Gemma and Melody uncover who was the murderer in 2 kinky murders involving a talented young guitarist. ( )

Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James Novels)

Good plot, dialogue, timing, and characters. But I found I did forget who Andy Monahan was.

Interesting change for Doug. Always felt like he had given up too quickly on Maura.

Oddly, this late in the series I began feeling that Gemma is a more fleshed out character than Duncan. Wonder if other readers have felt that too.

Excellent read. I especially enjoy reading about the historical connections to the neighborhoods, landmarks and people of each location Crombie chooses for her novels. Doing this can't help but add more depth to the plot, and to the series.

London an einem eisigen Tag im Januar: Detective Inspector Gemma James und ihre neue Assistentin Detective Sergeant Melody Talbot werden zu einem Tatort gerufen: Rechtsanwalt Vincent Arnott liegt tot in einem Hotelbett, er wurde mit einem silbernen Schal stranguliert, seine Hände sind an die Bettpfosten gefesselt. Ein Sexspiel mit tödlichem Ausgang oder ein Verbrechen? Als jedoch kurz darauf ein Staatsanwalt auf dieselbe Weise zu Tode kommt, ist klar, dass es sich um Mord handelt. Haben es Gemma und Melody mit einer Serienkillerin zu tun?

Duncan stays home with Charlotte who is still adjusting to her new home. Doug falls off a ladder, resulting in time off while he recuperates. Meanwhile Gemma and Melody are called to a crime scene near Crystal Palace where the murder victim is found tied up in a kinky manner. While a little forensic evidence exists, the police database offers no clue of the perpetrator's identity. The victim came to the seedy hotel from a local pub where he'd verbally abused a young guitarist. The guitarist had also punched someone. Soon a second victim with the same occupation as the first turns up. They must investigate the presence or absence of a connection between the two crimes. My biggest complaint with this installment concerns the series of coincidences upon which it is built. It's not Crombie's strongest, but fans of the series will still enjoy it. I listened to the audio version read by Gerard Doyle. I didn't like his narration as well as Jenny Sterlin's narration in recent installments, but I got used to it after awhile. ( )