The Death of Kings - (John Madden Mystery) by Rennie Airth (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

"[Rennie Airth's] meticulously detailed procedural mysteries are beautifully written . . . well worth reading, and rereading."--Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review

Rennie Airth's The Decent Inn of Death is forthcoming from Penguin

On a hot summer day in 1938, a beautiful actress is murdered on the grand Kent estate of Sir Jack Jessup, close friend of the Prince of Wales. The arrest of an ex-convict and his subsequent confession swiftly bring the case to a close, but in 1949, the reappearance of a jade necklace raises questions about the murder. Was the man convicted and executed the decade before truly guilty?

Though happily retired from the police force, John Madden is persuaded to investigate the case afresh. In a story of honor and justice that takes Madden through the idyllic English countryside, post-war streets of London, and into the criminal underworld of the Chinese Triads, The Death of Kings is an atmospheric and captivating police procedural.

Review Quotes

"Rennie Airth is one of the best detective writers around. And The Death of Kings is his best book yet."--Philip Kerr, New York Times bestselling author of The Other Side of Silence

"A well-constructed story--a real page-turner." --New York Journal of Books

"For mystery lovers, [The Death of Kings is] a thoroughly enjoyable trip." --Huntington Herald Dispatch

"[A] gripping tale that manages to work in Chinese Triad gangs, blackmail, changing social mores and the harshness of life with post-war rationing." --Cleveland Plain Dealer

"The fifth in Airth's series is an intelligent character study."--Kirkus Reviews

"Fans looking to pit their wits against a savvy sleuth will be more than satisfied."--Publishers Weekly

Praise for Rennie Airth

"Move over, Inspectors Alleyn, Dalgliesh, and Morse, and make room for John Madden in the pantheon of great, civilized English sleuths. With THE DEAD OF WINTER, Rennie Airth now carries us through the third of Madden's encounters with a killer sprung from a Europe at war with itself. It's safe to say that once you've read it, you will start longing for Madden's next case."--Jane Kramer, The New Yorker

"Madden is seamlessly admirable...In an era when our real-life heroes tend to have feet of thick, grubby clay, it can be bracing to spend time with a man who is naturally but not implausibly noble."--The Washington Post Book World

"[Airth's] meticulously detailed procedural mysteries are beautifully written...[he] has produced three novels that are well worth reading, and rereading, whenever we're engaged in war."--Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times

"One of the best mysteries in years."--The Boston Globe

"Airth writes with arresting authority and compassion...a major talent."--Chicago Tribune

"It's the tactics and the terrain, the morale and the characters that make the difference between an average thriller and one as good as this."--Christopher Dickey, The New York Times Book Review

"A mystery thick with atmosphere and even psychoanalysis....Pay close attention to detail - the author did."--Susan Hall-Balduf, Detroit Free Press

"Starts off as a genteel British whodunit but soon escalates into a suspense thriller.... However, Airth's novel has an added psychological assurance and a tension-packed elegance. It's up there with the works of P. D. James and Ruth Rendell. High praise indeed."--Pauline Mayer, The Cleveland Plain Dealer

About the Author

Rennie Airth was born in South Africa and worked as a foreign correspondent for Reuters news service for many years. The first novel in his John Madden mystery series, River of Darkness, won the Grand Prix de Littérature Policière for best international crime novel of 2000 and was nominated for Edgar, Anthony, and Macavity awards.