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No Mark Upon Her    by Deborah Crombie Amazon.com order for
No Mark Upon Her
by Deborah Crombie
Order:  USA  Can
William Morrow, 2012 (2012)
Hardcover, e-Book
* * *   Reviewed by Mary Ann Smyth

Deborah Crombie's latest, No Mark Upon Her, is as fine a mystery as her thirteen previous novels. And believe me, they are top rate. Scotland Yard Superintendant Duncan Kincaid once again goes after a killer while his wife, Detective Inspector Gemma James, works to bring about the same result.

If you have followed this popular series, you know that the two now have three children acquired by various happenings. They are trying to give these kids a good home environment and are now each taking turns working part time at both endeavors.

The setting is Henley, England, the site of the famous regatta between Oxford and Cambridge. The participants are of a different mettle than the average student and train constantly. When one of their own, although long gone from academia and in the police force, is discovered drowned while rowing alone, suspicions fly as to how and why.

While Duncan follows clues and interviews anyone even remotely connected to the victim, Gemma works from home, contacting friends who could help. Could the deceased victim's ex-husband be responsible? Possibly her coach? Or maybe the veteran with PTSD. Better check for jealousy among the female rowers. Could someone with the Search & Rescue teams be harboring a grudge?

The tightly woven plot includes that particular area of the Thames Valley that seems as much a part of the story as the finely tuned characters. The reader can imagine the twists and turns of the Thames as it splits around the small island that figures so clearly in the development of the story. The Search & Rescue dogs, Finn and Josh, are a nice addition. No Mark Upon Her is an exciting and suspenseful read, not to be missed.

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