This is one of the best historical mysteries I have ever read. Gruesome and yet fascinating, rich with detail...and a hero/detective with a terrible past and an uncanny understanding of evil.

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This is the second in the Inspector John Madden series. It is 1932, and Inspector Madden's retirement is brought to an abrupt end when he discovers the mutilated body of a young girl in the woods near his home in the English countryside. Rennie Airth is an excellent writer and the plot will hold your interest to the very last page!

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Five star book.

Rennie Airth's series - this is book 2 - is for those who love a good mystery in an English setting. The writer is a formal journalist who has an easy-to-read style of writing.

It took a little while to get into, but once I did, I was hooked. You will come to love John Madden and his physician wife.

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As I read the first book in this series, I expected somewhat of the same ending here and had analyzed it out thoroughly in my mind. Well, I was mistaken. But I agree with the other reviewers that this is an excellent mystery. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

While this book includes murders by a sexual psychopath, the author thankfully refrains from including gruesome details. You are just told the victims were violated and nothing more.

I am also impressed by the author's ability to make the characters seem like real people.

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A chilling detective novel about a sexual psychopath in post-WWI England. Very well written but the subject matter may not be for everyone.

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