The Great Darkness

Nighthawk #1

by Jim Kelly

1939, Cambridge. The opening weeks of the Second World War, and the first blackout – The Great Darkness – covers southern England, enveloping the city. Detective Inspector Eden Brooke, a wounded hero of the Great War, takes his nightly dip in the cool waters of the Cam. The night is full of alarms, but in this Phoney War, the enemy never comes.
But daylight reveals a corpse on the riverside, the body torn apart by some unspeakable force. Brooke investigates, calling on the expertise and inspiration of a faithful group of fellow ‘nighthawks’ across the city, all condemned, like him, to a life lived away from the light. Within hours The Great Darkness has claimed a second victim. War, it seems, has many victims. But what links these crimes of the night?

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Historical Fiction, Historical, Fiction, Historical Mystery, World War II

352 pages, Paperback

First published February 15, 2018

About the author

Jim Kelly is a journalist and education correspondent for the Financial Times. He lives in Ely with the biographer Midge Gilles and their young daughter. The Water Clock, his first novel, was shortlisted for the CWA John Creasey Award for best first crime novel of 2002.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Paromjit · Rating 5 out of 5]

This looks to be the start of a new historical crime fiction series set at the beginning of WW2 in Cambridge in 1939 where tensions, fear and paranoia are everywhere. 40 year old DI Eden Brooke is a wounded veteran of the Great War, awarded a medal for his bravery. He, like so many others, is a nighthawk, a man at home in the night, given his damaged eyes, he suffers from photophobia, an extreme sensitivity to light, requiring him to have spectacles with various lenses for differing light levels. It is the first night of the blackout, The Great Darkness, intended to reduce the possibility of being hit by enemy aircraft, and loose barrage balloons are floating over the city with the capacity to cause great damage. Brooke is indulging in the forbidden pleasure of a night swim in the River Cam, when he sees soldiers digging pits by the edge of the river, leaving him more than a little curious as to why this is going on covertly but the army are not keen he looks into this, speaking of it being covered by national security. Indeed, a culture is arising where it is considered unpatriotic to ask questions, and people are expected to stick to following orders.

The morning brings news that the dead body of American scientist Dr Ernst Lux has been discovered outside the Galen, severely mutilated, an apparent victim of a barrage balloon. Three lorries parked on the side of a lane are viewed with suspicion when relevant papers are not produced and the drivers scarper. It is thought they were carrying black market meat with the intention of making huge profits from a nation soon to be ravaged by rationing. The military are treating this as something that needs to be stamped down on so that public morale is not lowered. Chris Childe is a communist and conscientious objector active in his pursuit of peace. He is found shot dead in a cemetery with a vital copy of a letter missing from his body. In a city dominated by the University and its colleges where illicit climbing clubs, research scientists and spies proliferate, Eden Brooke attempts to get to the bottom of these events happening under The Great Darkness as slowly connections between them begin to emerge to reveal the dangers of the darkest side of the war and more.

Jim Kelly has taken to writing historical crime fiction like a duck to water, his rich historical descriptions are a joy to read and evokes a turbulent time in British history, and Cambridge expertly and with ease. He has a real skill in building atmosphere and captures the political and military behind the scenes machinations beautifully. His central character, Eden Brooke, an insomniac and nighthawk is a wonderful creation, capturing and maintaining my interest throughout. He is deeply embedded within the University, having had a famous father, an academic Professor universally admired. As a result, he knows numerous academics and staff there, so important when they are crucial to the plot, the narrative and the importance of the university to Cambridge. It is not clear if this will be a series, but I really hope it is. You know when you read a Jim Kelly novel that it will be intelligent, impressively plotted, with an intricate and complex narrative and great characterisation. All this is true in this brilliant piece of historical crime fiction that is compulsive, gripping, tense and so well written. Highly recommended.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Find more reviews like this, plus fascinating author interviews, exclusive guest posts and book extracts, on my blog: https://whatcathyreadnext.wordpress.com/

For Inspector Eden Brooke, the darkness is a relief. His experiences at the hands of the enemy during World War One damaged his eyesight, leaving him extremely sensitive to light. Of course, his role as a detective is to shed light on the darkness of crime. This is just one of the many plays on the theme of darkness and light in the book.

Brooke makes an engaging and interesting leading character. An insomniac, keen night swimmer and faithful husband, he’s intelligent, well-read, perceptive but also ruthless when he needs to be. In fact, it is during one of his night-time swims that he detects the first signs that something is going on in the city that is not quite right. Denials from officialdom that anything occurred cause him to suspect a cover-up, or worse. Then the dead bodies start turning up….

Brooke has collected a team of fellow ‘nighthawks’, individuals whose job or inclination mean they inhabit the streets, buildings or even rooftops of Cambridge while most of the population are asleep. They are his eyes and ears on the ground, as well as providing companionship and conversation in the wee small hours. Luckily, he also has a trusty assistant, Edison, but despite his name it’s Brooke who has most of the ‘light bulb moments’ (there’s that darkness and light theme again).

he Great Darkness immerses the reader in the narrow streets of Cambridge with its colleges, historic public buildings and riverside paths. There’s also a great sense of the period from the ever present fear of bomber raids, the air raid shelters and barrage balloons to the wartime food (hare casserole, anyone?) and the copious drinking of tea. The short chapters keep the story moving along and the interest high. As far as the central mystery is concerned, it was pretty late on in the book until I saw the light. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist that.) The solution, when it is revealed, raises issues of more contemporary relevance than you might expect.

I absolutely loved The Great Darkness. The combination of atmospheric setting, period detail, absorbing mystery and interesting characters in The Great Darkness ticked all the boxes for me. Those looking for a new historical crime mystery series to follow have found it here, I think. It would also be perfect for those mourning the absence of TV’s Foyle’s War. I shall be eagerly awaiting the next book in the series.

Thank you to Allison and Busby for my (signed) review copy in return for my honest and unbiased review.

[Gram · Rating 4 out of 5]

A stunning mystery/thriller which highlights one of Britain's dark wartime secrets. This is a beautifully written crime novel with well drawn characters and a marvellous plot with a myriad of twists and turns. Set in the opening months of the Second World War during the so-called "Phoney War", Detective Inspector Eden Brooke, a World War I veteran, investigates the death of a young American scientist seemingly killed by the trailing cables of a barrage balloon. The young man was involved with others who risk their lives climbing buildings of Cambridge University at night.
Brooke's eyesight was damaged during the war, leaving him extremely sensitive to light and as a result he prefers to work at night. Now that Britain is at war, the blackout - "The Great Darkness" of the title - gives him the ideal conditions in which to operate.
While swimming in the River Cam Brooke sees soldiers filling in mysterious pits in one of the city's parks. As he investigates, he's drawn into the murky world of British military intelligence and the country's recently invoked Emergency Powers Act. The mystery deepens when a member of the city's Communist Party is murdered the day after he witnessed the secret screening of a film which he believed needed to be reported to the British people.
Gradually, the machinations of spies, black marketeers and scientists are uncovered by Brooke and various threads of the story combine to unearth a story that the British Government desperately wants to remain hidden from public view.
This is the first in a series featuring Eden Brooke and his fellow "nighthawks" and I've already bought the next one! Highly recommended.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

this novel took awhile to get going but about half way through the plot it started to get going. based in the early stages of ww2 Cambridge and the great darkness where several deaths are investigated by detective Brooke and the past.

[Sherrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointing, I struggled to give this three stars. Too slow developing, quite complex, I kept forgetting who was who and just wanted to get to the end. Sorry Jim!

[Anne Fenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is book packed full - of WW11 history, Cambridge, crime and mystery. The author loves these places and times, and re-imagines them very convincingly due to the detail he fits in. Main character Eden Brooke has just the right proportions of personality, detective skill and back story. The plot, involving interaction between a range of civilians and military types, has satisfying complexity in its shades of good and bad. I liked it a lot. It's book 1 in the Nighthawk series and I'll try some more.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

A good plot but I just found the writing to be a bit stilted.
Furthermore, call me pedantic if you like, but I do like my historical fiction to be accurate.
I found two glaring inaccuracies. Firstly, Stone says " Just compare it to a Spitfire or a Lancaster."
The book is set in September 1939. The Lancaster only came into being in late 1940 when someone brilliantly suggested adding two more engines to the grossly underpowered Manchester bomber and made its first test flight in January 1941. Secondly, it is stated that Childe's letter to London was sent by first class mail. This is simply impossible as the first and second class mail system was only introduced in 1968!
Better research please, Mr. Kelly.

[Michael Dunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

7 stars if I could
A well constructed and interwoven plot.
Characters are all great, no tropes of characters.
Once a significant clue , or piece of evidence is found, the eventual perp is the most likely one.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in Cambridge (England) in late 1939 as the War is just starting to have an impact, Eden Brooke, eyes damaged and an insomniac from WWI, is a DI with a few cases to investigate; cases tied in with the black market and secret weapons. His offsider, Edison, back from retirement, is a character who stands out amongst several good portraits and the culprits are well-hidden, the city well-realised. A couple of bad errors with ages and dates, (he’s 40 years old in October 1939 on page 11 but goes up to Cambridge in 1913 on page 107 and joins up the next year; his father is master of a College from 1910-21 on page 26 then on page 296 he recalls attending his father's memorial service in 1908 reading a plaque with the dates 1833-1908 and details of his father's achievements) detract. An editor should have picked that up and whilst it's pedantic to mention it does take you out of the narrative.

[Linda Amos · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent start to a new series based in Cambridge.
It starts just after war has been declared in 1939. The blackout is being enforced; barrage balloons are in place over the city; rationing is close; the army is encamped. Brooke roams the town at night as he cannot sleep. During his nightly walks, when the weather allows, he goes for a swim in the river. One night he sees soldiers pulling horse carts along the banks. Where are the horses? What have the soldiers been doing? Three barrage balloons come adrift and one is believed to be a murder weapon when a man's badly mutilated body is found. Three lorries are found in the city; the drivers are asleep; the bobby on duty thinks there is something fishy about the papers they present. So the adventure begins.
Looking forward to the next one.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, what a great tale of coverups, and murder, and the malaise of waiting for the bombs to drop, literally and figuratively, in wartime era Cambridge. Our protagonist, DI Brooke, is a fully realized character, dogged in his persistence through an investigation that is increasingly receiving attention, not all of it good or helpful. And then when the real mystery emerges -- it's quite terrifying.

The "star" of the book is the author's use of the city as a character in itself -- it was fascinating to read about this ancient city and its many parts. It's a character in itself, in the book.

I hope to read more of Eden Brooke -- hopefully the next book(s) won't be so fraught with horrifying thoughts of "what might have been."

[Irene Costello · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyable book. Atmospheric. Sympathetic main character

[Nicola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining reading; very much a sense of time and place. I'll be reading more in the series. The night-swimming is an interesting gambit that works well to allow the character time to ponder.

[Simone Pelizza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cambridge, 1939. Britain is again at war with Germany but the real fighting is yet to come. Unable to serve due to his wounded eyes, Eden Brooke continues to work as Detective Inspector for the local police, breaking his boring professional routine with long night walks and some clandestine swimming in the River Cam. One night, during one of these river escapades, he hears a group of soldiers talking in the dark about burying something in a nearby field, now requisitioned by authorities for military purposes. Later the death of a young American scientist and the discovery of three lorries full of animal carcasses, ready to be butchered for the black market, lead Brooke into a complex and dangerous investigation. What is the connection between these events and the strange talk heard along the river? Why is the military so interested in the inquiries? And what is the reason behind the murder of a conscientious objector, shot at point-blank in front of the grave of his parents? Helped by his "nighthawks", a network of informers and collaborators who live by night, Brooke will try to pierce the "great darkness" that has fallen upon the city and reveal the truth...
The first in a new crime series, "The Great Darkness" is an excellent mystery that uses skillfully both its historical and geographical setting. The plot is interesting and well-paced, leaving enough space for the reader to know the characters and understand their psychology. Kelly's elegant prose is never boring and captures perfectly the suspended atmosphere of the time, with no war still in sight but daily life already disrupted for military necessity. The last chapters also provide a short but genuine reflection on the horrors of modern conflicts and the cold rationale that makes them possible.
Perhaps the main flaw is that Kelly's work is not very original. You can find several of its elements in other British crime series set during World War 2 (the TV hit "Foyle's War", for example). Some tropes and some situations are very similar to those of other novels. Yet the execution makes the difference and Eden Brooke is a fascinating character that really leaves a mark in the reader's imagination. I'm definitely going to check the other books of the series.
Highly recommended for crime buffs and historical fiction aficionados.

[Peggy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was recommended for those of us who enjoy the TV show “Foyle’s War”. It is set in 1939, just at the beginning of the attacks on England. The main character is Eden Brooke, a police investigator who was wounded in World War I and thus is not military now. Brooke has damaged eyes from torture he endured in India. He can see, but is ultra sensitive to light. The town is on edge as England prepares for Germany to attack. Brooke finds trucks he suspects of transporting black market meat that will be illegally sold if and when rationing begins. A local member of the Communist party, a conscientious objector, is murdered after he sees something that the military doesn’t want the public to know about. Also, an American scientist is found dead under suspicious circumstances. Brooke must investigate all of this even though the military doesn’t want him to learn too much. I give this book 3 1/2 stars. It was a good story, but I had a hard time getting into the story until I had read quite a bit. But, though it seems slow out of the gate the story grew on me. It was a complicated story with surprising reveals.

[Mark Higginbottom · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exceptional read!I adore these sorts of stories that are set during WWII and have so many layers but also filled with so many fascinating characters.Allison & Busby in the last few years really have published some of the most enjoyable reads on the market and this is yet another one.These kinds of stories are just so enjoyable,no needless complexities,just rollicking good stories that keep you turning the pages until the end.I can definitely see some longevity in the character of Detective Inspector Eden Brooke and the themes set up in this first in the series.I think it's wonderful to read about all the different characters in WWII that we don't always hear about...the everyday people...the working class people...that kept this country's morale strong...that kept everything going when things must have seemed almost hopeless.I think it's important to keep producing characters like these in novels wether fact or fictional to remind the younger generations of just how motivational and strong these people really were!Onto the next one in the series hurrah....

[GBL · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Great Darkness is set at the start of World War II in Cambridge, as the country begins to get used to the blackout, designed to limit the ability of German bombers to detect targets on the ground.
DI Eden Brooke, a wounded veteran of the First World War, has an affinity for the dark as his eyesight was damaged in the war. He is most comfortable at night and is one of the 'nighthawks', people around Cambridge who work during the night.
The death of an American scientist is the starting point for a story that explores the context of the war beginning to have an impact on people's lives and shows how decisions that are made in the context of war are often different from those of peace time.
Brooke is an interesting character, with a clear sense of justice and a desire to find answers when others might find it easier to stand back.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this tremendously, instantly atmospheric and absorbing, and with a remarkable, out of the ordinary plot, arising out of the setting of the early months of World War II.

The story opens in Cambridge in The Great Darkness, the first blackout so that's already two easy wins for atmosphere, but there's action in Sheffield too, which has a different feel as I am sure he intends. The parallels of the phoney war with the pandemic which came after Jim Kelly wrote the book were palpable.

Eden Brooke is given atypical 'flaws' for a fictional detective (flaws not really being the right word here) and I felt eerie echoes of Ruth Rendell's Reginald Wexford in his stage of life and (despite everything) sort of contentment. Meanwhile Kelly lifts the rug on the lives of many different sorts of people, whilst creating a satisfying maze for his readers.

[Jrwest]

I travelled to Cambridge England this year on a day trip from London. I quite enjoyed the trip and afterwards a friend (Jeannie M) who had lived in Cambridge suggested the Jim Kelly series. I really enjoyed reading the mystery set in phony war 1939 Cambridge England. The protagonist Eden Brooke is a detective on the Cambridge police force. He is faced with a series of apparently unrelated murders and a crime which he must investigate. I really liked the character and how the author navigates him through his investigation. The author writes a very plausible story. Sometimes I am disappointed by the resolution of these detective/mystery books but I thought the author did a great job of bringing the crimes and solutions of the crimes together. I enjoyed how it was set in England and the eccentricities of the various characters. I plan on reading more of the series.

[John Bunyan · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars because it exceeded my expectations and I read it in two evenings, being drawn along by good writing and a nice, complicated mystery / police procedural.
In tone, placing and style it was similar to Martin Cruz Smith's stories of Detective Arkady Renko.
There are several separate crimes and odd incidents that occur close together and may or may not be connected.
The story is set in Cambridge at the initial stages of WWII but does not lean to heavily on the historical - that is, we are shown the circumstances of the times naturally in the telling of the story, without it feeling like a forced history lesson.
I like Detective Brooke - the Nighthawk - and will read more of the series.

[Holly McIntyre · Rating 4 out of 5]

This mystery is in many ways excellent. The plot is complex, twisting, and not likely to be predicted. The characters are interesting, although only the protagonist is developed to any extent. Cambridge (England, of course) in World War II is a bit difficult for this American to navigate, but the provided map does help. The withheld star stems from a difficulty I cannot exactly pinpoint, whether the author’s or my own. I found the prose somehow difficult to read, clipped and “bumpy,” phrase after phrase thumping heavily across the page. Perhaps that was to evoke the military milieu, but it took determination for me to persist past the first few chapters, by which time the plot, if not the prose, ensnared my imagination.

[John Hardy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nighthawk #1. This introduces inspector Eden Brooke, a Nighthawk (people who are out at night watching what goes on). His eyes are severely damaged and cannot stand light. We are informed rather briefly of his ill-treatment during the Great War.
This is a complex plot, which is set in 1939 during the Phony War. There are links to military intelligence and organised crime in the form of black marketeering. Themes include communist activity and conscientious objection. Brooke runs into problems of military secrets, but are they really? There are a lot of recurring characters and it was a bit difficult to keep track, and particularly to fix on a culprit.
I have been enjoying this series and will certainly try to find another one, even if they are a bit slow paced.
Rating 3.8.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whilst I usually give the benefit of the doubt for the first book in a series as characters need to developed, etc. However, I have to say I was disappointed in this book. This may be in some part due to the fact that I really like the author's Shaw & Valentine series and, so, expected more. The Shaw & Valentine books grab me for both their plot & interesting characters. This book didn't really have either in my opinion. The characters never really developed, the plat seemed disconnected, and the book overall just plodded along. It was a chore to get this one finished, but I will probably read a second in the series only because of my previous experience with this author.

[Rik · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the writing, which was descriptive without overdoing it, and the characters easily conjured up. The relationships also felt warm and real, and it was nice to see husband/wife interact with affection and mutual appreciation. I liked the authors decision to have Brooke discuss his progress, and at times lack of, with others, unlike some books where they harbour it all as a secret. The plot kept me guessing, complex enough to require some pauses to really understand without being too difficult! Brooks disability also added interest, and opened up a nighttime world where most characters would be sleeping. Looks set to be a good series...

[Andrew Pearson · Rating 5 out of 5]

First time I've read Jim's books for a while. Born and breed in Ely a retired police officer starting my career in Cambridge I have a love for this place.

This story reminded me of my night duties on foot patrol in Cambridge as a probationer. I used to look up rather than straight and have seen many of the images created by Jim. The passage ways, the areas came flooding back... Many have not changed.
Jim's description of Sheffield I could also relate to as someone from the south seeing the city for the first time.

I really enjoyed this book I enjoyed the storyline.. it made me want to revisit the places in Cambridge.

[Caro · Rating 3 out of 5]

A wounded WWI vet, now a detective in Cambridge, solves several convoluted and related crimes. Great atmospherics, as most of the book takes place in the dark (the blackout, the detective's damaged vision that makes him avoid light, the black market, students climbing the outside of the buildings at night), but the characters were more a bunch of attributes than real people. Might continue and might not.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first, I assume, of a new series and, thank goodness, a return to the standard I've associated with Jim Kelly - the last-read clearly some sort of aberration.

One of Kelly's especial talents is evocation of place, description of atmosphere and the effects of dark and mist; such a major part do all play here. And this felt very English in its plotting and denouement and the way it all played out, in a sepia haze.

[William Hogan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kelly is a fine, fine writer. This series, Nighthawk, revolves around DI Eden Brooke, a wounded WWI vet who hasn't been able to sleep since the Great War. He and his fellow nighthawks--people in the city of Cambridge who also work nights and do not function well in daylight--roam the city and keep watch during the period known as the Phony War--before the bombing started.

Anyone who likes police procedurals, historical fiction, and wonderfully weaved stories, will like this novel.

[Leigh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not an enjoyable read but I was determined to reach the end of this novel. Set in Cambridge at the start of the 2nd World War I just couldn't get any enthusiasm from the storyline. Quite often I didn't understand exactly what was going on. With spying and development of new weaponry coupled with unexplained deaths and the resulting investigation which did uncover something unexpected, I found the text monotonous.

[Larry Fontenot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kelly is an interesting writer and his subjects range all over the place. This tale is a murder mystery set during the early stages of WW II and the tension of history is thick. The resolution of the crime takes a few twists and the ending is a fine culmination. The characters are carefully drawn against the backdrop of the impending war. A very good read, as all of Kelly's novels are.