Audiobook10 hours
Where Memories Lie
Written by Deborah Crombie
Narrated by Jenny Sterlin
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
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About this audiobook
New York Times best-selling author Deborah Crombie pens suspenseful English mysteries that have drawn favorable comparisons to the best of P. D. James and Ruth Rendell. Her novel Dreaming of the Bones made the Independent Mystery Booksellers of America's list of the 100 Best Crime Novels of the 20th Century. This time Scotland Yard's Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James delve into a mystery brewing since World War II.
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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Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James Novels
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Titles in the series (5)
Kissed a Sad Goodbye Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Finer End Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Where Memories Lie Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Necessary as Blood Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
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Reviews for Where Memories Lie
Rating: 4.018587314498142 out of 5 stars
4/5
269 ratings17 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Erika Rosenthal, a friend of Scotland Yard Detective Inspector Gemma James, asks for assistance in a personal matter. The favor involves Gemma looking into a brooch created by Erika’s jeweler father and probably stolen by the Nazis early in World War II. The brooch is up for sale at a high-end auction house and Erika would like to stop the sale until the brooch is investigated.But soon someone who’s involved with the sale is dead – and that’s not the only murder. Gemma’s domestic partner Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid asks to be assigned to the murder case and Gemma – on personal leave because of her mother’s serious illness – tags along to help. Much to the chagrin of Kincaid’s sergeant Doug Cullen.A secondary plot – related to the main plot – weaves its way throughout the book. Until the ties between the two plots are revealed later in the book, the secondary plot has a tendency to muddle the main plot, not enlighten readers. I’m pretty sure there’s another way for the author to provide background, and I wish Ms. Crombie would have taken a different route. Still, I love Deborah Crombie’s books and Where Memories Lie doesn’t change that. I’ve been reading the series out of order, something I don’t recommend.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5WHERE MEMORIES LIE by Deborah Crombie is Book #12 in the Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James mystery series. I find this series to be very well-written, interesting, intriguing and well-paced. There are several ‘back stories’ involved which come together in the end due to the detecting skills of Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James and their staffs.Part mystery, part police procedural, part crime drama, part historical fiction, the series makes for very good reading. The personal relationship between Duncan and Gemma makes an interesting backdrop.WHERE MEMORIES LIE begins in Nazi Germany. DI Gemma James goes to the aid of friend, Erika Rosenthal, when a lost diamond brooch (created by Erika’s father) turns up in a London auction house.I would heartily recommend this title and this series.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5One of the things I love about this series is how Crombie weaves secondary characters in and out of the various books (that's also why this is one series I would always recommend reading in order). In this installment, Gemma's friend Erika Rosenthal takes a more primary role than she has before, as the story examines how incidents from her past during and after World War II are fueling a series of murders in the present day.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5When a brooch that belonged to her neighbor Erika's family appears in an auction catalog, Gemma is asked to unofficially look into how it came to be in the auction. The story of the brooch begins during the Holocaust. A young woman from the auction house who took in the brooch turns up dead as do others connected to it. Duncan, Gemma, and their colleagues at the Yard and the metropolitan police find clues that keep the reader interested and involved. Gemma's mother is diagnosed with leukemia in this installment as well. Crombie is one of my favorite authors. This installment in the long-running series does not disappoint.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I realize that I've been reading a lot of romance novels lately, so that's what's on my mind, but even if I hadn't, it would have been hard not to notice that *this* is how you write a love story. First, the mystery -- first class, as is typical with Deborah Crombie. Solid characters, solid story, and an ending that actually took me by surprise. I'm afraid that anything else I say will be a spoiler, so I'll just leave the mystery part at that. As to the love story, or stories, I should say, since it seemed to actually track the cradle to grave cycle of relationships by using four different couples to show it. At the core, of course, was Kincaid and James. Not until the very end did it become clear what was happening in their relationship, but I found the ending to be beautiful and touching in a way that I hadn't expected. Then there was the storyline with Gemma's parents, the very tentative relationship (that may or may not have a future) between Doug Cullen and Melody Talbot, and then the relationship that is core to the mystery itself, that of Gemma's friend Erika Rosenthal and her husband, the story of which largely takes place in 1952. All in all, a rich and engaging book with many layers throughout, that makes me want to go back to the beginning of the series and read it straight through.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Deborah Crombie has used this device before -- the modern-day crime with roots in the past, specifically World War II -- but this may be her richest story yet in that vein. Gemma James's elderly friend Erika Rosenthal, long ago a refugee from Nazi Germany, enlists Gemma's help when a piece of jewelry stolen long ago shows up in an auction catalog. At first an unofficial inquiry, the investigation turns official and involves both Gemma and her husband Duncan as people connected with the case begin turning up dead. Frequent flashbacks give an added dimension to the case and to the character of Erika. On the personal side, Gemma, Duncan, Kit and Toby (and the animals) are just settling in to life together when Gemma's mother becomes gravely ill, prompting first conflict and then some resolution to various family matters. An amusing touch was the introduction of two Family liaison Officers from Kate Charles's recent books (Charles is acknowledged as a "brainstorming buddy" by Crombie).
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5When Erika Rosenthal learns that a valuable brooch that once belonged to her has been entered in an auction at a London firm, she turns to friend and neighbor Gemma James for help. Gemma makes an unofficial inquiry on Erika's behalf. When one of the auction house employees dies suddenly, requiring Scotland Yard to investigate, Gemma talks her domestic partner, Duncan Kincaid, into requesting the case. Duncan, Gemma, and their current working partners work together to solve a crime with roots in Germany's Holocaust.Although this is one of my favorite series, this book seemed a little flat to me. Maybe it was the fact that I read it right after reading a non-fiction book about the Holocaust, and fiction can't compare to the reality of what happened during those years. I had trouble identifying with Gemma, who took personal leave to spend time with her seriously ill and hospitalized mother and then spent most of that time working on Duncan's case. I've been through serious illnesses and hospitalizations with both of my parents, and I spent as much time as possible at the hospital with them, particularly at the beginning of the hospitalization when they were undergoing tests and we were waiting for word from doctors about the prognosis and course of treatment.I think this book would work as a stand-alone. However, most readers will want to read the books in this series in sequence, since the main characters' personal lives are as important as the crimes they investigate.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This book is in a series, however I read it without benefit of reading any of the other books. I thought it was easy to read and follow without knowing anything else about the characters. When Erika discovers a family heirloom up for sale at an auction house, she immediately relieves the horror of fleeing from the Nazis. During that flight the heirloom was taken from her. Erika turns to her friend, Detective Gemma James to uncover any information that she can and discover if a Nazi is hidden among them.I did not expect to like this book. However I found the characters well developed, the writing style impeccable and the plot line entertaining. Overall, I thought this was a great novel, one any true crime/history buff would enjoy.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5WHERE MEMORIES LIE lived up to my expectations of a good read. I confused myself just a little by having read a later title last year. If you are starting out, then do read some of the earlier titles in order. I don't think you necessarily have to read hem all (I don't think I have) but certainly part of the pleasure is the ongoing story of Duncan and Gemma's family life.I was struck also by the serendipity of the fact that I had so recently finished listening to SARAH'S KEY, which was also related to the persecution of the Jews during World War II.Gemma James, perhaps more so than Duncan Kincaid, is a very believable character, and I identify with many of her concerns as she tries to maintain a career in the face of family responsibilities. In WHERE MEMORIES LIE her mother is admitted to hospital with a serious illness and her father takes his frustrations out on Gemma.As I said earlier, a good read. One of the things that strikes me is how Deborah Crombie, an American author who admittedly spends a lot of of time in the UK, can write what feels such an authentically British crime novel.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5First Line: The day was utterly miserable for early May, even considering the expected vagaries of English weather.When a diamond brooch, stolen decades ago, turns up for sale in a London auction house, the owner, Dr. Erika Rosenthal, turns to her friend Inspector Gemma James for help. Rosenthal and her husband escaped Nazi Germany, and the brooch was stolen on their journey to England. Gemma barely begins to investigate when a young auction house employee connected to the sale of the brooch is killed. Soon anyone who had anything to do with the brooch seems to meet a fatal accident.Woven in with this mystery is the unsolved murder of Rosenthal's husband in 1952, but in many ways, this book has more to do with the personal lives of the characters than the mystery... at least it felt that way to me. This is not a complaint because Crombie's characters are some of my absolute favorites, and their lives are just as important to me as the mysteries they solve. Fortunately Crombie is quite skilled at providing intriguing mysteries while advancing the lives of her characters.Although I deduced the killer about halfway through the book, if I'd twigged to one small clue, it would have been much earlier. Once learned that one small clue seemed so obvious that I feel I should turn in my Junior G-Man badge in shame.If I ever have any sort of reading slump, I've become accustomed to turning to Crombie to get me back on the rails. Unfortunately I have only one book left in the series before I'm all caught up and forced to wait for the newest one. You may not be able to tell from there, but I'm sitting here pouting.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Deborah Crombie is very strong at portraying complicated, conflicted characters believably. Where other mystery writers will have one-dimensional minor characters, Crombie’s seem like they could step off the page as flesh and blood. It’s a wonderful talent, and adds to the attraction of her long series of books. Many authors have a large cast of recurring characters, but Crombie’s aren’t just thrown in to pad the story. There is a major dose of domestic drama to add to the mystery plot, true, but they are skillfully integrated in a way that increases the tension.The plot of Where Memories Lie takes place in the past as well as the present, which adds some complexity, but viewed in retrospect the motive and culprit are possible to identify relatively early on. Not that I did. I found the dénouement a surprise and satisfying. Full marks for a good read.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5An Art Deco brooch looted by the Nazis shows up in an auction house and causes a chain of deaths. A parallel murder from the 1950's is also solved. The latest in the Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James mystery series, as usual this also shows some of their private lives, including Gemma's mother's sudden illness.Enjoyable, but not as good as some in the series.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This twelfth in the Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James series is a killer! I love this series, and this book upholds the high standard that Ms. Crombie has set with this wonderful series. This is probably the best new book that I've read this summer as well! Crombie mixes the past with the present in this book, and it is done in a totally unique way. Gemma's friend Erika finds out a brooch that was made by her father before the war has turned up for sale in England, and she wants to know where it came from after all these years. This sets loose a whole series of catastrophic events and brand new murders to cover up an old secret. We see Gemma and Duncan working together to solve this puzzling crime. This is a totally wonderful series, and I highly recommend that anyone interested in police procedurals read it from beginning to end. Ms. Crombie is a wonderful writer who I have come to admire totally.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This is an excellent addition to the author's series. The worst thing about it is that now I am caught up with the series and have to wait until she finishes her next book!As usual, Crombie intersperses flashbacks with her current-day story. In the wrong hands this can be an irritation, but she does it skillfully and in such a way that it adds to the mystery and plot. She also capably ties everything together at the end, unlike some authors who try this technique and end up leaving the reader confused. I recommend all the books in this series. The book starts with the discovery of a long-lost brooch in an auction catalog; Gemma James and Duncan Kincaid get involved because the brooch had belonged to their friend Erika Rosenthal. Crombie weaves together murders from the 1950s and now which Gemma and Duncan must resolve. Along the way, she gives us more details about their life and Gemma's family.I will admit that I was able to guess the modern-day murderer's identity by about halfway through, but that didn't detract from my enjoyment of the remainder of the book.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Good but not quite as enjoyable as her previous Gemma/Kincaid mysteries.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Deborah Crombie, like Laurie King, is one of the most reliably good writers. I have never disliked one of her books, and one, Dreaming of the Bones, I thought was of the highest literary quality. Her series is set in London. The two main characters are Gemma James and Duncan Kincaid, both in the police. Their relationship has developed over the course of the series, and each has a son from a previous marriage. This novel switches back and fortth between scenes with different characters in different time periods. Gradually the pieces come together in a powerful and satisfying novel. Highly recommended.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Characters continue to grow. Back story about Ericka, Gemma's Mom is ill, Gemma makes progress with relationship with her father, Gemma agrees to marry Duncan. Very satisfying.