Where Memories Lie by Deborah Crombie

". . . impressive in its scope and spirit . . ."

An old friend calls Detective Inspector Gemma James to help her find out how a brooch lost before World War II turned up in an auction house in London. Erika Rosenthal’s hasn’t seen it since her husband, David, and she fled a farmhouse in the middle of the night ahead of a ruthless murderer. Jakob Goldshtein’s Art Deco jewelry is prized for its beauty and workmanship, but the brooch was special, a wedding gift to his daughter, an uncatalogued and unknown – until now – piece.

Gemma looks into the case as a favor for Erika, setting in motion a chain of murders her partner, Kincaid, is tasked with solving. Have Gemma’s questions about the brooch driven someone to murder or is it merely a coincidence? She suspects Erika hasn’t told her everything, and those secrets hold the key to David’s murder and put them all in danger.

The world of money, social privilege and jewelry provide the setting for Deborah Crombie’s latest James and Kincaid mystery in Where Memories Lie but this is not the usual trip to the dark side of money and power and auctions. Crombie adds her own twists and turns, adding history, the disparate lives of London’s denizens, the inner workings and caste system of the auction house and a bit of family drama to make things even more interesting.

Crombie has a feel for the inner workings of the human heart, ramping up the emotions and the sense of urgency in Where Memories Lie, making it an engrossing read. Gemma’s family dynamics add credence and reality to the turmoil of motives and secrets swirling around her personal life and give the story texture and reality, setting it foursquare in the heart of a London the tourists seldom see. Where Memories Lie is impressive in its scope and spirit ensuring Crombie a faithful audience waiting anxiously for Gemma and Kincaid’s next foray into London’s dark and secret heart.

Reviewer: J. M. Cornwell