The first book in the "Murdoch" series in a decade (since A Journeyman to Grief ) opens in 1915 with the execution of a Canadian soldier accused of cowardice, and the themes of war and fear run throughout this historical mystery. Det. William Murdoch's son, Jack, returns in 1917 from the Great War as a troubled, wounded veteran in the company of his physically and emotionally scarred friend Trevor. The two find some solace in nightly carousing, and Jack distances himself from his father. Soon several men who had been exempted from conscription are murdered, and Jack and Trevor become suspects. While the earlier series titles featured a younger Murdoch, Jennings, acknowledging the success of the TV adaptation, The Artful Detective, which diverged from her original story lines, sets her eighth book during World War I with an older Murdoch savoring a promotion and still mourning his wife's death.
VERDICT Murdoch fans will welcome the long-awaited return of the Canadian sleuth, and historical mystery buffs will relish the evocative details—poetry, excerpts from military manuals—that add poignancy and context to a straightforward mystery plot.
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