THE BLOOD-DIMMED TIDE by Rennie Airth (Penguin)

Seeeing some names on book covers causes me to plan a reading break. Rennie Airth is one of them. Inspector John Madden is now retired from Scotland Yard and living with his physician wife and children and running their farm. Coming home from Sunday luncheon, a detour brings them face to face with an un-Sunday-like gathering of men in a neighboring hamlet. Recognizing a village bobby in the crowd, Madden feels a "chill of premonition" and joins the group. A missing child and an impending storm prompt a search; a grisly discovery and subsequent manhunt call forth an absorbing mystery. Without today's advanced technologies, Madden is forced to solve a crime using manpower and brain power. Airth shows no hesitancy in employing the reader's emotions to hold his interest. A compelling read!