The Sound of Broken Glass: A Novel (Duncan Kincaid / Gemma James Book 15)

When Andy Monohan was 13, he became fast friends with his new neighbor, and older woman named Nadine. She was attentive, beautiful and encouraging; everything his mother wasn't. The two would sit out on their respective porches, seeking solace from the sweltering August heat, Andy playing his guitar, Nadine enjoying the sounds of the fledgling musician, letting him know that he had talent and one day he could make something of himself if he would stick with it. She was the kindest person he'd ever known. She was the complete opposite of Joe and Shaun, two upper class boys that did nothing but bully that very same summer. Something transpired months later, and Nadine was never heard from again. Andy had thought it was his fault and he would harbor guilt over the actions of three teenaged boys for years to come. Now, in the present, Andy is poised to break big as a professional musician. But sins of the past rarely stay in the past. A successful barrister is found murdered, gagged and strangled in a seedy motel room and all fingers point back to Andy and where he came from. Gemma James draws the case and along with Melody Talbot, they'll discover a history of betrayal and lies that will have them second guessing every single lead they encounter.Even in its fifteen installment, the James/Kincaid novels show no signs of slowing down. The Sounds of Broken Glass is yet another well thought out, well told chapter in the lives of Duncan and Gemma. Each book has its own unique feel and subject matter, but at the risk of sounding cheesy or contrived, these books always feel like putting on a comfortable pair of broken in jeans or a favorite sweater. They're just...comfy. This time around, the focus is music, since one of the central characters, Andy, is an up and coming musician who's poised to break big. Being a guitarist for over 20 years myself, Crombie's research shines. From the type of equipment, to band dynamics, she hits the nail on the head every time. But, just because they're comfortable reads, that doesn't mean her writing has become formulaic or cookie-cutter.Crombie is deft at handling multiple subplots at once. This novel, as with those previous, isn't all about the murder investigation. It's also about the lives of those involved. It's about the constantly changing family dynamics of Duncan and Gemma and how they balance a new addition to the family with the demands of their careers. I've seen a few reviewers complain about Duncan's part (or lack thereof) in the book. Duncan does play a part, but his role has changed. It's become a bit more domestic, giving focus more to Gemma and her work as well as Melody Talbot as they go through the investigation. Doug plays his part as well but this novel focuses mostly on Melody, and I'm fine with that. She's a great character and I enjoyed seeing her play a more central role. Still, no characters are 'forgotten' in this novel. This book mixes characters old and new, and it does it well.The plot, as always, is razor sharp. It shifts from the present to the past and never misses a beat. Every character plays their role in an overall story that's mixed with red herrings, twists, and turns. But, as can be expected of a Deborah Crombie novel, everything makes sense and there is not a single plot hole. It's always impressive to see how she can take so many plot threads and tie them all together while injecting the personal developments for the characters into the book. I'd imagine plotting these things to be a major task but when you read them, she makes it seem easy.This review isn't doing the novel or the series justice. It's tightly plotted, paced fantastically, and is filled with well fleshed out characters and fluid dialogue. This being the 15th book, I have no idea how much longer she plans on writing these books, but I count myself there for each and every one. If you haven't started the series yet, you really should. If you love reading well written mystery books with fantastic character development and a vast array of themes, look no further.

Every time Deborah Crombie publishes a new book in The Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James Novels I go back to A Share in Death and read all the ones that come before the new one. In this way, it all feels as one whole novel with each book a chapter. It makes a lot of sense and it makes me appreciate the whole even more.It is now the 22nd of September 2014, at 10:45pm, and I have finished reading the 15th novel, The Sound of Broken Glass, just in time. I can start reading the next book in this series, To Dwell In Darkness, right away, as I have already got it!!! One of the advantages of having Kindle is that the book has magically appeared there without my intervention. I had pre-ordered it!, and it has worked! I can get the hard copy any other time.Now I will find out about the "transfer" and stop worrying, I think.What catches my attention about The Sound of Broken Glass every time I read it is precisely what the title points to. There are two instances of it - the environs where a lot of the action takes place, Crystal Palace, and the way the building itself became an icon at the time and was then destroyed. Within this neighborhood,also Crystal Palace, we hear the sound of glass shattering at a pivotal point in the novel, and it has to do with Nadine, one of the intriguing characters in this novel. Both instances are related to the end of something - an era; a friendship.And there is another sound, the haunting music of Andy Monahan's guitar. I could hear it, and immediately thought how wonderful it would be to have a CD of his songs. They went viral in the Internet, so why can't we have them? The guitar takes a life of its own and becomes another intoxicating character.As with the other books in this series, we get several glimpses of Gemma and Duncan's life at home with their three children. Their antics and the problems they cause, together with the joy they bring, help in making the main characters more well rounded, and also more "human" - the way it should be, and what we find in other successful mysteries too. It would be also very boring and "unrealistic" to have only the bare bones of the sleuthing.As I reach the end, I immediately visualize Robert Frost's poem "fire and ice" - as I always do when I am at that point. How could I not do it, when the scene reflects the poem so much?Some say the world will end in fire,Some say in ice.From what I've tasted of desireI hold with those who favor fire.But if it had to perish twice,I think I know enough of hateTo say that for destruction iceIs also greatAnd would suffice.And now, after having been held captive in Crombie's world for a long time, and loving it, I will start To Dwell In Darkness, which I shall have to read with artificial light, as I don't want to be "in the darkness"...

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.

This book arrived very quickly and the quality was exceptional - described as in used very good condition and was better than expected. As have not reached this stage in the series, and not able to provide a review of the book

The current structure of a newly promoted Chief Inspector Gemma (fulfilling exactly the same role as in her previous post as a Detective Inspector) with an all female supporting official cast and a few unauthorised interventions by her house husband and an incapacitated male sergeant lacks conviction and would have needed a sturdier plot than this to sustain it. The last chapter in which Superintendent Duncan learns by a letter in his emptied office at New Scotland Yard that he is to be dumped in some outer London section of the Met beggars belief.

This was one of a very good series, and hope to find more in the future.

storyline factual and well presented