‘Crombie’s Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James characters are affluent, emotionally textured, completely human. They will be the remarkable creations of a remarkable writer.’-Louise Cent

New York Instances bestselling author Deborah Crombie profits having a mesmerizing entry in her “superb” (Miami Herald) series, where Scotland Lawn detectives Duncan Kincaid and Gemma Adam are pulled right into a dangerous web of secrets, is, and murder buried under the surface of a picturesque Cotswolds community.

Scotland Yard about A Bitter Feast: A Novel Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and his wife, Detective Inspector Gemma Adam, have already been invited for a relaxing weekend in the tranquil Cotswolds, among Britain’s most beautiful and historic areas, well-known for its rolling hillsides, sheep-strewn green meadows, golden cottages, and timeless villages that wthhold the spirit of old England.

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

But a tragic car crash followed by a series of mysterious deaths could spoil her ascent. Each little bit of info that surfaces helps it be clear which the killer acquired a connection with Viv’s pub-and probably with Beck Home itself.

Does the truth lie in the past? Or is it more instant, woven in to the tangled interactions and bitter resentments swirling among the personnel 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 little girl Grace?

Further revelations rock the Talbots’ estate and draw Duncan and Gemma and their co-workers into the analysis. With so much at stake both personally and professionally, specifically for Melody Talbot, locating the killer turns into one of the team’s most important cases.