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Deborah Crombie is the American author of the Duncan Kincaid & Gemma James Mystery Series.

Born in Dallas, Texas, she graduated with a degree in biology from Austin College in Sherman, Texas.

It was a trip to Yorkshire that inspired the Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid/Sergeant Gemma James novel series which made its debut with A Share in Death (1993).

Crombie has published her novels in several countries, including Spain, Germany, France, Japan, Greece, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Turkey and the United Kingdom.

She currently lives in McKinney, Texas, with her husband, Rick Wilson, and their two cats and two German shepherds.

More about Deborah Crombie

Genre: Mystery

Born: 1952

United States

Website: https://deborahcrombie.com

Non Series

  • The Sunken Sailor (2004)

Duncan Kincaid & Gemma James Series

  1. A Share in Death (1993)
  2. All Shall be Well (1994)
  3. Leave the Grave Green (1995)
  4. Mourn Not Your Dead (1996)
  5. Dreaming of the Bones (1997)
  6. Kissed a Sad Goodbye (1999)
  7. A Finer End (2001)
  8. And Justice There is None (2002)
  9. Now May You Weep (2003)
  10. In a Dark House (2005)
  11. Water Like a Stone (2007)
  12. Where Memories Lie (2008)
  13. Necessary as Blood (2009)
  14. No Mark upon Her (2012)
  15. The Sound of Broken Glass (2013)
  16. To Dwell in Darkness (2014)
  17. Garden of Lamentations (2017)
  18. A Bitter Feast (2019)
  19. A Killing of Innocents (2023)

Detailed book overview

Non Series

The Sunken Sailor

Fourteen masters of the mystery and suspense genre--including Jan Burke, Carolyn Hart, Simon Brett, and Edward Marston--each contribute an individual chapter to a round robin mystery about a weekend house party in a small English village that is turned upside down by murder.

Author: Deborah Crombie
First Release: 2004
ISBN: 978-0425202029
Publisher: Berkley

Duncan Kincaid & Gemma James Series

A Share in Death

A week-long holiday at a lavish time-share in northern England is exactly what newly promoted Scotland Yard Superintendent Duncan Kincaid needs.

No sooner does he begin his vacation than a dead body is discovered floating in the whirlpool bath.

One of the guests at Followdale House is dead, and another is a killer.

With the local constabulary offering little assistance, Kincaid enlists for the help of his zealous young assistant, Sergeant Gemma James.

When a second body is however discovered, Kincaid and James know they have to capture a vicious killer on the loose before it’s too late.

Author: Deborah Crombie
First Release: 1993
ISBN: 978-0330342469
Publisher: Pan MacMillan
All Shall be Well

Jasmine Dent seems to have died in her sleep after being devastated by illness.

She always knew that the disease would lead to her death, and expressed her desire to speed up the unavoidable.

So could her death have been suicide? Her neighbor, Superintendent Duncan Kincaid of the Scotland Yard thinks otherwise.

Jasmine Dent was murdered and Kincaid will endeavor to prove it with the help of his able assistant Sergeant Gemma James.

As they look into the dead woman’s past, they will learn of the strange passions that can compel one to perform fiendish acts on other human beings.

Author: Deborah Crombie
First Release: 1994
ISBN: 978-0060534394
Publisher: Avon Books
Leave the Grave Green

Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and Sergeant Gemma James of the Scotland Yard are summoned when a body of Connor Swann is found floating in a Thames river lock one morning.

Connor was the son-in-law of Sir Gerald Asherton, a famous operatic conductor, and Dame Caroline Stowe, an admired and beloved soprano.

When evidence points to the fact that Connor's death may not have been an accident after a night of binge drinking—but rather a deliberate act of murder through strangulation—Kincaid and Gemma launch investigations which leads them to the discovery of another tragedy that hit the Ashertons two decades earlier.

Family relationships may not be as simple as they appear after all.

Author: Deborah Crombie
First Release: 1995
ISBN: 978-0330348836
Publisher: Pan MacMillan
Mourn Not Your Dead

When the body of Alastair Gilbert, a Commander in the London Metropolitan Police, is found dead in the kitchen of his residential Surry home, Scotland Yard Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and Sergeant Gemma James are summoned to get to the bottom of things.

Few in Surry however mourn over the loss of the powerful high ranking police officer, as his pride and ruthlessness made him very disreputable.

Although the relationship between Kincaid and Gemma is tense due to the intimate encounter that took place a few days earlier, the two must put aside their feelings for each other, and their personal grudge with the victim in order to solve the case.

Author: Deborah Crombie
First Release: 1996
ISBN: 978-0330474856
Publisher: Pan MacMillan
Dreaming of the Bones

Dr. Victoria McClellan, the ex-wife of Scotland Yard Superintendent Duncan Kincaid, left him more than ten years ago without so much as an explanation.

So you can imagine how surprised Kincaid was when she called him one random day.

The Cambridge feminist biographer wants her ex-husband to look into the death of Lydia Brooke, a local poet whose case was officially closed for five years.

Although the troubled poet was deemed to have committed suicide, Vic believes that she was murdered.

As Kincaid’s involvement with Vic and her son strains his frail relationship with his partner and lover, Sergeant Gemma James, more bad news lays ahead for the Scotland Yard Superintendent; news that will forever alter the course of his life.

Author: Deborah Crombie
First Release: 1997
ISBN: 978-0061150401
Publisher: Avon Books
Kissed a Sad Goodbye

Just when Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid is about to spend the weekend with Kit, his ex-wife’s eleven-year-old son and the child he never knew he sired, a call from Scotland Yard puts him on a case.

The body of a young woman has been discovered in East London's Mudchute Park, and it doesn’t look like a simple case of a robbery gone wrong.

The body is identified as that of Annabelle Hammond, the mysterious yet daring head of a family-owned tea company.

As Duncan and Gemma dig into the victim’s past, they will discover a deep rooted string of resentment that could be motive for murder.

Author: Deborah Crombie
First Release: 1999
ISBN: 978-0230772755
Publisher: Macmillan
A Finer End

A lot has changed for Duncan Kincaid.

Now a part-time father to his twelve-year-old son, Kit, and no longer partnered with Gemma James who has taken on a promotion, Duncan welcomes his cousin’s invite to Glastonbury with open arms hoping to have a getaway weekend with Gemma.

Glastonbury Tor is however in a town full of mythical intrigue and the two lovers and former partners find themselves in the middle of a murder investigation.

Will Duncan and Gemma be able to uncover the truth that not even the local police can see?

Author: Deborah Crombie
First Release: 2001
Ebook: B00GX3JOK0
Publisher: Bantam USA
And Justice There is None

Gemma James is gradually adjusting to changes in both her professional and personal life.

A recently promoted inspector, her future with Duncan Kincaid remains uncertain.

Her new role however faces a litmus test following a vicious homicide.

Dawn Arrowood, the beautiful young wife of a rich antiques dealer, was six weeks pregnant when her body was discovered in Notting Hill.

Alex Dunn, her lover, is shattered by the death, with Karl Arrowood deemed as the one with the biggest motive to harm his infidel wife.

Brought together by two separate investigations, Duncan and Gemma may face their toughest test yet where justice will be hard to find.

Author: Deborah Crombie
First Release: 2002
Ebook: B00GX3JS60
Publisher: Bantam USA
Now May You Weep

New to the role of Detective Inspector, Gemma James's investigative skills can only be matched by that of Duncan Kincaid, her former partner and present lover.

When her friend Hazel Cavendish invites her for a holiday retreat in the Scottish Highlands, Gemma’s time there is everything but a holiday.

Hazel and one Donald Brodie may have been from rival families of local distillers, but that didn’t stop the two from having a wild and intense affair.

Brodie, who is currently the head of the family business, still loves Hazel and will even destroy her English marriage just to make things work between them.

So when Hazel is arrested for a murder, Gemma is the only one who can save her friend: the friend she never really knew.

Author: Deborah Crombie
First Release: 2003
ISBN: 978-0062308337
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
In a Dark House

The body of a woman is burned beyond recognition after fire ravages a deserted Southwark warehouse located next to a women's shelter for victims of domestic violence.

Meanwhile, an attractive yet emotionally frail woman working as a hospital administrator disappears without a trace.

Elsewhere in an old and dark house in London, a nine-year-old girl worries about her schoolwork, her parents who are ever arguing and a mysterious woman who is her only confidant.

Despite their personal challenges, former partners and lovers Gemma James and Duncan Kincaid must set their private matters aside if they are to solve these strange yet related cases.

Author: Deborah Crombie
First Release: 2005
ISBN: 978-1447272939
Publisher: Pan Books
Water Like a Stone

Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James’ hopes of spending a peaceful Christmas at his family's home in the Cheshire countryside are suddenly halted by killings both present and in the past.

The body of a teenager is discovered drowned in a local canal, while the remains of an infant are found in an old dairy barn located along a canal.

It is however the third death touches them all.

As Duncan and Gemma bury themselves in the investigations, they learn just how unexpectedly the lives of the three victims were interwoven.

When danger comes knocking, not even your loved ones are safe.

Author: Deborah Crombie
First Release: 2007
Ebook: B00LLOT9DI
Publisher: Pan
Where Memories Lie

Other than the fact that Erika Rosenthal and her husband, David, fled to England to escape the holocaust, there isn't much else that Detective Inspector Gemma James of the Scotland Yard knows about her secretive friend's past.

That’s until Erika needs Gemma's help. A family heirloom that was stolen as they fled the Nazis is being sold at a distinguished London auction house.

Where has it been for the last half century?

When those tied to the brooch begin dying, Gemma and Duncan realize that something more sinister could have been behind the death of Erika's husband.

Author: Deborah Crombie
First Release: 2008
ISBN: 978-0061986635
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Necessary as Blood

The historic Brick Lane in London’s East End is a lively blend of vintage clothing boutiques, fashion designers, and its avant-garde artistic community.

The influx of wealth has however brought with it a clash of cultures.

This vibrant community is what artist Sandra Gilles has called home for her mixed-race family, until she mysteriously disappears leaving behind her three-year-old daughter.

Although her husband is the main suspect in the investigation, he too vanishes soon afterwards.

For Gemma James and Duncan Kincaid, this case is rife with rapacity and temptation, one that will change their own family forever.

Author: Deborah Crombie
First Release: 2009
ISBN: 978-0061287541
Publisher: Avon A
No Mark upon Her

Scotland Yard Superintendent Duncan Kincaid finds himself heading a complicated investigation after the body of a woman is discovered in the river by a K9 search-and-rescue team.

Rebecca Meredith, the victim, was a gifted woman with just as many enemies as she had admirers.

The fact that she was also a top detective with the Met raises many political and ethical concerns.

Another investigation, led by Kincaid's wife, Detective Inspector Gemma James, soon reveals a shocking and interconnected string of crimes and that increases the field of suspects.

A case quite as puzzling as this certainly can’t be without the far reaching arms of powerful figures.

Author: Deborah Crombie
First Release: 2012
ISBN: 978-0061990625
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
The Sound of Broken Glass

In the past…

A reclusive thirteen-year-old boy crosses paths with a young and recently widowed teacher. Brought together by loneliness, the two unlikely pair form a solid connection that ends in treachery.

In the present…

When Detective Inspector James and Detective Inspector Melody Talbot join forces to uncover the mystery behind the killing of a well-respected lawyer, discoveries in the investigation makes them realize that nothing is ever what it seems.

Author: Deborah Crombie
First Release: 2013
ISBN: 978-0061990649
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
To Dwell in Darkness

Superintendent Duncan Kincaid still can’t wrap his head around why he was transferred from the Scotland Yard headquarters to the London borough of Camden.

When a dreadful explosion takes place during an organized protest, Duncan Kincaid and his new murder investigation team are summoned to get to the bottom of things.

Although members of the group claim that the young man was only meant to ignite a smoke bomb, Kincaid knows he has to find answers to the strange bombing and the mystery behind the disappearance of a bystander.

In his quest to uncover the truth with the help of former sergeant Doug Cullen, Melody Talbot, and Gemma, Kincaid will learn a shocking truth that will leave him questioning his own job.

Author: Deborah Crombie
First Release: 2014
ISBN: 978-0062271617
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Garden of Lamentations

When the body of a young woman is discovered in one of Notting Hill’s private gardens, DI Kerry Boatman turns to the one person who can help—Gemma James.

Gemma takes up the case not only because she has previously worked with Boatman, but also because she is tied to the victim, Reagan Keating.

This however isn’t the first tragedy to have taken place in this exclusive London park, as a young boy died there in what looked like an accident a few months earlier.

When another body is however discovered, Gemma and Boatman know that they must stop a rampant killer on the loose before it’s too late.

Author: Deborah Crombie
First Release: 2017
ISBN: 978-0062271648
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
A Bitter Feast

Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid of the Scotland Yard and his wife, Detective Inspector Gemma James, are certainly looking forward to honoring the invite of a relaxing weekend in the Cotswolds, arguably one of the most beautiful places in Britain.

Guests at Beck House, Duncan, Gemma and their children seem on course to enjoy a fine stay at the Melody Talbo’s family estate.

When a terrible car accident and a string of puzzling deaths however takes place on the estate, Duncan and Gemma’s weekend soon turns into another day in the office, as they are quickly drawn to the investigation.

Could the truth be rooted in the past or is it closer to home than they imagined?

Author: Deborah Crombie
First Release: 2019
ISBN: 978-0062271679
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
A Killing of Innocents

On a rainy November evening, a young woman hurries through the crowd in London’s historic Russell Square. Out of the darkness, someone jostles her, then brushes past. A moment later, she stumbles, collapsing against a tree. When a young mother finds her body and alerts the police, Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and his sergeant, Doug Cullen, are called to the scene. The victim, Sasha Johnson, is a trainee doctor at a nearby hospital, and she’s been stabbed.

Kincaid immediately calls his detective wife, Gemma James, who has recently been assigned to a task force on knife crime. Along with her partner, detective sergeant Melody Talbot, Gemma joins the investigation. But Sasha Johnson doesn’t fit the profile of the typical knife crime victim. Single, successful, daughter of a black professional family, she has no history of abusive relationships or any connection to gangs. She had her secrets, though, and Kincaid uncovers an awkward connection to his Notting Hill friends Wesley and Betty Howard.

As the detectives unravel Sasha’s tangled relationships, another stabbing puts London in a panic, and Kincaid’s team needs all their resources to find the killer stalking the dark streets of Bloomsbury.

Author: Deborah Crombie
First Release: 2023
ISBN: 978-0063117754
Publisher: HarperLuxe