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Cover of And Justice There Is None

And Justice There Is None

Deborah Crombie

First published 2002 · 471 pages

An atmospheric, character-rich procedural that weaves the complexities of a blossoming romance with the chilling realities of domestic betrayal.

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What it feels like

Reading this book feels like stepping into a damp, gray London afternoon where the warmth of a familiar pub is just around the corner, yet a lingering chill refuses to dissipate. It is a deeply character-driven procedural that thrives on its steady, deliberate pacing, allowing the reader to sink into the intricate emotional lives of its protagonists. The narrative balances the cozy intimacy of a developing romantic partnership with the stark, unsettling realities of betrayal and murder. The prose is elegant and observant, painting the antique shops of Notting Hill and the bustling Portobello Market with vivid, atmospheric detail. It will thoroughly delight readers who crave British mysteries where the psychological unspooling of suspects is just as compelling as the detectives' own deeply human struggles to balance love, duty, and justice.

Mood
  • atmospheric
  • tense
  • melancholic
  • intimate
Tone
  • empathetic
  • observant
  • measured
  • suspenseful
Pace
steady
Themes
work-life boundaries · hidden domestic lives · weight of secrets · romantic partnership · justice and retribution
The writing
Elegant and unhurried, with a sharp eye for London's architectural details and the subtle shifts in human behavior.
The arc
Moves from the comfortable intimacy of a shifting relationship into the tense, chilling realization of how easily domestic lives can fracture, culminating in a hard-won, sobering resolution.
Who it's for
Readers who love character-driven British police procedurals where the detectives' personal lives are as richly developed as the central mystery.
Content notes
  • murder
  • death of a pregnant woman
  • infidelity
  • domestic violence

About the book

Award-winning author Deborah Crombie has elevated the modern mystery novel to new heights of human drama and multilayered suspense with her critically acclaimed tales of intrigue featuring Scotland Yard Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and Sergeant Gemma James. In their latest outing, Kincaid and his former partner--and soon-to-be roommate--follow a twisting trail of rage and retribution whose buried roots are about to exact a deadly toll on the living.And Justice There is NoneGemma James is adjusting to professional and personal changes that include her eagerly sought promotion to the rank of inspector--and a future now intricately entwined with Duncan Kincaid. But her new responsibilities are put to the test when she is placed in charge of a particularly brutal homicide: The lovely young wife of a wealthy antiques dealer has been found murdered on fashionable Notting Hill.Dawn Arrowood was six weeks pregnant. Her lover, Alex Dunn, a porcelain dealer in London's bustling Portobello Market, appears absolutely devastated by her death, but Gemma's the main focus of investigation is soon Karl Arrowood, who had the most powerful motive for killing his unfaithful wife. But this case sets off warning bells for Duncan: it's far too similar to an unsolved murder in which an antiques dealer was killed in precisely the same way and when the escalating violence claims yet another victim, he and Gemma find themselves at increasing odds with each other--as two separate investigations become linked in the most startling of ways. Their hunt for a killer will traverse the teeming stalls of the city's antiques markets to a decades-in-the-making vendetta of history and hatred that has been honed to a flawless, deadly point. To solve this case, Gemma and Duncan must walk a merciless razor's edge through a place where true justice will be a long time coming. From the Hardcover edition.

Description from Open Library.

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