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As mentioned earlier, I am backtracking and going over the Duncan-James series beginning from the first one. It has been an interesting journey and gives a lot of insight into how each book sounds more confident and complex as the series moves ahead.
I started with the latter ones and once I got hooked them all, I decided to get my hands on the earlier ones. As a wannabe writer studying the craft, the series allows the novice the opportunity to understand how the series is slowly developed with each whodunnit.
In this third novel, Duncan and Gemma are getting closer as they tackle yet another death and find themselves entangled in the process.
Gist:
The son in law of an opera singer and the husband of a well known painter is found dead in mysterious circumstances in a loch. Being a family with connections, the family call in Scotland Yard to get to the root of it all.
Enter Duncan and Gemma who find themselves getting into the opera community and find all sorts of secrets coming to fore.
What works:
- The characters are good. I particularly liked the way, Crombie was showing more confidence by linking the death to a past incident that has an irrevocable effect on the family.
- The past incident and the present murder tie in well.
- The narrative flows very well and the development of Gemma and Duncan's relationship is also progressing simulteneous to the plot.
- The third books marks a difference from the ones before, as Crombie seems more surefooted about her characters and lays out some complex scenes.
- I realise I need a break from Duncan and Kincaid. Reading so many of their mysteries is grating a bit. Perhaps I am familiar with the style now so much that it is becoming a bit predictable as well. But then thats me and not the book.
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