The Dead of Winter
This is the final book in the murder mystery trilogy featuring Inspector Madden. In wartime London, a young Polish girl is found murdered near the British Museum. She is identified as a Land Girl who was employed by John Madden. Madden has long since been retired from the police force and settled to a quiet married life but the girl’s death prompts him to get back in harness and find her killer.
More murders follow, and a trail leads to refugees from occupied Europe. It is a gripping tale, and the atmosphere of the darkest days of World War II is perfectly captured. The old order has been turned upside down and the usual rules do not seem to apply any more. Believable characters and a well crafted story make for an enjoyable, satisfying read. I have not read the previous novels, and although it has taken ten years for Rennie Airth to complete the series, I am sure that fans will consider this final novel worth waiting for.
