The body of a very beautiful young woman has been found in an East London park. She looks peaceful, like she might be sleeping. But death has, indeed, come for her, and Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and Sergeant Gemma James set out to discover the woman’s identity, and who hated her enough to kill her. The case leads them to a famous London tea company, and also back to the days of the London Blitz during World War II.
I’m not very good at resisting temptation, so I’m reading all of Crombie’s Kincaid/James mysteries out of order. In Kissed a Sad Goodbye, Gemma and Duncan are lovers but haven’t committed to each other beyond that. Gemma finds herself very attracted to one of the suspects in the case; meanwhile, Duncan is trying to make room in his life for Kit, the son he has only just discovered.
First up, an admission: I cried a couple of times while reading Kissed a Sad Goodbye. It happened later in the book, when Crombie had taken me deep into the story; scenes from England during World War II are expertly woven into the narrative, and these were the scenes that really pulled me in. She captures so well the story of a boy whose family sends him to safety in the British countryside, his feelings about leaving his family in danger back in London, his interest in his new surroundings and the people with whom he’s staying.
A barge passed by, lit only stern and prow by small, shaded lanterns. In the darkness and silence it seemed ghostly, primitive, a Viking longboat returned from the dead. Lewis shivered. Suddenly he felt a stab of homesickness as intense as those of his first few days at the Hall – and yet it was more than that. He wanted to freeze time, to hold everyone and everything unchanged, and the weight of his desire made it difficult to breathe.
“Da,” he said, forcing the words out. “Let me stay here. The war’s all bollocks anyway, everyone knows that. Nothing’s going to happen – there’s no reason I can’t come home.”
I couldn’t fathom what the connection was between past and present, not until the very end when Crombie lays it all out for the reader; what happened in the past to set off this tragic chain of events was shocking, and caught me very much by surprise.
One of the things the book makes you think about is the consequence of possessing great beauty. By the end of the novel, I found that there was far more to the victim than her initial beauty and interactions with people had lead me to expect. Despite the things she had done, I felt such sorrow that her untimely death had prevented her from finally, for the first time in her life, taking off on wings of her own.
“I’ve always thought that exceptional beauty was as great an affliction as any physical handicap – perhaps more so. It is so difficult for the beautiful person, male or female, to develop a good character, isn’t it? The odds are stacked against them from the start.”
Gemma frowned. “How do you mean?”
“They are never required to earn the regard or affection of others through their behavior; rather, they come to expect it as their due. And they are forgiven almost anything, simply because of the way they look …”
The only flaw in the novel for me came in the denouement; the motive for the murder was not quite as strong as I would have liked. That didn’t take away from the ending, though; it was still very satisfying to learn who the murderer was, and the strength of Crombie’s depiction of all the characters was such that I eagerly read the end of the mystery, the parts past the unmasking of the murderer, because I wanted to know what happened to each of the characters.
If you’re a P.D. James or Elizabeth George fan, and you haven’t read any of Crombie’s novels before, you’re in for a real treat. Her style has evolved far beyond the first book in the series, A Share in Death, which read more to me like a cozy; subsequent books in the series feature complex characterizations and storylines filled with all sorts of twists and turns. Highly recommended.
Related Links and Fun Stuff
As always in Crombie’s books, there’s a finely detailed map of the area in London that plays a large role in the mystery (click on image to view in large on author’s site):
Each chapter also begins with quotes from Dockland: An Illustrated Historical Survey of Life and Work in East London, and Memories of Childhood on the Isle of Dogs (the latter by Eve Hostettler).
Where to buy Kissed a Sad Goodbye:
Review copy details: published by Bantam Books, 2001, Mass market paperback, 369 pages
Related posts:
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I have not heard of this series before, but I love a good mystery (particularly one set in London), so I will definitely check it out.
I wanted to let you know that I bestowed the “enchanted” award to your blog today.
Have a great Saturday!
Molly’s last blog post..Blushing blogger
I like that quote! I’ll have to add this series to my list.
Beth F’s last blog post..Award and Changes
Molly, the location is definitely a big feature in Crombie’s books – I hope you enjoy the series. And thank you for the award!
Beth, I think you’ll like this series.