RIVER OF DARKNESS

Set in lovely green Surrey of 1921, this brilliant psychological thriller is not only a white knuckler but also a delight in the details. Detective Inspector John Madden, still affected by his time in the trenches, must catch a methodical killer who attacks country houses and bayonets the men and then lays out the wives as if a sacrifice on their beds. Chilling and totally engrossing, this should be on every brave someone's reading list. The immense loss of life during the war melds with the present horror to create an unforgettable listen. Christopher Kay narrates with an ease that makes him somehow invisible between the text and the listener. It is a wonderful job, as one is so breathless with worry and terror and pleasure and hope as to become truly entangled in the plot without the reader interfering with one's own imagination. B.H.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 03]