Dreaming of the Bones

Scotland Yard Superintendent Duncan Kincaid receives an unexpected call from his ex-wife Victoria, who asks for his help investigating a decades-old death. Victoria is writing a biography of poet Lydia Brooke, who died five years prior in what was ruled a suicide, but she suspects there may be more to the story. Kincaid and his partner Sergeant Gemma James travel to Cambridge to look into Brooke's past and her connections to a group of poets and academics in the 1960s. As they conduct interviews and uncover old relationships, they find that several people had motives to want Brooke dead. The investigation forces Kincaid to confront his own past while working alongside Victoria, adding personal complications to an already complex case. The story moves between the present-day investigation and glimpses of Cambridge's literary scene in the 1960s. The novel explores themes of memory, truth, and how the past continues to influence the present. Through its academic setting and focus on poetry, it examines how art and literature intersect with real lives and real crimes.

Readers describe a complex mystery that interweaves a cold case from 1960s Cambridge with present-day investigation. The parallel storylines and deep character development earned high marks from fans of literary mysteries. Liked: - Historical details about Cambridge poetry scene - Emotional depth of characters, especially Kincaid and Gemma - Multiple timeline structure - Atmospheric writing without being slow Disliked: - Some found early chapters confusing with timeline shifts - A few readers wanted more focus on the present-day investigation - Occasional slow pacing in middle sections Ratings: Goodreads: 4.2/5 (8,900+ ratings) Amazon: 4.4/5 (450+ ratings) "The literary and romantic elements enhance rather than detract from the mystery" - Amazon reviewer "Rich character studies make this more than a standard police procedural" - Goodreads review "Takes time to get oriented but worth pushing through initial complexity" - LibraryThing review

A Share in Death by Deborah Crombie A detective superintendent investigates murder at an exclusive Yorkshire time-share, introducing themes of class distinction and British culture that mirror Dreaming of the Bones.

The Various Haunts of Men by Susan Hill A female sergeant investigates disappearances in a cathedral town, weaving psychological depth with an exploration of English village life.

An Instance of the Fingerpost by Iain Pears Four narrators present different versions of a murder in 1660s Oxford, combining academic intrigue with historical mystery in a complex English setting.

A Test of Wills by Charles Todd A Scotland Yard inspector handles a murder case in post-WWI England while dealing with his own psychological demons from the war.

Thus Was Adonis Murdered by Sarah Caudwell A professor investigates the death of a colleague in Venice through letters and documents, presenting an intellectual mystery with strong ties to British academic life.

🔍 Deborah Crombie, though writing about British detective Duncan Kincaid, is actually American and lives in Texas. 🎭 The book's title comes from T.S. Eliot's poem "The Waste Land," specifically the section "What the Thunder Said." 📚 This is the fifth book in the Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James series, which now includes 19 novels. 🏛️ The novel weaves together two timelines: a present-day murder investigation and events from the 1960s Cambridge poetry scene. 🎨 The book explores the life of fictional poet Lydia Brooke, but draws inspiration from real-life members of the Cambridge School of poetry, including Sylvia Plath.