A Finer End (Duncan Kincaid / Gemma James Book 7)

This is a paranormal mystery from start to finish, so if you prefer no paranormal/supernatural elements, I suggest you pass on this. Also, you may want to skip this book if you prefer mysteries that skew heavily to police procedures, books that start off with a murder, or fast-paced thrillers.I read Deborah Crombie sporadically, mostly when I want a leisurely, character-driven mystery with some police procedural elements. As usual, I like the police protagonists, but I was more invested in the characters who were investigating the history of Glastonbury and paranormal events associated with the local church.The actual murder is established at 47% Kindle mark, and by then, the characters have been well-established—including various red-herrings. That’s also when Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James make it to Glastonbury.I enjoyed the leisurely read, because it’s what I wanted. Now I need a change of pace.

Duncan Kincaid’s cousin Jack Montfort has been plagued with spells of automatic writing, evidently from an early medieval monk attached to the Abbey at Glastonbury. He and a number of friends are working energetically to discover what it’s all about, but when his girlfriend, the local vicar, is injured in a car accident and then another person associated with the group is found dead, ostensibly drowned, Jack calls on Duncan to help him figure out the case. In the meantime, Gemma James is keeping a secret while she tries to help a young pregnant girl who is also involved in mystery at Glastonbury….This is the seventh Kincaid/James novel, and at last I feel caught up in my reading of this series as the next book,"And Justice There Is None," is one that I read in 2018, completely out of sequence. I enjoyed the character relationships, as per usual, and the Glastonbury setting was quite exotic and mysterious, but the actual causes of the crimes didn’t really live up to the suggestive nature of the tale; a mild recommendation from me, then.

I enjoyed reading the earlier books in this series, but this one seemed to have been written by another author. The mystical elements were presented as simple facts as if it was perfectly normal for an entire town to view hallucinations and thousand year old ghosts as commonplace. I kept hoping that Duncan and Gemma would find some chemical in the drinking water to explain the mass hysteria, but they too were caught up in the mysticism. The mystery wasn't very intriguing and the two lead characters seemed to come from another series altogether. I hope Crombie returns to the type of English mystery that showcases sound detective work and a strong relationship between Duncan and Gemma.

Maybe Ms. Crombie needed a paid for trip to England. This book is so bogged down by Old Glastonbury Abbey legend, BARELY IF AT ALL connected to a crime. A lot of mumbo-jumbo not accounted for as part of the story line. What a slog! I skipped multiple pages to read if my solving skills were validated, never losing the weak thread of this novel. Ugh.

I think readers who have been to Glastonbury will appreciate this novel more than others will. The history of the Abbey and the myths surrounding Glastonbury Tor drive this mystery, while Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James play a lesser role than in Deborah Crombie's other mysteries. In fact, I felt I understood the personalities and motivations of the secondary characters, who are as finely drawn as usual, more than I understood Kincaid and James in this story. Crombie's mysteries are set close together in time, which means little has happened since the last installment; but I did not feel the relationship between Kincaid and James progressed between the two novels or within this novel. In addition, uncritical acceptance of clues from supernatural sources did not seem in character for these two London detectives. On the other hand, the history of this location is interesting, and this mystery is very well plotted with a number of plausible motivations and suspects. It definitely held my interest even though it wasn't one of my favorite Kincaid/James mysteries.

This novel is a delightful surprise. The reader is well introduced to Glastonbury and the characters before a crime is commited. The protagonists, Duncan & Gemma are hardly mentioned until midway through the novel. I enjoyed the plot, the new characters and, most enthusiastically, Glastonbury, which is a character in her own right!!

Intriguing story. Only got suspicious re who might have done it toward the very end. I did figure out who the father of Faith's baby was fairly early on, though. Didn't ruin the story for me however. I will definitely buy the next book because I'm eager to find out how Duncan and Gemma resolve their "problems" and what happens with Duncan's son, Kit. Those side stories are almost as interesting to me as the actual mystery. BTW, for those who complain that there's too much dithering surrounding the mystery I want to remind you that Louise Penny (Inspector Gamache) who may be the queen of the genre, has a lot going on before the mystery is solved as well.

What a wonderful story. I have yet to read a Deborah Crombie book that I didn't love or could have put down, which was the case of this book. I have climbed Glastonbury Tor and relived the experience through the characters in this book. What a fascinating mix of history, myth and legend. Mixing all with the present and twisting it together with great characters and mystery make for a great read.

I began reading the Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James books in the middle of the series - Water Like a Stone - and was hooked but, to be honest, I wouldn’t have read all Deborah Crombie’s 18 in the series had I started at the first which Is good but not as rounded as the later novels and I held off commenting on any until completed the marathon. Firstly, I can say, without fear or favour, that I thoroughly enjoyed all of the mysteries. They are all whodunnits but centred around an expanding group of families and friends. While each book covers a separate mystery and murder(s) there is the recurrent theme of the family that runs through all the stories - and often murders come to Duncan and Gemma - separately and together. Because of the titles there is no need for a spoiler alert to the readers of the first book to know that Duncan and Gemma become an item and then a family - not as quickly as one might think. Having read a number of books that have been turned into TV series I’m surprised that no-one has attempted to turn what I believe to be one of the finest of the genre - I have not come across another series that so economically but finely draws its main characters. However, I notice that many of the current TV series have relatively few central characters and that perhaps the increasing cast of friends and family (despite losing a few on the way) might put producers off.

Jack Montefort moves back to the place of his childhood, Glastonbury, when his wife dies. After some time he becomes close to Winnie, the parish priest whilst at the same time experiencing episodes of automatic writing. It's as if a dead monk from Glastobury's past is trying to get an urgent message across. Freaked out and convinced he is suffering a breakdown possibly due to his berevement he confides in Winnie; but she has other ideas what this could be. Jack calls on his cousin DS Kincaid when an attempt on Winnie's life is made and so the investigation into these strange occurances begins. Here we have automatic writing, a splash of the supernatural, dead monks, mystery chants and angelic music floating around in the night, you would imagine this to be a bit of a disaster... but it's not! It had me gripped all the way through. Close on Winne's attack comes murder and when Kincaid's partner arrives a full investigation gets underway. It's a very imaginative story but told so well it's believable. The story of the Holy Grail not actually being an object but something quite different I found fasinating and you become absorbed into the myths and legends associated with this special place known as Avalon. A really engrossing read, very well told and a must if you enjoy your books to be imaginative.

Good condition from this seller. I so enjoy this author I had to add to my collection. A good read as usual.

Glastonbury is prominent in this superior police procedural taking Kincaid and James a little further in their relationship. Automatic writing aside (I was able to accept it as part of a good yarn) there were too many grating Americanisms not just in the narrative, but in the reported speech. A competent editor should have dealt with the 'kibble factor' and made a good book better.

good read