River of Darkness (John Madden #1) by Rennie Airth

The first instalment of Airth’s series is set in a sleepy Suffolk village, shortly after the end of the First World War. It’s a time of change, particularly in the field of policing: forensic evidence is in its infancy and is viewed with suspicion by juries and psychological profiling is also starting to be explored.

Those who survived the horrors of the trenches carry scars, both physical and psychological. John Madden is haunted: ‘For a while he had hoped all this would pass. That his memories would grow dim and peace of mind return to him. But he lived in the long shadow of the war, and as time passed and the shadow deepened, he came to see himself as permanently injured, a casualty of the conflict, which had failed to kill him but left him none the less damaged beyond repair’.

The effect of war on the human psyche is at the forefront of this crime novel. Four people are found brutally murdered in their home. At first it is dismissed as a robbery gone wrong, but Madden is all too familiar with the madness that can take hold of men who were at the front. He is certain that these murders are the handiwork of a psychopath. And he is certain that he will strike again.

And so, a race against time ensues as Madden and his team dig deep into previous crimes with a similar pattern. As they draw closer to the truth, so too does the murderer draw closer to his next victims.

However, it is not all doom and gloom. Dr Helen Blackwell introduces Madden to the new field of forensic psychology, and they find themselves very attracted to each other. Helen is a forward-thinking woman, and her caring nature is the perfect salve to sooth Madden’s sadness.

This is not only a cracking police procedural, but it has the added depth of exploring the effect of war on those who had to fight, on those who had to wait at home and on Britain as a nation. I raced to the end, desperate to see if Madden and Chief Inspector Sinclair find their man in time to stop another bloodbath.

Highly recommended – and there are five more books in the series!

Reviewed by Gaby Meares
Murder on a Monday Reading Group