Deborah Crombie’s No Mark Upon Her follows Detectives Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James in a new phase of their lives. Just married and trying to support a blended family, they have biological children on both sides, and a child left orphaned in a previous case (whom they hope to adopt), the two are trying to settle into new family routines when a big case derails their plans.
Duncan is called to investigate the possible murder of a high-profile, high-ranking Met detective with Scotland Yard, who is also a champion rower taking a last chance at the Olympics. Kincaid’s boss would like nothing better than for the case to be tidily wrapped up with the murderer being someone other than a fellow police officer. The victim’s husband should do nicely. But when Kincaid’s case starts to merge with one James is working, it looks as if the duo could become targets for some serious trouble.
No Mark Upon Her is the 14th in the Kincaid/James series and I had no problems keeping up, though in addition to James and Kincaid, other points of view are explained as well. I loved the characters and getting glimpses into their lives and back stories. Not only did I enjoy the current storyline, but I also wanted to go back and explore other books in the series. The case was well-written and the parts pertaining to the rowing and the behavior of rescue dogs presented as well-researched and very credible. The mystery kept me engaged and guessing until the end. I knew who, but I couldn’t quite figure out why. I will definitely be checking in again with these Scotland Yard Detectives. Recommended.
