19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A six-star read by a great mystery writer, July 23, 2009
This review is from: The Dead of Winter: A John Madden Mystery (John Madden Mysteries) (Hardcover)
The only problem with Rennie Airth's work is that those readers like myself who have discovered his books have had to wait so long between each novel. But when the results are as good as this, that feels like a very minor quibble indeed, because John Madden, the detective that Airth has conjured up from thin air, is just as compelling a personality as P.D. James's Adam Dalgliesh.
Madden, a veteran of the First World War, solved his first mystery in Airth's excellent
River of Darkness, set in the aftermath of that bloody conflict. Airth's second mystery featuring Madden -- now married and much more content as a gentleman farmer, although he can't resist using his skills to solve a series of horrible murders of young girls -- was set in the early 1930s, just as the first hints were taking shape of another global war. Now, in Airth's third novel, it is the winter of 1944. While it seems clear that Germany will be defeated, Londoners are exhausted by rocket attacks, rationing and the brutal winter weather. Rosa, a young Polish refugee, works on Madden's farm, has traveled to London to visit her only remaining relative. Emerging from a Tube station after the 'all-clear' signal, Rosa sets off for her destination through the blacked-out nighttime streets -- where she encounters a murderer.
But was Rosa's murder, first seen as horrible act of a madman, really a random crime? John Madden becomes increasingly less confident of this and the events that follow seem to bear out his instincts. Is there a connection to the brutal murder of a Jewish furrier in Paris on the eve of the German occupation of the city -- an event that may have been witnessed by a young Polish couple who, themselves, were trying to flee the Nazis and travel to England?
Airth's hallmark is intricate and careful plotting, combined with wonderful character studies. In this third book, he not only brings back favorite characters from the first two books, such as Madden, Angus Sinclair of Scotland Yard and Madden's former sergeant, Billy Styles, but also introduces new ones who immediately grab our attention, such as the young policewoman determined to become a Scotland Yard detective despite that organization's rampant misogyny. Airth is never didactic -- he shows and never tells, the hallmark of a good storyteller. I actually found myself feeling what it might have been like waiting for the Germans to march into Paris in June of 1940; what it was like to grope one's way through pitch-black streets and colliding with other pedestrians; the biting cold of a winter where fuel supplies were rationed.
What I enjoy most about Airth's books is the pacing; the way he unveils, step by step, the full dimensions of both the crime(s) and its solution. There are twists and turns aplenty along the way, but never anything that strained my credulity. Delivering a real surprise -- one that makes me sit up and go 'wow!' -- that isn't too well-telegraphed in advance is a real art, and Airth has mastered it. And the tension in the final scenes, when Madden comes face to face with the killer, is beyond description. It reminded me of sitting and watching one of those classic murder mystery or horror films, where you get so caught up in the events on the screen that you find yourself screaming at the hero(ine) from your seat in the movie theater, or putting your hands over your eyes and slinking down in your seat. In the case of this book, the marks of my fingernails are still visible in the dustjacket of the (British) hardcover and even made an imprint in the binding itself. The dramatic tension caused me to damage it badly enough I couldn't sell it as a 'like new' copy. But then, why would I want to sell it at all? This book, like Airth's others, is so good that I expect I'll be re-reading over and over again, even though I now know whodunnit. That's how good this author is.
Highly recommended to anyone who loves a great mystery. Fans of Alan Furst will particularly enjoy both the setting and the slightly 'noir' atmosphere, although Airth's books are, at heart, police procedurals rather than suspense novels. If you're looking for something else set in the same time period and place, try Laura Wilson's
The Innocent Spy. (Published under the title Stratton's War in the UK). Wilson's novel emphasizes psychological suspense and the relationships between principal characters more than Airth does, and involves espionage as well as detection. It's very good, but I prefer Airth's book by a nose; it felt more convincing and more focused.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Of the 3 so far this is by far the slowest, September 7, 2009
This review is from: The Dead of Winter: A John Madden Mystery (John Madden Mysteries) (Hardcover)
I am a total fan of Airth's first two books. Unlike the first two this one plods along to a reasonable story line. Its okay. Whats missing is the drive of a central character and the emotional pull his first two books had. This is a collage of characters, side stories, and atmosphere. This is not a driven story where you wonder whats going to happen to the central character. Yes, Madden is there but he's only summoned periodically for sagely advice. Helen his wife is around baking cookies. Yes, there's Sinclair but even he's in and out. There's a curious single paragraph in the first person which looks like it missed the editor's pen. The rest is characters telling each other stories. I believe if you read the first two books you will be mildly disappointed in this book. Definitely if you haven't don't start with this book. If you like Alan Furst -you will enjoy this book though its not as heavy handed on the historic detail. I would rate this book as mildly okay. Not Great.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Extremely entertaining and different, August 6, 2009
This review is from: The Dead of Winter: A John Madden Mystery (John Madden Mysteries) (Hardcover)
All of the principle characters from Rennie Airth's first John Madden novel "River Of Darkness" are back for this go-round (along with a number of interesting and pivotal new characters), and this gives a feeling of familiarity and belonging that I found quite enjoyable. The author again displays his rare talent for constructing a detailed and intricate plot with elements of actions and reactions spanning many years that neatly dovetail into a satisfying dénouement. The setting of the story in World War II England, particularly London, gives the story an interesting and atmospheric background that the author uses to full advantage with historical and cultural references that I found fascinating. The story is again a murder mystery, but with so much more: John Madden is no longer a tortured soul, but he is still a person capable of great insight, and he uses this skill to the utmost advantage as the crime is investigated and the full story is unravelled. Another big winner from Rennie Airth.
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