Water Like a Stone

Duncan Kincaid & Gemma James #11

by Deborah Crombie

Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and his partner, Sergeant Gemma James, take their sons to picturesque Cheshire for their first family Christmas with Duncan's parents - a holiday both dreaded and anticipated. But not even the charming town of Nantwich and the dreaming canals can mask the tensions in Duncan's family, which are tragically heightened by the discovery of an infant's body hidden in the wall of an old dairy.

As Duncan and Gemma help the police investigate the infant's death, another murder strikes closer to home, revealing that far from being idyllic, Duncan's childhood paradise holds dark and deadly secrets . . . secrets that threaten everything and everyone Duncan and Gemma hold most dear.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Audiobook, Crime, Mystery Thriller, British Literature, Detective

407 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2007

About the author

Deborah Crombie is the author of 17 novels featuring Scotland Yard Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and Detective Inspector Gemma James. The 18th Kincaid/James novel, A BITTER FEAST, will be released by William Morrow in October, 2019.

Crombie lives in McKinney, Texas with her husband, two German Shepherd Dogs, and two cats. She travels to Britain frequently to research her books.

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Water Like Stone by Deborah Crombie is a 2007 William Morrow publication.

My first Gemma James and Duncan Kincaid installment of 2019! It has taken me three years to get this far in the series, as I am not much of a binge reader. But, barring some unforeseen circumstances, I will finish it this year!

I’m up to the eleventh chapter in the series, which finds Gemma and Duncan traveling to spend the Christmas holidays with Duncan’s parents. This will be Gemma’s first official visit and she is understandably nervous.

However, things get off to an unsettling start when Duncan’s sister, Juliet, discovers the body of a deceased baby while doing work on a renovation project. Duncan is just dying to get involved in the case, but of course, he must allow the local authorities to handle it.

To add more tension to the situation, Juliet is experiencing marital woes, which become very public and vocal making everyone uncomfortable, and more than a little concerned for Juliet.

This may be the most absorbing installment in the series so far. The family drama, however, was the most compelling part of the story. However, Crombie has several plot lines moving at once, which may or may not be interconnected. The story has a distinct element of dread which steadily increased, causing me genuine distress and concern for the characters. The conclusion was riveting and quite chilling.

Overall, it took me a good while to really get a good solid handle on this series. But, I think I’ve finally gotten into the groove and think it is starting to live up to my full expectations of it.

[Julie Durnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my favorite in the series (so far!). The plot lines were very well constructed and it was great to finally meet Duncan's family. The information on the narrowboats and canals were so interesting. It was an unexpected bonus to read this in December as the book takes place over the Christmas holidays!

[Terri Lynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was somewhat underwhelmed by this entry in Deborah Crombie's series about Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James. They are spending Christmas with Duncan's parents out in the country where Duncan grew up. Just as they arrive, Duncan's sister, who they were to have Christmas Eve dinner with before attending a midnight mass, calls Duncan to come out to an old dairy barn she is renovating for clients because she has found a dead baby plastered in the wall.

This is not the only stone cold thing about Christmas as Duncan's sister Juliet is having serious marital problems with her hateful husband who treats her like crap while kissing up to their two kids Lally and Sam. Lally is a little bitch. Juliet ought to let hubs have her. You couldn't find a better punishment than to deal with a nasty teenaged girl. Poor Kit was attracted to the girl and let her lead him astray which led to his being kidnapped by a bad seed rich teen boy. There are murders to follow , a social worker who left her husband for the boating life, a family she had worked with before who are avoiding her, and plenty of secrets, family fights, and snow.

It wasn't a bad book, but I just couldn't quite get into it and it never clicked with me. I did want someone to drown that nasty teen boy and I also wanted to bitch slap Lally around but this is not exactly the feelings I want inspired by reading a mystery!

[L.A. Starks · Rating 5 out of 5]

While the juggling of characters and subplots can be dizzying, Crombie tells a wonderful story with aplomb, research, and true feeling for both her characters and the setting. Her expertise takes this, like her other books, well past the simple "cozy" genre. My only quibble is that the villain was telegraphed so early in the book. Water Like a Stone is well worth reading.

[Matt Schiariti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crombie is just getting better and better. With a minor exception or two, I've found every Kinkaid and James novel to be utterly captivating and engaging and Water Like a Stone doesn't disappoint.

Duncan, Gemma and their family go back to Duncan's birthplace where his family still lives to celebrate Christmas. It's particularly unnerving for Gemma because she'd never met most of Kinkaid's family. She meets Duncan's mother and father as well as his somewhat estranged sister, her stand offish husband and their two children, one of which is a haunted teenager named Lally who just happens to be around same age as Kit. Cousin or not, Kit is absolutely captivated, although it seems that she's quite troubled.

Duncan's sister Juliet has set out on her own after working for a time as her verbally abusive husband's secretary restoring old buildings. It's on her current job site that she encounters what turns this from a holiday amongst family into a working vacation. Juliet finds the remains of a dead baby walled up in the mortar of the building site's foundation.

Enter Annie Lebow. Former social services worker, she's taken to a rather isolated live on the rivers in what's known as a long boat. Where In a Dark House dealt with fires and the people that fight them, the central theme of Water Like a Stone is water, namely the boat people of the local geography that somewhat set apart from normal society, mostly keeping to themselves. Annie comes from money, so why isolate herself? Being in social services left its mark on her and she needed to get out. Her story begins when she runs into some of the boat people who's case she was in charge of before she retired. In fact, it was the LAST case she worked before she retired and she saw the system failed Rowan and Gabriel Wain. Their destinies however are fatefully tied into one another.

Life in Duncan's quaint place of birth is hardly as civilized as he remembers as the discovery of the baby's body, a mysterious murder and evidence of the haunted pasts of people's lives that are closest to him come to light.

Just another fantastic addition to the series with great characters and as always, a great sense of place. Crombie excells at making a living breathing character out of the local scenery and geography to the point where you can almost feel as if you're there. Another hallmark are the branching storylines that will have you guessing even though you THINK you may have it already figured out. In a Crombie mystery, you may sometimes know whodunnit but you rarely know the who AND why. Simply wonderful reading.

[Mojo Shivers · Rating 4 out of 5]

The more I read this series, the more I realize it’s not like other mysteries with partners who happen to be romantically involved with each other. This is more like an extended family who happened to luck into each other’s live that just happen to be homicide detectives that handle some pretty horrific murder cases.

I mean—it was hard to tell at first, what with the romantic leanings subtle in the first two books. But after eleven installments, I think it’s safe to say this was Crombie’s plan all long. By focusing on the domestic partnership over the professional one, this series has a solid core of characters you want to care about. And not just Duncan and Gemma either; but Kit and Toby as well.

And this isn’t to say the murders and subsequent investigation aren’t brilliant on their own. They are. But the murders are just what fill in the emptiness around the domestic progress. It’d be no different if Duncan and Gemma owned a book shop where an interesting hunt fit some rare book could occupy the plot installment after installment. Or if they raced cars as a career; those would just be what filled the pages in their working hours. Sure, reading about it could be exciting and be different book to book.

But it wouldn’t be what this series is about. Solving crimes about mummified babies or teens drowning in canals or law offices burning are just what they do in their jobs, which they are great at.

But being a family and keeping the whole family sane and healthy and together is who Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James are from head to toe.

[Mary Ronan Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This 11th Deborah Crombie mystery featuring Gemma Jones and Duncan Kincaid takes place on the canals and canal boats of Cheshire. One of the things I like about Crombie’s books is that they introduce me to different parts of London and of England and they explore subjects like distilling, firefighting, or in this case canal boating.

Gemma and Duncan have taken a long weekend to visit his parents in the country where he grew up. Things grow tense as they realize his sister is in a deteriorating marriage. Toby and Kit, their respective sons, explore their new surroundings and Kit falls for his lovely cousin, a girl with some problems that threaten to engulf him.

This was not as clever as some of the plots in recent book in the series, but the development of character and the country and canal descriptions make up for anything lost in the story.

2011 No 122

[Claude · Rating 4 out of 5]

As one of my friends said, a bit slow at the beginning, but quite enjoyable. I am really taking a lot of pleasure reading the whole series again.
On to Where Memories Lie

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has all the ingredients I love in a mystery novel: good plot, great characters, no horror, not too dark and gritty but not too cosy either: Deborah Crombie gets just the right balance so one is never bored, nor climbing up the curtains with excrutiating suspense!

If I only give it 4 and a half stars, it is simply because it takes some time for the story to really get going, but it is wonderful when it does. Well written and totally recommendable!

Re-read: Even better the second time around! I was more aware of the psychological depth of the characters. Upped to 5 stars!

[Oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extrem guter Bahnhofs Bücherbox find, muss mir wohl mehr von ihr besorgen.
Minus punkte weil es mich meiner eigenen Sterblichkeit zu sehr bewusst gemacht hat und ich danach nicht schlafen konnte weil ich über alles was je in meinem Leben passiert ist nachdenken musste >:(

(Spaß)

[Paraphrodite · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

I'm starting to think Duncan and Gemma are jinxed... bad things seem to happen around them...

I feel quite sad in the end on this one....

[Msjodi777 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to admit that the past couple books in this series have been good, but not quite up to par with the earlier books. Water Like a Stone changes that trend. Ms. Crombie is back with an excellent story line, likable characters, real villains, and an excellent narrator. All in all, an excellent book. Highly recommend. <><

[Sori · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't finish because a few chapters in I realized that I don't find the main characters interesting anymore. I don't know if I've always found them a little boring, but the mysteries were interesting enough to keep me reading in the past. This time I just didn't care enough about the mystery to finish the book.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deborah Crombie has managed to create a series that effectively marries English travelogue, mystery and family drama. In this book, Crombie combines an interesting description of the narrowboat culture with mysteries involving several deaths. In addition, there is plenty of drama as Kincaid's sister and niece must make difficult choices in dangerous situations.

[Kyrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one had been worrying all the way through it, especially for all the children involved.

Kit has a lot of things to work through and I think maybe Lally will work through her own demons with him.

It was very interesting to see Kincaid's family. And I really want Kincaid and Gemma to quit being so cautious with each other and afraid to go one step further.

[☆Ruth☆ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book in parts. It starts well with a slightly spooky, dark, snowy night in the English countryside - a great setting for a murder mystery but then the atmosphere dwindles away. There are too many irritating kids, too much descriptive detail of the canal boat system, too many different story-lines, which all detracted from what should have been an intriguing read.

[CatBookMom · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is nearly a 5-star book. Some rather shocking things happen for Kit and Duncan's sister Juliet, but with support from Duncan, Gemma, and Duncan's parents, some excellent decisions are made and old ghosts are laid.

[Deanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crombie does complicated plots, and sometimes, as with this one, it’s hard to say if the personal storyline or the web of the mystery storyline is primary. And it tends to work well, this time especially so.

The world of the narrow boats, or canal houseboats, was an interesting setting.

[Ace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat predictable and laced with problematic relationships, this is light reading akin to romance without the romance. Just thinking about it, I want to yawn.

[Jeanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I understand about Kit and his mother, but it takes incredible suspension of belief that Kit, at only 13, finds another dead person.

[Pamela Mclaren · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's the holidays and Duncan is taking his family to spend the holidays with his parents and sister. Not all is well in the world, though. Duncan has received word that his son Kit has had problems at school and his sister, Juliet's marriage is unraveling.

And then, while Juliet is working at an old barn she is renovating for a client, she finds the body of an infant. And Kit is smitten by his cousin Lally and challenged by her friend Leo. And if that is not enough, there's the recent death of another of Lally's friend.

The death of the infant leads to a police investigation and pretty soon Duncan and eventually, Gemma, are both pulled into the case that becomes progressively more complex. Duncan's parents try to keep things on an even keel as every one begins to question things they have gone along with for far too long.

Deborah Crombie has once again mixed the professional and private lives of her characters to bring about a compelling, intense and riveting story. All the characters, the dialogue and the setting are masterfully drawn and incredibly real as the reader gets further into the story. This is an unstoppable read. If you have read the series from the beginning as Duncan and Gemma begin their romance, adjust to each others quirks and the challenges of their careers, and finally struggle to blend their families, this is another gold nugget in the tale.

[Terri Milstead · Rating 5 out of 5]

Other than one DCI’s intrusive, inappropriate fascination with his coworker’s short skirts, this was a good installment. (Why in the world do women write things this way?)

Anywho…

This series is pretty steady. Are there usually one or two interpersonal things like the above that irritate? Yes. But, the stories are well drawn and told from multiple POVs. Here, I thought I was onto who was the villain but it was a little more nuanced than one big bad, which I appreciated.

Now…I wouldn’t invite Duncan and Gemma to visit me, but that is just the Murder, She Wrote of a series that doesn’t want to just keep the mysteries related to the day jobs of these two for some reason. Shouldn’t be a surprise since the very first book was not a crime that Duncan was assigned at Scotland Yard but one that happened while he was on vacation.

[GUS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Thoroughly enjoyed this read.

A Christmas getaway to Duncan’s parents with Gemma, Kit and Toby turns into another murder mystery adventure.

Two mysteries come into play, one that is 10 years old and then something current. I even figured out who the murderer was this time around.

I’m finally caught up to where I was first introduced to these characters so will jump ahead 4 books which I first read last spring 2020.

I am way behind my book count for 2021 so I have to get my rear in gear and buckle down the second half of the year.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good one, perhaps the best so far in the series. Great plot, loved getting a bit more into Kincaid's background, his family. Good mystery. Well done and a great diversion during a miserable cold.

[Vernon Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fantastic addition to this series! This one is a bit darker, and maybe hit me a little harder because of the issues the adolescent characters were facing. Deborah Crombie masterfully incorporates the human experience into her mysteries, touching on relationships, family, grief, and loss.

[Alyson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent series and I really enjoyed the audiobook. I'm going back to read the whole series now.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really two and a half stars.

[Kaitlyn Dunnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent entry.

[Shelley Martel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was not one of my favorites of the series, I felt the writing was a little jumbled with all of the story lines. It wrapped up nicely in the end though.

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent entry in a wonderful series. This time England's canals and those that traverse and live on them provide the frame, and factual snippets about the canals head each chapter.