The Blood-Dimmed Tide: A John Madden Mystery: 2 - Softcover

Airth, Rennie

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0143037102 ISBN 13: 9780143037101

Publisher: Penguin Books, 2006

Synopsis

"Unnerving... from [a] richly textured background, Airth draws a vivid cast of full-bodied characters and a plot that satisfies."--The New York Times Book Review

With the publication of the New York Times Notable Book River of Darkness, Rennie Airth established himself as a master of suspense. The Blood-Dimmed Tide, set in 1932, marks the return of the beloved Inspector John Madden, whose discovery of a young girl's mutilated corpse near his home in rural England brings him out of retirement despite his wife's misgivings. Soon he finds himself chasing a killer whose horrific crime could have implications far afield in a Europe threatened by the rise of Hitler. A riveting, atmospheric, multilayered mystery, this intense and intelligent tale more than delivers on the promise of Rennie Airth's first thriller.

About this title

Review:

"Unnerving... from [a] richly textured background, Airth draws a vivid cast of full-bodied characters and a plot that satisfies." --The New York Times Book Review

"Airth's first mystery, River of Darkness, was impressive enough to earn him several award nominations and much critical applause. [The Blood-Dimmed Tide] deserves the same treatment." --Chicago Tribune

From the Publisher:

The eagerly awaited sequel to River of Darkness
The Blood-dimmed Tide is the eagerly awaited sequel to River of Darkness, and the second novel in the John Madden trilogy.

River of Darkness was published to huge critical acclaim in 1999, and was shortlisted for five major crime fiction awards, including the prestigious Edgar Allan Poe award in America. It also won the Grand Prix de Litterature Policiere in France.

River of Darkness was set in 1921, and followed John Madden, Scotland Yard detective and survivor the WWI trenches, as he hunted down a serial killer. The novel skilfully blended the tone of the Golden Age detective novel with the new policing techniques that were just coming into use in the twenties, and with which we are so familiar today - e.g. fingerprinting, psychological profiling.

The Blood-Dimmed Tide moves the action on ten years to 1932. John Madden has now resigned from the police force and is making his living as a farmer, married to Helen (whom he met in the first novel). They have two children, and his life is a world away from the horrific events he witnessed during the Great War and the terrible crimes he had to investigate as a detective.

But this tranquil existence is threatened when John finds the body of a young girl near his farm. Another serial killer is at large, and John is drawn once more into a disturbing investigation.

Also ready to destroy the peace, not only of John’s world but also that of Europe, is the growing threat of Nazism in Germany – for the novel takes place against the backdrop of Hitler’s rise to power.

Rennie Airth is about to begin work on the last novel in the trilogy which will follow John and his family once again, this time during the Second World War.

I have to say that The Blood-Dimmed Tide is an extraordinary work of fiction that will certainly not disappoint the many fans of River of Darkness. I know – as the publisher who is bombarded daily with queries about Rennie’s novels (not just fans, but booksellers and reviewers too!) – that The Blood-Dimmed Tide is the most eagerly awaited novel in the crime fiction genre for quite some time. It has certainly been worth the wait!

(Audio cassette editions of River of Darkness and The Blood-Dimmed Tide are also available from Macmillan, narrated by Nathaniel Parker.)

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin Books
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0143037102
• ISBN 13: 9780143037101
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 384