Blog Tour: The Sound of Broken Glass
Thanks to TLC Book Tours, we're pleased to present a review for The Sound of Broken Glass, a new mystery novel by Deborah Crombie. Make sure to check out the rest of the tour stops to see other reviews!
The more books I read by Deborah Crombie, the more intent I am on going back and reading all of the books she's written about Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James, because they're all just fantastic. The mystery novels are set in contemporary London, and always manage to seamlessly blend the home life of Kincaid and James (and all the challenges inherent in having a blended family where both parents are pretty busy police officers) and the more procedural aspects of a crime story, and The Sound of Broken Glass is no exception.
This one started out a bit slowly for me, but once we got into the swing of the mystery -- Gemma James and her team looking into the murder of a high-profile London lawyer, the investigation of which ends up intersecting in strange ways with their own personal lives. This is really a book of coincidences, as so many of the involved players have a connection to one another. I really enjoy stories like that, where everything ties together, so it was great to see how all of the different plots and characters intertwined.
Like I said, Crombie's books aren't your typical mystery novels, where the focus is all on the crime and the investigation. Crombie excels at making the reader care about even the most minor of characters, and this book is no exception. You get lots of backstory on new characters, but it never comes in an infodump way, and flows more naturally in the story or in flashbacks. Once I got a handle on who was who in the story, it is really easy to find yourself caring about what happens to them.
The only downside to this being the fifteenth entry in a long-running series is that there isn't always much of a recap on past events for our recurring characters, so sometimes understanding the relationships or their backstory can be a bit of a challenge. You can usually figure things out by context, but for readers who want to know all of the details, maybe starting this late in the series isn't a great idea. Otherwise, though, this is a great read and the ending will definitely make you want the next book immediately!
By Deborah Crombie
Published on February 25th 2014
Published by: William Morrow & Company
Source: Publisher/blog tour
Published by: William Morrow & Company
Source: Publisher/blog tour
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.
The more books I read by Deborah Crombie, the more intent I am on going back and reading all of the books she's written about Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James, because they're all just fantastic. The mystery novels are set in contemporary London, and always manage to seamlessly blend the home life of Kincaid and James (and all the challenges inherent in having a blended family where both parents are pretty busy police officers) and the more procedural aspects of a crime story, and The Sound of Broken Glass is no exception.
This one started out a bit slowly for me, but once we got into the swing of the mystery -- Gemma James and her team looking into the murder of a high-profile London lawyer, the investigation of which ends up intersecting in strange ways with their own personal lives. This is really a book of coincidences, as so many of the involved players have a connection to one another. I really enjoy stories like that, where everything ties together, so it was great to see how all of the different plots and characters intertwined.
Like I said, Crombie's books aren't your typical mystery novels, where the focus is all on the crime and the investigation. Crombie excels at making the reader care about even the most minor of characters, and this book is no exception. You get lots of backstory on new characters, but it never comes in an infodump way, and flows more naturally in the story or in flashbacks. Once I got a handle on who was who in the story, it is really easy to find yourself caring about what happens to them.
The only downside to this being the fifteenth entry in a long-running series is that there isn't always much of a recap on past events for our recurring characters, so sometimes understanding the relationships or their backstory can be a bit of a challenge. You can usually figure things out by context, but for readers who want to know all of the details, maybe starting this late in the series isn't a great idea. Otherwise, though, this is a great read and the ending will definitely make you want the next book immediately!
