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    The Sound of Broken Glass: A Novel
    The Sound of Broken Glass: A Novel
    The Sound of Broken Glass: A Novel
    Audiobook11 hours

    The Sound of Broken Glass: A Novel

    Written by Deborah Crombie

    Narrated by Gerard Doyle

    4.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    In the past . . .

    On a blisteringly hot August afternoon in Crystal Palace, once home to the tragically destroyed Great Exhibition, a solitary thirteen-year-old boy meets his next-door neighbor, a recently widowed young teacher hoping to make a new start in the tight-knit South London community. Drawn together by loneliness, the unlikely pair forms a deep connection that ends in a shattering act of betrayal.

    In the present . . .

    On a cold January morning in London, Detective Inspector Gemma James is back on the job now that her husband, Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid, is at home to care for their three-year-old foster daughter. Assigned to lead a Murder Investigation Team in South London, she's assisted by her trusted colleague, newly promoted Detective Sergeant Melody Talbot. Their first case: a crime scene at a seedy hotel in Crystal Palace. The victim: a well-respected barrister, found naked, trussed, and apparently strangled. Is it an unsavory accident or murder? In either case, he was not alone, and Gemma's team must find his companion—a search that takes them into unexpected corners and forces them to contemplate unsettling truths about the weaknesses and passions that lead to murder. Ultimately, they will begin to question everything they think they know about their world and those they trust most.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateFeb 19, 2013
    ISBN9780062249746
    Author

    Deborah Crombie

    Deborah Crombie is a native Texan who has lived in both England and Scotland. She now lives in McKinney, Texas, sharing a house that is more than one hundred years old with her husband, two cats, and two German shepherds.

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    Reviews for The Sound of Broken Glass

    4.5/5

    62 ratings28 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Another good one from a consistently good author. I was fascinated by the tidbits of history about the Crystal Palace and the neighborhood surrounding it. It's nice to see Gemma and Duncan settling into married life,but I especially liked that Crombie isn't trying to hand us a fairy tale marriage. For fans of the series, it just keeps getting better.
    • 4/5
      Duncan stays home with Charlotte who is still adjusting to her new home. Doug falls off a ladder, resulting in time off while he recuperates. Meanwhile Gemma and Melody are called to a crime scene near Crystal Palace where the murder victim is found tied up in a kinky manner. While a little forensic evidence exists, the police database offers no clue of the perpetrator's identity. The victim came to the seedy hotel from a local pub where he'd verbally abused a young guitarist. The guitarist had also punched someone. Soon a second victim with the same occupation as the first turns up. They must investigate the presence or absence of a connection between the two crimes. My biggest complaint with this installment concerns the series of coincidences upon which it is built. It's not Crombie's strongest, but fans of the series will still enjoy it. I listened to the audio version read by Gerard Doyle. I didn't like his narration as well as Jenny Sterlin's narration in recent installments, but I got used to it after awhile.
    • 4/5
      A barrister is found naked, bound and dead in a hotel room in the Crystal Palace area of London. As Detective Inspector Gemma James and her colleague Detective Sergeant Melody Talbot investigate the hours leading up to the victim’s death, she discovers a link to a guitarist who’s about to hit it big in the music world. Talbot interviews the musician and winds up getting involved with him, complicating the case and compromising her role as investigator. Then a second murder occurs and the two women work to find a connection between the two victims.Interwoven with the contemporary story is a secondary plot, which goes back several years. That involves a boy with an alcoholic mother and his friendship with widowed neighbor who takes him under her wing. The boy is being tormented by two bully boys who seem bent on making his life even more miserable. While Gemma is investigating, her husband Duncan, on leave from his job as a detective superintendent, plays Mr. Mom to their toddler foster daughter Charlotte. He’s itching to get back to work but first he needs to ensure the girl is well cared for while both parents work. That is complicated by her tragic past and the separation anxiety she is experiencing. But Duncan finds a way to get back in the game, unofficially, by helping Gemma interview an acquaintance who has a slight involvement with the case. The Sound of Broken Glass is exactly what fans of this series expect: intricate plotting, top-notch writing and great continuing characters. Mystery purists may think there’s too much of the main characters’ personal life, but I think that’s what gives the series its edge. A definite winner!
    • 5/5
      I am a long-time fan of this wonderful series, and it always just seems too long between books. This is the 15th book in this series, and I think it is probably the best so far. In this book Duncan is still on parental leave, looking after he and Gemma's extended family. The case centers around Gemma in her new position as DI. The book is a present and past type of book, but the two are woven so cloesely together, that even though there is fifteen years between the two story lines, the plot appears seamless, What's not to like about this book? Drugs, rock and roll, a burgeoning love story and throw in two separate, but connected murders of two very seedy lawyers. Gemma and her sergeant Melody are on the trail of a killer, and the only way that they can make any headway is to go back 15 years and study the life of a 13 year-old boy who lived with an alcoholic mother in a wreck of a flat in the Crystal Palace area. Then the connections between the two victims becomes clear. I loved this book. I loved the whole feel of it-south London in a particularly cold winter, Gemma and Duncan and their vibrant family, Melody Talbot as she discovers love in an unlikely place and even Duncan's sergeant Doug Cullen recovering from a broken ankle caused by a fall off a ladder. So wonderfully portrayed and so realistic. This is a great series!
    • 4/5
      First Line: It had been years since she'd been in an English church.With their youngest child having difficulties adjusting to any sort of daycare, Gemma and Duncan find their plans for the weekend ruined when Gemma is called out to investigate the murder of a lawyer. While Gemma goes through the crime scene, once again Duncan is at home being Mr. Mom-- something that he's adapted to much better than Gemma ever thought he would. But Duncan's leave is almost up, and he is looking forward to being back in the world of adults again.While interviewing the people who last saw the victim, Gemma's partner, Detective Sergeant Melody Talbot, finds herself drawn to a talented young guitar player. When another lawyer is murdered in much the same way, Gemma and her team have to wonder: is someone following the advise of Shakespeare ("The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers."), or is something else going on? Regardless the option, all they can do is to continue digging until they have enough facts to lead them to a killer or killers.This fifteenth book in Deborah Crombie's marvelous series finds Gemma, Duncan, and their three children learning that life as a family is always a work in progress. We also get to follow along as Gemma works with her team and learns each officer's strengths and weaknesses. The fact that her sergeant seems to be falling in love with a possible suspect could have grave repercussions, but all Gemma can do is give her a few small bits of advice and hope that Melody uses her common sense.The story has several subplots woven into the narrative, and they all tie into the general area in which the first murder occurs: Crystal Palace. Each chapter begins with a quote about this area. They add depth to the story and to our knowledge of the British music industry. Melody's handsome guitar player, Andy Monahan-- a young man Duncan Kincaid met in a previous investigation-- is a major figure in the book, and his backstory is both heartbreaking and inspiring.The story is so intriguing that the solution to the murders came as a surprise, but as any fan of Crombie's series knows, the mystery isn't the be-all-and-end-all of the book. The main characters are every bit as important, and The Sound of Broken Glass ends with a bit of a shocker that will make all devotees wonder what's in store in the next book.If characters are as important to you as a cracking good story, you really need to get your hands on Deborah Crombie's books!
    • 5/5
      The Sounds Of Broken GlassbyDeborah CrombieMy " in a nutshell" summary...Gemma and Duncan are still sorting out their lives with their two sons and the addition of three year old Charlotte to their family. Duncan remains at home while Gemma remains the crime fighter. Duncan is happy but frustrated.My thoughts after reading this book...I have high hopes and strong opinions about this book because I love this series so much. I have read every one of them in the order they were written and in the order they were meant to be read. I just don't think it's possible to truly understand these marvelous unique and complex characters if you skip one single book or read them out of order...it's not possible so don't even try it...it's like trying to start Downton Abbey in the midst of season 2... just don't attempt it!Gemma and Duncan have family issues yet again in this book. Duncan is on family leave and Gemma is smack in the middle of a serious case...a barrister is killed. The barrister has kinky sexual tastes and a mystery woman and a band member are in some way involved in his death. As usual...there is a lot going on in this novel. Gemma and her crew work diligently to figure out who murdered whom and why. And the murders don't stop with just one. It's intriguing and the author does an excellent job of making the reader ...convincing the reader... that all clues point to one person...or do they?What I loved about this book...The suspense, the characters, the lovely English setting...I want to hop on a plane every time I read about a bag of crisps and a prawn and avocado sandwich. What I did not love...I sometimes...and for just a short minute...don't love that there are so many characters from past books.Final thoughts...I truly love this series, these characters and all of their multifaceted situations!The Sounds Of Broken GlassbyDeborah CrombieMy " in a nutshell" summary...Gemma and Duncan are still sorting out their lives with their two sons and the addition of three year old Charlotte to their family. Duncan remains at home while Gemma remains the crime fighter. Duncan is happy but frustrated.My thoughts after reading this book...I have high hopes and strong opinions about this book because I love this series so much. I have read every one of them in the order they were written and in the order they were meant to be read. I just don't think it's possible to truly understand these marvelous unique and complex characters if you skip one single book or read them out of order...it's not possible so don't even try it...it's like trying to start Downton Abbey in the midst of season 2... just don't attempt it!Gemma and Duncan have family issues yet again in this book. Duncan is on family leave and Gemma is smack in the middle of a serious case...a barrister is killed. The barrister has kinky sexual tastes and a mystery woman and a band member are in some way involved in his death. As usual...there is a lot going on in this novel. Gemma and her crew work diligently to figure out who murdered whom and why. And the murders don't stop with just one. It's intriguing and the author does an excellent job of making the reader ...convincing the reader... that all clues point to one person...or do they?What I loved about this book...The suspense, the characters, the lovely English setting...I want to hop on a plane every time I read about a bag of crisps and a prawn and avocado sandwich. What I did not love...I sometimes...and for just a short minute...don't love that there are so many characters from past books.Final thoughts...I truly love this series, these characters and all of their multifaceted situations!
    • 5/5
      Aspiring authors take note: the key to a successful detective series may well be the creation of a credible and personable protagonist.Deborah Crombie's Emma James/Duncan Kincaid series has not only two likable believable major characters who together encounter many of the problems besetting modern couples while they successfully solve the crime du jour, the series also sports a pleasant array of supporting characters.Crombie's latest offering, 'The Sound of Broken Glass' continues the happy tradition. While Duncan Kincaid handles the home front, Gemma and the newly promoted Detective Sergeant Melody Talbot are called to the case of the naked barrister. The victim, who is bound and was apparently strangled, is found in a basement room of a seedy hotel. Is it the sex crime or even accident that it appears to be? How successfully can Gemma navigate the case when she continually receives unsolicited help from a Duncan who misses his job and remains a tad overprotective?As always, the mystery provides the framework for the novel, but it is character driven. Duncan, on family leave, wants to get back to work but must first place their tiny foster daughter in a suitable school. Gemma has to adjust to focusing on her job and trusting Duncan to keep their home life running smoothly. But in many ways, this is Melody's book. The tightly buttoned sergeant has a very strong emotional reaction to one of the suspects in the case. Is she attracted to the killer? Will heart finally rule head?Once again, this book can be read as a stand alone, but since the James/Kincaid menage grows and changes with each addition, the books are probably best enjoyed in order.(A review copy of the book was provided through the Amazon Vine program.)
    • 4/5
      What originally drew me to The Sound of Broken Glass by Deborah Cromble are the Great Exposition and the history of the Crystal Palace. The author put quotes about the building of it, the extravagance of it and its horrible destruction by fire. I enjoyed those quotes and would like to read a book on that subject alone in the future.A few of the characters lived in that area in London and I thought that they were a little one-dimensional. The story starts with a poor neglected boy who is left in charge of caring for his alcoholic mother and never receiving any comfort or warmth from her. It is around that relationship and the two bullies that the story centers. I loved the characters of Detective Inspector Gemma James and her husband Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid. They seemed to have worked out how to have an honest and loving relationship and cared deeply about their children. Gemma seems a lot smarter than Detective Sergeant Melody Talbot who manages to have an indiscretion during her investigation this case.The first victim, a barrister, was found naked, tied up like a chicken to roast and strangled. Was it an auto-erotic experience gone wrong or a murder? When the second attorney is found in the same way, the detectives are worried about a serial killer.I enjoyed this mystery, it seemed a bit confusing at first with all the characters but after I got familiar with them, it was hard to stop reading. This was the 15th in series and I do wish I had read the previous books but that doesn’t mean that it cannot be read as a standalone.I hihgly recommend this book to all mystery lovers. Although I selected it from Partners in Crime and received it free of charge that had no bearing on my review.
    • 4/5
      Another excellent book in the series featuring Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James. Gemma and Sgt. Melody Talbot do most of the investigating in this book, as Duncan is on paternity leave and Doug Cullen is sidelined as well. As she often does, Crombie spins a tale with events of the past leading to crimes in the present.I would recommend, though, that a reader new to Crombie's work go back to the first book, A Share in Death, and read from the beginning. You'll have a lot of enjoyment doing it. Highly recommended, the whole series.
    • 4/5
      Duncan is a stay-at-home dad while Gemma fills in as a Detective Inspector in a South London precinct. It’s down to her to solve a series of murders involving barristers found dead in compromising positions. Reliably good stuff.
    • 3/5
      This series is one of my long-time favorites but I found this book to have a too slow start. Once the main plot got going, it was engaging. I'd been warned there's a cliffhanging ending, and I hate that, but I don't think this one augurs anything too awful. Looking forward to the next one.
    • 5/5
      A respected barrister is found dead in a seedy hotel in rather strange circumstances. What led him to be there like that becomes a complex case that Gemma James must unravel. Complicating the story are mysterious snippets from the past that are teasingly interspersed in the narrative. A well thought-out and crafted tale of mystery and suspense, complete with the characters readers have come to know and love. One of the aspects of this series that makes it so interesting is indeed the private lives of Gemma James and her husband, Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid. Gemma is now back on the job while Duncan stays home, caring for three-year-old Charlotte. But he can’t quite stay out of the picture, and manages to do some unofficial investigating. Familial relationships, unlikely friendships, and bullying are all delicately woven together in this intricate story of endurance and revenge.
    • 4/5
      I only 'discovered' Deborah Crombie last year when I read No Mark Upon Her. I have been eagerly awaiting the next entry in her Duncan Kincaid/ Gemma James series. The Sound of Broken Glass (#15) releases today.Kincaid and James are husband and wife and both work for Scotland Yard. Duncan is staying at home right now with their three year old daughter and Gemma is heading up her first big murder case.Who has been killed? A prominent lawyer - found in a rundown hotel in Crystal Palace, naked and tied up. Is it a sex game gone wrong? Or a sadistic killer? But then a second lawyer is found killed the same way - and there's evidence to link the two cases. As Gemma digs deeps deeper, she finds unexpected connections to her life. In flashback chapters, we also slowly learn of a young man's past and his upbringing in the Crystal Palace neighbourhood. What connection does he have to the present day?Crombie is a master of plotting. There was no dearth of suspects and I was kept guessing until the end. The investigation is solid police work and I enjoyed solving the crime along with Gemma and her team. But woven through this main storyline is a running secondary storyline - that of Duncan and Gemma's personal life. And it is this 'personal' touch that has cemented Crombie on my must read list. Although others may complain that domestic details of characters may detract from a good mystery, I find quite the opposite. I feel they gave the story much more depth and make the characters 'real' and all the more believable. This same attention to detail is given to the secondary players as well. The result is a well rounded cast, all with their own tale to tell. I've become invested in each of their lives and want to see where Crombie takes everyone from here.There's a third thread also wound about the story - that of The Crystal Palace itself. Although the name now denotes an area of South London, the history behind this plate-glass building originally erected to house the Great Exhibition of 1851 is truly fascinating. Every chapter starts out with a quote or a paragraph chronicling the history of the building. And again, Crombie is very clever with her choices. Read carefully, they mirror what is happening in the book.The Sound of Broken Glass was a satisfying read on so many levels - one I would definitely recommend. Crombie ends the book with a cliff hanger - I will be again eagerly awaiting the next in this wonderful series. Fans of Louise Penny and Susan Hill would enjoy these characters.
    • 4/5
      It was good to reconnect with Gemma and Duncan, but the book didn't seem as complex or challenging as others in the series. This was the first time I figured out the murderer well in advance of the ending of the book. I didn't learn as much about London's music industry as I expected to, given Crombie's track record for immersing the reader in particular community, subculture, or industry in each book. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book, and I'm looking forward to the next one.
    • 5/5
      THE SOUND OF BROKEN GLASS is Book #15 of the Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James mystery series by Deborah Crombie.The 15th title in this series, yet still tense and fresh. I am very interested in Duncan and Gemma and their assistants, Melody Talbot and Doug Cullen. (Though none of them fare that well in this title.)The map is gorgeous and the title reflects the Crystal Palace theme. I feel so engaged with Ms. Crombie’s locations. There is much information on the history of the Crystal Palace structure and area. (The location in the mysteries is always an important ‘character’.)The plot is complex. There is a very sad, sinister ‘back story’ that ties together the current murder investigation of two prominent lawyers in very uncomplimentary circumstances.I am hoping that the unexpected and sad plot point at the very end of the title is resolved in a later book. I was not amused.A great title and a great series.
    • 4/5
      Another wonderful outing for the fearsome duo of Kinkaid and James. Kinkaid, acting as stay at home Dad, has his won problems trying to figure out what to do and how to handle little Charlotte. James, who had been promoted, has a case to solve with tentacle to the past. Enjoy reading about their family problems, I have been reading this series so long it is like catching up with old friends I haven't seen for a while. Not being from the UK, I know little about the Crystal Palace and the exhibition for which it was built, so I also learned something new. Although while reading the tidbits referring to the palace I kept wondering how it fit into the story but never fear, Crombie ties it all together in efficient Crombie fashion. Now another wait until I can catch up with Kinkaid and James once again.
    • 4/5
      In London’s Crystal Palace area, Barrister Vincent Arnott is found murdered at the squalid Belvedere Hotel. Arnott, who was strangled, was left naked and trussed up in a compromising position. This is Gemma James' first case as a Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) for Scotland Yard's South London team. Detective Sargent Melody Talbot is back as Gemma's assistant in the investigation. In the meantime, Gemma's husband, Detective Superintendent Duncan Kinkaid, is currently on leave as a stay at home father for the children because the orphaned three year old they are hoping to adopt, Charlotte, needs some extra TLC.

      Coincidence leads them to look into Andy Monahan, an up and coming guitarist who happened to be playing at the pub Arnott was last seen at the night before his murder. Arnott was seen exchanging angry words with Andy after Andy punched some loser who approached him in between sets. Melody feels an immediate attraction to Andy when she is sent to interview him. It also turns out that Duncan knows some of the players in the investigation. When another barrister is found murdered in exactly the same way, Gemma and Melody are scrambling to try and piece the clues of these cases together.

      At the same time we are following the murder investigation in The Sound of Broken Glass, we are following Andy's past, when he was thirteen years old. He was a poor kid who had to take charge of his mother's wages or she would spend it all at the pub. He had to keep the house clean and make sure his mother went to work every day. His only joy was playing the guitar. Andy also had a couple of rich punks tormenting him, so he also had to watch out for them. When a young widow, Nadine Drake, moved in next door, he finally had an adult who cared about him. She encouraged him, made sure he ate and listened to him play.

      Certainly Crombie is a seasoned writer and knows how to please her fan base with her fast paced police procedural series featuring Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James, and their cohorts. The novel sets up the suspense and complex plot wonderfully. This is the 15th novel in Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James Series, so if you haven't been reading the series you might be scrambling a bit to catch up. I have read one or two in the series (I can't remember which ones) so I had some background on the characters. I didn't find it terribly hard to figure out many of the connections between people and fill in missing background information. Or, alternately, it didn't seem to matter if I had the complete picture of all the interpersonal connections. I know I was missing some background stories.

      I had one issue, which seems inconsequential, but after numerous times it was written it became annoying. During the investigation Gemma and Melody would pick up sandwiches or something to eat because they were always on the go and hungry. Inevitably Gemma would be described as nibbling her sandwich and never finishing it. For all the food they acquired because they were hungry, they were always nibbling, never eating. It was just too much nibbling for me. Or anytime Gemma or Melody got tea it was never finished. I promise I would not have looked down on any of the characters had they taken some hardy bites of a sandwich or even wolfed it down quickly. And please, drink that tea down. Fluids are important too.

      The Sound of Broken Glass by Deborah Crombie is highly recommended. Crombie leaves readers with a tantalizing mystery about the direction the next novel will take. To Dwell in Darkness is due to be released in September 2014.

      Disclosure: I received an advanced reading copy of this book from HarperCollins for review purposes.
    • 5/5
      The Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James series is one I have dabbled in over the years. This is #15 and I have read maybe 8 of them. Each time I read a new one, I castigate myself for not having read them all. That's how much I enjoy them.There are really three time frames in the novel. The main action is set in the present. A male body is found in a cheap hotel near Crystal Palace. Having established this is a murder Gemma James and her team set about establishing who the man is and how he came to be in the hotel. Less than 48 hours later a second murder occurs. It appears to be similar to the first, although it takes place in the person's home.The common thread between the two appears to be a young guitarist who played at hotels that the two victims were seen at on the nights before they died.The second time frame is the young guitarist at the age of 13, living as a latch key kid in Crystal Palace, and being bullied by kids from a public school.The third time frame is really only a sliver - snippets about the original Crystal Palace appear at the beginning of each chapter.Duncan Kincaid is taking a spot of parental leave while his wife Gemma James has taken on an acting DCI position. She has a new boss and it is important to her that this case of the double murders is successfully solved.There's a human interest thread that gathers pace from one novel to the other in the series. One of the foci in THE SOUND OF BROKEN GLASS is Duncan and Gemma's foster daughter Charlotte. (I missed reading the title when she first came into their lives). Relationships form a solid background to the murder investigations, and serve to point out that these detectives are only human.
    • 4/5
      This author is consistently engaging in her series featuring London police detectives Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James (now married to each other). The two of them juggle care for their blended family of three children with investigating murders. This particular case is centered in Crystal Palace, a residential area in South London named after the landmark building housing the Great Exhibition of 1851. Because of the 1848 invention of the cast plate glass method, the structure featured the largest amount of glass ever seen in a building and thus was dubbed a "Crystal Palace.” Originally erected in Hyde Park, London, it was moved to South London in 1854, but burned to the ground in 1936. The neighborhood in South London kept the name however.Historical notes about the original Crystal Palace are presented in epigraphs at the head of each chapter, and have some parallels to the action in each chapter which takes place in the eponymous neighborhood.As the story begins, Duncan is on parental leave doing childcare duties, and Gemma is filling an emergency vacancy as Acting Detective Chief Inspector for a South London murder investigation team. The first case that comes to her and her partner, Melody Talbot, is a dead barrister found in a seedy hotel in Crystal Palace, naked and tied up in what looks like a bondage situation gone bad. But shortly thereafter, another barrister turns up dead in the same way. Gemma and Melody track clues with the help of Duncan and Duncan’s partner, Doug Cullen, who is also temporarily off the job. Crombie takes us back and forth in time as the investigation unfolds. One of the suspects is an attractive guitar player, Andy Monahan, who Melody unfortunately finds attractive. Fifteen years earlier, as a lonely teenage broncin' buck, Andy found relief from his cares by playing the guitar, having received a very nice one as a gift from his neighbor. You could hear him thinking years later...."I can still remember how that music used to make me smileAnd I knew if I had my chanceThat I could make those people danceAnd maybe they'd be happy for a while..."Alas, the music didn’t die (as in "Bye, Bye, Miss American Pie"), but something else very bad happened, and the repercussions drive this story in the current day. Complications and coincidences spice up the story as the tension builds, because it is a forgone conclusion that the killer isn’t finished.Evaluation: Crombie is a solidly good writer, and her novels feature the perfect blend of character development and crime solving. In addition, she strikes an excellent balance between assuring us of the gruesomeness of a crime without horrifying us with too many lurid details.Although this is the fifteenth book in the series, I haven’t read them all (regrettably), but had no trouble whatsoever picking up on the background of the series.
    • 4/5
      Deborah Crombie's a new author to me and that's both good and bad. Good because now I can go read everything she's written - new worlds to explore! Bad because I've really been missing out. Although Ms. Crombie's a native Texan, she spent time living in the UK and she writes a great British police procedural. Her primary characters, DI Gemma James and DS Duncan Kincaid, are married and dealing with the challenges of a blended family and an adopted child with a traumatic past and the consequent special needs. There is no perfect solution to any of these situations and Ms. Crombie is great about not offering impossible solutions where there are none.In a sense, the personal lives of our heroes mirror the complexities of the case presented in The Sound of Broken Glass - a trussed and strangled murder victim and all the questions that arise from the discovery of his corpse. There are lots of connections here between everyone involved, a reminder that England is not America. In America, we scoff at multiple connections because our geography is so large. It's an oddity when I meet a man who grew up in the same small town in Mississippi as my mother at a temporary job in Seattle, WA. If you telescope your vision to a smaller state, however, connections are so common as to be the norm. Given its size, it makes sense to me that people would be more obviously and immediately interconnected in England so all the strings and coincidences that attach each to each work and make sense to me.As much a story about family and friends as it is a murder mystery, The Sound of Broken Glass is a real pleasure. A sharp, well-plotted, well-written procedural that will hold your attention right through the very end.
    • 4/5
      An excellent addition to a series that gets better and better. Characters that you can care aout and enjoy the changes that ensue in each book. Always a historical side that prefaces each chapter. Settings accurate and perfect for both arm chair travelers and those remembering their own trip. Mystery is easy to solve but all the trimmings and trappings make the book.
    • 5/5
      *This is an ARC I won via a goodreads giveaway* 5 Stars!Detective Inspector Gemma James and her partner Detective Sergeant Melody Talbot are investigating the murder of a barrister whose body was found in a very compromising position. No matter if his death was accidental or more sinister they must find out who he spent the evening with. Their investigation will lead them into lies and a circle of secrets kept for years that are still being protected. It’s inevitable to become personally involved in the case, meaning that relationships and careers could depend on them resolving the investigation.This is the 15th book in this series but this is only the second that I have read. The other was No Mark Upon Her which I also really enjoyed. That being said, this would usually drive me a little nutty to not have read all of the previous novels but I don’t feel like I am missing out on anything. Obviously I will read all of the previous books but I will honestly say that it wouldn’t make me feel differently. I really like this series and Ms. Crombie has a new fan.The characters are amazing! They make me laugh and cry and I want to have a cup of coffee or tea with them. I cannot wait for the next book to see what is going to happen to them now. The plot is fantastic as well. I tend to figure things out quickly but these books seem to keep me on my toes even if I have decided “who done it”. I question my theory, which is a big deal for me when it comes to mysteries. I don’t have any complaints at all with this one except that now I have to wait for the next. By now you know that I am going to recommend this one until I am blue in the face or until my fingertips are bleeding.
    • 4/5
      This is a wonderful series, deftly mixing solid mysteries with character development of the regular cast. You wouldn't HAVE to read the series in order, but I'd highly recommend doing so.
    • 5/5
      Another superb story by Ms. Crombie. I love her ability to end a book, in a way that makes the reader hanker for the next one immediately.
    • 4/5
      I am a longtime fan of Elizabeth George, and I have often wished that she would produce more than one new novel per year. So, finally discovering Deborah Crombie’s Scotland Yard detective series (The Sound of Broken Glass being the fifteenth book in the series) last year was one of the highlights of my reading year. The novels of George and Crombie have much in common. Each series is anchored by a group of Scotland Yard detectives who, over the course of the series, change and mature as they experience what ordinary life throws at them. Major characters come and go, sometimes by choice, other times they are claimed by death. And, interestingly, despite the British settings of both series, George and Crombie are both American authors who rely on in-country and Internet research for the authenticity and detail that make their work so special.Crombie’s two central characters are a married couple: detectives Duncan Kinkaid and Gemma James. As The Sound of Broken Glass begins, Duncan, currently on a parental leave of absence, is spending his days caring for the couple’s children, with most of his attention necessarily being devoted to their troubled three-year-old foster daughter. Gemma has now returned to work and is leading a Murder Investigation Team in South London.Gemma’s first investigation as team leader begins early one Saturday morning with a phone call from Detective Sergeant Melody Talbot. Staff in a disreputable Crystal Palace hotel has discovered a dead man – in a rather embarrassing position. The naked man, bound hand and foot, is on his back and appears to have been strangled. Whether he is the victim of murder, or of some sexual game gone bad, is not immediately clear, but he certainly could not have tied himself up the way he was found. The victim, as it turns out, is a London attorney who is neither particularly well liked or respected by his colleagues. What at first appears to be a rather straightforward investigation grows complicated when, a few days later, a second attorney is found dead under very similar circumstances.While the murder investigation is interesting enough, what makes The Sound of Broken Glass even more fun is the way that Crombie continues to develop her central cast of characters. Duncan is itching to get back to work, but his new daughter needs him more than Scotland Yard does; Melody succumbs to a temptation that places her police career in jeopardy; Gemma feels guilty about how little time she has for her family; and Duncan’s old partner, Doug Cullen, is suddenly acting so needy that he is annoying everyone around him – probably including himself. Via a series of flashbacks and real-time developments, Crombie offers a series of clues and misdirection that will keep most mystery fans guessing. I am not very good at solving these things before all is revealed near the end, and it was no different for me with The Sound of Broken Glass. Elizabeth George fans can double their pleasure by reading Deborah Crombie’s Scotland Yard series (and vice versa). Fans of mysteries and police procedurals will not want to miss either of these ladies.Rated at: 4.0
    • 5/5
      My rating: 5 of 5 starsThis is Deborah Crombie' s 15th Duncan/ Gemma novel. This is a 2013 release. Duncan is doing the stay at home dad thing this time. He has his hands full with their new foster child. Gemma steps into her new job and joins her friend Melody on her first case after her promotion. A middle aged man is found tied up and strangled in a seedy motel. Evidently, the man had had an altercation with the guitarist playing in a pub the man frequents. He then left with a woman and that was the last time anyone saw him alive. Thus begins a strange six degrees of separation type thing when Duncan and Gemma realize they know the guitarist and his manager. The connections continue to mount as one person after another seem to be acquainted in some way. For Andy, the guitarist, things get very complicated . He is connected to not just the first murder ,but a second. Is he involved in the murders or is he possibly the next victim? If you aren't very familiar with this series, you will still find the mystery compelling. Plus, you will want to check out previous installments to catch up on what is going on in the characters private lives. Having said that, there are bits that won't be entirely clear to you if you have not read these books in order, which I confess, I have not. These parts deal with Duncan and Gemma' s personal lives and has nothing to do with the actual mystery. This story was well thought out and cleverly plotted. I was sucked in right away. I couldn't guess how on earth all these incidents and people could tie in to each other. The interactions among the characters is natural and real. These characters show a very human side to investigators, who have complicated private lives and make mistakes like everyone else. This was a very solid mystery and I highly recommend it- even if you haven't kept up with the series from the beginning , this is still a great place to start. Overall an A + Thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for the ARC.
    • 4/5
      Probably my favorite of the Gemma James novels so far.
    • 5/5
      This is a DS Duncan Kincaid and DI Gemma James mystery with an emphasis on James. For those not in the know, Kincaid and James are married with several children, the youngest of which is Charlotte, a 3 year old orphan they are fostering. Charlotte is a beautiful child but due to the upheaval in her life she has not settled well in the preschools they've tried, so Kincaid has taken leave to care for her until they can find a solution. That adds quite a lot to this excellent novel as he deals with worry about his job, finding money for a better school, and frustration because he can't help his wife with her mysterious south London murder case.Speaking of her case, the naked body of a middle-aged man has been found in a cheap hotel tied up in a particularly humiliating position. The victim had been strangled. He apparently had used that room frequently for sexual encounters with women he picked up in a nearby bar. Turns out he was a respected barrister known also for his devoted care of his wife who has Alzheimers. The story actually begins much earlier. Told in flashback, we meet a young teenager with a drunken mother and a natural talent for guitar. He goes to Crystal Palace Park each day to play his guitar and get out of his house, an escape ruined by bullies. His neighbor, a young widow who is a French teacher, befriends him but can he escape the bullies? Crystal Palace was a real place. It was an enormous iron and glass building used for exhibitions and other events from 1854 until it burned years later. Now the area around the site is known generally as Crystal Palace. Each chapter is headed by a sentence or two from a guidebook or history about the building and surrounding area. I love history so I was interested in that aspect of the novel.The characters in this series are people you would like to know so you can just settle in for a comfortable time with them as they solve a mystery, keep up with friends, and deal with problems in their personal lives as well. This story also gives us a glimpse into the music world of London as Andy the guitar player tries to get his big break. James' current partner, Melody Talbot, also has a big role in solving this case.Highly recommendedSource: Partners in Crime Book Tours