The protagonists, Scotland Yard's Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James, are familiar to those who have read other books in this British mystery series, and they are clearly drawn and satisfyingly sympathetic. Not the usual husband and wife team, as they have had their own problems with the vicissitudes of life which give them a tolerance for the problems of others. Very clever. Water Like Stone is not a blood and guts thriller, but more a psychological study of a rather odd group of very secretive people. Nothing is immediately obvious to the reader, for which I thank Ms. Crombie from the bottom of my heart, and one is led blind-folded through a maze of characters each with their own special peculiarities. This plot doesn't only thicken, it positively jells as its cast of characters weave in and out of the dialogue without so much as a hint of “who dunnit”. Until, that is, the reader identifies the one person who is deliberately left hanging in the background, just to confuse us further. Again, very clever.

Ms. Crombie's descriptive passages are perfect, and are essential to this book in particular because one must be able to “see” the terrain and the canals and the narrowboats and the very interesting and charming old homes in the town of Nantwich, which is either a real town in Great Britain on the border of Wales, or a magnificent creation of this author. Who knows.

In short, this is a book that makes one want to hunker down in a shabby old rocker, put one's feet up on an equally old and shabby footstool, wrap oneself up in an afghan that Aunt Ellie knit several Christmases ago and, with a cup of tea set close by on a lamp table, shut out the rest of the world and just read and read and read.

This author is headed back to the library to take out several more of Deborah Crombie's books in the Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James series. I'll let you know if they live up to this one.
Review by Litera Scripta