{"id":30021,"date":"2023-03-20T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-20T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/?p=30021"},"modified":"2023-03-19T22:08:30","modified_gmt":"2023-03-20T02:08:30","slug":"review-the-killing-of-innocents-by-deborah-crombie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2023\/03\/20\/review-the-killing-of-innocents-by-deborah-crombie\/","title":{"rendered":"Review \ud83d\udd0d The Killing of Innocents by Deborah Crombie"},"content":{"rendered":"<!--themify_builder_content-->\n<div id=\"themify_builder_content-30021\" data-postid=\"30021\" class=\"themify_builder_content themify_builder_content-30021 themify_builder tf_clear\">\n    \t\t\t<!-- module_row -->\n\t<div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_row themify_builder_row tb_esse27 tb_first tf_w tf_clearfix\">\n\t    \t\t\t<div class=\"row_inner col_align_top gutter-narrow tb_col_count_2 tf_box tf_rel\">\n\t\t            <div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_column tb-column col3-1 tb_22qc27 first\">\n                                                        <div class=\"tb-column-inner tf_box tf_w\">\n                        <!-- module image -->\n<div  class=\"module module-image tb_771027 rounded drop-shadow customBorderRad_top image-center auto_fullwidth tf_mw\" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div class=\"image-wrap tf_rel tf_mw\">\n\t\t    <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"329\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/a-killing-of-innocents-deborah-crombie.jpg?resize=329%2C500&#038;ssl=1\" class=\"wp-post-image wp-image-30023\" title=\"a-killing-of-innocents-deborah-crombie\" alt=\"a-killing-of-innocents-deborah-crombie\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/a-killing-of-innocents-deborah-crombie.jpg?w=329&amp;ssl=1 329w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/a-killing-of-innocents-deborah-crombie.jpg?resize=197%2C300&amp;ssl=1 197w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/a-killing-of-innocents-deborah-crombie.jpg?resize=400%2C607&amp;ssl=1 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 329px) 100vw, 329px\" \/>\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<!-- \/image-wrap -->\n    \n    \t<\/div>\n<!-- \/module image --><!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_ddo028 customBorderRad_bottom repeat \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n    <p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">On a rainy November evening,\u00a0trainee doctor Sasha Johnson\u00a0hurries through\u00a0the\u00a0evening\u00a0crowd in\u00a0London&#8217;s\u00a0historic Russell Square. Out of the darkness, someone jostles her\u00a0as they brush past. A moment later,\u00a0Sasha\u00a0stumbles, then collapses.\u00a0When Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and his sergeant, Doug Cullen, are called to the scene, they\u00a0discover that\u00a0she&#8217;s been\u00a0stabbed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">Kincaid immediately calls\u00a0in\u00a0his detective wife, Gemma James, who has recently been assigned to a task force on knife crimes\u00a0which are on the rise.\u00a0Along with her partner, detective sergeant Melody Talbot, Gemma\u00a0aids\u00a0the investigation. But Sasha Johnson doesn\u2019t fit the profile of the\u00a0task force\u2019s\u00a0typical\u00a0knife crime victim. Single, successful,\u00a0career-driven, she has no history of abusive relationships or any connection to gangs. Sasha had her secrets, though, and\u00a0some of them lead the\u00a0detectives uncomfortably close to home.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">As\u00a0the team\u00a0unravels the victim&#8217;s tangled connections, another\u00a0murder raises the stakes.\u00a0Kincaid, Gemma, and their colleagues must put even\u00a0friendships on the line to find the killer stalking the dark streets of\u00a0Bloomsbury.<\/span><\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text -->                    <\/div>\n                            <\/div>\n                        <div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_column tb-column col3-2 tb_exzd28 last\">\n                                                        <div class=\"tb-column-inner tf_box tf_w\">\n                        <!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_szvf28  repeat \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n    <p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-25881 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/smitten-recommends-banner-1.png?resize=296%2C72\" alt=\"\" width=\"296\" height=\"72\" \/><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Release Date:<\/strong> Feb 7, 2023<br \/><strong>Publisher:<\/strong>\u00a0HarperCollins<br \/><strong>Imprint:<\/strong>\u00a0William Morrow<br \/><strong>Price:<\/strong> $14.99<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\">Detective Superintendent <strong>Duncan Kincaid<\/strong> and Sergeant <strong>Doug Cullen<\/strong> are called to the scene of a fatal stabbing. They\u2019re shocked to realize the victim is a young woman they had just seen in the pub where they were eating. Duncan\u2019s wife, <strong>Gemma James,<\/strong> is frustrated that instead of being out in the field, she\u2019s on a\u00a0 task force tracking knife crime in the Greater London area. She and her partner <strong>DS Melody Talbot<\/strong> are both bored with the administrative work and are happy for the chance to help on the case. Things are further complicated when Duncan and Gemma realize that their good friends were friends of the victim and her family. When another stabbing occurs, it will take the whole expanded team to solve this complicated crime.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\">This book is part of a long-running series, but the author does a great job of summarizing important background information about the main characters. This is helpful to those new to the series, as well as returning readers who need a refresher. The case is interesting, and I like that Duncan, Doug, Gemma, Melody, and Duncan\u2019s new second-in-command, <strong>DI Jasmine Sidana<\/strong>, all contribute to solving the case. However, the team seems so fragmented, with each person working with someone else but never all working together and sharing information. Part of this is scheduling issues with team members balancing family and job, but a lot is because of tensions between Melody and Doug, whose friendship is strained because of events in a prior book. Melody\u2019s drama with her ex-boyfriend also slowed the pace of this book and added to the awkwardness between Melody and Doug, negatively affecting the investigation. Without the usual camaraderie between the main characters, I didn\u2019t enjoy this book as much as others in the series.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\">I like that <strong>DI Sidana<\/strong> started showing more personality in this book. She is an intelligent detective but sometimes lacks people skills. However, she shows a lighter side when she and Gemma go undercover at a club to get information on a possible suspect. These scenes are my favorite of the whole book. The case is eventually resolved, but there some things regarding the main characters are left up in the air. I prefer to have things more settled at the end of a book, but I\u2019ve been following this series for a long time and am interested in seeing what\u2019s in store for everyone in future installments.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\"><em>~ Christine<\/em><\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text --><!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_d68u28 customBorderRad repeat \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n    <p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span class=\"s1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3FAu9R9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amazon<\/a><\/span><span class=\"s2\">\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/apple.co\/3Z1Sy8W\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">iBooks<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/a-killing-of-innocents-deborah-crombie\/1140137133?ean=9780062993502\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">B&amp;N<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kobo.com\/us\/en\/ebook\/a-killing-of-innocents\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">Kobo<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details\/Deborah_Crombie_A_Killing_of_Innocents?id=TXFBEAAAQBAJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">Google Play<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text -->                    <\/div>\n                            <\/div>\n            \t    <\/div>\n\t    <!-- \/row_inner -->\n\t<\/div>\n\t<!-- \/module_row -->\n\t<\/div>\n<!--\/themify_builder_content-->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On a rainy November evening,\u00a0trainee doctor Sasha Johnson\u00a0hurries through\u00a0the\u00a0evening\u00a0crowd in\u00a0London&#8217;s\u00a0historic Russell Square. Out of the darkness, someone jostles her\u00a0as they brush past. A moment later,\u00a0Sasha\u00a0stumbles, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30023,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[89,106,48,72],"tags":[152,367,404,405,482],"class_list":["post-30021","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-christine","category-harpercollins","category-reviews","category-william-morrow","tag-4-stars","tag-mystery","tag-recommend","tag-recommended-reads","tag-thrillersuspense"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Review \ud83d\udd0d The Killing of Innocents by Deborah Crombie - Smitten by Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2023\/03\/20\/review-the-killing-of-innocents-by-deborah-crombie\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Review \ud83d\udd0d The Killing of Innocents by Deborah Crombie - Smitten by Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"On a rainy November evening,\u00a0trainee doctor Sasha Johnson\u00a0hurries through\u00a0the\u00a0evening\u00a0crowd in\u00a0London&#039;s\u00a0historic Russell Square. Out of the darkness, someone jostles her\u00a0as they brush past. A moment later,\u00a0Sasha\u00a0stumbles, [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2023\/03\/20\/review-the-killing-of-innocents-by-deborah-crombie\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Smitten by Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-03-20T11:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/a-killing-of-innocents-deborah-crombie.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"329\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"beverley\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"beverley\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/2023\\\/03\\\/20\\\/review-the-killing-of-innocents-by-deborah-crombie\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/2023\\\/03\\\/20\\\/review-the-killing-of-innocents-by-deborah-crombie\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"beverley\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/5a4181aeb9cd5641e30023b9b4d3e00d\"},\"headline\":\"Review \ud83d\udd0d The Killing of Innocents by Deborah Crombie\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-03-20T11:00:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/2023\\\/03\\\/20\\\/review-the-killing-of-innocents-by-deborah-crombie\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":8,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/2023\\\/03\\\/20\\\/review-the-killing-of-innocents-by-deborah-crombie\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/03\\\/a-killing-of-innocents-deborah-crombie.jpg?fit=329%2C500&ssl=1\",\"keywords\":[\"4 Stars\",\"Mystery\",\"recommend\",\"Recommended Reads\",\"thriller\\\/suspense\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Christine\",\"HarperCollins\",\"Reviews\",\"William Morrow\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/2023\\\/03\\\/20\\\/review-the-killing-of-innocents-by-deborah-crombie\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/2023\\\/03\\\/20\\\/review-the-killing-of-innocents-by-deborah-crombie\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/2023\\\/03\\\/20\\\/review-the-killing-of-innocents-by-deborah-crombie\\\/\",\"name\":\"Review \ud83d\udd0d The Killing of Innocents by Deborah Crombie - 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Out of the darkness, someone jostles her\u00a0as they brush past. A moment later,\u00a0Sasha\u00a0stumbles, then collapses.\u00a0When Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and his sergeant, Doug Cullen, are called to the scene, they\u00a0discover that\u00a0she's been\u00a0stabbed.\u00a0<\/p> <p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Kincaid immediately calls\u00a0in\u00a0his detective wife, Gemma James, who has recently been assigned to a task force on knife crimes\u00a0which are on the rise.\u00a0Along with her partner, detective sergeant Melody Talbot, Gemma\u00a0aids\u00a0the investigation. But Sasha Johnson doesn\u2019t fit the profile of the\u00a0task force\u2019s\u00a0typical\u00a0knife crime victim. Single, successful,\u00a0career-driven, she has no history of abusive relationships or any connection to gangs. Sasha had her secrets, though, and\u00a0some of them lead the\u00a0detectives uncomfortably close to home.<\/p> <p style=\"text-align: justify;\">As\u00a0the team\u00a0unravels the victim's tangled connections, another\u00a0murder raises the stakes.\u00a0Kincaid, Gemma, and their colleagues must put even\u00a0friendships on the line to find the killer stalking the dark streets of\u00a0Bloomsbury.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/smitten-recommends-banner-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"296\" height=\"72\" \/><\/p> <hr \/> <p><strong>Release Date:<\/strong> Feb 7, 2023<br \/><strong>Publisher:<\/strong>\u00a0HarperCollins<br \/><strong>Imprint:<\/strong>\u00a0William Morrow<br \/><strong>Price:<\/strong> $14.99<\/p> <hr \/> <p style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\">Detective Superintendent <strong>Duncan Kincaid<\/strong> and Sergeant <strong>Doug Cullen<\/strong> are called to the scene of a fatal stabbing. They\u2019re shocked to realize the victim is a young woman they had just seen in the pub where they were eating. Duncan\u2019s wife, <strong>Gemma James,<\/strong> is frustrated that instead of being out in the field, she\u2019s on a\u00a0 task force tracking knife crime in the Greater London area. She and her partner <strong>DS Melody Talbot<\/strong> are both bored with the administrative work and are happy for the chance to help on the case. Things are further complicated when Duncan and Gemma realize that their good friends were friends of the victim and her family. When another stabbing occurs, it will take the whole expanded team to solve this complicated crime.<\/p> <p style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\">This book is part of a long-running series, but the author does a great job of summarizing important background information about the main characters. This is helpful to those new to the series, as well as returning readers who need a refresher. The case is interesting, and I like that Duncan, Doug, Gemma, Melody, and Duncan\u2019s new second-in-command, <strong>DI Jasmine Sidana<\/strong>, all contribute to solving the case. However, the team seems so fragmented, with each person working with someone else but never all working together and sharing information. Part of this is scheduling issues with team members balancing family and job, but a lot is because of tensions between Melody and Doug, whose friendship is strained because of events in a prior book. Melody\u2019s drama with her ex-boyfriend also slowed the pace of this book and added to the awkwardness between Melody and Doug, negatively affecting the investigation. Without the usual camaraderie between the main characters, I didn\u2019t enjoy this book as much as others in the series.<\/p> <p style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\">I like that <strong>DI Sidana<\/strong> started showing more personality in this book. She is an intelligent detective but sometimes lacks people skills. However, she shows a lighter side when she and Gemma go undercover at a club to get information on a possible suspect. These scenes are my favorite of the whole book. The case is eventually resolved, but there some things regarding the main characters are left up in the air. I prefer to have things more settled at the end of a book, but I\u2019ve been following this series for a long time and am interested in seeing what\u2019s in store for everyone in future installments.<\/p> <p style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\"><em>~ Christine<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3FAu9R9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amazon<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/apple.co\/3Z1Sy8W\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">iBooks<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/a-killing-of-innocents-deborah-crombie\/1140137133?ean=9780062993502\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">B&amp;N<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kobo.com\/us\/en\/ebook\/a-killing-of-innocents\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kobo<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details\/Deborah_Crombie_A_Killing_of_Innocents?id=TXFBEAAAQBAJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Google Play<\/a><\/strong><\/p>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30021","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30021"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30021\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30027,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30021\/revisions\/30027"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30023"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30021"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30021"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30021"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}