Helpful Score: 2
This has been one of the best mysteries I have read so far this year. Very well written and will keep you wanting to read more. You get a good feel of the time period that the story takes place in.
The second John Madden book recounts murders just as appalling as the first book. John is no longer a policeman so is not the focus of the story, although he becomes more involved as the investigation proceeds. I thought this book could have used a stricter editor; it's longer than need be, and there were pages of exposition about characters who were really peripheral at best that should have been trimmed. Also, although I don't remember this from the first book, the writer contorts time, starting out a chapter detailing events then going back a little in time to fill in details. It was needlessly confusing and irritating after a while. Still, I managed to finish it.
Retired from Scotland Yard and living in the country, John Madden finds the body of a young girl brutally murdered along a stream. The murder of this young girl whose face has been obliterated haunts him. Soon he finds himself assisting his former detective coworkers in efforts to find who committed this atrocity. As the investigation unfolds, law enforcement officials discover that the murderer has moved from country to country. England is this latest environment in which he operates.
As the number of murders increase so does the brutality of the crimes. The murderer targets his victims, studies the area, plans carefully and commits the crimes in a similar manner. Water must be available so he can wash the blood from his body and there must be a place to hide the body from authorities. It is Madden who realizes that the body he found is the first of others. He understands, too, that there are more to come unless the murderer is apprehended. Yet his wife, Helen, is concerned about his involvement. It was she who helped him recover from the stress of his earlier work and they made their home in a rural area away from the crimes of London.
This mystery is well written within the parameters of what was known of the science of criminal psychology in 1932. I found Airth's novel a good, good read and recommend it to those who are interested in historical mysteries.
As the number of murders increase so does the brutality of the crimes. The murderer targets his victims, studies the area, plans carefully and commits the crimes in a similar manner. Water must be available so he can wash the blood from his body and there must be a place to hide the body from authorities. It is Madden who realizes that the body he found is the first of others. He understands, too, that there are more to come unless the murderer is apprehended. Yet his wife, Helen, is concerned about his involvement. It was she who helped him recover from the stress of his earlier work and they made their home in a rural area away from the crimes of London.
This mystery is well written within the parameters of what was known of the science of criminal psychology in 1932. I found Airth's novel a good, good read and recommend it to those who are interested in historical mysteries.
Excellent #2 in the John Madden series. Filled with period detail and a suspense filled plot. Great for those of us who love a good Brit thriller.
