Leave the Grave Green (Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author) "FROM THE TRAIN window Duncan Kincaid could see the piles of debris in the back gardens and on the occasional common..." (more)
Key Phrases: warrant card, other bloke, Sir Gerald, Connor Swann, Tommy Godwin (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Crombie's Scotland Yard Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and his sergeant Gemma Jones make a welcome return, after All Shall Be Well, to investigate a suspicious drowning in the countryside outside London. The seemingly placid domestic life of distinguished conductor Sir Gerald Asherton and his wife, Dame Caroline Stowe, a renowned soprano, is disturbed when their son-in-law's body slips through the local lock and is dragged up to reveal suspicious bruises around the neck. The Ashertons' daughter Julia had recently left Connor, who was "on good terms with pints and ponies." While her parents continued to lunch weekly with the victim in their stately home, Julia, who 20 years earlier had witnessed her little brother's death by drowning, has had nothing to do with him. The youthful, slightly rumpled Kincaid, his pleasant manner masking a keen intelligence, and the equally insightful, appealing Jones make little pretense that police work is objective, detached business. Occasionally Crombie lets their personal feelings-Kincaid's for the widow, Jones's for opera, and both for each other-outweigh the story. Nonetheless, the passages of the first drowning are haunting, the mystery is intriguing, the characters are well developed and the solution satisfies. Stay tuned. Author tour.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

When police detectives Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James (who are series regulars) investigate a suspicious drowning near London, they encounter a strange situation: the victim's widow-a painter whose father is a famous conductor and whose mother is a renowned opera singer-is oddly stand-offish and strangely unaffected by her husband's death. Crombie (All Shall Be Well, LJ 1/94) creates strategic tension by both establishing a parallel between this drowning and the childhood drowning death of the painter's brother and by juxtaposing two protagonists who feel-but struggle against-a mutual attraction. Lucid prose, well-focused plot, and all the trappings of a cosy British mystery-from a talented American author.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Avon (July 26, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060789557
• ISBN-13: 978-0060789558
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #132,069 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This is item 3 in The Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An engrossing police procedural in the British tradition., December 7, 2000

By	E. Bukowsky "booklover10" (NY United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Leave the Grave Green (Mass Market Paperback)

Deborah Crombie's work is not up to the level of Ruth Rendell's or Elizabeth George's, but she is a talented writer in the British tradition of police procedurals. In Crombie's novel, "Leave the Grave Green," Inspector Duncan Kincaid and Sergeant Gemma James investigate the murder of a young man named Connor Swann, who drowned under mysterious circumstances. Both Kincaid and James are divorced and afraid of relationships, and Crombie explores the tentative nature of their mutual attraction very nicely. The murder investigation is engrossing; it plays out interestingly and realistically. Crombie depicts her characters with a sharp understanding of human nature and, in her own quiet way, she delivers a murder mystery that satisfies. I love Inspector Kincaid and Sergeant James. They are marvelous characters who are vulnerable working people struggling to make a place for themselves both professionally and personally. I am looking forward to more books featuring Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Appealing detectives make this one a satisfying read., April 20, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Leave the Grave Green (Mass Market Paperback)

"Leave the Grave Green" by Deborah Crombie is her third novel featuring the Scotland yard team of Duncan Kincaid and Gemma Janes. They are called in to investigate the suspicious drowning death of Connor Swann.

The book opens with a prologue describing another drowning that occurred long before Mr. Swann's. Part of the fun in reading this book is trying to figure out all the connections between the two drownings before they are revealed.

Ms Crombie is so good at developing her characters that we have empathy with all of them, even those that make choices that lead to tragic consequences. Jones and Kincaid are appealing police officers. They have both been wounded in love and watching them reach out to each other is touching. In fact, this whole story is about how people deal with the aftermath of poor choices made in the name of love.

My favorite mysteries tend to be a little darker than this one, but I'm going to read the next book in the series. I'm hooked!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent mystery, February 22, 2006

By	B. Lawrence "constant reader" (Kingsport TN) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I'm a great fan of both Deborah Crombie and Jill McGown. Both of these authors present complex, satisfying mysteries with a believable relationship going on at the same time.
This is a great read involving complex family interactions and excellent characterizations. The whole issue of the death of the young son, revealed in the first chapter, comes to an interesting conclusion.