Now may you weep

Here is a country house murder mystery very like the single malt whisky at the heart of it--many-layered, deceptively mellow, packing quite a kick. Crombie separates her popular series characters, Scotland Yard Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and Notting Hill Station Detective Inspector Gemma James, by having Gemma accompany her best friend to the Scottish Highlands for a cookery weekend. Gemma soon learns she was invited as a front for her married friend's assignation with her lover, the owner of a famous Highlands distillery. In the best Agatha Christie tradition, long-standing feuds seethe beneath the placid, well-heeled surface, all bubbling to the top with the friend's visit. Then Gemma stumbles over the distillery owner, killed with a shotgun blast. With that, Gemma and Kincaid join forces again in a sometimes-comic procedural dance, their steps watched jealously by the local constabulary. While sometimes too self-consciously cozy, this is, overall, delightful. --Connie Fletcher Copyright 2003 Booklist

Crombie (And Justice There Is None) offers her most captivating outing yet for Scotland Yard Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James, recently promoted to detective inspector from sergeant. Still getting over the depression caused by her miscarriage, Gemma accepts the invitation of a married friend, Hazel Cavendish, to attend a cooking weekend in Innesfree, Scotland. Gemma thinks the misty, atmospheric landscape of the Highlands, where fine whiskey is distilled and the brogues of the natives ring like music in the air, will be just what she needs to complete her recovery. However, Gemma's hopes are soon dashed by Hazel's revelation that she has come to Innesfree to meet her former lover, Donald Brodie, a handsome distillery owner. When someone shoots Donald dead, Hazel becomes a prime suspect. Gemma investigates, but must be careful to avoid stepping on the toes of DCI Alun Ross, the local authority in charge. Duncan leaves his own problems with his son, Kit, behind in London and joins Gemma in Scotland, but it's Gemma who mainly ferrets out the secrets of the large list of suspects, any one of whom could be the murderer. A master storyteller, Crombie weaves together all the pieces, including a parallel story from a century earlier, to create a fabric as rich and history-laden as a tartan plaid. With vivid settings, well-developed characters and a finely tuned mystery, this is a pure gem guaranteed to satisfy both police procedural and cozy fans. Agent, Nancy Yost. (On sale Oct. 7) Forecast: Crombie has been nominated for Edgar, Agatha and Macavity awards. This time she may finally win one. A six-city author tour can't hurt. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

For Crombie's popular combo, Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and Sergeant Gemma James, Scotland doesn't mean tartans-it means murder. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Detective Inspector Gemma James (And Justice There Is None, 2002, etc.) is cast in some unaccustomed roles--dupe and murder suspect--when she goes to Scotland for a cooking class. Gemma doesn't know what's really cooking. Her friend and former landlady, psychologist Hazel Cavendish, is less interested in picking up culinary expertise from chef John Innes than in rekindling her ancient romance with local distiller Donald Brodie. Not even Hazel knows that Donald's also being pursued by shopgirl Alison Grant, who's pursued in turn (in a neat completion of Crombie's social stratification) by stable owner Callum MacGillivray. The situation is obviously explosive, and when John is killed, the only surprise is that it took so long. As the suspects stand around pointing their fingers at each other--at one point somebody suggests they must all be in it together--DCI Alun Ross gets pointedly interested in Hazel, and even in Hazel's husband Tim, who seemed to be safely tucked away back in London. Meanwhile, Gemma's lover and housemate, Supt. Duncan Kincaid, is threatened with the loss of his late wife's son in a custody suit. For good measure, there's also a series of flashbacks to a pivotal episode in the distillery's history a hundred years ago. The atmosphere is rich and peaty, but the pace is glacial--nearly another century passes before the plot begins to thicken--and neither Gemma nor Kincaid shines as a detective this time. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Here is a country house murder mystery very like the single malt whisky at the heart of it--many-layered, deceptively mellow, packing quite a kick. Crombie separates her popular series characters, Scotland Yard Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and Notting Hill Station Detective Inspector Gemma James, by having Gemma accompany her best friend to the Scottish Highlands for a cookery weekend. Gemma soon learns she was invited as a front for her married friend's assignation with her lover, the owner of a famous Highlands distillery. In the best Agatha Christie tradition, long-standing feuds seethe beneath the placid, well-heeled surface, all bubbling to the top with the friend's visit. Then Gemma stumbles over the distillery owner, killed with a shotgun blast. With that, Gemma and Kincaid join forces again in a sometimes-comic procedural dance, their steps watched jealously by the local constabulary. While sometimes too self-consciously cozy, this is, overall, delightful. ((Reviewed September 15, 2003)) Copyright 2003 Booklist Reviews

For Crombie's popular combo, Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and Sergeant Gemma James, Scotland doesn't mean tartans-it means murder. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

The latest in Crombie's series starring Scotland Yard Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and Inspector Gemma James (And Justice There Is None) finds the two leaving their usual London beat for the Scottish Highlands. Gemma's good friend Hazel Cavendish invites her to attend a cooking weekend. Unbeknown to Gemma, Hazel is also going to decide this weekend whether she should leave her husband for Donald Brodie, the man she almost married years ago. When a murder puts Hazel under suspicion, Duncan joins them to lend his support, even though he is dealing with his ex-mother-in-law's attempt to gain custody of his son. Crombie again has written an intense mystery, full of believable characters. Scotland comes alive with whisky distilleries and through an old family diary that is interwoven in the story. Highly recommended. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 6/15/03.]-Deborah Shippy, Moline P.L., IL Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Crombie (And Justice There Is None) offers her most captivating outing yet for Scotland Yard Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James, recently promoted to detective inspector from sergeant. Still getting over the depression caused by her miscarriage, Gemma accepts the invitation of a married friend, Hazel Cavendish, to attend a cooking weekend in Innesfree, Scotland. Gemma thinks the misty, atmospheric landscape of the Highlands, where fine whiskey is distilled and the brogues of the natives ring like music in the air, will be just what she needs to complete her recovery. However, Gemma's hopes are soon dashed by Hazel's revelation that she has come to Innesfree to meet her former lover, Donald Brodie, a handsome distillery owner. When someone shoots Donald dead, Hazel becomes a prime suspect. Gemma investigates, but must be careful to avoid stepping on the toes of DCI Alun Ross, the local authority in charge. Duncan leaves his own problems with his son, Kit, behind in London and joins Gemma in Scotland, but it's Gemma who mainly ferrets out the secrets of the large list of suspects, any one of whom could be the murderer. A master storyteller, Crombie weaves together all the pieces, including a parallel story from a century earlier, to create a fabric as rich and history-laden as a tartan plaid. With vivid settings, well-developed characters and a finely tuned mystery, this is a pure gem guaranteed to satisfy both police procedural and cozy fans. Agent, Nancy Yost. (On sale Oct. 7) Forecast: Crombie has been nominated for Edgar, Agatha and Macavity awards. This time she may finally win one. A six-city author tour can't hurt. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.