The press release for “Necessary as Blood” calls the London-based novel “a dazzling addition to Deborah Crombie’s acclaimed mystery series.”
  I’ve never read any other works by Crombie, but I found “Blood” to be far from dazzling. It was more like “mildly engaging,” “slow moving” and “too procedural and talky.” I may have to go read other entries in her Scotland Yard series, including “Where Memories Lie.” I don’t like to give a tough critique on an author based on one book. It would be like judging Andre Agassi’s career in 1997, a troubling time in his life.
  I wasn’t impressed by “Necessary as Blood.” The pacing was erratic, and I had a hard time trying to empathize with the main characters. They seemed to spend a lot of time standing or sitting around, chatting and analyzing things. I enjoy quieter, more
intellectual mysteries, but this story seemed stuck in perpetual slow-motion. The plot didn’t really pick up steam until the last 50 or so
pages. There are some twists and a satisfying conclusion but they come too late.
  But Crombie has created an intriguing, modern story that casts some light on a troubling issue: international child trafficking.
  Scotland Yard Detectives Gemma James and Duncan Kincaid stumble across a case that involves a murder and the disappearance of a child and her mother. In London’s storied East End (once the stomping grounds of Jack the Ripper and a historically repressed area), Sandra Gilles leaves her daughter Charlotte with a friend who operates a booth at a flower market. Gilles says she’ll be back soon. She never comes back.
  Her husband, Naz Malik, is a respected lawyer and is devastated by Sandra’s sudden disappearance. A hate crime may be involved because Sandra is white and Malik is Pakistani. Mixed-race relationships rub some people the wrong way in the culturally volatile East End. Then, shockingly, Malik is murdered, and Charlotte may be in danger, even though she is staying with “trusted” relatives.
  Kincaid and his loyal sergeant, Doug Cullen, team up with James and young detective Melody Talbot to solve the mystery. But things aren't that simple. Kincaid and James, who has kids from a previous relationship, struggle to advance their romantic relationship. Talbot and James also have to confront some sensitive personal and family issues.
  These side issues grow too big and distract from the main story.
  “Necessary as Blood” has potential and has a few exciting moments — just not enough of them.