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Fiction. Mystery. Suspense. Thriller. HTML:Scotland Yard Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and his partner Sergeant Gemma James return in another spellbinding novel of mysteries�??one contemporary, one ancient�??an investigation that will challenge them personally and professionally as no case ever has. From the award-winning author of the acclaimed Kissed a Sad Goodbye... A FINER END When Duncan Kincaid�??s cousin Jack calls from Glastonbury to ask for his help on a rather unusual matter, Duncan welcomes the chance to spend a relaxing weekend outside of London with Gemma�??but relaxation isn�??t on the agenda. Glastonbury is revered as the site of an ancient abbey, the mythical burial place of King Arthur and Guinevere, and a source of strong druid power. Jack has no more than a passing interest in its history�??until he comes across an extraordinary chronicle almost a thousand years old. The record reveals something terrible and bloody shattered the abbey�??s peace long ago�??knowledge that will spark violence that reaches into the present. Soon it is up to Duncan and Gemma to find the truth the local police cannot see. But no one envisions the peril that lies ahead�??or that there is more at stake than… (more)
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This is yet another Grail Story and Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James are almost incidental to the story. If Deborah Crombie had wanted to write a book about a search for the Holy Grail it would have been better if she had done that pure and simple without trying to turn it into a
I hope that the next book is back on track and that she has worked all the supernatural hocus pocus out of her system.
Not only did I love it but passed it along to friends. Gotta go to Glastonbury!
This is not my favorite Crombie. Others have mentioned as such and it's for the same reason. This story includes some fantasy and mythology and the other world which I don't find
Jack Montfort is an architect living in Glastonbury in his family's ancestral home at the base of the Glastonbury Tor. Glastonbury attracts New Agers but Jack Montfort isn't of that ilk. Therefor, he is more than a little surprised when he starts writing messages in Latin seemingly from a former monk at the Glastonbury Abbey. He confides in a young man at the bookstore (Nick) and soon he has to tell his lady love, Winifred Catesby, who is an Anglican minister. He soon is at the centre of a small group of people who believe the monk is trying to communicate an important message. Winifred has a sort of vision but before she can tell Jack she is struck by a car and left for dead. Jack is less than impressed by the local police force's handling of the hit-and-run accident so he calls his cousin, Duncan Kincaid, who is with Scotland Yard. Duncan and his lady love, Gemma James, also a police detective, come to Glastonbury. Just after their arrival the police come knocking on Jack's door to tell him that Garnet Todd has been found dead in her van. Garnet was one of the people helping Jack communicate with the monk. She was the embodiment of New Age thinking to the extent of living in an ancient farmhouse with no electricity or running water. She had lately taken in a pregnant teenager (Faith) and has been coaching her in Goddess lore. Nick is smitten with Faith but Garnet did not appreciate his attention to Faith and Nick seems like the likely candidate to have murdered her. Of course, the likely candidate is never the actual murderer but the identity of the murderer is not revealed until the last few pages.
I didn't think that the "mystery" part of this book was all that great nor was I really taken with Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James. I did figure out the murderer before the end. The setting however was unique and the information about the early church was interesting. I'm certainly interested in seeing Glastonbury for myself now so that made the read worthwhile.
I quite liked this book and thought Ms. Crombie weaved the mythology, local lore, Arthurian legends, monastic life, and history into a very readable, tense, contemporary mystery.
I especially loved the
The characters were interesting and the plot very intricate. The plot worked well with the location. The sense of place was very strong.
I especially liked the passage that describes the word enchantment. “The word enchantment is derived from ‘chant’. The ancients believed that music was the strongest magic, that it kept man in tune with the cosmos and in harmony with one another.”
And this note. “ Out of all the Grail mythology entwined with Glastonbury over the centuries, there is one legend that says the Grail is not an object - not a cup or a chalice - but a transcendent state of being, brought about by ritual and prayer.”
There is a certain feel or vibration in the Glastonbury air. I can understand why authors would try to weave local beliefs, local lore and history into a contemporary plot.
Duncan and Gemma have somewhat minor roles in this particular title. Duncan’s cousin (who lives in Glastonbury) asks for his help in sorting out a hit and run incident. A weekend ‘getaway’ turns into a full-blown murder inquiry for Duncan and Gemma.
Great title in a great series.
The author has set the story in the ancient town of Glastonbury, Duncan’s cousin Jack is receiving messages from a 10th century monk in the form of automated writings. A small group gather to help Jack explore what these messages mean, but among this small group there are troubled souls and dark secrets. When violence erupts, Jack contacts Duncan and he and Gemma arrive to find one murder has already occurred.
As well as solving crime together, Duncan and Gemma have a personal relationship that has been slowly evolving over the course of the books. Gemma is now taking steps to separate their personal lives and their working lives, and she has a secret to divulge that could possibly change everything.
I love this series, and this couple and although I am too much of a skeptic to totally accept the paranormal elements in this particular story, I still found myself enjoying the book a lot. I am looking forward to continuing on with the series.
This one about a tourist town with the attraction of Glastonbury's Abbey, with its medieval history of monks, music, power plays and violence, as well the raw forbidding tangible pull of the Tor is utilized as
The book's focus on the search for documentation of the old compelling church chants brought to mind Louis Penny's The Beautiful Mystery about a monastery and its music.
It was a pleasure meeting excellent characters Jack, Winnie, Faith and Nick.
Good read.