A Finer End

PRAISE FOR DEBORAH CROMBIE’S

A FINER END

“Crombie has laid claim to the literary territory of moody psychological suspense owned by P. D. James and Barbara Vine. Superbly creepy and melodramatic.”

—The Washington Post

“Crombie … has evolved into a masterful novelist.”

—The Denver Post

“Very richly written.”

—Deadly Pleasures

“A master of the modern British mystery … one writer who gets better with every book.”

—The Patriot News

“A really splendid book.”

—Booknews from The Poisoned Pen

“Intricately layered.”

—The New York Times

“Careful plotting, the development of characters and the evocation of place are hallmarks of Crombie’s writing and the current book is no exception.”

—Mystery Lovers Bookshop News

“A clever, cunning series.”

—Book Barn Gazette

“Superbly creepy and melodramatic. Like The Hound of the Baskervilles, one of those rare mysteries in which titanic forces clash.”

—Washington Post Book World, Fiction Raves 2001

“The atmosphere … is perfect.”

—Booklist

KISSED A SAD GOODBYE

“Atmospheric … absorbing … haunting.”

—The Washington Post Book World

“Crombie never stumbles as she maneuvers her way through her complicated plot as skillfully as she handles the ongoing romance between her two detectives. The result is an Anglophile’s delight.”

—The Sunday Denver Post

“Deborah Crombie is an American mystery novelist who writes so vividly about England, she might have been born within the sound of Bow bells. [She] gets better with each book.… Lyrical, biting, and evocative.”

—The Plain Dealer, Cleveland

“An engaging, richly peopled, satisfying mystery.”

—Houston Chronicle

“Compelling from start to finish. Another winner from a dependable and gifted pro.”

—Kirkus Review (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

DREAMING OF THE BONES

A NEW YORK TIMES

NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR

NAMED ONE OF THE CENTURY’S BEST MYSTERY NOVELS BY THE INDEPENDENT MYSTERY BOOKSELLERS ASSOCIATION

NOMINATED 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 CROMBIEAll Shall Be WellA Share in DeathLeave the Grave GreenMourn Not Your DeadDreaming of the Bones*Kissed a Sad Goodbye*And Justice There Is None*

*Available from Bantam Books

A FINER END

A Bantam Book

PUBLISHING HISTORY

Bantam hardcover edition / May 2001

Bantam paperback edition / June 2002

Map illustration by Laura Hartman Maestro

All rights reserved.

Grateful acknowledgment is made to Samuel Weiser, Inc. for permission to reprint material from GLASTONBURY: AVALON OF THE HEART by Dion Fortune (York Beach, ME: Samuel Weiser, 2000). Material used by permission.

Copyright © 2001 by Deborah Crombie

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: 978-0-307-78940-2

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. Bantam Books, New York, New York.

v3.1

For my mother, who has always believed in me

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thanks to my writer’s group once again for their unstinting support and patience: Steve Copling, Dale Denton, Jim Evans, John Hardie, Viqui Litman, Diane Sullivan, and Rickey Thornton. Added thanks to Diane Sullivan, RN, BSN, for advice on medical matters, and to Dr. Davis Wortman, director of music, St. Matthew’s Cathedral, Dallas, Texas, for his advice on the complexity of Gregorian chant.