No Mark upon Her

Macavity Award–winner Crombie examines the corrupting nature of power in her riveting 14th novel featuring Scotland Yard Supt. Duncan Kincaid and Det. Insp. Gemma James (after 2009’s Necessary as Blood). When Rebecca Meredith, a detective chief inspector with the Metropolitan Police and an Olympic rowing hopeful, drowns under suspicious circumstances during an evening training session on the Thames in historic Henley, the newly married Kincaid and James investigate what turns into a homicide case. Suspects include Meredith’s overly friendly ex-husband, a K9 search and rescue volunteer who was in love with her, her old rowing coach, and even a police officer. Meredith had accused Deputy Asst. Commissioner Angus Craig of rape, and hers was not the only accusation. Crombie gives an insightful look into British police procedures as well as a vivid view of the vagaries of London neighborhoods. Kincaid and James’s chaotic, happy home sharply contrasts with the often messy police business. Agent: Nancy Yost. (Feb.)