MYSTERY
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Christ Church, Spitalfields
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Hoxton Hall
Photo Credit: KB Thompson
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Dennis Severs' House, in Folgate Street, Spitalfields.
Photo credit: K. Thompson
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BOOK
ILLUMINATIONS
From Merrimon Book Reviews
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Necessary As Blood
by Deborah Crombie
Fantastic!
One
Sunday, Sandra Gilles, mother and artist, finally find time to work on
a fabric art piece, a painting of women paradng in hteir finest,
carrying cages filled with not birds but the faces of women and
children. Later, she takes her young daughter Charlotte to a
friend at the market and then disappears. When her
Pakistani husband is killed, Scotland Yard detective Gemma James is
drawn into the case. Working together with Duncan Kincaid, Doug
Cullen and Melody Talbot, Gemma feels determined to solve the
case. Charlotte's plight haunts her thoughts, driving her
forward. As the case moves forward, danger threatens and Gemma
must make the connections if she is to save a child's life.
NECESSARY AS BLOOD
may be the thirteenth book in this British inspector series, but if you
are new to this author like I am, don't let that stop you from jumping
in right here and now! This book works perfectly as a stand-alone
--- but it sure whets the appetite for more. NECESSARY AS BLOOD hits that
craving for a rich mystery into which a reader can just sink, losing
oneself into the story while savoring each detail.
Characterization, imagery, plot, setting and even chapter heading
quotations all combine to make NECESSARY
AS BLOOD just downright
awesome. From the descriptions of Sandra's artwork to the history
of London's East End, Deborah Crombie creates a wonderfully complex
world layered between past and present, between the concrete events of
the mystery and an emotional, haunting artistic vision that inspires
the reader's imagination. Subplots and individual character
stories work together with the main story so that the reader enters
into the nuances and fullness of the world within the book. An
illustrated map on the inside covers and free-end pages aids the
British mystery lover less familiar with the area. American
author
Deborah Crombie does an excellent job in her portrayal of London's East
End as a place full of history from Jack the Ripper and the Huguenots
to the more avante-garde and the current world where different cultures
exert pressure. Against this richly textured backdrop, Gemma's
concern for one small child brings the reader closer to the cost of
crime.
NECESSARY AS BLOOD
is a treasure to enjoy not just once but through rereading.
Readers
of Barbara Vine/Ruth Rendell, P.D. James, and Elizabeth George will
indeed enjoy Deborah Crombie, not only for the similarities, but also
for her own unique voice. This reader's only sense of
disappointment in closing the cover at the last page was the nagging
question that remained, "Why did I not discover this amazing series
sooner?!" If you are new to this author, do not hesitate to jump
in right here. NECESSARY AS
BLOOD is one of those rare finds -- a
true keeper.
Publisher: William Morrow
(October 6, 2009)
Author
website
Reviewed by Merrimon,
Merrimon Book Reviews
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