Rennie Airth

I just finished Rennie Airth's third book in the John Madden Mystery series, The Dead of Winter. The story is set in World War II England and there is much background of the time and place in detail. There is an assassin loose the likes of which Madden and the Chief Inspector Sinclair had never seen before. A young land girl working at Madden's farm is murdered as she makes her way to visit her Polish aunt. Suspicions point to a murder for hire from the continent. Things become only more mysterious when this same man seems to be on a killing spree and for what motive. Madden is retired from the Yard but he gets involved to help out his friend Sinclair, but also to seek justice for Rosa Novak, the young land girl he somehow feels responsible for. A good mystery, Airth is getting attention these days for his John Madden mysteries. "The first, River of Darkness, won the Grand Prix de Literature Policiere for best international crime novel of 2000 ans was nominated for Edgar, Anthony and Macavity awards."