A Share in Death by Deborah Crombie

Recently, I had the pleasure of interviewing Deborah Crombie for the Valley News Dispatch (Trib Total Media). She will be making a stop in Oakmont, PA, on her book tour for the latest book in her mystery series, To Dwell in Darkness. Her book signing is hosted by Mystery Lovers Bookstore and will be held at the Carnegie Library in Oakmont on October 8 at 7 p.m.

I was nervous about the interview, as she is my first famous author - but "Debs" put me at ease immediately and made me feel like I was a long-lost friend. We had a great 20-minute conversation while I was in my car, pulled over to the side of the road on my way home from work. She talked about everything from her books to traveling to her dogs and cats. I hardly had to ask her any questions! So thanks for that, Debs!

In preparation for the interview, I read the first book in her series, A Share in Death, which was published in 1993. Since then, she has published 15 more books and is working on another.

For a first novel by someone with a Biology degree and no writing background, A Share in Death is quite impressive. It is an Agatha Christie-style mystery, set in a time-share house in Yorkshire, United Kingdom. The book introduces Duncan Kincaid, Scotland Yard Superintendent, who is on holiday at the Followdale House and doesn't really want the other guests to know what he does for a living. Until an employee of the house is murdered, that is. The local officer-in-charge has an attitude with Kincaid but is inept, so Kincaid pulls some strings and gets on the case, along with the help of his assistant, Gemma James. Then one of the guests is also murdered, and the plot thickens. There is a cast of characters, each with their own little secrets and quirks. With Gemma working on the outside and Kincaid working from the house, they begin to solve the puzzle, piece by piece.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves mysteries, and I plan to read the other 15 books in the series. I am currently reading the new book, To Dwell in Darkness, but I'll go back and read them in succession after that.

Crombie has a blog, Jungle Red Writers, that she shares with six other female mystery writers - find it at www.jungleredwriters.com.