Crombie, Deborah

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.

This superbly entertaining crime novel will delight mystery fans who crave character-rich, classically composed mysteries in the style and manner of those written by the late, great P.D. James. [See Prepub Alert, 3/25/19.]

An enthralling blend of suspense on the home front and possible scandal in the professional arena, with characters who are made as much for investigating as they are for each other, makes for a particularly strong series outing from an author who rarely disappoints. [See Prepub Alert, 8/15/16.]

Mystery and police-procedural fans will be well satisfied by Crombie's unpredictable plotting, while newbie listeners may be inspired to request the novel's predecessors. [The Morrow hc was a New York Times best seller.—Ed.]

Those familiar with Crombie's works will welcome another episode deepening the ongoing Kincaid-James relationship and enjoy the lengthy discussions about family happenings. Newcomers, however, will find that such details distract from the central plot. Although Crombie's novels have garnered her international acclaim, particularly in Germany, her multilayered and heavily textured style dampens the fluidity of a thrilling detective tale. [See Prepub Alert, 8/21/11.]