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John Madden #6
The Decent Inn of Death
"[Airth's] meticulously detailed procedural mysteries are beautifully written . . . well worth reading, and rereading." --Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times
Snowed in at a country manor, former Scotland Yard inspectors John Madden and Angus Sinclair find themselves trapped in the company of a murderer.
On a trip into Winchester, former chief inspector Angus Sinclair learns of a tragedy that has taken place in the village he is staying in. Beloved church organist Greta Hartmann has slipped and fallen to her death in a shallow creek, and while investigations conclude it to be an accident, her friend and housemate, Vera, remains unconvinced. After learning that Greta was the widow of a prominent anti-Nazi German preacher, Sinclair meets with the distraught Vera, and he resolves to dig deeper into the story. His investigations lead him to the stately manor of Julia Lesage, where she lives with her devoted staff that includes her secretary, cook, and driver. Though confined to a wheelchair, Julia is an electrifying spirit with a sharp wit, and those who know her adore her. Among those who do, a gentleman with dubious business dealings is also staying at the house--and Julia appears to be in love with him. A blizzard hits, keeping Sinclair, and later Madden, on the grounds with little to do but analyze the case of Greta's death, until a murder takes place, and everyone becomes a suspect.
Snowed in at a country manor, former Scotland Yard inspectors John Madden and Angus Sinclair find themselves trapped in the company of a murderer.
On a trip into Winchester, former chief inspector Angus Sinclair learns of a tragedy that has taken place in the village he is staying in. Beloved church organist Greta Hartmann has slipped and fallen to her death in a shallow creek, and while investigations conclude it to be an accident, her friend and housemate, Vera, remains unconvinced. After learning that Greta was the widow of a prominent anti-Nazi German preacher, Sinclair meets with the distraught Vera, and he resolves to dig deeper into the story. His investigations lead him to the stately manor of Julia Lesage, where she lives with her devoted staff that includes her secretary, cook, and driver. Though confined to a wheelchair, Julia is an electrifying spirit with a sharp wit, and those who know her adore her. Among those who do, a gentleman with dubious business dealings is also staying at the house--and Julia appears to be in love with him. A blizzard hits, keeping Sinclair, and later Madden, on the grounds with little to do but analyze the case of Greta's death, until a murder takes place, and everyone becomes a suspect.
353 pages, Paperback
First published January 14, 2020
159 people are currently reading
568 people want to read
About the author
Rennie Airth
17 books269 followersRennie Airth was born in South Africa and has worked as a foreign correspondent for Reuters. The first novel in his John Madden trilogy, River of Darkness, was published in 1999 to huge critical acclaim, was shortlisted for four crime fiction awards and won the Grand Prix de Littérature Policière in France. The sensational sequel was The Blood-Dimmed Tide, and The Dead of Winter forms the final part of the trilogy.
Currently resides in Italy.
Currently resides in Italy.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 139 reviews
April 12, 2022
It’s the 1950’s, and former Detective Chief Inspector, Angus Sinclair, is drawn into what appears to be the accidental death of a German-born church organist Greta Hartmann, in a small village near Winchester. Having come to England before the War as a refugee from Nazi persecution, she was not initially welcomed and her benefactor, and some-time protector, is suspicious and angry about her death.
Sinclair, although quite ill, begins to unpick the circumstances of her death in a private capacity. His entirely unauthorised foray back into the sleuthing world leads him to an old friend and colleague from the West German police and to brutal crimes committed in Germany and South America by an unprincipled psychopath and master of disguise.
Old colleagues and former subordinates from Scotland Yard are on hand. Willing, given their loyalty to their former bosses, to help him beyond the call of duty. Suspects are multiple and some wholly unsuspected. The outcome is predictably unpredictable.
Intelligently written, meticulously researched and absolutely reeking of the crime fiction of the Golden Age, this is a thoroughly enjoyable read and there was a tinge of regret when finishing!
Sinclair, although quite ill, begins to unpick the circumstances of her death in a private capacity. His entirely unauthorised foray back into the sleuthing world leads him to an old friend and colleague from the West German police and to brutal crimes committed in Germany and South America by an unprincipled psychopath and master of disguise.
Old colleagues and former subordinates from Scotland Yard are on hand. Willing, given their loyalty to their former bosses, to help him beyond the call of duty. Suspects are multiple and some wholly unsuspected. The outcome is predictably unpredictable.
Intelligently written, meticulously researched and absolutely reeking of the crime fiction of the Golden Age, this is a thoroughly enjoyable read and there was a tinge of regret when finishing!
March 28, 2021
I am a fan of this series which feels traditional with regard to the writing style and narration. This time the intrigue is rather complicated and has Angus in the foreground and John in the background as he is on holiday with his wife when the case begins. All is well that ends well!
May 8, 2021
A solid entry in the series. Sometimes it felt a bit belabored and patience is needed as the story slowly unfolds. I deduced the identity of the culprits at some point and wondered how things would work themselves out. Would any of the people, including two retired detectives, escape unscathed from the snowbound country house? Things heat up beginning at chapter 27 and the ending was satisfying.
March 31, 2020
It has been a space since I read the previous book of the John Madden series. I was happy to stumble on this available one in my search through library database because I recall enjoying the books I have read by Rennie Airth. I appreciate the solid, likable main characters and even though Madden is retired from the Yard and is a country farmer enjoying life with his physician wife, you know he is going to play a key role in the pickle his former colleague finds himself in as he pursues clues. That when he is supposed to be living carefully and watching his blood pressure.
It is an interesting set of puzzle pieces with misleading clues sprinkled on the path to truth and happy conclusion with lives saved in the end.
I see I somehow missed the third book, so I will have to go back to the stacks and correct that omission.
Library Loan
It is an interesting set of puzzle pieces with misleading clues sprinkled on the path to truth and happy conclusion with lives saved in the end.
I see I somehow missed the third book, so I will have to go back to the stacks and correct that omission.
Library Loan
August 6, 2024
I think what makes Airth exceptional is that he's a modern writer who applies modern style and story structure to historic mysteries. Here, it's 1950 and Madden and his former boss have been sucked into an investigation of a death that appears to be accidental. What lies behind the death is a serial monster who's been preying on the unsuspecting for decades and across Europe. The bad guy, the investigation, the crimes could all appear in a John Sandford novel, but they don't. They're here, surrounded and enriched by 1950 Britain where the rich still have servants, phones are sometimes hard to find, and Lilly Poole is the only woman DS in Scotland Yard. Wonderful on every level.
January 15, 2023
One of my aims in 2023 is to finish some series I've been enjoying. The first one completed is the John Madden mystery series created by South African mystery author Rennie Airth with the sixth book in the series, The Decent Inn of Death. Funny factoid; I actually thought I'd finished the series in 2020 when I read The Death of Kings, but then I discovered that Airth had published Inn that same year.
OK enough rambling preambling. 😎 It this is the final book in the series, it was a satisfying story with which to conclude the series. Retired Chief Inspector Sinclair takes a trip to visit an old friend from Scotland Yard and becomes involved in a possible mystery, that being the death of Greta Hartman. Hartman had lived in a community near Winchester, a German who'd moved there before WWII had settled in. Her husband had been executed in a concentration camp and she had escaped to England and gradually become accepted in the community.
Greta had been found dead, after seemingly slipping on a stone crossing a creek and bashing her skull. While the death is deemed an accident by local police, her best friend, Vera, can't believe it. Sinclair arriving for his visit, listens, does a little investigation and thinks there are enough questions to keep investigating on his own. He plans to make a brief visit to Oxford to check on a mysterious man who was seen the day Greta died. Sinclair is struggling with a weak heart and hopes to return to his home, in Sussex before the Madden's, vacationing in Italy, return as Helen Madden, his doctor and friend, wants to keep an eye on him.
Unfortunately for Sinclair, his visit to Oxford and then onward the isolated manor of cripple Julia Lesage will result in him being snowed in and isolated, possibly in a dangerous situation for them all, as he tries to discover if a cold-blooded psychopath might be threatening Julia's life, and all those at the manor. John Madden, arriving home also heads to Oxford to find out what the heck Sinclair is up to and, more importantly, where the heck he is! The phone lines are down, dontcha know.
The story is a slow build, introducing characters, nicely developing the plot and mystery; kind of cozy but threatening at the same time. The list of suspects is small but there are nice little twists and turns as Sinclair and Madden, with the help of Scotland mates, Billy Styles and Lily Poole, try to discover if there is a mystery, and if so, who is this murderer who seems to have left a series of murders, from Argentina, through Mexico to Germany in his wake. It's an entertaining mystery people with interesting characters and finishes with a tense, satisfying conclusion. Will John Madden possibly come out of retirement one last time? We'll see. But if not, The Decent Inn is an excellent way to close down the series. (4.0 stars)
OK enough rambling preambling. 😎 It this is the final book in the series, it was a satisfying story with which to conclude the series. Retired Chief Inspector Sinclair takes a trip to visit an old friend from Scotland Yard and becomes involved in a possible mystery, that being the death of Greta Hartman. Hartman had lived in a community near Winchester, a German who'd moved there before WWII had settled in. Her husband had been executed in a concentration camp and she had escaped to England and gradually become accepted in the community.
Greta had been found dead, after seemingly slipping on a stone crossing a creek and bashing her skull. While the death is deemed an accident by local police, her best friend, Vera, can't believe it. Sinclair arriving for his visit, listens, does a little investigation and thinks there are enough questions to keep investigating on his own. He plans to make a brief visit to Oxford to check on a mysterious man who was seen the day Greta died. Sinclair is struggling with a weak heart and hopes to return to his home, in Sussex before the Madden's, vacationing in Italy, return as Helen Madden, his doctor and friend, wants to keep an eye on him.
Unfortunately for Sinclair, his visit to Oxford and then onward the isolated manor of cripple Julia Lesage will result in him being snowed in and isolated, possibly in a dangerous situation for them all, as he tries to discover if a cold-blooded psychopath might be threatening Julia's life, and all those at the manor. John Madden, arriving home also heads to Oxford to find out what the heck Sinclair is up to and, more importantly, where the heck he is! The phone lines are down, dontcha know.
The story is a slow build, introducing characters, nicely developing the plot and mystery; kind of cozy but threatening at the same time. The list of suspects is small but there are nice little twists and turns as Sinclair and Madden, with the help of Scotland mates, Billy Styles and Lily Poole, try to discover if there is a mystery, and if so, who is this murderer who seems to have left a series of murders, from Argentina, through Mexico to Germany in his wake. It's an entertaining mystery people with interesting characters and finishes with a tense, satisfying conclusion. Will John Madden possibly come out of retirement one last time? We'll see. But if not, The Decent Inn is an excellent way to close down the series. (4.0 stars)
July 29, 2020
In 1999, Rennie Airth's RIVER OF DARKNESS burst on the mystery scene. It was an intricately plotted look at post-WWI policing in England, with deeply flawed and immensely likable protagonists, made the more so by their flaws. Airth, already a veteran novelist by 1999 (his first novel came out in 1969), was a finalist for the most prestigious mystery awards at the time, and looking back at the other nominees should have won all the prizes.
Periodically since then, though John Madden left Scotland Yard after book one to become a gentleman farmer, Airth has surprised us with new updates in the series, jumping many years in the narrative process. The second book, THE BLOOD-DIMMED TIDE, took place in 1932 for example; THE DEAD OF WINTER, book three, occurs in 1944, while the current iteration takes place in 1950.
THE DECENT INN OF DEATH is the sixth John Madden book. Our favorite characters are all back, Madden, his wife Helen, Sir Angus Sinclair, Billy Styles and Lily Poole, all getting older and some progressing in their careers. Not Madden and Sinclair, they are retired. That is apt, because the entire book moves at a slower, more genteel pace. Concerns and motivations are those of the older generation, not mercurial youth. While the RIVER OF DARKNESS grabbed you by the throat and made you keep reading, THE DECENT INN OF DEATH is like a better version of Murder She Wrote. It provides entertainment and comfort on a quiet night at home, but it won't stick with you, popping into your brain for days afterward, like the first Madden book did.
THE DECENT INN OF DEATH still deserves a read, however, especially in this self-isolating times when the literary version of comfort food can be well received. There is some action in the book, but much of the investigation occurs through exposition, as the characters talk out the case. This is both appropriate given the age of the primary characters, and potentially fun for the reader as we can then play the whodunit guessing game along with Madden and Sinclair. In my case, I figured out who did not do it before it became clear to me who the real villain was, but it was still fun to play the game.
Gentleman farmers
and retirees, make English
mysteries proper.
Periodically since then, though John Madden left Scotland Yard after book one to become a gentleman farmer, Airth has surprised us with new updates in the series, jumping many years in the narrative process. The second book, THE BLOOD-DIMMED TIDE, took place in 1932 for example; THE DEAD OF WINTER, book three, occurs in 1944, while the current iteration takes place in 1950.
THE DECENT INN OF DEATH is the sixth John Madden book. Our favorite characters are all back, Madden, his wife Helen, Sir Angus Sinclair, Billy Styles and Lily Poole, all getting older and some progressing in their careers. Not Madden and Sinclair, they are retired. That is apt, because the entire book moves at a slower, more genteel pace. Concerns and motivations are those of the older generation, not mercurial youth. While the RIVER OF DARKNESS grabbed you by the throat and made you keep reading, THE DECENT INN OF DEATH is like a better version of Murder She Wrote. It provides entertainment and comfort on a quiet night at home, but it won't stick with you, popping into your brain for days afterward, like the first Madden book did.
THE DECENT INN OF DEATH still deserves a read, however, especially in this self-isolating times when the literary version of comfort food can be well received. There is some action in the book, but much of the investigation occurs through exposition, as the characters talk out the case. This is both appropriate given the age of the primary characters, and potentially fun for the reader as we can then play the whodunit guessing game along with Madden and Sinclair. In my case, I figured out who did not do it before it became clear to me who the real villain was, but it was still fun to play the game.
Gentleman farmers
and retirees, make English
mysteries proper.
January 20, 2020
Classic English Mystery
I have been a fan of this series since it’s inception. Rennie Airth writes evocatively and tells a good story.In the latest installment, Madden and his retired Chief Inspector Sinclair are embroiled in a classic English “ locked house” mystery. The plot is suspenseful and the pacing is brisk. Highly recommend...Daniel S
I have been a fan of this series since it’s inception. Rennie Airth writes evocatively and tells a good story.In the latest installment, Madden and his retired Chief Inspector Sinclair are embroiled in a classic English “ locked house” mystery. The plot is suspenseful and the pacing is brisk. Highly recommend...Daniel S
April 11, 2021
4.5 stars
This was a delightful surprise b/c I thought the previous book (#5) was the last book in the series as the epilogue gave a future wrap-up of the characters.
I was so glad to have another book (#6) b/c I like these characters.
Sinclair is in retirement but comes across a suspicious death so obviously, he investigates.
And while Madden is on vacation during the first part of the story, he soon joins in as well as the return of other beloved characters from the previous books. (helen, lucy, lily, etc..)
It had Agatha Christie overtones w/red herrings, killer, victim & detective & suspects trapped in a mansion during a blizzard.
There was lots of suspense-especially during the last 1/3 of the story.
A great mystery that was well written w/plenty of action.
It's the 1950's & WW2 has passed but Korea is on the horizon.
I liked that the 2 protagonist detectives (madden & sinclair) are in their "golden years" but still able to hold their own.
This was a delightful surprise b/c I thought the previous book (#5) was the last book in the series as the epilogue gave a future wrap-up of the characters.
I was so glad to have another book (#6) b/c I like these characters.
Sinclair is in retirement but comes across a suspicious death so obviously, he investigates.
And while Madden is on vacation during the first part of the story, he soon joins in as well as the return of other beloved characters from the previous books. (helen, lucy, lily, etc..)
It had Agatha Christie overtones w/red herrings, killer, victim & detective & suspects trapped in a mansion during a blizzard.
There was lots of suspense-especially during the last 1/3 of the story.
A great mystery that was well written w/plenty of action.
It's the 1950's & WW2 has passed but Korea is on the horizon.
I liked that the 2 protagonist detectives (madden & sinclair) are in their "golden years" but still able to hold their own.
June 10, 2025
It has been many years since John Madden and Angus Sinclair were Scotland Yard detectives together. Sinclair was a Chief Inspector. They have both retired but remained close friends. In fact, John’s wife Helen is Angus’s physician and has been treating him for a high blood pressure.
While the Maddens were on vacation in Italy, Sinclair has unofficially been investigating a person possibly responsible for war crimes.
Upon returning from Italy, John Madden is unable to locate Sinclair. Lots of potential criminals, a heavy snowstorm, impassable roads, and phones out of order lead Madden on an increasingly difficult search for answers.
Some of the descriptions of the WWII effects in Germany are devastating, but overall, the crime solving is entertaining. And, it is nice to see a female Detective Sergeant advancing, in spite of male grumblings.
“Life…it’s just a question of luck.”
While the Maddens were on vacation in Italy, Sinclair has unofficially been investigating a person possibly responsible for war crimes.
Upon returning from Italy, John Madden is unable to locate Sinclair. Lots of potential criminals, a heavy snowstorm, impassable roads, and phones out of order lead Madden on an increasingly difficult search for answers.
Some of the descriptions of the WWII effects in Germany are devastating, but overall, the crime solving is entertaining. And, it is nice to see a female Detective Sergeant advancing, in spite of male grumblings.
“Life…it’s just a question of luck.”
February 1, 2025
First let me begin by saying how very sad I am that my adventurous affair with John Madden has had to come to an end (unless there's another book added to the series, oh be still my desirous imagination). I enjoyed trying to ferret out all the red herrings and the constantly changing list of suspects, as is his usual............LOVE IT!
The Decent Inn of Death is the sixth in Rennie Airth’s John Madden series and focuses on Madden’s former boss, retired Chief Inspector Angus Sinclair, and such a mischievous Scotsman he is, during wintertime in the 1950s. While Madden and his wife Helen, Sinclair’s doctor, are on vacation, Sinclair visits an old friend and gets drawn into a mystery in his village. Poor Greta Hartmann, the quiet church organist, is oddly distracted Sunday after seeing a man she thinks she recognizes as an unpunished killer praying that he didn't recognize her and leaves church as soon as the service is over which is unusual. Then she is found dead in a shallow stream and determined an accidental death...so much more than meets the eye. A detective is never really retired, so Sinclair digs in. His pursuit of the truth results in a classic locked room mystery where he is snowed in at the home of Julia Lesage, paralyzed former skier, and among the confined guests, there may be a sociopath.
The storyline of The Decent Inn of Death adds to the intrigue because Madden and Sinclair come at the mystery from separate directions. When John and Helen return to England in the midst of bitter winter snows, and discover that their neighbor, Angus, is missing the hunt for him begins. The story goes back and forth between Sinclair’s pursuit of a series of clues to determine who killed Greta Hartmann and why and Madden’s pursuit of Sinclair. As Sinclair has taken shelter from the blizzard, at the home of foresaid Julia Lasage, who paralyzed or not is the most fearless woman that Angus or John has ever dealt with and you'll just love her and be in fear for her very life, Angus finds himself smack in the middle of the very mystery he is trying to solve. All this comes together when Madden finally reaches his snow-bound friend and they’re both caught in the tangled psychological web that Airth has been weaving. But oh the unweaving of a storyline you'll enjoy and the kinda weird killer/s you'll meet here.
The Decent Inn of Death is the sixth in Rennie Airth’s John Madden series and focuses on Madden’s former boss, retired Chief Inspector Angus Sinclair, and such a mischievous Scotsman he is, during wintertime in the 1950s. While Madden and his wife Helen, Sinclair’s doctor, are on vacation, Sinclair visits an old friend and gets drawn into a mystery in his village. Poor Greta Hartmann, the quiet church organist, is oddly distracted Sunday after seeing a man she thinks she recognizes as an unpunished killer praying that he didn't recognize her and leaves church as soon as the service is over which is unusual. Then she is found dead in a shallow stream and determined an accidental death...so much more than meets the eye. A detective is never really retired, so Sinclair digs in. His pursuit of the truth results in a classic locked room mystery where he is snowed in at the home of Julia Lesage, paralyzed former skier, and among the confined guests, there may be a sociopath.
The storyline of The Decent Inn of Death adds to the intrigue because Madden and Sinclair come at the mystery from separate directions. When John and Helen return to England in the midst of bitter winter snows, and discover that their neighbor, Angus, is missing the hunt for him begins. The story goes back and forth between Sinclair’s pursuit of a series of clues to determine who killed Greta Hartmann and why and Madden’s pursuit of Sinclair. As Sinclair has taken shelter from the blizzard, at the home of foresaid Julia Lasage, who paralyzed or not is the most fearless woman that Angus or John has ever dealt with and you'll just love her and be in fear for her very life, Angus finds himself smack in the middle of the very mystery he is trying to solve. All this comes together when Madden finally reaches his snow-bound friend and they’re both caught in the tangled psychological web that Airth has been weaving. But oh the unweaving of a storyline you'll enjoy and the kinda weird killer/s you'll meet here.
June 15, 2021
This is one of those books that kept me reading way past my bedtime. It's twisty, turny, atmospheric and creepy. It's actually the 6th book in the John Madden series, but I don't feel like I missed anything by jumping in here since it really concerns former Chief Inspector Angus Sinclair, and John Madden doesn't really make much of an appearance until the latter half of the book. When Greta Hartman "slips" and drowns in a creek, it's only because her friend, Vera, keeps insisting that it wasn't an accident that Sinclair decides to investigate. He slowly finds himself believing Vera and this leads him on the trail of a truly horrific murderer. Plus, this book has a snowstorm which, if you follow my reviews at all, you know is the icing on the cake! I've just gone back to start the series with the first book, River of Darkness which seems equally as good so far.
June 8, 2020
I liked this book; it has a feel of Poirot (christie). Well-developed characters and fun plot. A bit too slow in the middle, I guess, because the heroes are repeating - over & over - similar information about the crime and involved in the crime, to each other. But after page 180 - a real roller coaster (I read it as a paperback). Would I pick the book of this author again? Yes, of course.
December 15, 2020
So once again I start a series in the middle of it! I will try to find this series at my library. It was very enjoyable.
July 6, 2021
I really enjoyed this one.
January 1, 2021
Just love Ronnie Airth’s books! This series is so good and never disappoints. This one was a real page turner - loved the setting during a blizzard in the Cotswolds. Fun plot twists and a very exciting ending!
March 1, 2023
A quick read, nice surprise ending
March 24, 2020
Misdirection is one of the tools employed by mystery writers since time . . . well, not quite immemorial, but for a long time. Alfred Hitchcock spoke of MacGuffins, a term originated by a Scottish screenwriter. Others, more commonly, call them red herrings. Whatever term you use, they’re events, characters, or circumstances that mislead the reader and help build suspense. Some authors use them well. Others are sometimes heavy-handed. And the latter, unfortunately, is the case with South African detective novelist Rennie Airth in his latest John Madden mystery, The Decent Inn of Death. This otherwise excellent police procedural is marred by a case of highly unlikely coincidence.
The Decent Inn of Death is set in 1951 (which we know because Airth notes that the Korean War had been underway for a year). Detective Inspector John Madden had long since retired to the countryside, where he lives on a farm with his wife, Helen, a local physician. As the tale opens, John and Helen are on vacation in Venice. John’s friend and former boss, the long-retired Detective Superintendent Angus Sinclair, unwisely takes it upon himself to play detective and follows up a suspicious death that the local bobby had considered accidental.
Angus sets out on the trail of a man he fears may be a Nazi war criminal. But he soon finds himself in hot water, ignoring Helen’s repeated warnings not to overexert himself lest he trigger a heart attack. By the time John and Helen return from the Continent, Angus is in great danger because he has mislaid his pills (probably nitroglycerin) — and the man he is investigating appears to be poised to commit murder. Yet only when John and his erstwhile colleagues from Scotland Yard arrive on the scene do the bodies start to fall.
The Decent Inn of Death is set in 1951 (which we know because Airth notes that the Korean War had been underway for a year). Detective Inspector John Madden had long since retired to the countryside, where he lives on a farm with his wife, Helen, a local physician. As the tale opens, John and Helen are on vacation in Venice. John’s friend and former boss, the long-retired Detective Superintendent Angus Sinclair, unwisely takes it upon himself to play detective and follows up a suspicious death that the local bobby had considered accidental.
Angus sets out on the trail of a man he fears may be a Nazi war criminal. But he soon finds himself in hot water, ignoring Helen’s repeated warnings not to overexert himself lest he trigger a heart attack. By the time John and Helen return from the Continent, Angus is in great danger because he has mislaid his pills (probably nitroglycerin) — and the man he is investigating appears to be poised to commit murder. Yet only when John and his erstwhile colleagues from Scotland Yard arrive on the scene do the bodies start to fall.
April 11, 2020
I have enjoyed this series, but this was too much... (spoilers will follow)
There are a number of flaws, but the major ones are:
1) At a certain point coincidences not only stop being believable, but become ridiculous. Like if someone, investigating a possible murder of someone he has no relation to, by pure chance, in the next couple of days, happens to be acquainted to the next (intended) victim - in a town some hundred miles away.
2) If the plot centers around some people stranded in a house during a snow blizzard, it is quite a good idea to have a number of possible suspects, instead of just one (and, as another reader noted, a red herring that can be spotted miles away). There are some psychological thrillers that may survive the murderer being spotted early on. This is not one of those. Yawn-fest ensues.
There are a number of flaws, but the major ones are:
1) At a certain point coincidences not only stop being believable, but become ridiculous. Like if someone, investigating a possible murder of someone he has no relation to, by pure chance, in the next couple of days, happens to be acquainted to the next (intended) victim - in a town some hundred miles away.
2) If the plot centers around some people stranded in a house during a snow blizzard, it is quite a good idea to have a number of possible suspects, instead of just one (and, as another reader noted, a red herring that can be spotted miles away). There are some psychological thrillers that may survive the murderer being spotted early on. This is not one of those. Yawn-fest ensues.
February 18, 2020
A cerebral country house murder set in post WWII Britain that brings together retired police detectives and a case with roots in the war. Alongside the whodunits are investigations into the toils of aging and the trauma of war. I guessed who the murderer was 2/3 of the way in, but there was still a further twist and I loved spending time with these characters.
May 22, 2020
Enjoyed this one. Almost as good as “River of Darkness”, which is the best novel in the series, in my opinion.
I worried about Angus all the way thru through...
I worried about Angus all the way thru through...
January 21, 2020
This series and author are completely new to me and I went into this one with zero expectations.
When the book arrives in the mail, I was immediately drawn to the cover. It has a real noir/crime feel to it and I was eager to read a mystery that was a little different, such as the cover implied.
It is the 6th book in a series though so I had to go into it with an open mind. I mean at a certain point in a series, readers have to expect that there will be established storylines and character relationships to some degree or another, so with that in mind, I picked this one up to check out.
So this one read more like a country house murder mystery than a crime novel or a police procedural. The cover really suggested something different to me than what the book actually was, but ultimately that was ok. I mean what do they always say—don’t judge a book by it’s cover! While this might not have been the ‘noir crime novel’ that I was expecting, it was still good.
I enjoyed trying to ferret out all the red herrings and the constantly changing list of suspects. There was a lot to keep readers guessing and I can tell that the author is practiced in the art of story telling and detection. There were lots of details in the writing and the story to keep me interested and invested in the story until the end.
But I wouldn’t say that it ‘grabbed me’ from the beginning—in fact it took me a little bit to get into this one. While there was a lot of details in the plot and writing, there were times that I felt it was a little overkill, especially in the dialogue which bogged down the overall story for me in places. I mean it wasn’t horrible and I enjoyed the mystery just fine, but I just didn’t love the pacing of this one. I would have preferred some more snappy dialogue to move things along a little.
I didn’t feel terribly lost in the series, I mean obviously there are little things between the characters from previous books but overall I wasn’t entirely out of place in this one. It held my interest until the end and I wouldn’t mind reading more in this series but it wouldn’t be a series that I would clear my calendar for. I know a lot of other reviews have enjoyed the earlier books in the series more and I would reserve final judgement upon completing the earlier books for the overall series rating but this one came in at a solid 3 stars for me. Good but not great.
See my full review here
When the book arrives in the mail, I was immediately drawn to the cover. It has a real noir/crime feel to it and I was eager to read a mystery that was a little different, such as the cover implied.
It is the 6th book in a series though so I had to go into it with an open mind. I mean at a certain point in a series, readers have to expect that there will be established storylines and character relationships to some degree or another, so with that in mind, I picked this one up to check out.
So this one read more like a country house murder mystery than a crime novel or a police procedural. The cover really suggested something different to me than what the book actually was, but ultimately that was ok. I mean what do they always say—don’t judge a book by it’s cover! While this might not have been the ‘noir crime novel’ that I was expecting, it was still good.
I enjoyed trying to ferret out all the red herrings and the constantly changing list of suspects. There was a lot to keep readers guessing and I can tell that the author is practiced in the art of story telling and detection. There were lots of details in the writing and the story to keep me interested and invested in the story until the end.
But I wouldn’t say that it ‘grabbed me’ from the beginning—in fact it took me a little bit to get into this one. While there was a lot of details in the plot and writing, there were times that I felt it was a little overkill, especially in the dialogue which bogged down the overall story for me in places. I mean it wasn’t horrible and I enjoyed the mystery just fine, but I just didn’t love the pacing of this one. I would have preferred some more snappy dialogue to move things along a little.
I didn’t feel terribly lost in the series, I mean obviously there are little things between the characters from previous books but overall I wasn’t entirely out of place in this one. It held my interest until the end and I wouldn’t mind reading more in this series but it wouldn’t be a series that I would clear my calendar for. I know a lot of other reviews have enjoyed the earlier books in the series more and I would reserve final judgement upon completing the earlier books for the overall series rating but this one came in at a solid 3 stars for me. Good but not great.
See my full review here
February 9, 2020
Rennie Airth was born in South Africa and has worked as a foreign correspondent for Reuters. The first novel in his John Madden trilogy, River of Darkness, was published in 1999 to huge critical acclaim, was shortlisted for four crime fiction awards and won the Grand Prix de Littérature Policière in France. In 1999 he created a mystery series with Inspector John Madden of Scotland Yard, a shell-shocked veteran of World War I. Charles Todd is a pen name used by the American authors Caroline and Charles Todd. This mother-and-son writing team lives in the eastern United States, in North Carolina and Delaware, respectively. The pseudonymous mystery authors are best known for a series of novels, set in post World War I England. These intelligent and literate books deal with the cases of Inspector Ian Rutledge, a veteran of the European campaigns who is attempting to pick up the pieces of his Scotland Yard career. However, he must keep his greatest burden a secret. Suffering from shell shock, he lives with the constant cynical, taunting voice of Hamish MacLeod, a young Scots soldier he was forced to execute on the battlefield for refusing an order. Their first book in the series was published in 1996. Two mystery series with almost identical premises. I have liked both series from the beginning and never miss a book ( I prefer the Ian Rutledge series as he constantly struggles with PTSD and his character is more developed in my opinion. Part of this is due to the number of books in the two series - 6 for Madden and 22+ for Ian Rutledge. ) The Maddens play a lesser role in this particular book. Former chief inspector Angus Sinclair begins the search for a pair of murderers. I figured out "who done it", but I still enjoy the writing. Check out both series, but my advise is to always start with the first book. Kristi & Abby Tabby
June 1, 2025
I must confess I haven’t read the first 5 books in the series - I found this on the shelves of my local library. This series was suggested in a bookclub list where an investigator is disabled or neurodiverse. Madden is apparently suffering from shell-shock.
Madden doesn’t feature particularly in this instalment. His former colleague, Chief Inspector Angus Sinclair, now retired, is the star of the show. Madden’s shell-shock from WWI barely gets a mention, however a German detective who helps with the investigation is obviously suffering from the trauma of losing his wife and young daughter during the firebombing of Hamburg during WW2, with flashbacks that haunt him day and night.
All that aside, I really enjoyed this book, even if I did work out who the killer was early on. It was a relief to read a crime novel that doesn’t go into the working of the psycho’s mind, but rather the lives and loves of the victims. There is an interesting discussion with a psychiatrist who said it was challenging to understand the mind of a psychopath. It is said that ‘where the darkness of the soul was complete, where all sense of right or wrong was lacking, even the most sophisticated clinical approaches were ineffectual’. I loved that line: the darkness of the soul.
Airth is meticulous in his plotting; his characters are drawn with empathy and compassion and you care about them.
I am looking forward to starting from the beginning, with River of Darkness which is apparently set after the end of WWI, then there is a decade between each subsequent book.
Highly recommended, but I think it’s probably a good idea to start at the beginning!
Madden doesn’t feature particularly in this instalment. His former colleague, Chief Inspector Angus Sinclair, now retired, is the star of the show. Madden’s shell-shock from WWI barely gets a mention, however a German detective who helps with the investigation is obviously suffering from the trauma of losing his wife and young daughter during the firebombing of Hamburg during WW2, with flashbacks that haunt him day and night.
All that aside, I really enjoyed this book, even if I did work out who the killer was early on. It was a relief to read a crime novel that doesn’t go into the working of the psycho’s mind, but rather the lives and loves of the victims. There is an interesting discussion with a psychiatrist who said it was challenging to understand the mind of a psychopath. It is said that ‘where the darkness of the soul was complete, where all sense of right or wrong was lacking, even the most sophisticated clinical approaches were ineffectual’. I loved that line: the darkness of the soul.
Airth is meticulous in his plotting; his characters are drawn with empathy and compassion and you care about them.
I am looking forward to starting from the beginning, with River of Darkness which is apparently set after the end of WWI, then there is a decade between each subsequent book.
Highly recommended, but I think it’s probably a good idea to start at the beginning!
August 20, 2020
I truly enjoyed getting back into Rennie Airth’s Mystery Novel Series, with Inspector John Madden, as it has been quite some time since I have read his others.
The story takes place in various locales in England. This one begins with retired Inspector Sinclair visiting a friend and ends up hearing a story from a neighbor that she felt her roommate had been murdered, which had happened recently. Unbelieving that this had been a murder, he has her show him where this took place and he is still somewhat puzzled.
He ends up going and having dinner with a psychiatrist who he had been looking forward to chatting with and slowly becomes involved with a possible killer, who the police had been searching for for many years, but had many aliases and was challenging to track, so it was to some extent put on the back burner.
The more he learns about various individuals associated with the story, the more he becomes involved, much to Inspector Madden’s chagrin, considering Sinclair has heart issues. In addition, the weather turns into a nasty snow storm and blizzard, which makes for scary consequences.
I was unable to put the book down and enjoyed the twists and turns involved. I sort of had a feeling I knew what would happen, but like I indicated, twists and turns created an interesting plot.
I would give it 5/5*
Thank You Rennie Airth for another wonderful Inspector Madden Mystery. ❤️
The story takes place in various locales in England. This one begins with retired Inspector Sinclair visiting a friend and ends up hearing a story from a neighbor that she felt her roommate had been murdered, which had happened recently. Unbelieving that this had been a murder, he has her show him where this took place and he is still somewhat puzzled.
He ends up going and having dinner with a psychiatrist who he had been looking forward to chatting with and slowly becomes involved with a possible killer, who the police had been searching for for many years, but had many aliases and was challenging to track, so it was to some extent put on the back burner.
The more he learns about various individuals associated with the story, the more he becomes involved, much to Inspector Madden’s chagrin, considering Sinclair has heart issues. In addition, the weather turns into a nasty snow storm and blizzard, which makes for scary consequences.
I was unable to put the book down and enjoyed the twists and turns involved. I sort of had a feeling I knew what would happen, but like I indicated, twists and turns created an interesting plot.
I would give it 5/5*
Thank You Rennie Airth for another wonderful Inspector Madden Mystery. ❤️
July 3, 2024
3/5 stars. Here is how Rennie Airth counts to five:
3.
1, 2, recap of 3, 4, 5.
Almost every chapter follows this format, and has done for at least the last four books. If it did it earlier than that (it probably did) I didn’t notice it, but it’s something that once you notice, you can’t unnotice!
As for the plot, the problem is that it starts off quite strongly...but that’s all it did. I liked Sinclair being the early focus of the book, as Madden’s character has had no real development since the first instalment. In fact, if you read this book in isolation, you understand very little about it him. However, once Sinclair gets snowed in at an apparently unrelated location, and the story keeps dragging on and on with him in place, it becomes clear to anyone who’s ever read a book before that the culprit must be there with him, and then there’s only really one person it can be, and then we have to wait about 150 pages for the author to confirm that shock of shocks: yes, indeed, it’s actually him.
Then the long and complicated explanation of multiple countries and a random incestuous relationship with a character who’d barely said a word throughout the book, and the author remembers on the very last page that this book actually started off about something else entirely. It all feels like somewhere along the way (possibly while recapping 3), Airth lost hold of a strong idea and simply trudged through an unsatisfying second half to what could have been a good story.
3.
1, 2, recap of 3, 4, 5.
Almost every chapter follows this format, and has done for at least the last four books. If it did it earlier than that (it probably did) I didn’t notice it, but it’s something that once you notice, you can’t unnotice!
As for the plot, the problem is that it starts off quite strongly...but that’s all it did. I liked Sinclair being the early focus of the book, as Madden’s character has had no real development since the first instalment. In fact, if you read this book in isolation, you understand very little about it him. However, once Sinclair gets snowed in at an apparently unrelated location, and the story keeps dragging on and on with him in place, it becomes clear to anyone who’s ever read a book before that the culprit must be there with him, and then there’s only really one person it can be, and then we have to wait about 150 pages for the author to confirm that shock of shocks: yes, indeed, it’s actually him.
Then the long and complicated explanation of multiple countries and a random incestuous relationship with a character who’d barely said a word throughout the book, and the author remembers on the very last page that this book actually started off about something else entirely. It all feels like somewhere along the way (possibly while recapping 3), Airth lost hold of a strong idea and simply trudged through an unsatisfying second half to what could have been a good story.
January 11, 2026
Unfortunately, the John Madden series is only six books long, and we lost a great author about a decade ago, so there will not be anymore books. This is the sixth and final book in this wonderful series. The series covers the years from the 1920’s to early 1950’s. John Madden was a serving British soldier in the First World War. He was discharged with shell-shock after an injury. Once he’s better he becomes a police inspector who distinguishes himself by solving complex crimes. He meets and marries his fabulous wife Helen and they have one daughter. John retires from the force to become a farmer and this book is about the retired John Madden and his former, boss and friend, retired Chief Inspector Angus Sinclair. The two are solving another complex mystery that Angus has been drawn into. The book is set in Rural England in the middle of a huge winter storm. In fact, this is one of the best winter storm mysteries that I’ve encountered. They are on the trail of a particularly violent German war criminal, who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. The book is suspenseful from the very beginning and it kept me glued to my chair. I am sure that if you read this book, and you’ve not read another John Madden book before, you will be compelled to read the previous five in this series. I can’t recommend it enough, and if you like historical war-time mysteries, you’ll love this series.
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February 13, 2020
"The Decent Inn of Death" is a mystery set around 1950 in England. It is the sixth book in the series, but you don't need to read the previous books to understand this one. This book did not spoil any of the previous mysteries. Two retired detectives and several current detectives worked on this case to solve it.
Angus stumbled across an apparent accident that the victim's friend was certain was murder. He found clues and passed them on to the police, but then he become stuck at a mansion due to snow storm. His friend, John, was concerned about his health and was quickly able to re-create what Angus had done. At this point, the detectives started looking into certain suspicious people while John tried to get to his friend. After he got to the manor, both Angus and John were suspicious that some of the servants may be the very people they're after.
It then turned into a suspense as they tried to survive a known serial murder. The characters were engaging, clever, and I cared about what happened to the good guys. The detectives were smart and able to quickly find and track down clues. The difficulty was in sorting out some confusing clues to determine exactly who was who. There was no sex. There was a minor amount of bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable historical mystery.
I received a review copy of this book from the publisher.
Angus stumbled across an apparent accident that the victim's friend was certain was murder. He found clues and passed them on to the police, but then he become stuck at a mansion due to snow storm. His friend, John, was concerned about his health and was quickly able to re-create what Angus had done. At this point, the detectives started looking into certain suspicious people while John tried to get to his friend. After he got to the manor, both Angus and John were suspicious that some of the servants may be the very people they're after.
It then turned into a suspense as they tried to survive a known serial murder. The characters were engaging, clever, and I cared about what happened to the good guys. The detectives were smart and able to quickly find and track down clues. The difficulty was in sorting out some confusing clues to determine exactly who was who. There was no sex. There was a minor amount of bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable historical mystery.
I received a review copy of this book from the publisher.
December 18, 2020
Really liked this cozy and slightly suspenseful English country house historical mystery.
One thing though that bugs me for some reason - the clue regarding the serpent cuff link gets totally dropped and after the attention paid to it in the first 2/3 of the book, I thought that was odd. I would have thought that piece of the story would have been "unpacked" in the final epilogue. Did Baxter plant it in Gonzalez's room, after overhearing Sinclair telling Julia about it? It really isn't important but for some reason feels like a sloppy oversight that the trail of that cuff link clue was never referred to again in the finale.
For the whole second half of the book I was certain about a theory that proved wrong. I had picked up that Julia's first chauffeur was killed in a hit and run which seemed suspicious so I did think Baxter was involved at the outset of the scam. But I thought Gonzalez was Voss; Holtz the sister and they had got Baxter on board for money at the onset but without telling him that murder was part of it. Then he came to suspect where it was really going, and really cared about Julia and so became an enemy of Gonzalez/Holtz to protect her. I kind of like my version a little better! Baxter being the true baddie made my heart sink. The misdirection/true identity of Doris/Alicia was really well done. Did not see that coming at all.
One thing though that bugs me for some reason - the clue regarding the serpent cuff link gets totally dropped and after the attention paid to it in the first 2/3 of the book, I thought that was odd. I would have thought that piece of the story would have been "unpacked" in the final epilogue. Did Baxter plant it in Gonzalez's room, after overhearing Sinclair telling Julia about it? It really isn't important but for some reason feels like a sloppy oversight that the trail of that cuff link clue was never referred to again in the finale.
For the whole second half of the book I was certain about a theory that proved wrong. I had picked up that Julia's first chauffeur was killed in a hit and run which seemed suspicious so I did think Baxter was involved at the outset of the scam. But I thought Gonzalez was Voss; Holtz the sister and they had got Baxter on board for money at the onset but without telling him that murder was part of it. Then he came to suspect where it was really going, and really cared about Julia and so became an enemy of Gonzalez/Holtz to protect her. I kind of like my version a little better! Baxter being the true baddie made my heart sink. The misdirection/true identity of Doris/Alicia was really well done. Did not see that coming at all.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 19, 2022
The series continues to improve. This time, finally, one of the characters evidenced and inner life. There are very good character ideas amongst the regulars, but they really have remained cardboard sketches since the beginning. This time we get to know something of the inner Angus Sinclair rather than his remaining a cute but stereotypical Scot. There is also an ever so brief foray into the inner life of DS Lily Poole. The most interesting character study was not of s regular character but of one seen only once previously- that of the German policeman, Hans Probst. The premise of how Angus gets involved is more than a bit of a stretch, it’s pretty much an unbelievable coincidence, but you often have to overlook improbability in a mystery series, so it didn’t really bother me. I do have to say I guessed the “bad guy” pretty early, though not his accomplice.
Anyway. a decent quick read. The series is improving - with the glaring exception of the last one and its Fu Manchu Orientalism - and like I said has good character ideas that with some filling out and growth could become beloved. The author has good writing skills. A good editor would be able to push him to more fully develop his characters.
Anyway. a decent quick read. The series is improving - with the glaring exception of the last one and its Fu Manchu Orientalism - and like I said has good character ideas that with some filling out and growth could become beloved. The author has good writing skills. A good editor would be able to push him to more fully develop his characters.
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