Memories Lie.
life, love, loss, and Nazis in Chelsea July 20, 2008
10 out of 11 found this review helpful
How very rare it is to find a series that never disappoints! Crombie's Gemma James/Duncan Kincaid mystery - their 12th - takes place in Notting Hill and Chelsea, with glimpses of St Paul's tossed in. The plot takes us to London during the Blitz, with the emphasis on Jewish immigrants from Hitler's Germany. The chapter headings come from diaries of the time as well as histories and make great reading all by themselves.
Gemma's fascinating friend, Erika Rosenthal, is the focus of much of the action and we get to enter her world, past and present. Crombie doesn't beat us over the head with the suffering of the Jews, however, and that makes the sharply-drawn scenes we do get all the more powerful. The plot is very plausible and peopled with vivid characters - Mr Khan is an especially delightful surprise. I've always admired Crombie's bravery at setting her stories in England, and once again she comes through without putting a foot wrong. Nor does she follow the Elizabeth George model of piling on so much researched background detail that you are too numb to notice any day-to-day errors. She gives us Brit characters speaking believable Brit in a detailed setting stocked with flowers and dogs and a fine cat. I love the little bits and pieces of real life Crombie always fits in. Two novels ago I ended up buying Clarice Cliff pottery; now I'm listening to Barb Jungr - education through mystery novels.
The action moves quickly and even the to-ing and fro-ing part of the mystery (where the sleuths put the bits together before the big finale, my least favorite part) is crisply accomplished. In fact, at 295 pages, it was all over far too soon.
The family gets less air-time than I'd like, some attention having to go to Gemma's sick mother and blustery father, but Kit continues to develop as a wonderful character. Hope we see more of the boys next time, as well as Gemma's associate Melody, who is getting very edgy and interesting. The ending isn't exactly Harriet and Peter exchanging Latin tags on Magdalen Bridge, but it's quite good enough to make long-time readers smile. Brava.
PS If you haven't read them all, start in the middle with Dreaming of the Bones: it's the best of the best.
SOLID FARE FOR FANS OF BRITISH DETECTIVE MYSTERIES June 29, 2008
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
Debroah Crombie is on a par with George & James. This well-crafted whodunit will engage fans who like their crime in a London setting.
A great read July 6, 2008
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
Every time I read a Deborah Crombie novel I'm convinced she can't get any better, and then I read her next book, which builds on the previous books and does, indeed, get better. I couldn't put Where Memories Lie down, and once I finished it, I couldn't stop thinking about the way Ms. Crombie manages to braid three stories together into one beautifully complete whole. I highly recommend this and all her earlier books.
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