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Inspector Ian Rutledge #3
Search the Dark
The introspective hero of Wings of Fire and A Test of Wills (Edgar Award nominee) returns in Search the Dark, a provocative new mystery by Charles Todd. Inspector Ian Rutledge, haunted by memories of World War I and the harrowing presence of Hamish, a dead soldier, is "a superb characterization of a man whose wounds have made him a stranger in his own land." (The New York Times Book Review)
A dead woman and two missing children bring Inspector Rutledge to the lovely Dorset town of Singleton Magna, where the truth lies buried with the dead. A tormented veteran whose family died in an enemy bombing is the chief suspect. Dubious, Rutledge presses on to find the real killer. And when another body is found in the rich Dorset earth, his quest reaches into the secret lives of villagers and Londoners whose privileged positions and private passions give them every reason to thwart him. Someone is protecting a murderer. And two children are out there, somewhere, in the dark....
A dead woman and two missing children bring Inspector Rutledge to the lovely Dorset town of Singleton Magna, where the truth lies buried with the dead. A tormented veteran whose family died in an enemy bombing is the chief suspect. Dubious, Rutledge presses on to find the real killer. And when another body is found in the rich Dorset earth, his quest reaches into the secret lives of villagers and Londoners whose privileged positions and private passions give them every reason to thwart him. Someone is protecting a murderer. And two children are out there, somewhere, in the dark....
310 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 1, 1999
658 people are currently reading
1907 people want to read
About the author
Charles Todd
112 books3,500 followersCharles Todd was the pen name used by the mother-and-son writing team, Caroline Todd and Charles Todd. Now, Charles writes the Ian Rutledge and Bess Crawford Series. Charles Todd ha spublished three standalone mystery novels and many short stories.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 561 reviews
February 11, 2024
It’s disappointing when a good mystery stalls... and stalls some more after a promising start.
If I could have skipped about 50 pages in the middle— pages where not much happens and Rutledge tortures himself (and the reader) with insecurities and doubts— we get it, he’s stuck and can’t move on— but sadly, the mystery feels stuck too.
Not my favorite book of the series but the last few chapters were really good and despite my disappointment at the pacing, overall it’s a series worth a few slow spots.
(Reviewed 6/21/19)
If I could have skipped about 50 pages in the middle— pages where not much happens and Rutledge tortures himself (and the reader) with insecurities and doubts— we get it, he’s stuck and can’t move on— but sadly, the mystery feels stuck too.
Not my favorite book of the series but the last few chapters were really good and despite my disappointment at the pacing, overall it’s a series worth a few slow spots.
(Reviewed 6/21/19)
November 19, 2017
3.5 stars
A few too many stupid superior and fellow officers, but I enjoyed the read.
A few too many stupid superior and fellow officers, but I enjoyed the read.
March 8, 2020
I enjoyed reading the first two Inspector Ian Rutledge titles in this series but found Search the Dark to be a bit too plodding for me. Rutledge is definitely a thinking man's detective. These books are character-driven rather than action-packed.
Rutledge, like many men who served in World War I, returned home a psychologically-damaged individual. Those issues underlie much of his thought processes throughout each book, but in this one, it seemed to stall the plot and make for a much too maudlin reading experience. Had I not wanted to learn whodunit, I would have set this book aside midway.
Still, I look forward to the next book in the series, hoping Charles Todd and his Inspector Rutledge will be back on track.
Rutledge, like many men who served in World War I, returned home a psychologically-damaged individual. Those issues underlie much of his thought processes throughout each book, but in this one, it seemed to stall the plot and make for a much too maudlin reading experience. Had I not wanted to learn whodunit, I would have set this book aside midway.
Still, I look forward to the next book in the series, hoping Charles Todd and his Inspector Rutledge will be back on track.
April 27, 2018
This book had its moments, but not enough of them. The plot was confusing and not terribly gripping. The ending was flat. Charles Todd has done better.
December 16, 2011
Rating: 3.5* of five
What on Earth are the murders of some seemingly unrelated women in the Dorset countryside to do with Scotland Yard? Well, as always, Ian Rutledge and his internal nemesis Hamish are sent where the Yard thinks they stand the best chance of getting rid of them (though the only one they KNOW they're getting rid of is Ian). As always, strict instructions are issued for Rutledge to avoid antagonizing the powerful people involved in this case; as always, he fails; and as always, Rutledge and Hamish bring home the bacon (bad pun--there's a fire in this book that crisps Rutledge a bit) with some tidy last-minute inspiration.
But the book's characters, the book's post-WWI England, the book's solid construction provide a happy experience for the seasoned veteran of the Mystery Wars, and a soothing, orderly sense that the guilty will suffer. (My, how they're going to suffer in this book, and not just the murdering guilty. It's *very* subtly, nicely imagined, and almost perfectly executed. I smiled my most Schadenfreude-laden smile those last 20pp.)
I don't think the series will appeal to everyone, especially those who find mental challenges unpleasant reading, but the books offer a lot of pleasures of atmosphere and of justice served. I hope many more of you will give them a shot soon.
What on Earth are the murders of some seemingly unrelated women in the Dorset countryside to do with Scotland Yard? Well, as always, Ian Rutledge and his internal nemesis Hamish are sent where the Yard thinks they stand the best chance of getting rid of them (though the only one they KNOW they're getting rid of is Ian). As always, strict instructions are issued for Rutledge to avoid antagonizing the powerful people involved in this case; as always, he fails; and as always, Rutledge and Hamish bring home the bacon (bad pun--there's a fire in this book that crisps Rutledge a bit) with some tidy last-minute inspiration.
But the book's characters, the book's post-WWI England, the book's solid construction provide a happy experience for the seasoned veteran of the Mystery Wars, and a soothing, orderly sense that the guilty will suffer. (My, how they're going to suffer in this book, and not just the murdering guilty. It's *very* subtly, nicely imagined, and almost perfectly executed. I smiled my most Schadenfreude-laden smile those last 20pp.)
I don't think the series will appeal to everyone, especially those who find mental challenges unpleasant reading, but the books offer a lot of pleasures of atmosphere and of justice served. I hope many more of you will give them a shot soon.
April 6, 2017
What is it that keeps fans reading book after book in a series of detective novels? I should know as well as anyone, since I keep going back again and again to the work of Michael Connelly, Karin Slaughter, Henning Mankell, Jacqueline Winspear, James Lee Burke, Cara Black, John Sandford, Tana French, Elizabeth George, Sara Paretsky, and others, embarrassingly too numerous to mention. These writers have few things in common other than ingenious plotting and strong writing. There is one thing, though: their protagonists are unfailingly interesting.
I’d hoped I might think the same about Inspector Ian Rutledge. I’ve now followed Charles Todd‘s accounts of the man through the first three books in the series featuring the intrepid Scotland Yard detective in the years following World War I. Having just struggled through Search the Dark, the third of nineteen books to date, I’ve decided I’ve had enough of Charles Todd. (As you may be aware, the name is actually a pseudonym for the mother-and-son writing team of Caroline and Charles Todd.) Inspector Ian Rutledge and his ghostly sidekick, Hamish MacLeod, have tried my patience for the last time.
The central conceit in this series, or at least in the first three novels, is that Inspector Rutledge suffers from what then was called “shell shock.” Wracked with guilt over a murder he was forced to commit in the course of the war, he is literally haunted by the man he killed. This device could work well in one book, or even in two. But it has already become tedious in the third.
If you want to read detective fiction set in England during the 1920s and 30s, I suggest you turn instead to Jacqueline Winspear’s fascinating Maisie Dobbs series. Enough said.
I’d hoped I might think the same about Inspector Ian Rutledge. I’ve now followed Charles Todd‘s accounts of the man through the first three books in the series featuring the intrepid Scotland Yard detective in the years following World War I. Having just struggled through Search the Dark, the third of nineteen books to date, I’ve decided I’ve had enough of Charles Todd. (As you may be aware, the name is actually a pseudonym for the mother-and-son writing team of Caroline and Charles Todd.) Inspector Ian Rutledge and his ghostly sidekick, Hamish MacLeod, have tried my patience for the last time.
The central conceit in this series, or at least in the first three novels, is that Inspector Rutledge suffers from what then was called “shell shock.” Wracked with guilt over a murder he was forced to commit in the course of the war, he is literally haunted by the man he killed. This device could work well in one book, or even in two. But it has already become tedious in the third.
If you want to read detective fiction set in England during the 1920s and 30s, I suggest you turn instead to Jacqueline Winspear’s fascinating Maisie Dobbs series. Enough said.
March 28, 2022
Had to wait ages for this title to be available at the library. Another rewarding Ian Rutledge read. Another murder mystery full of souls in torment, including our chief character.
September 16, 2019
This one is difficult. It really highlights the mental effects of the war on the people who came back. And then tells a series of tragedies that unfold as a result. It's effectively done, if fairly depressing. Also, this series is dark enough without the continual tediousness of Bowles. I get that the point is to isolate Rutledge, but I sort of feel like he's isolated enough without the additional layer of unpleasantness.
November 12, 2021
I enjoy the Inspector Rutledge books but this one seemed a little slow and drawn out.
The conclusions are always worth it though.
These books, with the aftermath of WW1, do tend to have heart rending elements and this one was no different.
A solid read.
The conclusions are always worth it though.
These books, with the aftermath of WW1, do tend to have heart rending elements and this one was no different.
A solid read.
July 2, 2017
Not the best of this series so far. I'm taking a break from Inspector Rutledge. I found myself really wanting the book to be done with at about the half way mark. I guess I'm just not that interested in what happens to the Inspector and Hamish, the voice in his head.
January 11, 2010
Another good novel in the Rutledge series. This one wasn't my favorite, but was still a really great mystery.
January 2, 2022
The further adventures of Inspector Ian Rutledge of Scotland Yard. The period is soon after the ending of the First World War the Inspector is banished to a remote area of Dorset near Lyme Regis when a body is found, and two children are missing. A body is found and a man is in custody and the local Inspector resents the intrusion of Rutledge. While the case appears to be open and shut but Rutledge is not satisfied and keeps probing away. A good story with a sound plot that occasionally lapses into stagnation and leaves Rutledge struggling with the demons in his head, a relic of his war experiences.
I did enjoy the story and would move on to the next in the series although I do have some reservations about American writers tackling rural Dorset novels. Color instead of colour might result in a pupil at the village school being sent to the corner or the use of the rule. There may not be any milk cans in Dorset but plenty of churns. I have my suspicions of Delphiniums in bloom during late August, mine have flower spikes 6 feet tall in spring but only occasionally a second flush of much smaller flowers later. I do not think many dairy farmers would keep their cows in a barn at night either. This lack of attention to detail reduces this from 4 to 3 stars for me.
I did enjoy the story and would move on to the next in the series although I do have some reservations about American writers tackling rural Dorset novels. Color instead of colour might result in a pupil at the village school being sent to the corner or the use of the rule. There may not be any milk cans in Dorset but plenty of churns. I have my suspicions of Delphiniums in bloom during late August, mine have flower spikes 6 feet tall in spring but only occasionally a second flush of much smaller flowers later. I do not think many dairy farmers would keep their cows in a barn at night either. This lack of attention to detail reduces this from 4 to 3 stars for me.
March 14, 2014
Many people can make a hefty case for Search the Dark for being a good, even excellent book. The evidence to the contrary is tenuous. Most of the book is splendidly written, but it amounts to naught for me, if it doesn't deliver in the last act. Add to that the lack of follow up to the real struggles of the detective and the hindrances he faced...add to that the lack of support for the little bits of clues that went unheeded by the authors themselves, then I think I may be justified in my summation. Look, the previous two books worked because the endless questioning tallied with the solution. Maybe this book was too clever for it's own good. The next book I'll be reading next will be the antidote to this book. I need something cathartic, and fast.
September 19, 2021
Ends rather badly.
May 11, 2019
In this third novel in the Ian Rutledge series, Detective Rutledge has been sent by Scotland Yard to a small village in Dorset to investigate the murder of a woman, a crime which the local constables feel they have already solved with the arrest of a man they believe is the dead woman’s husband. But Rutledge is not so sure the dead woman is who the constables think she is, or that the man they have arrested is responsible for the murder. And what about the two children who were said to be with the woman, where have they gone? As always in these stories, Rutledge, a World War I veteran, is accompanied by the voice of Hamish Macbeth, a man Rutledge killed while they were serving together in the trenches.
For the most part, the shell-shocked Rutledge continues to be an interesting character for me. And I enjoyed the depiction of the Dorset area, the myriad ways the author uses Rutledge’s reflections, such as noticing how the light assumes a golden brown tint from the soil and leaves, to draw a picture of the setting. There are also some well-crafted commentaries within the story about the high costs of war, of the casualties suffered by both fighters and civilians. But for some reason this book drug a little more than the previous two. I will probably read more in this series, but for a war-damaged veteran in a British setting, I really prefer the William Monk series by Anne Perry, or the Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear.
For the most part, the shell-shocked Rutledge continues to be an interesting character for me. And I enjoyed the depiction of the Dorset area, the myriad ways the author uses Rutledge’s reflections, such as noticing how the light assumes a golden brown tint from the soil and leaves, to draw a picture of the setting. There are also some well-crafted commentaries within the story about the high costs of war, of the casualties suffered by both fighters and civilians. But for some reason this book drug a little more than the previous two. I will probably read more in this series, but for a war-damaged veteran in a British setting, I really prefer the William Monk series by Anne Perry, or the Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear.
September 25, 2020
I basically listened to the first three books in this series within four days. Yes, you read that right, four days. Lol! It was crazy fast and and when I finished I realized I needed to slow down.
Here's the thing about this series. It can be a little plodding at times. Hamish can be very annoying. It is somewhat repetitive. Bowles is interfering, the local police are bumbling and irritable, no one wants to tell Rutledge anything, etc, etc, etc. I get that it's not perfect, but I just don't care. I love the setting so much. And Inspector Rutledge is exactly the type of detective that I will easily fall in love with. Blame it on growing up with BBC, Sherlock, and shows like Midsomer Murders. (Though, Midsomer Murders always seems to have way more death than Rutledge. Those small British towns are very murder-y.) For all it's faults, I wildly enjoy it.
This book made me feel sad, but I thought the PTSD was excellently and thoughtfully portrayed. I think the fact that WWI looms large over everything is part of why I love this series. It's not a time period I know a lot about and it's given me a glimpse into what it might have been like for England trying to recover from the horror.
A woman has been murdered and Rutledge is called to help find two missing children. The accused man is a damaged WWI veteran. It hits a little too close to home and Rutledge isn't ready to open old scars. His search leads him to a quirky library and it's rather interesting owners.
I'm currently listening to Book 7 in this series. I slowed way down and they've become my "running" series that I only listen to when I'm exercising. It's good motivation for me.
Here's the thing about this series. It can be a little plodding at times. Hamish can be very annoying. It is somewhat repetitive. Bowles is interfering, the local police are bumbling and irritable, no one wants to tell Rutledge anything, etc, etc, etc. I get that it's not perfect, but I just don't care. I love the setting so much. And Inspector Rutledge is exactly the type of detective that I will easily fall in love with. Blame it on growing up with BBC, Sherlock, and shows like Midsomer Murders. (Though, Midsomer Murders always seems to have way more death than Rutledge. Those small British towns are very murder-y.) For all it's faults, I wildly enjoy it.
This book made me feel sad, but I thought the PTSD was excellently and thoughtfully portrayed. I think the fact that WWI looms large over everything is part of why I love this series. It's not a time period I know a lot about and it's given me a glimpse into what it might have been like for England trying to recover from the horror.
A woman has been murdered and Rutledge is called to help find two missing children. The accused man is a damaged WWI veteran. It hits a little too close to home and Rutledge isn't ready to open old scars. His search leads him to a quirky library and it's rather interesting owners.
I'm currently listening to Book 7 in this series. I slowed way down and they've become my "running" series that I only listen to when I'm exercising. It's good motivation for me.
abandoned
May 27, 2025I do not like this series that much anymore.
April 25, 2020
What would you do for love? That’s the underlying theme to this Inspector Rutledge book. I’m really glad that I tried this series out. There is a darkness to them— but I’ve really enjoyed the characters and it’s a time period that sometimes gets forgotten.
March 22, 2024
I have never guessed the killer so far in this series! They are enjoyable and I imagine I’ll keep going.
January 8, 2011
In the third Inspector Ian Rutledge novel the author(s)--a mother and son team writing under the name Charles Todd--continue to examine the effects of World War I on British society. A grief stricken veteran named Mowbray is arrested for the murder of a woman whom he believes is his wife who deserted him while he was away at war. The evidence seems incontrovertible that Mowbray is guilty until it appears the victim wasn't his wife at all. Did Mowbray kill another woman, a victim of mis-identification? Or is he innocent of any crime at all?
Rutledge is sent to put the case to rest. However, what appears to be a simple case is not. As the identity of the victim points to another perpetrator, Rutledge begins to uncover facts that broadens the list of suspects all the way to the highest political circles in London.
Particularly fascinating is the manner in which the effects of the war on women who waited for their men to return from the trenches is explored. The men who returned from the war, who were able to survive, are not the same personalities their wives and lovers knew before they went to the war to end all wars. Here are women who shrink in terror from the gentle men whom they once loved. Here are the mothers unable to accept that their sons will never take their place in society, able to lead the life any mother hopes for a child. And here are the women who have lost their betroth-eds to the women of France, young women who are unable to find any suitable relationship because an almost complete generation of young men will never return home.
Todd continues to write a series of novels that amount to much more than the typical English country mystery. Here you will find adroit handling of lives shattered by shell shock and survivor guilt and an entire society recovering from the incomprehensible grief endured by multiple generations. You will find few individuals untouched by "the great war."
Rutledge continues to observe his duty to be a voice for the victim, a speaker for the dead. In carrying out his duty Rutledge pursues the truth no matter the direction in which it points. That is just one more reason to delve into the writing of this engaging writing partnership of mother and son. From the mud of the trenches in France to the highest levels of British society, these authors know their history, on both a military and cultural level with a grasp of what we know today as the effects of post traumatic stress syndrome.
Rutledge is sent to put the case to rest. However, what appears to be a simple case is not. As the identity of the victim points to another perpetrator, Rutledge begins to uncover facts that broadens the list of suspects all the way to the highest political circles in London.
Particularly fascinating is the manner in which the effects of the war on women who waited for their men to return from the trenches is explored. The men who returned from the war, who were able to survive, are not the same personalities their wives and lovers knew before they went to the war to end all wars. Here are women who shrink in terror from the gentle men whom they once loved. Here are the mothers unable to accept that their sons will never take their place in society, able to lead the life any mother hopes for a child. And here are the women who have lost their betroth-eds to the women of France, young women who are unable to find any suitable relationship because an almost complete generation of young men will never return home.
Todd continues to write a series of novels that amount to much more than the typical English country mystery. Here you will find adroit handling of lives shattered by shell shock and survivor guilt and an entire society recovering from the incomprehensible grief endured by multiple generations. You will find few individuals untouched by "the great war."
Rutledge continues to observe his duty to be a voice for the victim, a speaker for the dead. In carrying out his duty Rutledge pursues the truth no matter the direction in which it points. That is just one more reason to delve into the writing of this engaging writing partnership of mother and son. From the mud of the trenches in France to the highest levels of British society, these authors know their history, on both a military and cultural level with a grasp of what we know today as the effects of post traumatic stress syndrome.
January 25, 2020
In the aftermath of WWI, English veterans and civilians alike carry physical or the more invisible mental damage from the conflict. This damage figures in the recipients of a murder that occurs in a small town of Singleton Magna. The case seems simple. The alleged murderer is arrested and the body of a woman discovered. Only her children are missing.
Inspector Rutledge of Scotland Yard is sent from London to lead the search for the children.
The local law enforcement are not pleased with what they consider interference. His presence muddies the case. In fact it becomes quite messy when what had seemed a simple case becomes so complex that Rutledge questions his own ability to solve it. Fresh from four years in the war, his self confidence has been shaken, especially since he frequently hears the voice in his mind of a deceased Scottish soldier, Hamish.
Where are the children? Are they dead? Or do they exist only in a madman's imagination? And is the madman really guilty? Around and around Rutledge investigates, only seemingly to start over again amid interesting characters with their own ideas.
As he delves into the history of local inhabitants, the complications lead us through unexpected twists and to a surprise ending.
Rutledge is a touching figure as he struggles against his own demons and through the rejection of the townspeople. We feel for those who have been damaged by the war, and for those who are victimized by prejudice and jealousy. There are no winners in war, and the darkness of the aftermath shadows the entire story. Even the sounds and sights of nature add to this darkness that the author so ably and poignantly communicates.
While I had a problem keeping some of the characters straight, their personalities came across well. I can understand how readers would want to read more stories featuring Inspector Rutledge.
Inspector Rutledge of Scotland Yard is sent from London to lead the search for the children.
The local law enforcement are not pleased with what they consider interference. His presence muddies the case. In fact it becomes quite messy when what had seemed a simple case becomes so complex that Rutledge questions his own ability to solve it. Fresh from four years in the war, his self confidence has been shaken, especially since he frequently hears the voice in his mind of a deceased Scottish soldier, Hamish.
Where are the children? Are they dead? Or do they exist only in a madman's imagination? And is the madman really guilty? Around and around Rutledge investigates, only seemingly to start over again amid interesting characters with their own ideas.
As he delves into the history of local inhabitants, the complications lead us through unexpected twists and to a surprise ending.
Rutledge is a touching figure as he struggles against his own demons and through the rejection of the townspeople. We feel for those who have been damaged by the war, and for those who are victimized by prejudice and jealousy. There are no winners in war, and the darkness of the aftermath shadows the entire story. Even the sounds and sights of nature add to this darkness that the author so ably and poignantly communicates.
While I had a problem keeping some of the characters straight, their personalities came across well. I can understand how readers would want to read more stories featuring Inspector Rutledge.
November 4, 2023
Village of Singleton Magna, Dorset, 1919. I thought I knew who did it, and couldn’t believe Rutledge was clueless. Well, I was wrong. There’s quite a surprising twist at the end, yet I might have given more weight to some few clues along the way. SUCH a sad story. So much grief. I hope Inspector Hildebrand gets his careless ass fired. I fondly imagine the scene. Treat him like the stubborn stupid jerk he is! The Great War ruined so many lives, body and mind. I hope Rutledge helps that poor sod in the cell. He said he will (to Hamish). Wish we knew. That would lend some hopefulness to a dark tale.
Actually, I’d like a story where Hildebrande gets framed and arrested by some fool inspector, and he has to beg Rutledge to help him. By then, of course, his chief constable has already told him off and dismissed him from service. Meanwhile, Mowbray has a good job with the deaf farmer.
characters:
Superintendent Bowles, idiot boss at the Yard. Sergeant Gibson at the Yard. Francis is Ian’s sister.
Miss Margaret Tarletan, a youngish lady from London, is missing.
Local Inspector Hildebrand thinks the dead woman in the field is Burt Mowbray’s wife, Mary. Where are her children?
Marcus Johnston is the solicitor / lawyer assigned to Burt Mowbury
Constable Truitt, local ladies’ man. His neighbor, Mrs Prescott. Local gossip is the farmwife Mrs Dixon
Mrs Dalton fills the gap left when her husband, the rector, died. She is a well-intentioned busybody. Her adult son is Henry Dalton, but he is somewhat childlike
Miss Elizabeth Napier is the manipulative daughter of the wealthy and powerful Mr Napier. She was in love with Simon Wyatt and expected to marry him before he went to war
Miss Napier’s private secretary was Margaret Tarletan, who is missing. She grew up in India, and moved to England as an adult. She helped tend wounded soldiers, and briefly dated Canadian war vet Shaw.
Mrs Wyatt (Aura?) is a Frenchwoman who married local landowner Simon Wyatt during the war. Her maid is Edith.
Simon Wyatt had been expected to marry Miss Napier. Simon now wants to open a museum— his way of coping with his war horrors
Edith is Mrs. Wyatt’s maid.
Local inspector Hildebrand is ambitious and idiotic
Actually, I’d like a story where Hildebrande gets framed and arrested by some fool inspector, and he has to beg Rutledge to help him. By then, of course, his chief constable has already told him off and dismissed him from service. Meanwhile, Mowbray has a good job with the deaf farmer.
characters:
Superintendent Bowles, idiot boss at the Yard. Sergeant Gibson at the Yard. Francis is Ian’s sister.
Miss Margaret Tarletan, a youngish lady from London, is missing.
Local Inspector Hildebrand thinks the dead woman in the field is Burt Mowbray’s wife, Mary. Where are her children?
Marcus Johnston is the solicitor / lawyer assigned to Burt Mowbury
Constable Truitt, local ladies’ man. His neighbor, Mrs Prescott. Local gossip is the farmwife Mrs Dixon
Mrs Dalton fills the gap left when her husband, the rector, died. She is a well-intentioned busybody. Her adult son is Henry Dalton, but he is somewhat childlike
Miss Elizabeth Napier is the manipulative daughter of the wealthy and powerful Mr Napier. She was in love with Simon Wyatt and expected to marry him before he went to war
Miss Napier’s private secretary was Margaret Tarletan, who is missing. She grew up in India, and moved to England as an adult. She helped tend wounded soldiers, and briefly dated Canadian war vet Shaw.
Mrs Wyatt (Aura?) is a Frenchwoman who married local landowner Simon Wyatt during the war. Her maid is Edith.
Simon Wyatt had been expected to marry Miss Napier. Simon now wants to open a museum— his way of coping with his war horrors
Edith is Mrs. Wyatt’s maid.
Local inspector Hildebrand is ambitious and idiotic
January 20, 2018
What I enjoy about reading the Inspector Ian Rutledge novels is that while you're involving yourself in the whodunit Charles Todd has put together, you're also getting a look at an England in the aftermath of the Great War. Men like Rutledge who survived the horrors of trench warfare have to pick up the threads of their previous lives and function as best they can. Rutledge himself lives with the voice of a soldier he had executed for dereliction of duty criticizing his approach to police work. Rutledge also has to contend with being sent to a Dorset village to help solve a murder and dealing with being "the man from London" that no one trusts. If you like mystery novels that do more than just present a puzzling crime to be solved, spend some time with Inspector Ian Rutledge of Scotland Yard. You won't regret it.
January 9, 2019
Search the Dark (Inspector Ian Rutledge, #3) by Charles Todd.
This book has several issues that should make it all the more interesting to read, but don't. The Inspector suffers from shell shock from the war. Hamish is the soldier he's responsible for killing during that time. Hamish haunts his thoughts leading the Inspector into actual conversations with him. There's also that lost love from his past. These issues should lend to the story, but sadly don't.
The author repeats the same deductions over and over again making the reading quite boring.
I've found this same boring story written over and over in this series and so I'm parting ways. I'm sure there is a following for the Inspector, but there are so many good books that keep me interested out there just waiting for me that I can't continue to waste my time with this series.
This book has several issues that should make it all the more interesting to read, but don't. The Inspector suffers from shell shock from the war. Hamish is the soldier he's responsible for killing during that time. Hamish haunts his thoughts leading the Inspector into actual conversations with him. There's also that lost love from his past. These issues should lend to the story, but sadly don't.
The author repeats the same deductions over and over again making the reading quite boring.
I've found this same boring story written over and over in this series and so I'm parting ways. I'm sure there is a following for the Inspector, but there are so many good books that keep me interested out there just waiting for me that I can't continue to waste my time with this series.
Read
July 19, 2020Inspector Rutledge's dialogues with Hamish (the voice of his dead friend that travels with him) can get a big tiresome, but the thing that stood out to me in this book is the lack of actual detecting. Inspector Rutledge just seems to drive around, have meaningless conversations with the four people he decided (arbitrarily) were important to the case, and then happen upon the murderer pretty much be accident. The murderer then decides to take the time to unburden their innermost thoughts calmly over a series of pages and then is peacefully taken into custody. Reminds me of a Midsomer Murder where instead of Barnaby and his sidekick, it is Rutledge and Hamish. Still, it is an entertaining read as a view into English village life and the complex personal lives of the village inhabitants.
April 20, 2016
I like this entry in the series better than the previous.
As I've been reflecting on what I like best about this novel, it really is that the authors seek to address the long-term consequences of war and trauma, that affect no only veterans, but their family and acquaintances as well. They raise a brokenness that isn't easily fixed or patched over that I think is important to acknowledge.
As I've been reflecting on what I like best about this novel, it really is that the authors seek to address the long-term consequences of war and trauma, that affect no only veterans, but their family and acquaintances as well. They raise a brokenness that isn't easily fixed or patched over that I think is important to acknowledge.
February 23, 2018
Wonderful
Once again I was totally caught up in another great period murder mystery. As an added benefit Charles Todd delved just a bit more into the psyche of the soldier home from The Great War.
Once again I was totally caught up in another great period murder mystery. As an added benefit Charles Todd delved just a bit more into the psyche of the soldier home from The Great War.
June 16, 2018
This is the third in the Ian Rutledge series. As with other authors, I have been doing catch up reading. This may be one of the darkest books in the series that I remember. Rutledge has been called to aid in the search of two missing children after a woman is found dead. A war veteran whose wife and two children were killed in a bombing raid in London is sure he saw his wife and children on a train platform. When a woman is found dead - her face horribly beaten so she is unrecognizable - he is arrested and is convinced that he did it. Rutledge is not convinced that he killed the woman and questions that there are even any missing children at all. However, Inspector Hildebrandt, the local DI is convinced that he has the right man, that the man's wife took advantage of being declared dead to start life with a new man. It soon becomes apparent that there is more to this story than Hildebrandt think there is, of course. Rutledge, however, is consumed by self doubt and haunted by Hamish, the Sgt who he court martialed and shot for insubordination. Hamish is the voice of anguish, guilt and self doubt that Rutledge hears constantly in his head. This is early in the series and the effect of war on Rutledge and others is explored at length here in a very raw and realistic fashion. It always surprises me that Charles Todd - a pseudonym for an American mother and son writing team - is able to explore this period so well. The writing, from the beginning, is wonderful in this series. If you haven't read any though, start at the beginning.
June 13, 2023
I seem to be on a WWI kick. I am reading a non-fiction book, listening to the Verity Kent series, and also reading this series. The aftermath of WWI took quite a toll on soldiers, living in trenches for years, seeing so many die in a senseless war. It was difficult for those at home also, when so many who were not killed were disfigured in horrible ways and psychologically injured. The guilt they lived with is very apparent in this series. Ian Rutledge has returned to Sotland Yard whole in body but wounded in spirit. Living in his head is a soldier, Hamish, who Rutledge was forced to shoot as a disobedient soldier right before a shell smashed into them and wounded many soldiers. This is brought up in every book so that readers will understand. The mystery in this book was terrific, I absolutely had no idea until the very end.
I love how we really see what life was like as Rutledge, who is not liked by his superior is sent to investigate crimes in places outside of London. I plan to read the whole series in hopes Rutledge will improve.
I love how we really see what life was like as Rutledge, who is not liked by his superior is sent to investigate crimes in places outside of London. I plan to read the whole series in hopes Rutledge will improve.
December 23, 2019
Somewhat disappointing compared to the previous Bess Crawford I read , but still passable.
Rutledge's conversations with Hamish, the Scottish soldier in his head, become tiresome and contrived after a while. For a hundred or so pages, the book meandered between the same five or six characters without advancing the story in any significant manner. Still, the prose is well written with a sense of atmosphere. I particularly like the descriptive text capturing many small details about the time and place.
Rutledge's conversations with Hamish, the Scottish soldier in his head, become tiresome and contrived after a while. For a hundred or so pages, the book meandered between the same five or six characters without advancing the story in any significant manner. Still, the prose is well written with a sense of atmosphere. I particularly like the descriptive text capturing many small details about the time and place.
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