In a rural English landscape shadowed by the sorrow of World War I, the peace of a small Surrey village is shattered when a murderous attack leaves five butchered bodies and no motive for the killings. Scotland Yard sends Inspector John Madden to investigate, a grave and good man who bears the emotional and physical scars from his own harrowing war experiences and from the tragic loss of his wife and child. With the help of Dr. Helen Blackwell, a beautiful expert in criminal psychology, Madden sets out to identify and find ...
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In a rural English landscape shadowed by the sorrow of World War I, the peace of a small Surrey village is shattered when a murderous attack leaves five butchered bodies and no motive for the killings. Scotland Yard sends Inspector John Madden to investigate, a grave and good man who bears the emotional and physical scars from his own harrowing war experiences and from the tragic loss of his wife and child. With the help of Dr. Helen Blackwell, a beautiful expert in criminal psychology, Madden sets out to identify and find the killer.
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Add this copy of River of Darkness to cart. $5.70, good condition, Sold by More Than Words rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Waltham, MA, UNITED STATES, published 2000 by Thorndike Press.
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This a good read. The story takes place in a setting which would be idyllic were it not for the serial killer. It's quite evocative of the pre-WW1 era and characters are pretty well developed. Much less contrived than, say, Agatha Christie, the narrative is nevertheless quite complex and unfolds in a believable range of speculations and discoveries.
RandyLarkin
Jan 13, 2010
Darkness in England, post WWI
4 1/2 stars.
It's 1921 and England is still recovering from WWI. War wounded are seen throughout the land. What cannot be seen is the psychologically wounded who are in need of help.
In Surrey, at his country maner, Col. Fletcher, his wife and two staff are murdered. Local police believe that it was a violent robbery. However, Inspector John Madden is called in from Scotland Yard. He sees the scene and knows it is something else. He's spent time in the trenches and knows that this is the work of a psychopath who will continue to kill until stopped.
Madden is a well developed protagonist. He's knowledgeable and determined to find the killer. His personal history is brought in nicely so that the reader can sympathise with him. The respect with which he is held to by his assistant, Billy Styles, gives credibility to Madden's keen knowledge both of people and of crime.
The setting is rural England, which is nicely described with its hedges and gardens. In fact, the reader could be seeing the story on film, the descriptions are so vivid.
As is the case with many soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, today, the author is telling his readers how little post tramatic syndrome is known and what the psychological impact it can have.
