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Library | Call Number | Status |
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Searching... Lake Elmo Library | MYSTERY AIR | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
As rural England slowly emerges from the sorrow of World War I, a particularly vicious attack on a household in a small Surrey village leaves five butchered bodies and no explanation for the killings. Sent by Scotland Yard to investigate is Inspector John Madden, a man still recovering from his own war experience and from the deaths of his wife and child. The local police dismiss the slaughter as a botched robbery, but Madden detects the signs of a madman at work. With the help of beautiful Dr. Helen Blackwell, who introduces him to the new science of criminal psychology, Madden sets out to capture the killer, even as the murderer sets his sights on his next innocent victims.As darkly stylish as the best P. D. James, rippled with tension and resonant with historical atmosphere, River of Darkness marks the debut of a powerful new voice in suspense writing.
Author Notes
Rennie Airth was born in South Africa and worked as a foreign correspondent for Reuters before becoming a novelist. He is the author of two other John Madden mysteries, River of Darkness , a finalist for the Edgar Award for Best Novel and a Macavity Award for Best Mystery, and a New York Times Notable Book, and The Blood-Dimmed Tide . He lives in Cortona, Italy.
Reviews (3)
Booklist Review
This first novel by South African^-born Airth will definitely leave readers wanting more. The tale introduces John Madden, a Scotland Yard inspector whose experiences before and during World War I have left him scarred both physically and emotionally. A family in Surrey is slaughtered--an apparently motiveless crime. When Madden and his colleagues learn that there have been other similar murders, they know they're dealing with something new--something that won't be given the name serial killer for another six decades or so. Historical mysteries set during the beginnings of modern forensic detection are hot at the moment, but many of them spend far too much time displaying their authors' knowledge and not enough time telling a good story. Readers who thought The Alienist was overburdened by detail, but who liked its treatment of turn-of-the-century investigative technique, will be pleased with Airth's lean, just-the-facts style. And readers who are looking for smart, well-plotted psychological mysteries will be delighted. --David Pitt
Kirkus Review
All the familiar elements of suspense writing are given an unusual and satisfying twist in this grim and fascinating thriller set in the English countryside shortly after WWI'the initial volume of a promised series. Inspector John Madden of Scotland Yard, a taciturn veteran and casualty of that war, and a widower still mourning the loss of his wife and young daughter, is sent to investigate the gruesome murders of a prominent, well-liked family in a small Surrey village. Aided by young constable Billy Styles, as well as an initially almost indistinguishable parade of local police personnel and their several superiors, Madden is quick to recognize the nature of his quarry's particular expertise. An unsolved earlier murder is shown to eerily parallel the present one, and the hunt is underway, for an ex-soldier whose modus operandi includes ``constructing a military-type dugout'' near the scene of each successive crime he patiently plots and carries out. In a nail-biting narrative that generates terrific suspense, Airth juxtaposes the specifics of the police's investigation with brief glimpses of victims-to-be and also chilling views of their scarcely human killer'whose identity is soon revealed, though the full truth of his complex motivation is saved for the closing pages. The impression of a world made mad by the carnage and psychic weight of the recent war is very strikingly conveyed. As a Viennese psychiatrist (whom Madden consults) puts it: ``When it comes to injuries wrought to the human psyche, there is no need to look further than the experience of the common soldier in the trenches.'' And the depth of that madness becomes vividly apparent as the story reaches its savage climax, sobering denouement, and elegiac conclusion. A fine, frightening piece of work. One looks forward to meeting Inspector John Madden again soon.
Library Journal Review
It is 1921, and Scotland Yard detective inspector John Madden believes that a serial killer with a military background is on the loose. Though his immediate superior agrees with him, others in authority do not. This thriller follows Madden's investigation as he collaborates with a local woman doctor, a psychologist, and several village bobbies, but he is hindered by bureaucrats and rivals. The point of view alternates between that of the police and that of the killer, creating tension and suspense. There is a real sense of time and place, providing the listener with a wonderful picture of post-World War I rural Britain; there is also a discussion of the effects of war on soldiers. Christopher Kay does a great job with a number of interesting characters. Entertaining and exciting to the end, this set is highly recommended for all collections.-Christine Valentine, Davenport Univ., Kalamazoo, MI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
