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

Interesting story. Irritating Narration.

The story barely held against an abrupt, unpleasant voice and flat emotions in Kincaid’s portrayal and several other characters.

Series keeps getting better

Hard to say if I have a favorite book in this series. Each time I finish one, I think that one is it! Jenny Sterlin does a capable job in all voices except Duncan's, but even his is passable. Crombie's writing reminds me of Ruth Rendell who is hard to beat as a mystery writer in my estimation.

Powerful

D. Crombie is a true master of her craft. I highly recommend this gem of a literary masterpiece. I'm excited to have discovered this wonderful author and her works for myself and would shout to the rooftops to tell others.

Good book, wrong narrator.

What did you like best about Dreaming of the Bones? What did you like least?

I enjoyed the first four books in this series very much, and was anticipating another great book, but I'm not sure about this one. Although I did like this story and characters, I had a really hard time getting past the voice of the narrator. I almost gave up listening until I found that if I double the speed on my ipod, it made Jenny Sterlin sound pretty normal. I think I will have to reserve judgement on the book until I get a copy from the library and read it myself.

A blend of poetry and detective fiction

Wonderful imagery and good character development. It must have been fun to write the poems and letters that provide the clues to the solution of the crime(s). A new take on the idea of looking for hidden meanings in poetry!

At first I was really disturbed by the narration. Then I read the reviews and found others have commented on the exasperatingly slow pace. I tried putting the speed of play up to 1.25x -- one of the benefits of using Audible's phone apps. (I haven't figured out how to do this on my computer yet.) At the new speed the narration was delightful. Jenny Sterlin came across as a sensitive and accomplished performer. Could there have been a technical problem with the original recording? In any case, I will continue to listen to this series, no matter who is the narrator!

Miss Michael Deehy

This narrator is awful for this story. I miss Michael Deehy. He IS Kincaid in this series for me. I don’t know if I can read the rest of the books if Jenny Sterlin is reading them.

Entertaining but far to drawn out

This took a long time to get into. It was entertaining although 14 hours about 7 too long.

Well Written Complex Mystery

Even though this is long - 14 hours 18 min - it was so absorbing and profound that I couldn't stop listening. I had an idea who might have commited the murders but no idea why. Duncan and Gemma are really challenged to find the answer. In order to do so, they must uncover many secrets. They also must study the life of the poet named Rupert Brooke and a fictional poet named Lydia Brooke. I'm not one to like poetry but it was interwoven so skilfully in with the story line that I actually enjoyed it!

A little teaser - something will happen that will change the lives of Duncan and Gemma going forward.

The narrator was excellent. She made it easier to distinguish between all the characters and even made the poetry more understandable.

Excellent! I can't wait to read the next in series!

A little hard to follow at first

The novel breaks into stories from characters that are hard to identify until later in the story. The dots finally connect, and then things come together in a coherent narrative. Worth the read. I'm a fan of Jenny Sterlin as a narrator. I've loved her narration of the Mary Russel series and it was nice to discover her here.

Don't change the narrator.

The book I had to buy to continue in series had a different narrator. Her breathing patter and pauses made it impossible to finish. I'm going to read to finish, made it to chapter 7.