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River of Darkness [Large Print] (Hardcover)

by Rennie Airth (Author)

4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (24 customer reviews)

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1 used from CDN$ 54.89

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Product Details

Hardcover: 600 pages
Publisher: Thorndike Press; Lrg edition (February 2000)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0786223340
ISBN-13: 978-0786223343
Product Dimensions: 22.3 x 14.6 x 3.2 cm
Shipping Weight: 726 g

Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (24 customer reviews)

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Product Description

From Amazon.com

The main protagonist of River of Darkness is a Scotland Yard detective so damaged by his experiences during the First World War that his superiors worry about his ability to do his job. This may sound like Charles Todd's excellent series about Ian Rutledge, a shell-shocked cop from the same era. But Rennie Airth, a South African journalist who lives in Italy, has made his hero--Inspector John Madden--a somewhat different version of one of England's walking wounded. Madden is both gloomier (he lost his wife and young daughter to an influenza epidemic) and more pragmatic than the poetic, indecisive Rutledge.

Madden is sent to a town in Surrey where a local family has been massacred in what looks like a robbery gone wrong. He finds enough echoes of his recent battlefield experiences to conclude that the killer was just one man--most likely a former soldier using a bayonet. As for motive, it could well be perverse sexual passion, that "river of darkness" to which a psychologist introduces him. We meet the killer early on, watch him as he maintains a rigid control over every aspect of his life, then stare in horror as he periodically explodes into mad violence. Unlike Madden, this man has not been severely damaged or changed by the war; he has simply used it to channel and redirect his dark river. Airth's point--that survival comes in many shapes and sizes--gives a solid foundation to an impressive leap of imagination. --Dick Adler --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

So you thought British detectives had to focus on "the colonel in the drawing room with a candlestick" solutions? Newcomer Airth blasts that stereotype with this tale of serial murder set in post-World War I Britain, featuring the debut of Inspector John Madden, a veteran whose experiences in the trenches give him an edge in tracking and capturing the killer. Meanwhile, Dr. Helen Blackwell entices Madden to employ psychiatric theories shunned at the time by Scotland Yard to explain and predict the killer's behavior. Airth develops a situation that presages today's much-touted psychological profiling and serves to build an almost excruciatingly suspenseful plot. In addition, his deft handling of the emotional aftereffects of war gives the work an added sense of purpose. Fans of Thomas Harris will enjoy this book and can take heart in knowing that another Madden tale is already in the works.ANancy McNicol, Hagaman Memorial Lib., East Haven, CT
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

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	82% buy the item featured on this page: River of Darkness 4.3 out of 5 stars (24)
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Customer Reviews

24 Reviews

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

4.3 out of 5 stars (24 customer reviews)

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4.0 out of 5 stars Survival takes many forms, Sep 18 2007

By	J. Cameron-Smith "Expect the Unexpected" (ACT, Australia) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: River of Darkness (Paperback)

The setting for this novel is a post World War I Britain: still reeling from the combined effects of war and the influenza epidemic of 1918.

A local family in Surrey has been massacred in what appears to be a robbery gone wrong. Enter Inspector John Madden, a veteran of the trenches, who has lost his wife and young daughter to in the influenza epidemic.

This is Rennie Airth's debut novel, and provides an insight into the emotional after effects of war and personal loss together with an exploration of then contemporary psychiatric theory to try to understand, explain and predict the killer's behaviour.

Well developed characters and tight plotting make this an enjoyable, albeit suspenseful, read.

Highly recommended

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

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3.0 out of 5 stars Ambitious river of tedium, May 26 2004

By	Peter LaPrade (worcester ma) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: River Of Darkness (Mass Market Paperback)

Rennie Airth's "River of Darkness" is an ambitious book. it wants to be a good psychological thriller while also being a good post World War I novel. Well, that fails. The psychology is sound, as the hero, John Madden, learns of what could be driving the killer. Madden is a haunted widower who is also scarred mentally from war. His love interest is also scarred in her own way, and she is also unconviningly forward with Madden. It seems so out of place. The history here is the best part. Airth does get the zeitgeist of 1920s Britain right. His characters, on the other hand, are flat and boring. The killer, who we meet early, is a one-trick pony. That really isn't interesting. Predictable maiden-in-distress as climax, and very predictable ending.

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2.0 out of 5 stars A major disappointment, April 11 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: River Of Darkness (Mass Market Paperback)

I'm sorry to say that I found River of Darkness to be a very disappointing, and totally predictable, thriller. The only mystery to me is how so many people can have enjoyed it. The failings are too many to all go into, so I'll stick to a few. Firstly, there are far too many characters introduced, all of whom are as well rounded as cardboard. The three exceptions are the leads: Madden, the detective, who is still trying to come to terms with the horrors of WW1. But even though the author has gone to the trouble of fleshing out Madden's background, the Detective still comes across as unsympathetic and totally unlikeable.
Of course, there's the mandatory love interest. An attractive doctor who sees more in Madden than anyone else does (including the reader)and they're promptly having sex soon after meeting (one of the worst written and gratuitous scenes ever put to paper). And finally, there's the villain, Angus Pike, who is introduced to us early in the story, just to get rid of any possiblity of a mystery. Pike likes slitting the throats of beautiful women. When he sees one he likes, he stalks them until he gets what he wants. Gee, I wonder what will happen when Pike sees the lovely Doctor? Could he stalk her and then make an attack, only to be stopped by Madden at the last moment? No, that would be far too predictable. Wouldn't it?

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Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Fine English Crime Novel
Well-plotted with romantic characters. Set after the First World War in rural England without being stodgy. Would make a great A&E Mystery mini-series.

Published on Mar 28 2002 by Melissa D. Sheppard