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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