Dreaming of the Bones

By: Deborah Crombie

Narrated by: Jenny Sterlin

Length: 14 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

Often compared to both Ruth Rendell and P.D. James, Deborah Crombie is internationally acclaimed for her deftly written mysteries that combine suspense, with lyrical prose. Sharply etched characters further enrich this story of tangled relationships and dark secrets. Twelve years after their divorce, Scotland Yard Superintendent Duncan Kincaid receives a phone call from his ex-wife Victoria asking for his help. While working on a biography of the late poet Lydia Brooke, she has uncovered information that has her convinced Lydia's suicide five years ago was really murder. As Duncan begins his investigation, another murder occurs closer to home. Now he finds himself frantically searching for clues in Lydia's complicated past to find the killer before he strikes again. Award-winning author Deborah Crombie has crafted a beautifully written, multilayered mystery that leaves you gasping with surprise. Jenny Sterlin's narration deftly creates an air of suspense while capturing every nuance of the language.

©1997 Deborah Crombie (P)2000 Recorded Books, LLC

Poetry and central character shift

I've enjoyed this series thus far. But, this book shifts the central character from Kinkaid and Gemma to the ex wife. I'm not interested in her drama. The book is full of poetry and strays from what I've loved making it more like a romance novel than procedural. The reader is fine, but fails to capture the voice and flow of the past reader. Not my cup of tea.

This was a very long listen with a unsatisfactory ending, and a narrator that didn’t appeal to me

I thought this book would never end and the ending was just “meh”. The narrator was not great - she spoke really slowly and probably added a couple of hours to the book. Not my favorite Crombie book.

A laid back detective novel

I enjoyed this book in spite of the narrator, who used the same nasal, annoying drawl for almost every male character. Since I listened to Laurie King's Sherlock Holmes series (which Ms. Sterlin also narrated) before this book, I also had to keep reminding myself that Sherlock was NOT in this story. Most British accents are much easier to listen to, but this exaggeration is totally disappointing.

Read at 1.25 speed

The story was difficult to follow with the drawn-out syllables of this narrator's style. It was much more enjoyable at 1.25.

Good book, but...

This narrator is awful. Accents terrible, and impossible to tell the differences between characters. Same with all crombie books she narrates.

mismatched narration

the story itself is a fine addition to the series, but I found the slowness of the narrator's pace to be maddening.
Her voice and pace would be lovely for something that is meant to be poetic, or for bedtime stories, but it lent a sleepy drawl to the story that was out of place for a crime drama. I loved her voice, but NOT FOR THIS STORY, and not for this genre. Even Miss Marple would have needed more pace than this.

Fantastic narration

A very literary mystery with poetry by Rupert Brook prefacing each chapter. The verse was beautifully read by the narrator. The story was also excellent and held surprises.

Not as good as the first two

I listened to the first two in this series and enjoyed them. Especially since they were included in the Plus Catalogue. However, I used a credit on this one and felt let down. Why was the narrator changed? It ruined this book for me. She reads it like an old Victorian Romance novel. UGH. Speeding it up helped end the misery sooner.

I also had some issues with the story. It really drags early on, is implausible in parts. And I kept getting the characters mixed up (narration, again).

I don't know if I'll continue this series. certainly not if they stay with this narrator.

A poetic mystery

Erudite emotionally satisfying and absorbing. Highly recommend. One of her better books and she manages to hide the solution brilliantly.

Enjoyed this Audiobook narrated by Jenny Sterlin

I’m working my way through Deborah Crombie’s Duncan Kincaid & Gemma James series, “re-reading” via Audible version. Years ago, I recall not liking this mystery when I read the hardback, because the Cambridge poet subplot slowed the pace considerably. On this re-read, I enjoyed narrator Jenny Sterlin’s stellar voice-acting throughout—enough to give it 4 stars overall.