---
product_id: 30210943
title: "The Dark Winter: A Novel (Detective Sergeant McAvoy Book 1)"
brand: "david mark"
price: "€ 26.77"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 11
url: https://www.desertcart.fi/products/30210943-the-dark-winter-a-novel-detective-sergeant-mcavoy-book-1
store_origin: FI
region: Finland
---

# The Dark Winter: A Novel (Detective Sergeant McAvoy Book 1)

**Brand:** david mark
**Price:** € 26.77
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** The Dark Winter: A Novel (Detective Sergeant McAvoy Book 1) by david mark
- **How much does it cost?** € 26.77 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.fi](https://www.desertcart.fi/products/30210943-the-dark-winter-a-novel-detective-sergeant-mcavoy-book-1)

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## Description

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## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐ 







  
  
    If the world needs another serial killer police procedural, this is one
  

*by M***1 on Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2019*

This novel feels like it was made by cutting and pasting from other, better books. MacAvoy himself is a chimera: at once a blissfully happy family man and a man who neglects his family for the job; a man who loves his wife but contemplates an affair with his boss; a police officer who denounces wrongdoing in his department but who tortures a suspect. He's handsome and strong and a role model but he's also a screwup with anger issues. He's the "best cop on the force" but ends up waiting until the case's solution is more or less handed to him.Nothing about McAvoy makes any sense, he's completely inconsistent. Reading this novel is like holding the "channel up" button on your TV remote and watching a few seconds of every program. It all feels familiar but doesn't hold together."The Dark Winter's" story is lamentably weak. The cops don't really do an investigation, they just blunder around and stumble over the solution. There's no way to feel involved in the case because you quickly realize that all you can do is wait for the egg timer to empty. There's never anything at stake. The killer and the crimes are laughably implausible .. this book made me miss the days when a detective novel was satisfied to walk through and solve a single puzzling crime fairly.Give it a pass, even for free.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Such a good book with an fascinating protagonist.
  

*by L***S on Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2014*

First Sentence:  The old man looks up, and for a moment it feels as though he is staring through the wrong end of a telescope.An old man is telling a journalist the story of how he survived the sinking of a trawler thirty years ago.  They take a break and he disappears only to be found dead later in a lifeboat off the coast of Finland.  Det. Sgt. McAvoy is sitting at an outdoor café with his son when they hear panicked screaming from the church across the way.  As he arrives, he barely being struck by a blade carried by a man all in black.  What he does find is a young woman, hacked to death.It’s always a bit sad to be introduced to a character one likes only to have him be the first victim.  We then segue to our protagonist is peacefully sitting in the town square only to have total chaos.McAvoy is an interesting character whose personality belies his physical appearance.  He has a past with the force, resulting in some bitterness.  He’s a wonderfully complex character.  He’s a cop who really cares about his job… “…And he knows that the reason he has to catch the right man…It’s because somebody has to give a damn about the rules.  Idealistic?  Perhaps; but it makes him an interesting character.Mark provides some wonderfully evocative descriptions which provide a strong sense of place.  “There are still proud homeowners here and there.  Amid the black teeth and rotted gums of the burned-out and vandalized houses stands the occasional white-painted molar.”The story had an excellent plot.  As the pieces started fitting together, the pace increased and uncovering the villain and the motive keep the pace moving forward at a fast pace, but not without some introspection.“The Dark Water” is a very credible debut book and a character interesting enough to what to know more.THE DARK WINTER (Pol Proc-Det. Sgt. Aector McAvoy-Hull, England-Contemp) – VG+Mark, David – 1st in seriesA Plume Book, 2012

### ⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    "A mild mannered detective mystery "
  

*by M***D on Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2013*

David Mark writes an intriguing murder mystery novel taking place in the region of Yorkshire, an historic county of Northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom.  Mark was a journalist for some 15 years and had accumulated several tries at novels before producing his debut "The Dark Winter". In this work Mark creates his mild mannered sleuth, one detective sergeant Aector (Hector) McAvoy, a giant, timid, humble Highlander, living and working on an elite crime squad in Hull.The underlying mystery in the novel is born from a coincidental collection of individuals who had survived an otherwise deadly encounter only to find themselves reliving the past as victims once again. The story unfolds as a seemingly unconnected series of events sewn together by a single elusive thread; with who and the why to be solved by the steadfast resolve of Aector McAvoy.Mark draws an unusual character in McAvoy, one divergent from the standard stock of detective material. This characterization seems somewhat alien to the general nature of police detectives as measured by the take most writers harbor and while seeming to make a somewhat endearing character, may have gone a bit over the top; you will have to be the judge. Otherwise, the novel is generally well written, though long on many colloquial expressions that is sure to befuddle the western reader some. The story line moves right along and keeps the reader involved through the developments. There are a couple of good twists in the plot, although an astute mystery reader will find them lurking in the background and have guessed them.All and all the novel is a pleasant read, engaging enough to keep the reader's attention and steeped in enough mystery to pique one's curiosity.If you are a detective mystery lover, I would rate this novel "pleasurable - though not memorable" and would recommend it for your reading list.

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*Product available on Desertcart Finland*
*Store origin: FI*
*Last updated: 2026-02-28*