Customer Reviews

The Blood-Dimmed Tide: A John Madden Mystery (Penguin Mysteries)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Before the convenience of modern electronic communications, John Madden, former Inspector of Scotland Yard, does his sleuthing the old-fashioned way, with lots of leg work and forensics, the psychological components of crime only recently introduced into the detective's bag of tricks. In 1932, Madden has returned to the bucolic countryside, purchasing a farm in Surrey, living quietly with his wife, Helen and two children, Rob and Lucy. A widower when he first met Helen, who is a physician, John hadn't expected to ever find happiness again.

Passing through Brookham, John and Helen run into a colleague from Madden's former involvement in a series of brutal murders a decade ago, Will Stackpole, now a constable who needs Madden's help with the disappearance of a young girl. Madden and Stackpole discover the girl's mutilated body hidden by a stream that runs near a tramp's camp. While the local police are actively searching for a tramp that may have been at the scene, Madden is instinctively concerned with the brutality of the crime and certain aspects that cause him to suspect a serial killer. In true procedural form, Madden defers to the local authorities, but puts in a cautionary word to Scotland Yard, should their expertise be required. When similar crimes are uncovered, the Yard takes over in the person of Chief Inspector Angus Sinclair, who assigns Billy Sykes to the investigation, both of whom are close friends with the Madden's and were featured in the previous novel, River of Darkness. Coordinating with the Yard, Sykes liaisons with Madden, in the limited capacity his over-protective wife allows the former Inspector.

The investigation throws a wide net to catch the scent of a serial killer with unhindered movement, possibly crossing borders with impunity, someone who can easily cover his tracks, camouflaged by his position. The political ramifications are serious in the delicate balance of relations between England and Germany, as Germany is beginning to assert itself, building up to the regime that will ultimately change the course of world history. The country is still reeling in the Depression of the `30's, the brutal murders followed by detectives who are also concerned with an evolving political climate, the entire mystery shrouded in the threat building in Europe, Jews already the target of random attacks.

Even with the serial killer in their sights, unforeseen complications arise, involving delicate diplomatic issues and a monster to be brought down. Airth melds the world of the serial killer with the current affairs of the 1930's, with implications that there is more afoot than meets the eye, a protected identity escaping behind porous European borders. Artfully constructed in the almost meditative style of River of Darkness, the author builds his tale on a framework of character studies and details, the only disappointment a lack of involvement by Madden, thanks to his wife; fortunately, other memorable characters are emphasized, their roles expanded to fill the void. The author's incisive observations of human deviance and police procedure are joined in a taut thriller that brings back the menace of Hitler's Germany, in prose evocative of quieter times, when even the threat of war captured every nation's attention, and evil was easily identified. On the brink of great societal upheaval, this novel is an excellent portrayal of dedicated men caught in the crossroads of history. Luan Gaines/2005.

I was thoroughly satisfied with this well-written follow-up to River of Darkness. As in the first book, Airth reveals the villain halfway through, then the suspense begins! Well-developed characters and plot add to its appeal.

This story only marginally follows the hero of the previous "River of Darkness" and allows the investigation of child murders to be the story.
Great characterizations, and a setting between the Great Wars in England and Germany, helps to give this historical perspective. Slight psychological profile is interesting, but not overdone, so that it fits with the era. Can't wait for another book from Rennie Airth. Far and away better writing than the Charles Todd books, which uses a battle scarred veteran of World War I. Highly recommended.

For years, I've been hoping for another book by Rennie Airth. "River of Darkness" made an indelible impression on me. Alas, this was not worth the wait (sorry, Amazon editorial reviewer). It's essentially just another serial killer outing, setting notwithstanding, with all the cliches of that tired genre. When the character who will obviously be the next victim is introduced, I groaned. I hoped for a twist or two, but no. A serious disappointment and inferior to at least 100 of the 211 other books I've read this year, including those by William Lashner, John Lawton, Jacqueline Winspear (author of another post-WWI series), Daniel Silva, and the ever-wonderful Donna Leon.

Airth's two books, the first revolving around the immediate aftermath of WWI and the second leading up to the chaos of the late 1930s, are both compelling narratives. The first is more of a classic whodunnit, with Scotland Yard's John Madden tracking down a (presumably) deranged murderer. The second has a different tone, one that is more about the looming breakdown of order rather than the re-establishment of a civil society after the horrors of the Great War. So I don't find the different approach and different kind of narrative (one where Madden isn't always the chief investigator) as irritating as some reviewers do.

In fact, I see this as a novel that really just happens to take the form of a mystery. In that light, it an author's ability to portray character that is of the greatest value, and here Airth triumphs. He recognizes that human beings are inherently complex beings and avoids all the easy cliches to which too many authors fall victim. The plot is sophisticated and I found it gripping in the extreme. He is also more skilful when weaving psychological elements into the plot (more so, for instance, than Jacqueline Winspear in her newer series revolving around Maisie Dobbs.) The psychological insights always feel as if they belong where they are written, rather than having value only to set the stage for the book's conclusions.

I only wish I would wake up one day to find another novel by this author had been published...!

Edited December 2009 to note that a third volume did, indeed, appear this summer, and is a worthy successor to the first two.

Airth's second mystery builds inexorably to a chilling climax; along the way he takes on the privilege of government to protect their own and the intricacies of seeking justice while avoiding the displeasure of superiors. Nearly as good as the first, Airth does not seem interested in rushing a book to market each year and dumbing down the genre. It is worth the wait.

I love to read Mysteries and am from a mystery reading family. This book "The Blood-Dimmed Tide" is one of a trilogy whose author and title I have passed on to my family and they to theirs. I have two problems with Rennie Airth; First he writes this series too slowly; Secondly it is one of only three novels. I own several signed copies of his first and second books and knowing that the last of the trilogy probably will not be out for several years is vexing to us all. Not enough stars have been given to this book. The era is just after World War I, dark murder abounds and psychological angst runs throughout this book. If you have an addiction to history, enjoy a plot that both makes you want to finish because it is impelling and yet put it down because you don't want it to end, then this book, this series, is for you. By the way, if you just like a suspenseful read, this is it! I will add that the end of both books in this series of three make you jump out of your skin, just as the shower scene did in the movie "Psyco", and this is a book, a visual of the mind, not of sight.

This septuagenarian Anglophile was delighted to learn that author Airth is a contemporary, also born in 1935. That item, learned following a most enjoyable journey through this book, somehow enhances the pleasant afterglow.

England between the World Wars I and II - the very setting inspires that strange nostalgia felt for a placetime one never experienced. Scotland Yard, taking on not only a perpetrator of bloody crimes, but by extension the growing threat of evil across the Channel - what more could one seek?

Even without seeking, a geezer would be pleased if the story's primary good guy were himself also a geezer, reluctantly extracted from retirement in order to solve the crime and subdue the bad guy. Airth's John Madden fills that bill indeed.

And one might imagine that the author would title the story with a line from a classic work which itself seemed to portend the rise of Hitler. Yeats' "The Second Coming" not only provides this title, "The Blood-Dimmed Tide," it also includes a well-known line which another John Madden might endorse: "...the center cannot hold...".

And finally, one might suppose that the author could include a feminine paradox - a woman physician, ahead of her time in that regard, but alas, also prone to those irrational emotional outbursts of which her gender has been accused since cave days. That too! Five stars from me.

The (UK) Spectator review aptly described "The Blood-Dimmed Tide" as an "usual combination of wholesomeness and horror." For those that enjoy elements of the cozy genre of mystery, this book takes place right before WWII in the English countryside. And those that prefer a more hard-edged mystery will find a gruesome series of murders and an introspective sleuth. Former Scotland Yard detective John Madden has retired to the country with his lovely and intelligent wife, who is the local doctor. In this book and Airth's previous mystery ("River of Darkness"), Madden turns to the new -- and not yet accepted -- discipline of psychiatry to help solve the crimes. An interesting issue touched on in this mystery is how the advent of the automobile changed detective work; in the past, criminals usually acted locally and were pursued locally. Once cars were more common, crime fighting became a more wide-spread challenge. I have to say that I found Airth's second mystery to be a much better read than his first, contrary to some other reviewers.

Thisis the second book of a trilogy set in 1932 featuring ex-Scotland Yard Detective Inspector John Madden. Madden is enjoying his life as a husband, father, and farmer, but when he discovers the raped and murdered body of a young girl in a forest stream, he is keen to help out the investigation. The local authorities are fixated on a tramp as a suspect, but Madden who has a relationship with a local gypsy is not convinced. Through further investigation, a serial child-killer comes to light. Not only has he killed in England, but also on the continent.

The first book, RIVER OF DARKNESS, was excellent. I really had high hopes for the second installment. I felt very let down because not only was the plot standard, but it crawled at a snail's pace. I honestly had trouble finishing it. It picked up a little at the end, but not enough to save it for me especially since there was not really clear motive to the story. On the positive side, Airth is good writer that can really evoke a sense of time. His characterizations were believable. No one, including the antagonist, was over the top. Next time I hope we get a more compelling story.