All Shall Be Well

Rating:
Summary: A mystery series find!
Review: Because of this board I found Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James mystery series by Deborah Crombie. This author is from Texas but writes like a British author. This is my second in the series and am I glad to have found it. I am adding her to my collection of P. D. James, Minette Walters, Ngaio Marsh and Elizabeth George and Dick Francis. Excellent story - you can feel the British landscape, smell the aroma of hot, brewing tea. A comfortable read. On to the next installment..

Rating:
Summary: A mystery series find!
Review: Because of this board I found Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James mystery series by Deborah Crombie. This author is from Texas but writes like a British author. This is my second in the series and am I glad to have found it. I am adding her to my collection of P. D. James, Minette Walters, Ngaio Marsh and Elizabeth George and Dick Francis. Excellent story - you can feel the British landscape, smell the aroma of hot, brewing tea. A comfortable read. On to the next installment..

Rating:
Summary: Very enjoyable book
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel and was very impressed with the author's ability to develop her characters in such a way that the reader is almost distracted from the "mystery" and becomes involved entirely with the characters. She also is very descriptive and insightful in even the smallest details of the story. I will definitely seek out her other books.

Rating:
Summary: All is Well INDEED!
Review: I've read all of Deborah Crombie's novels about Duncan Kincaid to date, and this is probably my favorite. It's the second in the series, and it's the one in which you really will get attached to Duncan and Gemma, and the one that will make you read all the rest.
Crombie is very good at weaving together elements of character, emotion, plot, and setting, and this novel is a shining example of her writing abilities. Warning: you'll find it hard to put down, so block out a big chunk of time for it!

Rating:
Summary: All is Well INDEED!
Review: I've read all of Deborah Crombie's novels about Duncan Kincaid to date, and this is probably my favorite. It's the second in the series, and it's the one in which you really will get attached to Duncan and Gemma, and the one that will make you read all the rest.
Crombie is very good at weaving together elements of character, emotion, plot, and setting, and this novel is a shining example of her writing abilities. Warning: you'll find it hard to put down, so block out a big chunk of time for it!

Rating:
Summary: Solid and quietly entertaining procedural
Review: Jasmine Dent has terminal lung cancer, so her neighbor Duncan Kincaid is not surprised to find her dead body in her apartment one morning. But several small details make Duncan uneasy, and as a Scotland Yard Superintendent he's in the position to do something about it. With the help of Sergeant Gemma James, he launches an investigation to find out whether Jasmine's death was suicide or something more sinister.

Suspects are plentiful: a shy friend Meg who helped Jasmine prepare suicide plans, Meg's shiftless boyfriend Roger, Felicity the home-care nurse, Jasmine's unsuccessful brother Theo, her reticent downstairs neighbor Major Keith, and of course Jasmine herself. Duncan and Gemma methodically dig into the questions of motive and opportunity. As the investigation progresses, Duncan reads through Jasmine's journals in hopes of gaining insight from her past.

It was nice to watch Duncan and Gemma move from a strictly profession relationship to something more personal. However, I found it slightly bleak that not a single character in the book was in a solid relationship. I did like getting to know the victim through her journal entries. The plot is sound and the uncertainty about whether or not a murder was actually committed made for an interesting twist. Altogether, All Shall Be Well is an quietly entertaining procedural and a quick read.

Rating:
Summary: Solid and quietly entertaining procedural
Review: Jasmine Dent has terminal lung cancer, so her neighbor Duncan Kincaid is not surprised to find her dead body in her apartment one morning. But several small details make Duncan uneasy, and as a Scotland Yard Superintendent he's in the position to do something about it. With the help of Sergeant Gemma James, he launches an investigation to find out whether Jasmine's death was suicide or something more sinister.

Suspects are plentiful: a shy friend Meg who helped Jasmine prepare suicide plans, Meg's shiftless boyfriend Roger, Felicity the home-care nurse, Jasmine's unsuccessful brother Theo, her reticent downstairs neighbor Major Keith, and of course Jasmine herself. Duncan and Gemma methodically dig into the questions of motive and opportunity. As the investigation progresses, Duncan reads through Jasmine's journals in hopes of gaining insight from her past.

It was nice to watch Duncan and Gemma move from a strictly profession relationship to something more personal. However, I found it slightly bleak that not a single character in the book was in a solid relationship. I did like getting to know the victim through her journal entries. The plot is sound and the uncertainty about whether or not a murder was actually committed made for an interesting twist. Altogether, All Shall Be Well is an quietly entertaining procedural and a quick read.

Rating:
Summary: Dark Mystery
Review: The victim in this mystery is a dark mystery in herself. Kincaid seems to find this type of female fascinating, and becomes doubly immensed in this one because it involved his neighbor. An excellent read, highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: I Enjoyed This One More than the first.
Review: This second book in the Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James mystery series, I found more entertaining than the first. I still would not put Ms. Crombie on the same level anywhere near Elizabeth George or Martha Grimes. Her characterizations cannot compare with either of these illustrious ladies, as far as I'm concerned. Also, I just didn't feel the "Englishness" in this book. It didn't read like an authentic British novel. In this book Duncan sets out to find out if his terminally ill neighbour was killed or whether she committed suicide. I must admit that I had the murderer figured out about half way through. I will still pesevere with this series, but am sadly disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: I Enjoyed This One More than the first.
Review: This second book in the Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James mystery series, I found more entertaining than the first. I still would not put Ms. Crombie on the same level anywhere near Elizabeth George or Martha Grimes. Her characterizations cannot compare with either of these illustrious ladies, as far as I'm concerned. Also, I just didn't feel the "Englishness" in this book. It didn't read like an authentic British novel. In this book Duncan sets out to find out if his terminally ill neighbour was killed or whether she committed suicide. I must admit that I had the murderer figured out about half way through. I will still pesevere with this series, but am sadly disappointed.