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    A Bitter Feast: A Novel
    A Bitter Feast: A Novel
    A Bitter Feast: A Novel
    Audiobook10 hours

    A Bitter Feast: A Novel

    Written by Deborah Crombie

    Narrated by Gerard Doyle

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    ""Crombie’s Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James characters are rich, emotionally textured, fully human. They are the remarkable creations of a remarkable writer.""—Louise Penny

    New York Times bestselling author Deborah Crombie returns with a mesmerizing entry in her “excellent” (Miami Herald) series, in which Scotland Yard detectives Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James are pulled into a dangerous web of secrets, lies, and murder buried beneath the surface of a picturesque Cotswolds village.

    Scotland Yard Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and his wife, Detective Inspector Gemma James, have been invited for a relaxing weekend in the tranquil Cotswolds, one of Britain’s most beautiful and historic regions, famous for its rolling hills, sheep-strewn green meadows, golden cottages, and timeless villages that retain the spirit of old England.

    Duncan, Gemma, and their children are guests at Beck House, the country estate belonging to the family of Melody Talbot, Gemma’s trusted detective sergeant. No ordinary farmers, the Talbots are wealthy and prominent with ties to Britain’s most powerful and influential. A centerpiece of this glorious fall getaway is a posh charity luncheon catered by up-and-coming chef Viv Holland. After more than a decade in London, Viv has returned to her native Glouscestershire, making a name for herself with her innovative, mouthwatering use of the local bounty. Attended by several dozen of the area’s well-to-do, as well as national food bloggers and restaurant critics, the event could make Viv a star.

    But a tragic car accident followed by a series of mysterious deaths could ruin her ascent. Each piece of information that surfaces makes it clear that the killer had a connection with Viv’s pub—and perhaps with Beck House itself.

    Does the truth lie in the past? Or is it more immediate, woven into the tangled relationships and bitter resentments swirling among the staff at Beck House and at Viv’s pub? Or is it even more personal, entwined with secrets hidden by Viv, her business partner Bea Abbot, and Viv’s eleven-year-old daughter Grace?

    Further revelations rock the Talbots’ estate and pull Duncan and Gemma and their colleagues into the investigation. With so much at stake both personally and professionally, especially for Melody Talbot, finding the killer becomes one of the team’s most crucial cases.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateOct 8, 2019
    ISBN9780062960290
    A Bitter Feast: A Novel
    Author

    Deborah Crombie

    Deborah Crombie is a native Texan who has lived in both England and Scotland. She now lives in McKinney, Texas, sharing a house that is more than one hundred years old with her husband, two cats, and two German shepherds.

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    Reviews for A Bitter Feast

    4/5

    150 ratings19 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Thoroughly enjoyed this very descriptive and interesting read. Characters truly believable.
    • 4/5
      Good story, great setting with info on restaurant and village venues.
    • 4/5
      great series for those who love English mysteries and detectives
    • 4/5
      A Bitter Feast by Deborah Crombie is a 2019 William Morrow publication. Celebrity chefs and Murder! Gemma and Duncan are set to visit Melody Talbot, at her parent’s posh Cotswold estate. What was meant to be a relaxing time away, quickly spirals into a tragic series of deaths after a car crash Duncan was involved with, leads to the discovery that one of the victims died of poison, and not from the accident. If that wasn’t shocking enough, the victim turns out to be the famed celebrity chef, Fergus O’Reilly. Meanwhile, Melody’s mother is hosting an event, catered by local chef, Viv Holland. When someone close to Viv is the victim of a hit and run, her former relationship with Fergus comes under intense scrutiny. In the meantime, Melody encounters difficulties in her personal life and Doug takes the heat for interfering. This latest installment has a different atmosphere- perhaps not quite as dark- but just as absorbing. The celebrity chef and ‘foodie’ angle, is a fresh plot-line I thought worked out well. The twists are surprising, and while some may have figured out who the murderer was, I was taken completely off guard and found the conclusion to be a little tense. One other nice part of this installment is the further development of Duncan’s and Gemma’s children, especially the oldest boy, Kit. The only downside was that the concern for Duncan’s health cast a pall over the usual banter between he and Gemma, which I missed.Occasionally, Duncan and Gemma solve crimes while on holiday, or when visiting friends, and I think it is good to mix things up a little that way. The different location, allows the couple to work as consultants, instead of with assigned cases, and it also allowed the author to segue into a new phase after closing the last big multi-installment thread. That said, I do hope the series returns to the regular assigned cases which cause Duncan and Gemma to examine their own personal emotions as they manage their household and relationships. I’ve been reading through this series for several years. I have finally caught up with all the installments and will now have wait with everyone else for the next chapter to be released. I have enjoyed the journey and am looking forward to more time with Gemma and Duncan and the secondary characters we’ve come to know and love. 4 stars
    • 4/5
      Duncan, Gemma, Doug, and Melody travel to Melody's parents' country estate in the Cotswolds. Gemma and the kids went with Melody ahead of Duncan. Doug travels by train. When Duncan nears his destination, he is hit head-on by a car. Although Duncan survives with concussion, the driver and the passenger of the other vehicle are dead. The driver tried to communicate with Duncan right before she died, but she doesn't manage to convey her message. It appears the passenger was already deceased when the crash occurred, and no one can figure out why he was in the woman's car. The passenger was a renowned chef with ties to the owner of the village pub. Unlike most DIs who would want others to stay off his turf, this one is grateful for assistance offered by Duncan and Gemma. I always love these mysteries, and this was no exception. A big change takes place in Melody's relationship status during the book. I really enjoyed meeting her parents in the casual setting of the country estate and hope they will appear in future installments. Because Duncan and Gemma are not on one of their own cases, this one possesses elements of the cozy mystery as well as the police procedural. I listened to the audio book read by Gerard Doyle.
    • 5/5
      I thoroughly enjoyed this character-driven mystery set in the Cotswolds, UK. This book, the 18th in her series, rides the line between police procedural (as the MCs Gemma and Duncan are detectives in London; and two other characters are police as well) and cozy, as the action all takes place within a small village. As with most cozies, it's the relationships among the characters that matter; a good deal of our reading pleasure is in discovering the backstories that connect the characters, the knots behind the tapestry, as it were. I love that the secondary characters are psychologically coherent, varied, and imperfect. Characters who are wonderfully talented still make meaningful mistakes; those who seem misanthropic or strange are capable of loyalty and honesty; those who are young and impulsive are also capable of thoughtfulness and empathy. The prose is pleasing, without being "writerly" or self-consciously poetic, which resulted in me feeling as though I were looking through a transparent window into the little village and watching the events unfold. Would recommend for fans of Louise Penney, Martin Walker and Charles Finch.
    • 4/5
      Deborah Crombie’s A Bitter Feast is the eighteenth book in her Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James series, a series that began in 1993 with A Share in Death. Like Elizabeth George, author of the Thomas Lynley series, Crombie is an American who sets her books in the U.K. Both authors have lived in the U.K. at one time or another and are familiar enough with the British settings of their novels that readers would be hard-pressed to guess the nationality of either. A Bitter Feast begins with Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and his wife, Detective Inspector Gemma James looking forward to a family weekend during which they and their three children can relax in the Cotswolds. The family has been invited to a large country estate that belongs to the parents of Detective Sergeant Melody Talbot, a close friend and co-worker of Gemma’s, and they are in the rather complicated process of getting there: Gemma, her daughter, and Melody in Melody’s car; the two boys and a family friend coming by train; and Duncan driving alone in the family car. With the exception of Duncan, all arrive safely.Beginning with Duncan’s accident, the weekend will not be at all like the relaxing one they had all anticipated. Instead, Duncan learns that there is much more to the accident that so easily could have killed him than meets the eye, and that other lives are still in danger. Viv’s pub seems to be the center of the storm. How did a world famous chef ever find the place – and why did he not survive the night? Why are all of Viv’s employees so reluctant to answer questions, and just what are they hiding from the cops - and from each other, anyway?Bottom Line: A Bitter Feast offers a good (and rather complicated) mystery that will stump most readers right up to the very end of the book. But series fans are likely most to appreciate the novel for the long look they get at the various members of the Kincaid-James family, all the way from little Charlotte and Toby, on to their rapidly maturing brother Kit, and at the still close relationship between Duncan and Gemma themselves. The ever-evolving relationship between Melody Talbot and fellow cop Doug Cullen, shaky as it is by book’s end, is also explored in depth. All of Deborah Crombie’s novels work pretty well as standalones, but as is most always the case in series of this length, longtime fans are really the target audience for A Bitter Feast, and they are the readers who will most enthusiastically appreciate the book. (And that’s as it should be, I think.)
    • 5/5
      Deborah Crombie never fails with her books. I love this series and this was no exception. I enjoy being with Gemma and Duncan in London or when they're out in the countryside. The descriptives of both are very appealing. It was a plus to have this case centered around food; in fact, I had to put up a roast for supper after reading this! It was in an earlier book that Duncan surprised Gemma with a set of Clarice Cliff dishes. I searched the internet to learn more about her and fell in love with her work and it was several weeks later that I happened upon a large plate and small bowl of purple transferware done by Clarice Cliff. They are my prized possession. And that's what I love about reading, learning about so much of the world through books!
    • 4/5
      Having read all of Deborah Crombie’s previous 17 books in this series, I was eager to read this one. It definitely did not disappoint!Duncan and Gemma, along with their kids, are invited for a relaxing weekend in the country in the Cotswolds at the home of DS Melody Talbot’s parents. But, of course, their weekend is far from relaxing, and things start to go wrong from the time they arrive. Duncan in involved in a car accident with fatalities on his way to the Talbots’ home, and then there is murder afoot. What ensues is a solid mystery, with a few nice twists and turns along the way.“A Bitter Feast” was another great read from Crombie, although I did not find this to be her strongest or best novel in the series. Some of her minor characters — like Doug — were not all that interesting and seemed a bit out of place. Nonetheless, some of her other minor characters — like Kit — are developing nicely, indeed. All in all, this was an entertaining story and reading it provided me with time to catch up with characters who have definitely become old friends. I eagerly await the next installment in their adventures.Thanks to the publisher and to Edelweiss for providing me with an advance reader's copy in exchange for my review.
    • 4/5
      Loved the way the whodunit plot and the ongoing lives of the continuing characters were woven together.
    • 5/5
      Gemma and Duncan are invited with their children to spend a weekend in the countryside. Their weekend begins with Duncan in a serious car accident involving two fatalities, a poisoning, a hit and run fatality and an aggravated assault with intent to kill. The killer definitely was not the one I initially suspected.
    • 4/5
      Sitting down with a new Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James mystery is like visiting with old friends. I love Deborah Crombie's characterizations and her wonderfully drawn plots. In this one, Duncan Gemma and their family are spending a beautiful fall weekend in the Cotswolds. They are guests at Melody Talbot's family's country home and everyone is looking forward to the break. (Melody is Gemma's Detective Sergeant). unfortunately, the weekend does not start out swimmingly for Duncan as he is involved in a fairly serious motor vehicle crash just a few miles from Beck House where the rest of his family is waiting for him. Then follows a couple of days of murder and mayhem in Lower Slaughter (the village close to where Beck House is located.) Ms. Crombie weaves her usual magic with her characters, and it's like we're right there where the action is. By the time we close the covers on the book, we feel like we know everyone intimately. I love this series, and now can't wait for Deborah Crombie to write the next one. Thank you so much for the escape Deborah.
    • 4/5
      Crombie moves Scotland Yard detectives Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James, along with their kids and sergeants, out from gritty London to the bucolic Cotswolds region, to attend a fancy luncheon given by Melody Talbot's mother, featuring food by local chef Viv. A mysterious figure from Viv's past appears in her pub, and then is found dead in a car that collides with Kincaid's as he drives to the Talbots' home. Kincaid continues to participate in an informal investigation but is clearly limited. Gemma steps up, and so does Kincaid's teenage son Kit. Local investigator Colin Booth is an attractive new character, and he allows the pair to assist him. The setting is much more scenic and relaxed than the usual London locales; in some ways the story reminded me of early PD James or Martha Grimes. It's a slight change of pace from recent volumes in this series, but equally enjoyable to those of us who have come to enjoy hearing from these characters.
    • 5/5
      A BITTER FEAST is Book #18 of Deborah Crombie’s Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James mystery series.I have read every title in order (which I think is a good plan) and Ms. Crombie’s latest title does not disappoint. For me, it is a complete reading experience - a mystery; a police procedural; a crime drama; a tremendous sense of place/location; a beautiful, descriptive travelogue; a lovely map is included which I find helpful. There are many interesting characters and a tense, many-layered plot.Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and his wife Detective Inspector Gemma James travel to the very picturesque Cotswolds region in order to spend a relaxing holiday weekend at Beck House, the stately home of Melody Talbot’s parents. Melody Talbot is Gemma’s Detective Sargent on the force. A very serious car accident (involving Duncan) and several other mysterious deaths make their family holiday a ‘working vacation’.Stately homes and gardens, picturesque pubs, celebrity chefs, very appetizing, locally-produced food - A BITTER FEAST is a mystery delight.
    • 5/5
      You will be forgiven if your mouth waters uncontrollably while reading Deborah Crombie’s latest entry in the Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James mystery series, A Bitter Feast (HarperCollins, 2019). The action is set in the picturesque Cotswolds and centers around a pub in the village of Lower Slaughter, which boasts a world-class chef serving up the ultimate pub food. Why such a talent is toiling in obscurity after having shone at a Michelin-starred London eatery is just one of the mysteries that is eventually unraveled here. Others are more momentous, involving multiple suspicious deaths and the private lives of various village denizens.Crombie often weaves together storylines from the past and present in her mysteries, and A Bitter Feast is no exception. At regular intervals we jump back to chef Viv Holland’s time in London, learning how her culinary career began and why she left it behind. Characters from that past play key roles in the present, drawing the two storylines together in the end. Meanwhile, Detective Superintendent Kincaid and Detective Inspector James find their holiday weekend turned into a busman’s holiday almost at the off, when Duncan is involved in a serious automobile crash that leaves two people dead. His own injuries keep him from fully asserting himself in the subsequent investigations, but fortunately the local constabulary proves to be both up to the task and not afraid to accept help from Scotland Yard when it’s offered. It’s a refreshing change from the usual obstructionism that local law enforcement tends to exhibit in run-of-the-mill murder mysteries.Devoted fans of the series will be delighted that even though Gemma and Duncan have ventured out of London and away from their Metropolitan Police home base, many of the series’ most prominent secondary characters are along for the ride. Of course the couple’s children are along, and it’s a relief to find that Duncan’s son Kit is starting to outgrow his overly sensitive teenage persona and becoming a more well-rounded character in his own right. But we also get more-than-cameo appearances from Gemma’s detective sergeant, Melody Talbot, and Duncan’s own DS, Doug Cullen, as the quartet are spending the weekend at the country home of Melody’s posh parents.And then there’s the food. Oh my, the food! Crombie does a fine job of illustrating the chaos of a working commercial kitchen, and an even better job of describing the output of that process in delectable ways. I wasn’t very far into reading before I was tempted to book the next flight to the Cotswolds. Only the knowledge (revealed in Crombie’s author’s note) that the pub and chef are fictional kept me curled up in my reading chair until the end.For me, the appeal of Crombie’s work is tilted more heavily toward the compelling characters and world that she has created, though there’s nothing wrong with her plotting. I love both Duncan and Gemma, and I enjoy spending time with them, their blended family, and their friends. It was smart of Crombie to give a fresh feel to the series by moving the action outside of London, while retaining the core character set that drives much of the reader’s interest. And as always, even as a mystery is solved, the characters’ lives continue to grow and develop. This time around, I’m eager to read the next entry to find out how Melody’s personal dilemma resolves itself.If you’re already a fan of Duncan and Gemma et al., you don’t need me to tell you this is worth your time. If you’ve not had the pleasure of meeting them yet, I would suggest starting with the first in the series, A Share in Death, and working your way forward. Some series don’t need to be read in order, but this one is infinitely more rewarding if you experience the characters’ growth and change along the way.Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
    • 5/5
      Review of Advance Reader’s EditionA relaxing weekend getaway in Cotswolds takes Scotland Yard Detective Inspector Gemma James and Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and their children to Beck House, the home of Detective Sergeant Melody Talbot’s parents. A fancy garden party for charity, catered by a local chef making a name for herself in the Gloucestershire community, is the centerpiece of the weekend. But a tragic traffic accident followed by the mysterious deaths of people connected to Chef Viv’s pub pull Gemma and Duncan into an investigation of tangled relationships, secrets, and resentments. Can Duncan and Gemma find the answers before the murderer strikes again? In this, the eighteenth outing for Gemma and Duncan, the expected characters are in place, with a focus on Kit as well as on several other diverse and interesting characters. Having the children involved throughout the story adds a unique dimension and gives the reader an honest and realistic look at Gemma and Duncan’s family responsibilities. Past and present come together in the unfolding story, with the two threads woven into a satisfying narrative. There is sufficient backstory for those new to the series; however, reading the earlier books will provide readers with a more complete understanding of the relationships. A strong sense of place, smoothly woven into the telling of the tale, adds dimension and depth as the superb descriptions bring Cotswolds to life for the reader. The compelling plot keeps the reader guessing; the underlying tension in this deftly-plotted narrative keeps the suspense mounting as the plot takes several unexpected twists before reaching a surprising denouement. Readers will find this satisfying mystery, with its creative focus on food, completely unputdownable. Highly recommended.I received a free copy of this book from the publisher
    • 5/5
      If anyone asked me to name my top five mystery series, Deborah Crombie's Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James books would be on that list. A Bitter Feast is an absorbing mystery with an added bonus or two: one, Kincaid, James, and their three children get to leave London for a while; two, readers get to wander along the narrow lanes of a beautiful area of England; and three, any foodie worth their salt is going to appreciate the mouthwatering menus Crombie serves up.It is my firm belief that Deborah Crombie has been liberally sprinkled with fairy dust. She has a way of telling a story that quite simply makes it a pleasure to read. The mysteries are always good, and the one in A Bitter Feast is no exception. A fatal car wreck ratchets up the tension, not only concerning the identity of a fatality but also concerning the well-being of one of the main characters.But I have to admit that a lot of Crombie's fairy dust has been sprinkled on the power of her characterizations. Her ensemble cast is superb, and at the moment, I cannot think of anyone else in crime fiction who does it better. By this eighteenth book in the series, these characters have become personal friends. Readers have seen them grow. They've seen them overcome tragedy and experience extreme happiness. Moreover, readers have watched Duncan and Gemma's three children grow. Each child has his or her own personality and life, and each one is fully capable of adding to the story without taking it over. In A Bitter Feast among other things, they provide quite a contrast to Viv Holland's troubled young daughter.Crombie fans, rejoice! The wait is over and you have another wonderful mystery to carry you off into your happy place. For those of you who have yet to experience a Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James mystery, there's no time like the present. Since the characters' lives are central to the series, I recommend starting with the very first book, A Share in Death. You have so much wonderful reading ahead of you that I'm a tad envious!
    • 4/5
      3.5 The married Inspector duo have taken their three children on a vacation. Their destination is the familial home of fellow officer Melody whose parents are minor members of the peerage. The place is beautiful, Melody's parents lovely and welcoming, the gardens to die for, and peace and quiet is their hope. It goes wrong almost from the beginning, an accident with fatalities, which quickly turns into a crime. So much for rest!I've read and enjoyed this series from the beginning. I love the Kincaid's mixed family, and it was nice to see fifteen year old Kit take on more of a role. The story while intriguing was also rather cluttered. Too much going on and much running here and there, back and forth. Loved all the food talk of course, that is always an interest if mine. So my review os mixed, but since I know all these chara there and their backstories so we'll, I will be on the lookout for the next. ARC from Edelweiss
    • 5/5
      A Bitter Feast By Deborah CrombieWhat it's all about...Gemma, Duncan and family are off to the country for a relaxing weekend and a special luncheon. Little do they know of the unrelaxing weekend that awaits them. Duncan is in an accident...there are quite a few murders and disturbing mysteries present themselves.My thoughts after reading this book...What can I say..I love these books, these characters and these mysteries. The characters are all very special to me. The family seems to have reached a contented arrangement...they seem to have the right number of children as well as pets...but Duncan and Gemma seem to be always in the midst of murder, mystery and mayhem! What I loved best...These novels always begin with a delicious slowness. The English countryside, gardens, tea, and making new connections. Then something always happens...in this case Duncan’s accident...and many things that originally seemed innocent...begin to be steeped in secrets and danger and unexplained deaths. What potential readers might want to know...I have been reading and loving Deborah Crombie’s books for ages. Readers who enjoy a lovely well thought out mystery will love this one, I think it’s one of my favorites! I think this book can be a standalone BUT I think it might be difficult. Previous books explain how this family and these characters have come together. But the books are so skillfully written that if I had not read them I would start with book one and declare this my summer reading project! I received this book from the publisher through Edelweiss. It was my choice to read and review it.