PRAISE FOR DEBORAH CROMBIE“One of mystery fiction’s finest stylists.”—Mystery News
KISSED A SAD GOODBYE“Thanks to Crombie’s ability to bring people and places to life with a phrase, none of the seams show as the story zips along.”—Chicago Tribune
“An engaging, richly peopled, satisfying mystery.”—Houston Chronicle
“Compelling from start to finish. Another winner from a dependable and gifted pro.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“[A] beautifully executed story of murder and revenge … With each volume, Crombie grows in the understanding of her characters and hones her writing and creative skills with verve and elan.”—Booknews from The Poisoned Pen
“Gripping. Highly recommended.”—Library Journal
“Readers … who loved Deborah Crombie’s Dreaming of the Bones will not be disappointed with Kissed a Sad Goodbye.… Outstanding.”—Mystery Lovers Bookshop News
“Crombie’s plot is unpredictable, leaving a reader guessing.… Her characters are well drawn.”—Austin American-Statesman
“Kissed a Sad Goodbye is a sweeping novel that casts a spell on the reader. The story is complex, with many satisfying twists and turns.”—Romantic Times
DREAMING OF THE BONESA New York Times Notable Book of the Year
Named one of the century’s best mystery novels by the
Independent Mystery Booksellers AssociatonNominated for the Edgar and the
Agatha awards for the year’s best novel
“Fascinating … multilayered.”—The New York Times Book Review
“A definite recommendation for fans of
Elizabeth George, P. D. James, and Ruth Rendell.”—Library Journal
“Dreaming of the Bones will make you cry and catch
your breath in surprise.”—Chicago Tribune
ALSO BY DEBORAH CROMBIE
All Shall Be Well
A Share in Death
Leave the Grave Green
Mourn Not Your Dead
Dreaming of the Bones*
A Finer End*
AND AVAILABLE IN HARDCOVER
FROM BANTAM BOOKS:
And Justice There Is None*
*Available from Bantam Books
This edition contains the complete text
of the original hardcover edition.
NOT ONE WORD HAS BEEN OMITTED.
KISSED A SAD GOODBYE
A Bantam Book
PUBLISHING HISTORY
Bantam hardcover edition published April 1999
DOCKLAND: AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORICAL SURVEY OF LIFE AND WORK IN EAST LONDON, North East London Polytechnic in conjunction with the Greater London Council, distributed by Thames and Hudson, Ltd. 1986.
MEMORIES OF CHILDHOOD ON THE ISLE OF DOGS, 1870-1970, edited by Eve Hostettler, published by the Island History Trust. 1993. The Island History Trust can be reached at Dockland Settlement, 197 East Ferry Rd., London E14 3BA, phone 171-987-6401.
All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1999 by Deborah Crombie.
Map by Laura Hartman Maestro.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 98-50186.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. For information address: Bantam Books.
eISBN: 978-0-307-78939-6
Bantam Books are published by Bantam Books, a division of Random House, Inc. Its trademark, consisting of the words “Bantam Books” and the portrayal of a rooster, is Registered in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries. Marca Registrada. Random House, Inc., New York, New York.
v3.1
For Rick
who makes it possible
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thanks to Kate Miciak, my editor, whose insight and encouragement made this a much better book; to Nancy Yost, my agent, for her support; to Gina Wachtel, for her heroic juggling of schedules; to Tom Cherwin, for his copyediting expertise; to Honi Werner, for capturing the mood of the story so well with her evocative jacket art; to Kathryn Skoyles, whose hospitality allowed me to experience the Island firsthand; to Karen Ross, M.D., of the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office, for her medical advice; to those who read the manuscript and contributed suggestions: Carol Chase, Terry Mayeux, Barbara Shapiro, and the members of the EOTNWG; and special thanks, as always, to Rick and Katie for putting up with me in the midst of a book.
Contents
Cover
Other Books by This Author
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Map
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
About the Author
CHAPTER 1The old dockland is still clear in the minds of Londoners. Generations of children grew up in streets where the houses were dwarfed by ships, whose sides rose like cliffs over their back gardens.
George Nicholson, from Dockland:
An illustrated historical survey
of life and work in East London
He saw each note as it fell from his clarinet. Smooth, stretched, with a smokey luster that made him think of black pearls against a woman’s translucent white skin. “If I Had You,” it was called, an old tune with a slow, sweet melodic line. Had he ever played this one for her?
In the beginning she’d stood in the street as he played, watching him, swaying a little with the music. He’d distrusted her power clothes and her Pre-Raphaelite face. But she’d intrigued him as well. As the months went by, he never knew when she would appear. There seemed no pattern to it, yet whenever he moved, she found him.
It had been a day like this, the first time he’d seen her, a hot summer day with the smell of rain on the threshold of perception. As evening fell, the shadows cooled the hot, still air and the crowds poured out onto the pavements like prisoners released. Restless, jostling, they were flushed with drink and summer’s license, and he’d played a jazzy little riff on “Summertime” to suit their mood.