No Mark Upon Her

No Mark Upon Her is the first Deborah Crombie novel I have read, but it certainly won’t be the last. This fast-paced crime novel is actually the fourteenth book Crombie has written featuring Scotland Yard Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and Detective Inspector Gemma James, who have been recently married as this book opens.

The story centers on the murder of Becca Meredith, another high-ranking detective who was also a possible Olympic contender in single scull rowing, and the investigation quickly intensifies when someone attempts to kill the the search-and-rescue person who found her body, Kieran Connolly. As Kincaid takes the lead on finding Becca’s killer, Gemma pursues a separate matter that eventually overlaps the murder investigation and threatens to expose police corruption at the highest levels.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The crisp writing and interesting characters in No Mark Upon Her were enhanced by the fascinating look into the world of top-notch rowers. Did you know, for instance, that crew members regularly eat 6000 to 7000 calories a day while they are in training? I can’t even begin to imagine what that would do to me!

In my view, Crombie also does an excellent job of balancing the attention on the murder investigation with showing how Gemma and Duncan are finding their own balance between two demanding jobs and the needs of their family. Even though I have not read the earlier books in this series, it didn’t take long for me to get a sense of their relationship and how committed they are to each other.

I would definitely put my stamp of approval on this one – highly recommended for all the murder mystery buffs who are out there!

Trish is always up for a good detective story and thanks William Morrow for the review copy of this book. You can check out what else Trish is reading at her blog, In So Many Words.