My first outing with Deborah Crombie's series and I really loved it. It surely won't be the last ( I have them lined up), starting with Book #1.
I was introduced to DS Duncan Kincaid and Sgt. Gemma James in the setting of Notting Hill and Portobello Road, a very interesting place with a lot of history.
In the course of a brutal murder investigation ( which becomes 3 or more murders eventually) Kincaid and James become a family. A terrific novel with an ending that points to their life together continuing.
I am very happy I came upon this great author.
Mother Superior novels never disappoint me, the history and the characters are always exactly right. I was a bit shocked at the ending (so apparently was Mother Superior and Dr. Scher).
Did the murderer get away? Will this be continued in another outing? If so, will Patrick and Eileen bring the person to justice? A decent amount of characters left loose ends here so I am hoping for a continuation at another time.
The social and political aspects of this era fascinate me greatly, as well as plot and players. The aspect of a whole generation waiting until the end of their child bearing years, for economic reasons, is intriguing and poignant.
My own Irish immigrant granduncles and grandparents did the same, trying to make their way in this new place, which was far more distant than "the boat to Liverpool".
Strongly recommended for all mystery fans. Thanks to Cora Harrison and NetGalley for this one
Thanks to NetGalley, Severn House and of course the great writer Chris Nickson. WOW what a nail biter but I got to the end safely ( of course).
Leeds 1820:"Thief-taker Simon Westow knows all about lost property. A boy from the workhouse, he now has a comfortable business finding and returning his clients' stolen possessions." Simon, his wife Rosie and their protégé, the young girl Jane, were all damaged in some ways by early life experiences.
Simon and Rosie had managed to make a life, with normalcy, together and for their twin sons. Rosie was intuitive and loving but with a core of fierceness. Jane lives in their house but shares nothing of her painful past to anyone. All three straddle a normal existence with much darker elements. Will they change their lives after this episode?
The details of this complicated and darkish mystery I will leave to you, the reader, at least partly because it is difficult to unweave this complex tale. Recommended to historical mystery lovers.
I'm very happy to return to this series that I was reading a couple of years ago. I enjoyed them then and discovered my digital library had more and now wondering about NetGalley.
The setting and the complexity of both the mysteries and Ben Cooper's interpersonal relationships
make and irresistible read. I now have 3 more so will keep reading and reviewing.
