No Mark Upon Her

A Duncan Kincaid - Gemma James Crime Novel, Book 14

By: Deborah Crombie

Narrated by: Gerard Doyle

Length: 12 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

New York Times best-selling author Deborah Crombie makes her mark with this absorbing, finely hued tale of suspense - a deeply atmospheric and twisting mystery full of deadly secrets, salacious lies, and unexpected betrayals involving the mysterious drowning of a Met detective - an accomplished rower - on the Thames.

When a K9 search-and-rescue team discovers a woman's body tangled up with debris in the river, Scotland Yard superintendent Duncan Kincaid finds himself heading an investigation fraught with complications. The victim, Rebecca Meredith, was a talented but difficult woman with many admirers - and just as many enemies. An Olympic contender on the verge of a controversial comeback, she was also a high-ranking detective with the Met - a fact that raises a host of political and ethical issues in an already sensitive case.

To further complicate the situation, a separate investigation, led by Detective Inspector Gemma James, Kincaid's wife, soon reveals a disturbing - and possibly related - series of crimes, widening the field of suspects. But when someone tries to kill the search-and-rescue team member who found Rebecca's body, the case becomes even more complex and dangerous, involving powerful interests with tentacles that reach deep into the heart of the Met itself.

Surrounded by enemies with friendly faces, pressured to find answers quickly while protecting the Yard at all costs, his career and reputation on the line, Kincaid must race to catch the killer before more innocent lives are lost - including his own.

©2011 Deborah Crombie (P)2012 HarperCollinsPublishers

a great addition to the series

james and kincaid with their growing family continue with their crime fighting ways. a deborah crombie novel is not to be missed. gerard doyle/michael deehy is not my favorite narrator for this series and i wish that audible had purchased jenny sterlin's version, a bit too pricey for me to buy independently. but just the same i'm grateful that the book is available on audible.

if you are new to crombie, think about starting with the early novels so you can see how these characters grow as police officers, as individuals and how their romance develops. and you get to watch how a good writer just gets better.

"dreaming of the bones", "necessary as blood" and "kissed a sad good-bye" are my top choices, but all her books are consistently engaging and quite wonderful. ms. crombie is not only a fine story teller but is a talented writer.

so i will be rereading and listening to them all again. and waiting for the next one! i have some books, some on kindle and all that are available on audio through audible. what amazing choices we have these days.

you can follow her on Facebook where she talks about her kitties, her book tour, her Jungle Red women writing group and where she introduced me to a great weekly book review Shelf Review.

Rowing as context

It was really engrossing to read about the world of rowing as the context for this story, which like all of Crombie’s work is intricately constructed with complex interesting characters.

another great audiobook!

Enjoyed this continued saga with the twists and turns and the characters I have become so fond of.

Water, Dogs, Death

This is one of my favorite Crombie books, and I love them all. Several themes wind and wrap their ways through the story and the reader is kept on edge to the end. A marvelous mystery with some of the best character developments in contemporary fiction.

Love this series

This series is one of my favorites. I have skipped the ones with the female narrator, not caring for her voice or when there’s a change. However, Gerard Doyle and Michael Deehy are so similar everything flowed well. The way these characters have grown and developed as people do is another plus to Crombie’s style. I also learn something in every book ie rowing, making whiskey etc. Very clever how the story is blended in something of a focal point in the story.

Rowing, service dogs, police politics, boatbuilding

These are a few of the threads that weave together into a narrative tapestry for this detective story. Crombie always gives you plenty to consider, from inner and outer worlds. As a former coxswain I loved the rowing theme here, and continued to enjoy the deepening of the personal/family lives of the characters. These must be listened to in order, because the way events unfold is highly sequential from one book to the next.

Another great story for Kincaid and James

If you are a fan of the Kincaid-James series, this is a welcome addition to that series. Relationships continue to grow with the main characters and their extended family, and the mystery has a fascinating backdrop of competitive rowing and a look at some of the uglier inside workings of higher ups at Scotland Yard. It's a good solid listen, one that was worth the wait.

Interesting Character-Driven Mystery

Any additional comments?

Crombie's mysteries often involve long-hidden secrets from the past and a generous outlay of interesting characters. No Mark Upon Her is especially strong on the character aspect, as each scene reveals a new facet to the featured personality, so that the listener gets to know these people layer by layer. This story is set in the opera world, and contrasts artistic with musical talents. I thoroughly enjoyed this extremely well narrated and well told literary mystery.

Gemma & Duncan emphasizing supporting cast

Where does No Mark Upon Her rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Very much worth a credit. Of the mysteries I've listened to so far, it's in the top 20 - don't ask me to narrow it down to just ten! When the ending approached, it was tidy - compiling the various clues sprinkled throughout the chapters to where it all made sense. Good character development. The world of rowing skiffs was the setting for this novel. Also included were search and rescue volunteers and their dogs - learned about handling the dogs, what training is needed, and how important a good dog is to finding the truth!

What other book might you compare No Mark Upon Her to and why?

Of course other Deborah Crombie novels in the series. A bit reminiscent of Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache series except not as dark but similiar in their character development and full rich story.

Have you listened to any of Gerard Doyle’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I can't remember but he was quite enjoyable.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No because I wouldn't have a job, but I certainly enjoyed it for about 3 hours a day - during my commutes and just before bed.

Any additional comments?

Melody plays a key part of this story and not just because of her father. Doug is, well Doug and I rooted for him just the same. The story also continues with Charlotte becoming part of their family, and the author touches on, but doesn't preach about the bigotry and racism still around. Even Gemma's father comes around, his heart melted by the adorable Charlotte.
Note to editor, leave a second's pause between scenes. It felt disjointed to be in one place then immediately into the next. Not the reader's fault but I believe mindful editing would have helped.

Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James, very good as usual

This is the 14th in the Duncan Kincaid Gemma James series. It’s the first one to be narrated by a male narrator. This to me has an interesting effect. Most of the earlier ones were narrated by Jenny Sterling, and I felt were particularly tuned in to Gemma James. This one, with Doyle narrating, seemed more tuned in, at least so far as the narration went, to Duncan. I thought that would be disappointing for me, but it turned out to be fine. In this one we continue with Duncan and Gemma working little Charlotte into their lives, currently as a foster child with possible adoption later. Part of this family change comes about because Duncan and Gemma agree to take alternative parental leaves particularly to care for Charlotte who has the most abandonment issues and who is still at home. The book ends with Duncan taking his first ever “husband at home” leave. It will be interesting to see how Crombie handles this situation. The mystery itself was wonderful, in fact one of her best, involving the death of a top-ranking female police officer who also was planning to enter the Olympics as part of a rowing team. She was murdered by pushing her underneath her boat in the water and drowning her. The book is full of all kinds of lore about rowing, which was more interesting than I expected it to be. And, just when we think we have it figured out as to who murdered the woman and why, we get some surprises-usual from Crombie. These books just keep getting better and better.