Select one of the keywords
Mourn Not Your Dead    by Deborah Crombie Amazon.com order for
Mourn Not Your Dead
by Deborah Crombie
Order:  USA  Can
Berkley, 1997
Hardcover, Paperback
* *   Reviewed by Mary Ann Smyth

I couldn't pass this one up after I came across it in a thrift shop. Deborah Crombie is a skilled writer who holds my attention from first page 'til last. Sergeant Gemma James and Scotland Yard Superintendent Duncan Kincaid investigate the murder of a Commander in the London Metropolitan Police (this part of the world always catches my attention; I love English mysteries.) Gemma and Duncan explore their own relationship while trying to solve the death of the Commander, a man not very well liked.

Mourn Not Your Dead seems at one point to lead away from all the given clues, throwing new evidence into the mix. I was a trifle disappointed, but shouldn't have been. Trust this author to keep everything developing with a tight hand. For a woman born in Dallas to have, and to be able to impart, the feel of the English countryside so well is a tribute to a good writer. I felt as though I was actually with Kincaid and James, entering various homes in the small village of Holmbury St. Mary. What a great name.

The characters are drawn with a fine pen - believable and likable. Crombie takes the reader into their heads and brings them to life. Their motivations and hopes and dreams are laid out - to fit them cleverly into the story. Through fine detective work, the mystery is solved. James and Kincaid manage their lives also. Crombie is a writer not to be missed. Start at the beginning of this fine series with All Shall Be Well and work your way through all her books.

Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons.

Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews