The Blood-Dimmed Tide: A John Madden Mystery

What a read! An extraordinary writer - that I just recently discovered after reading his first book, "River of Darkness". Deeply compassionate with a disturbing sub-current that reminded me of the research work of 19th century psychiatrist Krafft Ebbing's, "Psychopathia Sexualis". However, it took over two weeks to arrive (perhaps because it was a used $4.00 book), in very good condition. As a matter-of-fact I had almost completely forgotten about it. So, ironically, I was happily surprised to see it show up.

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.

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.

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,

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.