Deborah Crombie Books

The portly figure of Henry VIII depicted by Holbein may be very familiar, but this book reveals much more about the portrait, the sitter, the artist, and his workshop. It gathers together and analyzes the several copies and variants of Holbein’s Whitehall cartoon of Henry VIII, more than one of which is by the only significant painter immediately after Holbein in England, Hans Eworth. The book reveals for the first time the results of extensive technical analysis and historical research undertaken on surviving versions of the portrait in the Walker Art Gallery, Chatsworth, Petworth, Trinity College, Cambridge, and elsewhere. It throws light not only on Henry VIII but on the Tudor court and on courtiers who, for their own purposes, wished to keep his memory alive after his death. The book explores how and when the portraits were painted and the motivation behind their production and also traces how they affected subsequent portrayals of the monarch, down to film and television. The book accompanies an important exhibition at the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, where Xanthe Brooke is curator and David Crombie painting conservator.

Set against the backdrop of a deadly bombing at St. Pancras International Station, superintendent Duncan Kincaid leads a new murder investigation team in Camden. Detective sergeant Melody Talbot, a key witness to the explosion, complicates the case as the victim was involved in a protest, with conflicting accounts about his intentions. As Kincaid delves deeper, he uncovers a web of unexpected connections, including the enigmatic disappearance of a bystander, challenging his understanding of the incident.

Scotland Yard detectives Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James are on the case in Deborah Crombie’s The Sound of Broken Glass, a captivating mystery that blends a murder from the past with a powerful danger in the present. When Detective Inspector James joins forces with Detective Inspector Melody Talbot to solve the murder of an esteemed barrister, their investigation leads them to realize that nothing is what it seems—with the crime they’re investigating and their own lives. With an abundance of twists and turns and intertwining subplots, The Sound of Broken Glass by New York Times bestselling author Deborah Crombie is an elaborate and engaging page-turner.

“Chilling and humane….Skillful and subtle….A deeply moving novel that transcends genre.” — Richmond Times Dispatch A sinister mystery that leads all the way back to the Holocaust ensnares Scotland Yard detectives Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James in Where Memories Lie from award-winning “masterful novelist” ( Denver Post ) Deborah Crombie. A writer in the same elite class as Elizabeth George, Martha Grimes, and Anne Perry, Crombie mesmerizes with a story at once gripping and poignant that explores the dark places in the human heart, and the shadowy corners Where Memories Lie.

When Superintendant Duncan Kincaid takes Gemma, Kit and Toby to visit his family in Cheshire, they are all soon entranced with Nantwich town's pretty buildings. But their visit is marred when, on Christmas Eve, Duncan's sister discovers a mummified infant's body interred in the wall of an old dairy barn.

Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and his wife, Detective Inspector Gemma James, are invited to a relaxing weekend in the picturesque Cotswolds, known for its stunning landscapes and historic charm. They are guests at Beck House, the estate of Melody Talbot, Gemma's trusted sergeant, whose family is wealthy and influential. The highlight of their stay is a charity luncheon featuring chef Viv Holland, who has returned to Gloucestershire after a decade in London, aiming to showcase her culinary talents. However, a tragic car accident and a series of mysterious deaths threaten to derail Viv's burgeoning career. As details emerge, it becomes evident that the killer has ties to Viv's pub and possibly to Beck House itself. The investigation reveals connections to the past and exposes tangled relationships and resentments among the staff at both locations. Secrets held by Viv, her business partner Bea Abbot, and Viv's young daughter Grace complicate matters further. As revelations unfold, Duncan and Gemma, along with their colleagues, are drawn deeper into the case, making it one of their most critical investigations, especially for Melody Talbot, with personal and professional stakes at an all-time high.

Olympic rowing hopeful and senior Metropolitan Police officer DCI Rebecca Meredith goes out alone to train on the river in Henley on a dark afternoon in late October and doesn't return. When a desperate search by the police and a K9 team reveals the possibility of foul play, Scotland Yard wants one of their own on the case. Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid, returning from celebrating his marriage to long-time partner Detective Inspector Gemma James, is called to Henley to investigate. He soon finds that the world of elite rowing can be brutal, and that Rebecca Meredith's ex-husband was not the only person with good reason for wanting her dead. Then, when a search-and-rescue team member is threatened, Kincaid realizes the case may be even more complex and more dangerous than he believed. But it is only when he enlists Gemma's aid that they find that the answers lie closer to home than they could have imagined and are infinitely more deadly. It seems that more than one innocent life depends on their ability to track down the killer

Once the haunt of Jack the Ripper, London's East End is a vibrant mix of history and new ideas, but the trendy galleries of Brick Lane disguise a seedy underside where unthinkable crimes bring terror to the innocent. Artist and young mother Sandra Gilles disappears without trace after leaving her three-year-old daughter, Charlotte, with a friend at the Columbia Road Flower Market. Her lawyer husband, Naz Malik, is devastated - but he's also the prime suspect in a murder investigation. When Naz vanishes shortly afterwards, Gemma James and her partner Superintendent Duncan Kincaid agree to work together again to solve the case before the murderer can get his hands on the real prize, Charlotte. But just as the case grows more dangerous, a personal issue threatens to throw Gemma and Duncan off the trail. In the end, it is up to them to stop a vicious killer and protect the child whose fate hangs in the balance.

New York Times bestseller Deborah Crombie returns with a "gripping police procedural" (Washington Post) featuring Scotland Yard detectives Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James as they race to solve the shocking murder of a young woman before panic spreads across London. On a rainy November evening, trainee doctor Sasha Johnson hurries through the evening crowd in London's historic Russell Square. Out of the darkness, someone jostles her as they brush past. A moment later, Sasha stumbles, then collapses. When Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and his sergeant, Doug Cullen, are called to the scene, they discover that she's been stabbed. Kincaid immediately calls in his detective wife, Gemma James, who has recently been assigned to a task force on knife crimes which are on the rise. Along with her partner, detective sergeant Melody Talbot, Gemma aids the investigation. But Sasha Johnson doesn't fit the profile of the task force's typical knife crime victim. Single, successful, career-driven, she has no history of abusive relationships or any connection to gangs. Sasha had her secrets, though, and some of them lead the detectives uncomfortably close to home. As the team unravels the victim's tangled connections, another murder raises the stakes. Kincaid, Gemma, and their colleagues must put even friendships on the line to find the killer stalking the dark streets of Bloomsbury.

The third in the Duncan Kincaid mystery series. Superintendent Kincaid and Sergeant Gemma James are summoned from Scotland Yard to investigate the drowning of a man. Twenty years earlier, the man's brother had drowned in mysterious circumstances. Could it be that the murderer is one of the family?