The Sound of Broken Glass (Kincaid and James Series, 15)
Deborah Crombie, 2013
HarperCollins
359 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780061990632
Summary
In the past...
On a blisteringly hot August afternoon in Crystal Palace, once home to the tragically destroyed Great Exhibition, a solitary thirteen-year-old boy meets his next-door neighbor, a recently widowed young teacher hoping to make a new start in the tight-knit South London community. Drawn together by loneliness, the unlikely pair forms a deep connection that ends in a shattering act of betrayal.
In the present...
On a cold January morning in London, Detective Inspector Gemma James is back on the job now that her husband, Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid, is at home to care for their three-year-old foster daughter. Assigned to lead a Murder Investigation Team in South London, she's assisted by her trusted colleague, newly promoted Detective Sergeant Melody Talbot. Their first case: a crime scene at a seedy hotel in Crystal Palace. The victim: a well-respected barrister, found naked, trussed, and apparently strangled.
Is it an unsavory accident or murder? In either case, he was not alone, and Gemma's team must find his companion—a search that takes them into unexpected corners and forces them to contemplate unsettling truths about the weaknesses and passions that lead to murder. Ultimately, they will begin to question everything they think they know about their world and those they trust most. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—June 6, 1952
• Raised—McKinney, Texas, USA
• Education—Austin College; Tarrant County
College
• Awards—3 Macavity Awards (more below)
• Currently—lives in McKinney, Texas
Deborah Crombie (nee Darden) is an American author of the Duncan Kinkaid / Gemma James mystery series set in the United Kingdom. Crombie was raised in McKinney, Texas, studied Biology at Austin College, and was a writing student of Warren Norwood at Tarrant County College. She has lived in both England and Scotland in the UK.
Crombie began writing her first mystery after dissecting the structure of books by mystery novelists—and has never had a rejection slip. The author of more a dozen novels, she is a top regarded mystery writer. The Independent Mystery Booksellers selected her 1997 Dreaming of the Bones as one of the 100 Best Crime Novels of the Century. She is a three-time Macavity Award winner, an Edgar Award nominee, and New York Times Notable author.
Crombie still lives in McKinney, Texas, sharing a house that is more than one hundred years old with her husband, three cats, and two German shepherds. (Adapted from the publisher and Wikipedia.)
Book Reviews
The Sound of Broken Glass, Deborah Crombie’s 15th mystery featuring the Scotland Yard detectives Gemma James and Duncan Kincaid, is new on the hardcover fiction list at No. 9. These books are as British as Downton Abbey, so it’s a bit surprising to learn that Crombie still lives outside her hometown, Dallas.
Gregory Cowles - New York Times Book Review
Bestseller Crombie puts together past and present in her solid, finely controlled 15th novel featuring married police detectives Gemma James and Duncan Kincaid (after 2012’s No Mark upon Her). While Duncan looks after their three-year-old foster daughter at home, Gemma and Det. Sgt. Melody Talbot investigate the murder of barrister Vincent Arnott, found in a seedy hotel in London’s Crystal Palace area, naked, tied with a belt, and strangled. When the body of a second barrister, killed in exactly the same way, turns up, physical evidence proves the same person murdered both men. Gemma and Melody painstakingly and methodically unravel the clues, finding connections that began 15 years earlier in the Crystal Palace area. Flashbacks show how the meeting of a lonely 13-year-old boy and a recently widowed teacher had grave consequences. The unfolding domestic relationship between Gemma and Duncan softens and humanizes them. The city of London, foggy, blustery, and historic, provides a seductive background.
Publishers Weekly
Friendships go seriously awry.... DS Melody Talbot spends the night with guitarist Andy Monahan, a witness and possibly even a suspect in a murder case.... Andy had argued with barrister Vincent Arnott, the victim, between sets at a pub in the Crystal Palace area. Could the musician have followed Arnott to the sleazy Belvedere Hotel, plied him with drugs, stripped him naked, trussed him up, then strangled him with a scarf?.... When another barrister, Shaun Francis, is murdered in identical fashion, the only link between the two dead men seems to be Andy.... Another solid outing for the reliable Crombie, who turns a judicious eye on secrets that can overwhelm what they're meant to protect despite the best intentions.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
1. Talk about the four detectives featured in the novel: Melody, Gemma, Duncan, and Doug. What techniques do they use during their investigation? Does their gender have any influence on how they approach their jobs?
2. Discuss the structure of the novel. Each chapter begins with a small entry on the history of the Crystal Palace. It also includes information from one of the main character's lives: Andy. Why did the author frame the story this way? How does this add to the tension and the plotting? What do you learn about this section of London—how has it changed from when Crystal Palace was built to Andy's childhood to today?
3. How do some of the detectives' choices complicate the case? By the book or think outside of the box?
4. If you are fans of the series, compare the characters from the first novel you read to this one. Describe the arc of each of the characters' developments and identify the factors that helped shape their personalities. Do you have a favorite character? Identify and explain what attracts you to him or her.
5. Being a detective is a highly immersive profession. How do Gemma and Duncan balance work and family life? How does having small children complicate their work? What does it add to it? How does Duncan cope with being a stay-at-home dad?
6. If you are a fan of mystery novels, how does this novel—and the series compare to others in the genre? What is it about this series that appeals to you? Compare and contrast British and American detectives. If this were set in America, how would it be different?
7. Were you surprised when the killer's identity became clear? If yes, what plot devices did Deborah Crombie employ to keep you guessing? If you suspected the killer early, what led you to suspect the truth?
8. What role does class play in the story? Do the detectives have their own prejudices that shape their attitudes and color their investigations?
9. What do you think will happen in the next novel? Will Melody still be seeing Andy? What would you like to see happen in her and Doug's relationship? What may happen to Duncan and his career?
(Questions issued by publisher.)
top of page (summary)