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    Garden of Lamentations: A Novel
    Garden of Lamentations: A Novel
    Garden of Lamentations: A Novel
    Audiobook12 hours

    Garden of Lamentations: A Novel

    Written by Deborah Crombie

    Narrated by Gerard Doyle

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    Scotland Yard detectives Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James are drawn into separate investigations that hold disturbing—and deadly—complications for their own lives in this powerful mystery in the bestselling series.

    On a beautiful morning in mid-May, the body of a young woman is found in one of Notting Hill’s private gardens. To passersby, the pretty girl in the white dress looks as if she’s sleeping. But Reagan Keating has been murdered, and the lead detective, DI Kerry Boatman, turns to Gemma James for help. She and Gemma worked together on a previous investigation, and Gemma has a personal connection to the case: Reagan was the nanny of a child who attends the same dance studio as Toby, Gemma and Kincaid’s son.

    Gemma soon discovers that Reagan’s death is the second tragedy in this exclusive London park; a few months before, a young boy died in a tragic accident. But when still another of the garden residents meets a violent end, it becomes clear that there are more sinister forces at play. Boatman and Gemma must stop the killer before another innocent life is taken.

    While his wife is consumed with her new case, Kincaid finds himself plagued by disturbing questions about several previous—and seemingly unrelated—cases involving members of the force. If his suspicions are correct and the crimes are linked, are his family and friends in mortal danger as well? Kincaid’s hunch turns to certainty when a Metropolitan Police officer close to him is brutally attacked. There’s a traitor in the ranks, and now Kincaid wonders if he can trust anyone.

    As Gemma begins to see a solution to her case, she realizes she holds a child’s fate in her hands. Can she do the right thing? And can Kincaid rely on his friends, both inside and outside the Scotland Yard force, to stand beside him as he faces the deadliest challenge of his career?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateFeb 7, 2017
    ISBN9780062472618
    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 Garden of Lamentations

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    • 5/5
      Number 17 in this series, Garden of Lamentations finds detectives Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James trying to parent their three children when both have absorbing cases to work on. Duncan’s involves an near fatal attack on his former boss, Denis Childs, newly returned from a transplant operation. Before he left, Childs transferred and demoted Kincaid. Childs was and is acting suspicious, which only makes Kincaid more and more curious. Gemma becomes involved with a case involving the murder of a young nanny whose charge, Jess, takes dance classes at the same studio where Gemma’s son Toby does. When the powers that be discover Gemma’s friends with two of the girls’ neighbors, she seconded to the officer in charge of the case. This series has great characters, intricate plots and top-notch writing -- and is among my favorites. It’s amazing how the author can maintain the quality level year after year – and continue to keep readers interested and stories fresh.
    • 3/5
      I have long loved Gemma and Duncan and their milieu, but this installment was lackluster. Plus, I was dismayed by a horrifying typo — "you're" instead of "your"!
    • 4/5
      Garden of Lamentations by Deborah Crombie is a 2017 William Morrow publication.Another strong, gripping installment in the Kincaid and James series!This seventeenth installment is very involved and busy. Gemma is asked to help solve the murder of a young nanny found in the exclusive London Park. In the course of their investigation, they uncover even more deaths in the area, one of them, a child.Meanwhile, Duncan is drawn ever deeper into the cases he thinks are related, which involve members of the force. When a Metropolitan police officer is attacked, Duncan is now positive there is a rat in their midst, and he doesn’t know who he can trust.The situation has Duncan spiraling down a dark path as his alcohol intake increases and his secrets from Gemma begin driving a wedge between them.If you haven’t been faithfully reading this series in order, you might want to make sure you have read the two previous chapters in this series before tackling this one. There are many references to events in the last book and because there is so much going on it could be quite confusing if you aren’t familiar with what has transpired up to this point.For the first time we see Gemma and Duncan hit a serious and worrisome rough patch in their relationship and each of the recurring characters are individually haunted – both professionally and personally.Both cases are suspenseful and compelling, although the overall tone of this installment was different from any before it, in my opinion. While we love Gemma and Duncan’s teamwork, the relatively mild moments of doubt and the insecurities they encounter, has never truly put their relationship to the test. It was realistic to expect them to face relationship bumps, and to show their humanity and flaws.Overall, this was another excellent episode in the series, and it wraps up a few threads and opens the series up for deeper connections with the characters and for stronger bonds between Gemma and Duncan and their friends and colleagues.While I’m looking forward to the next chapter in the series, I’m going to wait a little while before reading it. It’s the only one I have left to read before I’m all caught up, and then I’ll have to start waiting for the next release like everyone else. It’s been rewarding to read the series from start to finish. It has grown stronger and stronger over time and has become one of my favorite British mystery series!4 stars
    • 4/5
      Gemma at the request of the investigating officer works outside her own beat on a case in which a nanny is found murdered in a garden. She became involved because her good friend was a friend of the woman employing the nanny. This leaves Melody in charge at their precinct. When Chief Supt. Dennis Childs is critically injured following a meeting with Duncan in which he told Duncan the reason he transferred him before going to Singapore for medical treatment was to keep him safe, Duncan begins to piece together events of the last few investigations. He isn't certain who he can trust so he keeps much to himself until he needs Doug's assistance. He fears he could be a target. Gemma feels Duncan is shutting her out as he tries to protect her and their children by keeping the investigation quiet. Duncan, with the help of Doug and Melody, slowly pieces together the corruption case, but they must figure out how to blow it open without ending up as victims. Both threads would make excellent separate installments. The two together is almost too much of a good thing. I listened to the audio version read by Gerard Doyle.
    • 5/5
      GARDEN OF LAMENTATIONS is Book #17 of the Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James Mystery series by Deborah Crombie.I must say how much I enjoy the gorgeous maps. Many gardens are outlined, as are areas of London - Earl’s Court, Kensington Gardens, Cornwall Gardens, Holland Park, Holborn, St. Pancras, and Notting Hill.An essay, ‘A Short History of London Squares’, is included. It was very interesting and informative.This series gives the reader a ‘complete reading experience’ - a tense mystery; a police procedural; a crime drama; a wonderful sense of place/location; interesting, personable characters; a many-layered plot; and maps. The reader is fully engaged.Duncan and Gemma are working separate investigations. Gemma is called in to investigate the suspicious death of Reagan Keating, a young girl found dead in a private garden area in Notting Hill. Duncan is quietly (and dangerously) investigating several murders that he traces to a secret and very corrupt special ops group in the Force. Duncan is concerned that his discoveries may put himself, his family, his friends and co-workers, Doug and Melody, in danger.A highly, highly recommended title and series.
    • 3/5
      It was probably more of a four-star book, but it relied on the reader having a knowledge of previous events in the series. Yes, one wants a mystery series to build on previous events, but it's also nice when each mystery stands alone, so that new readers can come on board at any point. It may seem a minor quibble—and it is—but, as a bookseller, it makes the book a challenge to handsell unless you know for sure that your customer has read the previous books.
    • 4/5
      The first book I read by Deborah Crombie was the 14th in her Gemma James/Duncan Kincaid mystery series No Mark Upon Her. When a female rower, who happened to be a Met detective, drowns under mysterious circumstances, Scotland Yard detectives James and Kincaid are on the case.I was immediately drawn into the story, thanks mostly to the interesting characters. Gemma and Duncan are work and life partners, and we get to know the other detectives, Melody and Doug, who assist them. The central London area where the action takes place is also an intriguing character.Crombie's 17th book in the series, The Garden of Lamentations, begins a few years later. Although I have missed a few books in between, I was able to pick up without missing too much.A young nanny is found dead in a walled off garden area, accessible only by the people who live adjacent to it. Gemma is drawn into the investigation by a friend of hers who lives near there.Meanwhile, when an undercover cop is found dead, a suspected suicide, Kincaid is contacted by his former boss, whom he hasn't talked to since the boss abruptly transferred Kincaid. After Kincaid meets with his boss in a restaurant, the boss is attacked and left for dead.Kincaid becomes obsessed with the attack and the possible connection to the undercover cop's death. Was it really suicide or is it something more sinister? Are cops being targeted and is he next?In this story, everyone seems to be split up and pulled apart. Melody takes over Gemma's responsibilities while Gemma is pulled into the dead nanny's murder. Doug is no longer working with Kincaid. Kincaid's preoccupation with his case has kept him away from his and Gemma's children- teenage Kit, seven-year-old Toby and three year-old Charlotte. Gemma is upset that he is not confiding in her.It took me awhile to get into The Garden of Lamentations, but once I did, I couldn't stop reading until I was done. The neighborhood where the nanny was killed is filled with many interesting Agatha Christie-like characters- the parents who lost a young son last year and blamed the dead nanny, a busybody woman obsessed with the garden, the nanny's highstrung boss and her son who wants to be a ballet dancer- that took a bit to keep straight.Kincaid's investigation leads him back to the case from No Mark Upon Her, as well as to an incident from 1994 involving an undercover police operation infiltrating possible terrorist organizations. There is alot to keep track of here, but Crombie keeps her eye on the ball and everything comes together in the end.I liked that there are so many female police officers in the story. Gemma, Melody, Gemma's new partner in the nanny investigation is a woman, and later in the story we meet a high ranking woman in Scotland Yard. It's no big deal here, the way it should be.Fans of Irish mystery writer Tana French (The Dublin Murder Squad series) will like Deborah Crombie's The Garden of Lamentations. They both write taut, character-driven mysteries that immerse the reader in the location of the story. I highly recommend The Garden of Lamentations, although I will say that this perhaps is not a good book to jump into the series with. People who have read previous books in the series will get much more out of it.
    • 4/5
      This is an elaborate police procedural murder mystery story, one of a series with the same main characters. It's set in contemporary Britain. There's actually two distinct storylines: one is the continuation/resolution of a story from a previous book in the series, and the other is a standalone murder mystery unique to this book. It's well-crafted and well paced which makes for a good read.Recommended.
    • 4/5
      Another excellent addition to one of my favorite series. Kincaid and team investigate corruption at the Met.
    • 4/5
      Hard as it is to believe, Garden of Lamentations is Deborah Crombie’s seventeenth novel in the Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James series that started in 1993 with publication of A Share in Death. Fans of the series will come into this one already knowing that Kincaid and James are husband and wife police detectives who live in London with their three children. They will also likely know that in the previous novel in the series, To Dwell in Darkness, Duncan was transferred from his Scotland Yard position to an outlying police district and that Duncan became involved in an investigation that very much made him worry about the personal safety of himself and his family. Not only were Duncan and Gemma pushed to their physical and mental limits, their best friends (and fellow cops), Doug and Melody, were equally tested. The last few pages of To Dwell in Darkness hinted of more dark things to come for the four characters, and Crombie is quick to pick up on that theme in Garden of Lamentations. Do not, however, worry too much about reading this one even if you haven’t read in the series before, because this new one works pretty well as a standalone novel also.It all starts for Gemma James when the body of a young woman is discovered early one morning inside the walled, private garden of a group of wealthy London property owners. As it turns out, the young victim had been acquainted with one of Gemma’s close friends, and that friendship somehow sucks Gemma into the investigation before she realizes what is happening. She is not particularly happy about that, but when her friend’s influential husband manages to get her officially seconded to the investigation there is no getting out of it. Regular mystery readers will recognize this as a version of the classic “locked room” type of mystery – no way into the garden without first going through one of the residences that surround it.In the meantime, Kincaid is revisiting the unfinished business from the previous novel and what he learns is enough to scare him to death. It seems that the rot inside Scotland Yard and the London Police runs deep and to very high levels. Cops and ex-cops are being killed all over London and it is up to Kincaid, Doug, and Melody, to figure out who is calling the shots before they themselves become victims of the same plot. The two storylines pretty much run independently of each other, intersecting only when the main characters meet up to touch base and work out the resentments and hurt feelings resulting from having had so little personal contact with each other. Because both of the plot lines are complicated and involve multiple characters and red herrings, I advise the reader to pay strict attention to what is revealed; this is not a novel to read when you are drowsy or have other distractions. Pay attention, however, and you will be intrigued by both the investigations and where they lead (pay particular attention to the descriptions and names in the flashback to 1994). Crombie has another winner on her hands. Her novels cannot help but remind the reader of Elizabeth George’s Inspector Lynley series, another detective series set in London but written by an American, but in my estimation, Crombie’s recent novels are more satisfying and enjoyable than George’s recent ones. If you are unfamiliar with Crombie, jump on board. You’ll be happy that you did.
    • 5/5
      I'm a big fan of Deborah Crombie's series that features Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James. The latest (#17) is Garden of Lamentations.Now both working for Scotland Yard, Gemma and Duncan have two puzzling - and disturbing - cases on their hands. Gemma is after the murderer of a young woman found in a private London garden. And Duncan believes that there's a traitor in the ranks - especially after a former mentor is attacked. This thread has been present in the last few books - and comes to a head in Garden of Lamentations.I've written in my previous reviews ..."the most captivating of all, is the large group of characters that appear in each book, their lives changing and growing with every new entry. They're so well drawn, they've become almost real, especially Duncan, Gemma and their children. I feel like I know them. Although others may complain that the domestic details of the characters detracts from a good mystery, I find it gives the story much more depth. I've become invested in their lives and want to see where Crombie takes them from here. Sitting down with the latest feels like catching up with old friends." This is what has me always eagerly awaiting the next book from Crombie.But Crombie's mysteries and investigations are just as strong as her characterizations. The clues, suspicions and what-ifs are there for the reader to discover along with the police. I enjoy not knowing the 'whodunit' until the final pages. Crombie gives us lots of choices along the way.I'm not sure what the next book will bring - there's a plot turn that has me wondering if the series will continue or is simply moving shop..... If you've not read Crombie before, I suggest starting with earlier books - this latest draws on previous events.
    • 5/5
      It's been a long three years between the publication of To Dwell in Darkness and this latest Kincaid and James mystery, Garden of Lamentations. Crombie's series has been one of my favorites since I read the very first book, so getting this latest installment was a major priority. I'd barely started reading when I found myself sinking into the magic of a good story and one of the best casts of characters in fiction.There was a very palpable feeling of danger around Duncan, and since he felt as though he couldn't confide in Gemma, this led to some strain and bitterness on Gemma's part. And speaking of Gemma-- I do love the way she treats witnesses during her investigations. There's such a gentleness and compassion to the way she behaves that I think I'd be telling her all my deep dark secrets within five minutes. Duncan's plotline held most of the danger while Gemma's gave us an intimate look at the families living in those London homes that share a private garden. In their relationships and behavior, the families sharing one of those gardens are a microcosm of London. Both investigations compliment each other very well, and with an interesting proposal by Kincaid's parents at the end of the book, here I am in a very familiar position: waiting eagerly for Deborah Crombie's next book!
    • 5/5
      Gemma deals with the locked garden murder of a nanny and Duncan uncovers serious upper level corruption in London's Metropolitan Police.
    • 4/5
      The latest in the series featuring the crime-fighting husband-wife police duo Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James. This is a slightly unusual entry, as for the first time in the series (that I can remember) there is a continuing mystery plot involving possible corruption in the Metropolitan Police. That's where Duncan's obsession lies, and his fear of exposing his wife and fellow officers to danger has him keeping secrets and worrying Gemma. She, in the meantime, is working a murder case involving a dead nanny, a young male ballet prodigy, and a variety of colorful characters whose homes share a common garden. I wasn't enthusiastic about the corruption storyline when it surfaced in the last book, but it was resolved quite nicely here and ended up furthering the relationship between Duncan and Gemma, which is really the main attraction of this series for me, if I'm being honest. This is a series worth starting at the beginning.
    • 5/5
      I have long loved the Duncan Kincaid and Jemma James series, and every book in it is well-worth the read, but this book! This is the 17th book in the series, and I think by far the best! Deborah Crombie lives in Texas, but she spends a great deal of time in London doing research for her books. She writes of London and it's streets and buildings like a true Londoner. In this book Jemma and Duncan are each on their own investigations since they work for different districts. Jemma is on the trail of a particularly sadistic killer of a young Nanny who is found in a park not far from where Jemma and Duncan live. What starts out as a seemingly simple investigation, turns into one with repercussions close to home. Duncan is on his own investigation into something that has far-reaching consequences. A close friend and his old superviosr was mugged on his way home after an evening when he had met Duncan for a drink. Duncan realizes that Denis Childs has a past history that is reaching it's cold fingers out to the present and to people and colleagues that are still in the force today. A trail of apparent suicides and accidents of police officers or former officers, is leading Duncan into a morass of danger, deception and corruption which extends high up into the upper echelons of the force. Through it all we have glimpses of Gemma and Duncan's family life with their three children and numerous pets. It's these glimpses into domesticity that put both cases in a very chilling light, since all could be endangered by either one of their investigations. This is a grab-you-by-throat thriller which will keep you madly turning pages until the end. I highly recommend this book and this series to people who love hard-hitting thrillers with a very human aspect. Duncan and Gemma are so realistically portrayed that it all becomes personal to the reader as you read through the books.
    • 4/5
      Garden of Lamentations is the 17th book in the Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James series by Deborah Crombie. The previous book came out in 2014, so it has been a while for fans of this series. Duncan Kincaid is a Detective Superintendant, who has recently been transferred from Scotland Yard to the Camden CID, while his wife, and former Sergeant, Detective Inspector Gemma James, heads up a CID team in another London borough. They live in a rented Notting Hill home with Duncan's son Kit, Gemma's son Toby and their adopted daughter Charlotte. Duncan is still wondering why Detective Chief Superintendant Dennis Childs transferred him away from Scotland Yard and then took a leave of absence, so when his current boss tells him that Childs is back in town, he decides to visit Scotland Yard and Childs. Meanwhile, the occasional babysitter of a good friend's child has been found murdered in a locked community garden, and Gemma has been called upon to assist the DI in charge of the investigation. After Duncan secretly meets Childs, Childs is found nearby alive, but unconscious with a serious head injury. Duncan believes that Childs' accident, as well as his transfer, are related to the last case he was on before his transfer which involved an undercover police officer with the Met. He starts an unofficial investigation due to his suspicions but doesn't keep Gemma informed, thereby putting a strain on their relationship.I have enjoyed reading this series for many years and always look forward to the next book in the series. This one did not disappoint me. I feel as though I am catching up with old friends, each time I read one of these books. Both Duncan and Gemma are written very realistically, and there is a lot of back story about their relationship, friends, and family. Crombie's writing is very fluid and easy to read. I know there are some readers who feel that there is too much detail, but I feel that she has written no spare words; to me, everything she writes is in some way integral to the plot.Garden of Lamentations could be read as a stand-alone novel, but I think it is best read as part of the story, as to read it as a stand-alone, one would miss so much of the build-up of the relationships and story that make this series so good.
    • 3/5
      Although I have always enjoyed the Kincaid and Gemma series, it seems to be getting a little tired. This book includes just about every character who has passed through their lives and does advance their family dynamic but the involvement of the mystery part seems a secondary story. Guess this will be my last for the series.
    • 5/5
      When Detective Inspector Gemma James joins Detective Chief Inspector Kerry Boatman to investigate the death of a young woman, she discovers Reagan Keating was the nanny for Jess Cusick, a child attending the same ballet school as her son, Toby. But as they dig into the case, the detectives discover that this is not the first death in the garden. And what will Gemma do when she discovers that solving her case will directly affect the life of a child?Meanwhile, Gemma’s husband, Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid struggles with questions about earlier cases and deaths he fears were murders rather than suicides. Can he find the answers before there’s another victim in this vicious cycle of deaths? Unsettled and uncertain, Duncan fears for the safety of those around him and doesn’t know who can be trusted. When his solitary investigation keeps him away from home, will his search for the truth cost him his family?In this, the seventeenth book in the series, readers will find a nice balance between police work and home life for Gemma and Duncan who now have a house, three children, two cats, a dog, and never enough time. Deftly plotted, with unexpected twists and steadily-building suspense, this finely-crafted tale will keep readers captivated. Familiar, believable characters and captivating mysteries draw readers into the narrative and keep them guessing until the unexpected reveal. The combination of the intriguing locked garden murder and an enigmatic, long-ago undercover assignment make this unputdownable book one of the best in the series.Highly recommended.
    • 4/5
      Like a visit to catch up with old friends, that is how I feel about the Kincaid and James series. Both detectives, married to each other, children, pets working out of different stations and not enough time in a day. Been there, done that but my commitments don't include solving a murder or dealing with corruption in the Met. Gemma becomes embroiled in Tue suspicious death of a young nanny, found in a communal though locked garden. Kincaid, takes off from the last book. Now transferred but still questioning the death of a friend from the last case. Before end of book, he will have many more questions and suspicions.A tightly plotted book, a perfect combination of family and mystery, characters and police procedural. The secondary cast I have come to know and like as well. This is such a fantastic series, I always look forward to the next.ARC from William Morrow publishersReleases February 7th.
    • 4/5
      Very good upcoming entry in the Duncan Kincaid-Gemma Jones series. Continues storylines under way since No Mark Upon Her.