No Mark Upon Her

Deborah Crombie's No Mark Upon Her kept me up way past my bedtime. The latest entry in the on-going saga of Gemma James and Duncan Kincaid is another winner from this talented author who writes what I think of as police procedurals with heart... and with intricate plots that keep me turning pages and guessing.

I've raved about Deb's books before (HERE.) They are set in the UK and move about a bit, giving an Anglophile like me a peek at different parts of the culture -- distilleries in Scotland, London's East End, Glastonbury , Cambridge, the Yorkshire moors . . .

This one is set in Henley and there's quite a lot about the sport of rowing -- an Olympic hopeful for the single sculls is murdered . . .

I found myself Googling to find out more about rowing and its traditions. Crombie describes the allure and the mystique so compellingly that I found myself wishing I'd been introduced to this sport many years ago,

There's beautiful description, sharply drawn characters, psychological suspense, the pleasant details of Duncan and Gemma's family life, and a plot that twists and turn. But wait, there's more!

There are also dogs!  Some very nice SAR dogs  (Search and Rescue dogs) play an important part in the story (and sent me Googling again.)

This is a wonderful read -- if you're new to the series, don't worry; this book can stand alone. And I'll bet that after reading it, you'll want to go back and explore the others.

(Disclaimer: I bought this book myself. This recommendation was not solicited.)