Took me a while to write this review, had to think about it. This is an okay mystery, but it lacks any real depth insofar as the crime or mystery is concerned. The author spends far too much time on social dynamics, and interpersonal relationships, and that's fine, but it distracts from the mystery, the reasons why two people were killed. I read and read and read hoping to learn more about the suspects, the victims, their relationship to one another, etc. But it was a lot of - not much here. (And it's a fairly lengthy read for a mystery.)Don't get me wrong, I love interpersonal stuff - it adds interest to any story. But I got weary of the continual descriptions of children at play and the interiors of rooms, and what the main character was going to do about: her mother, her sister, the little girl in her life, her partner, her wedding, her friends, her kids, her dogs, her cat. Blah-blah. Also a lot of 'side plots' or stories that did nothing to enhance the main story, and at least one person who goes 'missing' but is never accounted for.I will read more from this author, as I know she's well-respected and frequently makes the best-seller charts. (I seldom let one title cause me to stop reading an author outright.) But I want more mystery, less of the social-personal-descriptive patter that this book was filled with. (If I want a read about personal interactions, I'll read a literary novel, romance or a contemporary chick-lit type book.)One more thing, the main suspects and 'bad guys' are never fully fleshed out and at least one isn't introduced until the last quarter of the book. In a mystery, what was that about? This is definitely not the kind of mystery where the reader can make 'guesses' about who is who and what's really going on. So, Deborah, count me disappointed, though I'm going to read more of you. Two stars. Sorry. In most Deborah Crombie books, the past impacts the present because usually the current murder is related to some distant past event. In this book, the deep past is the history of the area in which the murder takes place and the waves of immigrants who have made this part of London their home rather than a crime. However, there is still a past crime related to the present crime: the previously unresolved disappearance of the wife of the murder victim, leaving a 3-year-old girl without either parent.Gemma's mother instincts kick into high gear here as her now separated friends are connected to the victim and the victim's child. Meanwhile, her own mother is ill, increasing pressure on her to plan her wedding so her mother can attend. And it's the hottest part of the summer.This book weaves the tension between home, relationships, and work into a story of drugs, immigration, race relations, and child-trafficking. Like all Crombie books, it's meticulously detailed and pulls the reader right into the setting.
What do You think about Necessary As Blood (2009)?
Always love the Deborah Crombie, and this look at London's East Side is a treat.
—nfw
A bit predictable, but still heart warming, in its own way.
—Nikolai24
Another good one and all I can say is...finally!!! ;)
—Francesca
