While I enjoyed the first John Madden book, and plowed my way through the second, but disappointing, book, I didn't manage to finish this one. Like the characters who age ten years between books, the writing and story got old fast. Madden was an interesting detective, less so a farmer; and his involvement in the crimes is a stretch. I gave up after the second killing in this book since it was so unbelievable that the police didn't see it coming and stop it.

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This is the third book I've read in this series and I sometimes find it difficult to pick up to continue reading it. This is because---unlike most mysteries I read---the level of suspense developed by the author is such that I'm uneasy about how it will turn out. I almost find myself looking over my shoulder and wondering if all my doors are locked.

In the end, it turns out all right. Well, mostly. And the author always leaves something at the end which is chilling. It's like those movies which used to state in their ads, "No one will be allowed into the theater during the last 20 minutes."

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