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4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
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Sims Gamer
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing, wondrous story!
Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2019
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Each and every book in this series has been entertaining and enjoyable mysteries. This one really touched me. It has just a little more grace and depth. It is not just a mystery book, but is also a thoughtful and compelling historical novel. But to fully savor all the characters you have to read the whole series in order. As this is book 12, I realize this is not an easy task, but the whole series is so wonderful, you will be blessed to read each one.
This one is the first one that I have reviewed. Every one that I have read before, I was in such a rush to read the next, that I grabbed it without a moment of breath to contemplate stopping to write a review.
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Diana H. Maine
4.0 out of 5 stars Good Title - Good Series
Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2019
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WHERE MEMORIES LIE by Deborah Crombie is Book #12 in the Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James mystery series. I find this series to be very well-written, interesting, intriguing and well-paced. There are several ‘back stories’ involved which come together in the end due to the detecting skills of Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James and their staffs.
Part mystery, part police procedural, part crime drama, part historical fiction, the series makes for very good reading. The personal relationship between Duncan and Gemma makes an interesting backdrop.
WHERE MEMORIES LIE begins in Nazi Germany. DI Gemma James goes to the aid of friend, Erika Rosenthal, when a lost diamond brooch (created by Erika’s father) turns up in a London auction house.
I would heartily recommend this title and this series.
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Ann
5.0 out of 5 stars Yes, this author should be on the best seller list!
Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2018
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As you can see from other reviews, the story jumps to different time periods, so you must pay attention to where in history - or the present - you are, but it is worth it. This is a wonderful, beautiful story and a great mystery. Many of us today have forgotten the Holocaust and have no idea of what happen on Kristallnacht. This book is no replacement for a history lesson, but it reminds us that millions of people lived through or died because of a horrible event in European and world history. It helps to remember that art and jewelry was often stolen from the Jews by the Nazis and their sympathizers, and much of it has not been returned. All of this history is tied up in a whopping good mystery.
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edj
5.0 out of 5 stars A strong addition to the series
Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2018
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I am catching up on this series, having discovered them relatively recently. This is a strong addition to the series, pulling in anti-semitism in the UK in the years following WW2 and blending it with a modern day killer. Crombie as usual does a good job of blending an issue from the past that is causing present day problems, and she also traces the personal story of James and Kincaid along with the current mystery. She's a good writer, and there's both character development and gripping mystery. I really enjoy this series and highly recommend them!
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Chris Weisen
5.0 out of 5 stars Another Great Story by an Author Who Should Be on the NY Times Bestseller List
Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2013
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First, let me say that it's imperative to read this series in order, particularly as you get further along. Otherwise, you would lose much of the subtle character interplay that is so much a part of Crombie's writing. I have read each of the Duncan Kincaid- Gemma James mysteries from the first to the latest. Originally, I was drawn to them because I enjoy British mysteries, but I continued because I was attracted to the two main characters and then the increasing number of supporting cast.
While the mystery aspect of the book is well done, it is the background story of Dr. Erika Rosenthal which adds to the intrigue of this entry in the series. Dr Rosenthal is a friend of the family who was first introduced as a minor character in an earlier book. She is a retired Jewish academic who was a refugee from Nazi Germany but we know little more about her up to this point. In Where Memories Lie Crombie ties a current crime to the mysterious past of her friend. This is a common plot device with Crombie and it works very well. It's like getting two mysteries in one while fleshing out one of the peripheral characters. In the meantime, you also get to witness the growth of Duncan and Gemma and their family as well as their careers with the London police force. Crombie's books have become convincing police procedurals flavored by British culture which is all the more amazing considering that Crombie wasn't born in Britain and makes her home in Texas. I have read a great many British mystery authors over the years and I much admire Crombie's ability to convey British life and culture so authentically. Her storytelling captures you and the development of her characters into fascinating and complex people you want to get to know better keeps you coming back for more.
This is an outstanding, well written series that is in a literary class with Laurie King and Anne Perry. The more peope who discover Deborah Crombie, the more popular this hidden gem will become.
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Linda C.
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting plot and riveting story
Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2019
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I have thoroughly enjoyed all the Kincaid/James books but this one was outstanding. The story read like historical fiction, bringing post-World War II to life. Links to what happened to Jews living in France were powerfully written. Life after the war with all the privations, the anti-Semitism in England, the power that wealthy people have over politicians, all these and more were woven into an excellent mystery.
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Page turner
Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2016
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If you, for whatever strange and perverse reason, can't find anything to praise about Crombie's novels, at the very least give her credit for the research she must have to do to find the quotes she uses at the beginning of each chapter--not only in this one, but in all her novels. DI Gemma James' Jewish friend, Erika, has appeared in several prior novels, but her story of excaping Nazi Germany takes center stage in this one. Even though I'm very familiar with the atrocities commited agains the Jews during Hitler's reign, some parts of this story are still hard to read. Regardless, it is an engaging story that is well worth reading.
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Top reviews from other countries

P. Rowley-brooke
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 1, 2019
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I began reading the Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James books in the middle of the series - Water Like a Stone - and was hooked but, to be honest, I wouldn’t have read all Deborah Crombie’s 18 in the series had I started at the first which Is good but not as rounded as the later novels and I held off commenting on any until completed the marathon. Firstly, I can say, without fear or favour, that I thoroughly enjoyed all of the mysteries. They are all whodunnits but centred around an expanding group of families and friends. While each book covers a separate mystery and murder(s) there is the recurrent theme of the family that runs through all the stories - and often murders come to Duncan and Gemma - separately and together. Because of the titles there is no need for a spoiler alert to the readers of the first book to know that Duncan and Gemma become an item and then a family - not as quickly as one might think. Having read a number of books that have been turned into TV series I’m surprised that no-one has attempted to turn what I believe to be one of the finest of the genre - I have not come across another series that so economically but finely draws its main characters. However, I notice that many of the current TV series have relatively few central characters and that perhaps the increasing cast of friends and family (despite losing a few on the way) might put producers off.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 11, 2019
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Thoroughly enjoyed this book. It did not disappoint.
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Peta
5.0 out of 5 stars i am hooked!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 2, 2013
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Having only recently discovered Deborah Crombie's crime fiction, I am now totally hooked. Her characters are convincing, and plots move fluently between past and present. This is good quality writing comparable to Elizabeth George.
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Janet T
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent series
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 10, 2013
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This is the penultimate book in the Kincaid/James series and I have enjoyed them all. Following the relationship between the main characters has provided an added dimension the detective aspect of the stories Looking forward to the next
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JAR
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 25, 2018
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Good quality.
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