A Share in Death : A Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James Mystery by Deborah Crombie

I grew up with British mysteries. Names like Ngaio Marsh, Dorothy L.  Sayers and Agatha Christie were as familiar as Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden in my reading stand. So I’m always open to a new British mystery series.  Based on a recommendation by a library patron, I picked up the first book in the Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James mystery series.  Reading the flap cover, I was shocked to find the novel was written by a Texan.  While my first instinct was to skip it, the recommendation was so strong, I flipped a few pages and got hooked.

The first novel in the series “A Share in Death”, introduces Duncan Kincaid, a Detective Superintendent for Scotland Yard and his partner Sergeant Gemma James.  The story opens when Kincaid is given a week at a time share in Yorkshire by his cousin as a well deserved vacation and James, a young single mother on the force stays in London to finish the paperwork on a particularly difficult case. Kincaid checks in as a regular civilian but murder and his career as a policeman follow him wherever he goes.

The guests all seem to have secrets and soon the young assistant manager who has been keeping confidential files on the time share clients is found electrocuted in the hot tub.  The local police resent Kincaid and try to have the death labeled a suicide but Kincaid keeps digging.  Tension mounts as the bodies pile up.

This in not the best in the Kincaid/James series but it makes an excellent introduction to the characters and the author has a real feel for a English mystery.  The action is not gritty so it’s a good choice for a cozy reader. Enjoy!