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Inspector Ian Rutledge #13
A Lonely Death
Scotland Yard detective Ian Rutledge returns to solve his most exciting and shocking case yet in this latest entry in the bestselling series hailed as "outstanding" by the New York Times Book Review
A breathtaking blend of psychological complexity, haunting atmosphere, compelling twists, and impressive detail, the novels in the Ian Rutledge mystery series have garnered their author widespread acclaim and numerous honors and awards. At the heart of the series is the compelling Scotland Yard detective inspector Ian Rutledge, a veteran of the Great War who understands all too well the darkness that lies within men's souls.
Now three men have been murdered in a Sussex village, and Scotland Yard has been called in. It's a baffling case. The victims are soldiers who survived the horrors of World War I only to meet a ghastly end in the quiet English countryside two years later. Each had been garroted, with small ID discs left in their mouths.
But even Scotland Yard's presence doesn't deter this vicious and clever killer. Shortly after Inspector Ian Rutledge arrives, a fourth soldier is found dead. With few clues to go on and the pressure building, Rutledge must gamble everything—his job, his reputation, and even his life—to find answers.
A breathtaking blend of psychological complexity, haunting atmosphere, compelling twists, and impressive detail, the novels in the Ian Rutledge mystery series have garnered their author widespread acclaim and numerous honors and awards. At the heart of the series is the compelling Scotland Yard detective inspector Ian Rutledge, a veteran of the Great War who understands all too well the darkness that lies within men's souls.
Now three men have been murdered in a Sussex village, and Scotland Yard has been called in. It's a baffling case. The victims are soldiers who survived the horrors of World War I only to meet a ghastly end in the quiet English countryside two years later. Each had been garroted, with small ID discs left in their mouths.
But even Scotland Yard's presence doesn't deter this vicious and clever killer. Shortly after Inspector Ian Rutledge arrives, a fourth soldier is found dead. With few clues to go on and the pressure building, Rutledge must gamble everything—his job, his reputation, and even his life—to find answers.
343 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2011
481 people are currently reading
2070 people want to read
About the author
Charles Todd
112 books3,495 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 581 reviews
May 31, 2012
A Lonely Death: Charles Todd's Mixture of War and Revenge
It's time to confess that I have my own guilty pleasures on my library shelves. Mine happen to be the Inspector Ian Rutledge novels by Charles Todd.
If you've not met Inspector Rutledge, this is definitely not your starting place. A Lonely Death is his twelfth case. The series dates back to A Test Of Wills.
So, I suppose that a bit of background is in order. Rutledge is an Inspector for Scotland Yard. He is not the favorite of Chief Superintendent Paul Bowles. Perhaps it is because Rutledge is not your particular police officer. Rutledge was university educated, the son of a solicitor and a concert pianist.
Of course, Rutledge could have easily followed his father into the law. However he chose not to do so after a conversation with his father.
What intrigued me by this series of novels is that Rutledge served four years in the trenches on the Somme, not a pleasant place. His right hand non-com was a Scot named Hamish McLeod. One evening orders came down for another launch over the top to take out a machine gun nest. Hamish was to lead the group. He had come to see the futility of the war, was sick of the deaths of the men he led and refused to carry out the mission. Rutledge, within military law, had his comrade in arms executed. Almost simultaneously a barrage sent a shell hurtling into the trenches burying Rutledge alive. After he was dug out, it had been a pocket of air supplied by the dead Hamish that kept him alive.
Rutledge emerged from his experiene not only shell-shocked as they call it in those days, he was constantly accompanied by the voice of Hamish McLeod in his head. After almost a year's recuperation under the care of a psychiatrist, Rutledge returns to duty at Scotland Yard. That his shell-shock diagnosis might come out constantly haunts him. That he must constantly be aware of not carrying on a two way conversation with Hamish drives him to distraction.
But enough of background. In this go around, it it July, 1920. Someone is killing former members of a a squadron of Eastfield Village boys who returned home relatively unscathed by the war. One by one, someone is picking them off with the effective use of a garotte, a particularly nasty way to die.
The garotte in these particular murders appear made of wire, leaving the victim in a particularly messy pool of blood. To make it even more interesting, an identification disk, the forerunner of the more recent dog tag is found in the mouth of each murder victim. However each disk comes from a man of a different regiment. What could possibly be the connection?
Even with Rutledge on the case, the murders continue. A particularly hostile witness files a complaint against Rutledge to have him removed from the case, giving Superintendent Bowles the opportunity to yank Rutledge and replace him with his pet favorite Inspector Mickelson.
Things get complicated when Mickelson himself is attacked, but not with a garotte. And the suspect? Why, Rutledge, of course. Bowles has found the ideal way to permanently remove Rutledge from the yard by having him charged with the attempted murder of Mickelson.
But as I've said, Rutledge is not the ordinary policeman. He has friends in high places who have him restored to the case.
This is no straight forward mystery, nor is any mystery intended to be if well written and this is an extremely well written novel. Nor is there one violation of the rules of the Detection Club founded by the great English writers of the 1930s. Each clue is there. There is no surprise assailant. This is a most pleasant diversion for a couple of hot summer afternoons served up with your favorite libation.
And about Charles Todd. Well, it's a pen name. Charles Todd is actually a mother and son writing team, Mother in Delaware, and Son in North Carolina. It's impossible, at least to me to determine who wrote what. Each of this series has received consistently high reviews, particularly from the NY Times. I highly recommend Charles Todd's Inspector Rutledge series.
Caroline and Charles Todd
A history of Inspector Rutledge giving a brief summary of each novel in the series is available at http://charlestodd.com/the-history-of... . Highly recommended.
It's time to confess that I have my own guilty pleasures on my library shelves. Mine happen to be the Inspector Ian Rutledge novels by Charles Todd.
If you've not met Inspector Rutledge, this is definitely not your starting place. A Lonely Death is his twelfth case. The series dates back to A Test Of Wills.
So, I suppose that a bit of background is in order. Rutledge is an Inspector for Scotland Yard. He is not the favorite of Chief Superintendent Paul Bowles. Perhaps it is because Rutledge is not your particular police officer. Rutledge was university educated, the son of a solicitor and a concert pianist.
Of course, Rutledge could have easily followed his father into the law. However he chose not to do so after a conversation with his father.
Then a remark my father made when I was ten, I think, changed that. He said the law was created so that everyone could expect a fair and impartial justice. There was a murder trial later that summer, and I asked who spoke for the dead man. He told me that no one did, the man was dead. The police gathered evidence, made an arrest, the killer was brought to trial, and if found guilty, punished. That struck me as odd—why shouldn’t the dead man have a voice in what caused his death? My father replied that the law wasn’t set up that way. By the time I’d come down from university, I realized that I wanted to be that voice. It’s how I approach my cases.
What intrigued me by this series of novels is that Rutledge served four years in the trenches on the Somme, not a pleasant place. His right hand non-com was a Scot named Hamish McLeod. One evening orders came down for another launch over the top to take out a machine gun nest. Hamish was to lead the group. He had come to see the futility of the war, was sick of the deaths of the men he led and refused to carry out the mission. Rutledge, within military law, had his comrade in arms executed. Almost simultaneously a barrage sent a shell hurtling into the trenches burying Rutledge alive. After he was dug out, it had been a pocket of air supplied by the dead Hamish that kept him alive.
Rutledge emerged from his experiene not only shell-shocked as they call it in those days, he was constantly accompanied by the voice of Hamish McLeod in his head. After almost a year's recuperation under the care of a psychiatrist, Rutledge returns to duty at Scotland Yard. That his shell-shock diagnosis might come out constantly haunts him. That he must constantly be aware of not carrying on a two way conversation with Hamish drives him to distraction.
But enough of background. In this go around, it it July, 1920. Someone is killing former members of a a squadron of Eastfield Village boys who returned home relatively unscathed by the war. One by one, someone is picking them off with the effective use of a garotte, a particularly nasty way to die.
The garotte in these particular murders appear made of wire, leaving the victim in a particularly messy pool of blood. To make it even more interesting, an identification disk, the forerunner of the more recent dog tag is found in the mouth of each murder victim. However each disk comes from a man of a different regiment. What could possibly be the connection?
Even with Rutledge on the case, the murders continue. A particularly hostile witness files a complaint against Rutledge to have him removed from the case, giving Superintendent Bowles the opportunity to yank Rutledge and replace him with his pet favorite Inspector Mickelson.
Things get complicated when Mickelson himself is attacked, but not with a garotte. And the suspect? Why, Rutledge, of course. Bowles has found the ideal way to permanently remove Rutledge from the yard by having him charged with the attempted murder of Mickelson.
But as I've said, Rutledge is not the ordinary policeman. He has friends in high places who have him restored to the case.
This is no straight forward mystery, nor is any mystery intended to be if well written and this is an extremely well written novel. Nor is there one violation of the rules of the Detection Club founded by the great English writers of the 1930s. Each clue is there. There is no surprise assailant. This is a most pleasant diversion for a couple of hot summer afternoons served up with your favorite libation.
And about Charles Todd. Well, it's a pen name. Charles Todd is actually a mother and son writing team, Mother in Delaware, and Son in North Carolina. It's impossible, at least to me to determine who wrote what. Each of this series has received consistently high reviews, particularly from the NY Times. I highly recommend Charles Todd's Inspector Rutledge series.
Caroline and Charles Todd
A history of Inspector Rutledge giving a brief summary of each novel in the series is available at http://charlestodd.com/the-history-of... . Highly recommended.
March 19, 2017
I have read and enjoyed several Charles Todd novels ... this one, not so much. There were so many characters, so many themes, and none of them were very well developed. I guess the most defining aspect of my lack of excitement is that I didn't really care who the murderer turned out to be. Not good for a "who-done-it."
June 17, 2022
Though at times a little too unlikely I still enjoyed it.
February 3, 2016
The plot was great, the characters were great, the setting was just splendid. Can we please have just one happy thing happen to poor Ian? Is that too much to ask? Overall I felt depressed when this book ended and even though the writing was good I'm not sure I'll continue with the series.
February 15, 2011
One by one, WWI veterans in a small village are murdered. Alone in the wee hours of the morning as farmers or brewers, they are garrotted with the identity disc of a soldier left in their mouths. The names on the discs are not theirs. Why are they being targeted? Why are other men's names placed in their mouths? Was there anything that happened during the war that led to being murdered afterward? Or before that, when they were all lads in the village?
Haunted Scotland Yard Inspector Ian Rutledge gets the case, although not everyone on the scene or at the Yard wants him there. As always, Rutledge also is dealing with the voice of Hamish, a man he admired who he had shot for desertion during the Great War. And he is dealing not only with Hamish, but also with the knowledge that he has strong feelings for a woman who may or may not care for him. A retiring superior leaves him with an unsolved mystery that Rutledge also cannot let go of. There are the usual attempts from his enemies at Scotland Yard and other prickly police that not only get in his way from investigating, but also land Rutledge in deep trouble.
As for the last, the authors (Todd and his mother, Caroline Todd, write the books under one name) expertly describe how society's attitudes about police and privacy affect Rutledge's ability to investigate. It's one of the aspects of an Inspector Rutledge novel that make it a deeply involved visit to the times between the wars. The setting plays an integral role in developing Rutledge's journey through each mystery and his life. These books are remarkable trips back to their setting.
Being alone infuses every page of the latest Inspector Ian Rutledge novel. Although Rutledge is never truly alone, because Hamish's voice is always with him, the inherent solitude of human beings who are not connected with others and who are rejected by others is the overwhelming theme.
When the first Rutledge novel, A TEST OF WILLS, appeared, Hamish seemed to be a gimmick that might grow old. But that has not happened. Rutledge's pain in causing Hamish's death and his steadfast adherence to his duty that led to that death are the reasons why the good inspector suffers from shellshock and literally battles his inner demons. What is growing old instead is the problem Rutledge faces from higher-ups at the Yard who are the epitome of unreasonable, ignorant bosses.
Rutledge's inner struggles are so eloquently described and, because his ongoing relationship with the dead Hamish are so important a part of the novels, the outer conflict with bullies at work threaten to drag the books down. In A LONELY DEATH, Rutledge's situation can be compared and contrasted to what's going on in the actual investigation, so it does make sense. The Todds veer dangerously close to preaching in this one, but their point of view is highly understandable.
However, it is possible Rutledge and the series are at a crossroads. The Todds certainly have shown time and again that they can develop new twists and an ongoing story arc that make Rutledge a character well worth visiting. If Rutledge returns with yet another layered psychological and whodunit mystery that continues to chronicle his journey as well as the investigation, the series will have a steadfast place in the pantheon of complex, rewarding historical crime fiction.
Haunted Scotland Yard Inspector Ian Rutledge gets the case, although not everyone on the scene or at the Yard wants him there. As always, Rutledge also is dealing with the voice of Hamish, a man he admired who he had shot for desertion during the Great War. And he is dealing not only with Hamish, but also with the knowledge that he has strong feelings for a woman who may or may not care for him. A retiring superior leaves him with an unsolved mystery that Rutledge also cannot let go of. There are the usual attempts from his enemies at Scotland Yard and other prickly police that not only get in his way from investigating, but also land Rutledge in deep trouble.
As for the last, the authors (Todd and his mother, Caroline Todd, write the books under one name) expertly describe how society's attitudes about police and privacy affect Rutledge's ability to investigate. It's one of the aspects of an Inspector Rutledge novel that make it a deeply involved visit to the times between the wars. The setting plays an integral role in developing Rutledge's journey through each mystery and his life. These books are remarkable trips back to their setting.
Being alone infuses every page of the latest Inspector Ian Rutledge novel. Although Rutledge is never truly alone, because Hamish's voice is always with him, the inherent solitude of human beings who are not connected with others and who are rejected by others is the overwhelming theme.
When the first Rutledge novel, A TEST OF WILLS, appeared, Hamish seemed to be a gimmick that might grow old. But that has not happened. Rutledge's pain in causing Hamish's death and his steadfast adherence to his duty that led to that death are the reasons why the good inspector suffers from shellshock and literally battles his inner demons. What is growing old instead is the problem Rutledge faces from higher-ups at the Yard who are the epitome of unreasonable, ignorant bosses.
Rutledge's inner struggles are so eloquently described and, because his ongoing relationship with the dead Hamish are so important a part of the novels, the outer conflict with bullies at work threaten to drag the books down. In A LONELY DEATH, Rutledge's situation can be compared and contrasted to what's going on in the actual investigation, so it does make sense. The Todds veer dangerously close to preaching in this one, but their point of view is highly understandable.
However, it is possible Rutledge and the series are at a crossroads. The Todds certainly have shown time and again that they can develop new twists and an ongoing story arc that make Rutledge a character well worth visiting. If Rutledge returns with yet another layered psychological and whodunit mystery that continues to chronicle his journey as well as the investigation, the series will have a steadfast place in the pantheon of complex, rewarding historical crime fiction.
March 1, 2022
This was a complex mystery, with a crafty foe and no indication of who might be the murderer. Someone is garrotting returned service men and the only clue is they all went to school together. Ian ends up back in France, an emotionally terrifying few days. Meredith Channing reappears. Run ins with Bowles reach new heights. All very dramatic.
January 5, 2011
First Sentence: The sod had grown over the graves, turning the torn earth a soft green, and the rows of white crosses gleamed brightly in the morning sun.
Veterans of The War survived the horrors of fighting only to now be murdered in this Sussex village of Eastfield. Inspector Ian Rutledge of Scotland Yard is sent to find a killer whose mark is killing with a garrote and leaving identity disks, but not their own, in the mouths of the victims. How many more will die and might one of them be Rutledge?
The mother and son team that comprise Charles Todd write books that are intriguing police procedurals and fairly effective anti-war stories laced with fascinating history and one of the most compelling protagonists.
We learn more, in this book, about Rutledge, his war experiences and the reason for his mentally “hearing” the persistent voice of Hamish, a soldier whose execution Rutledge ordered. We also feel his frustration at the machinations of his superior, Boyles, the pain of his relationship with Meredith and his questioning the value of his life. Rutledge is the driving force in the story with just enough back story on the secondary characters for the reader to understand their relationship to the story and each other. I particularly appreciated the rector’s comment of “I don’t hold with judging my flock. I see no reason to usurp God’s right.” That, alone, says a lot about the man.
The impact of war, in this case WWI, is effectively brought to bear. Todd writes a painful and effective description of the impact war has on those who fight and, by extension, their loved ones. At the same time, they comment on the naivety and ignorance of those at home regarding the conditions and experience of those who fight. Hamish makes the comment, “What we did was to die. For naught.”
Todd takes us into the period showing, on one hand, the conveniences automobiles and telephones have brought, but still the lack of comforts we take for granted and how the accomplishments of women were dismissed, such as Sister Kerry in Australia and her advances in treating polio victims. Their descriptions make real the time and places. Their research of the period is apparent and conveyed in the syntax of speech and historical details such as children’s clothing and toys, and the history of identity tags, the precursor of “dog tags.”
At the end, however, it’s the story that keeps one reading. Todd writes an excellent mystery which deals with both the brutality of murder. It is not a perfect plot--there is a thread which relied on coincidence which could have been left out, and a completely unnecessary portent—but does contain a powerful and emotional twist adding even greater depth to the character of Rutledge. Even so, there is a quality to the writing that draws me back and leaves me anxious for the next book.
A LONELY DEATH (Hist Pol Proc-Ins. Ian Rutledge-England-1920) – VG+
Todd, Charles – 13th in series
Wm Morrow, ©2010, ARC – US Hardcover ISBN: 9780061726194
Veterans of The War survived the horrors of fighting only to now be murdered in this Sussex village of Eastfield. Inspector Ian Rutledge of Scotland Yard is sent to find a killer whose mark is killing with a garrote and leaving identity disks, but not their own, in the mouths of the victims. How many more will die and might one of them be Rutledge?
The mother and son team that comprise Charles Todd write books that are intriguing police procedurals and fairly effective anti-war stories laced with fascinating history and one of the most compelling protagonists.
We learn more, in this book, about Rutledge, his war experiences and the reason for his mentally “hearing” the persistent voice of Hamish, a soldier whose execution Rutledge ordered. We also feel his frustration at the machinations of his superior, Boyles, the pain of his relationship with Meredith and his questioning the value of his life. Rutledge is the driving force in the story with just enough back story on the secondary characters for the reader to understand their relationship to the story and each other. I particularly appreciated the rector’s comment of “I don’t hold with judging my flock. I see no reason to usurp God’s right.” That, alone, says a lot about the man.
The impact of war, in this case WWI, is effectively brought to bear. Todd writes a painful and effective description of the impact war has on those who fight and, by extension, their loved ones. At the same time, they comment on the naivety and ignorance of those at home regarding the conditions and experience of those who fight. Hamish makes the comment, “What we did was to die. For naught.”
Todd takes us into the period showing, on one hand, the conveniences automobiles and telephones have brought, but still the lack of comforts we take for granted and how the accomplishments of women were dismissed, such as Sister Kerry in Australia and her advances in treating polio victims. Their descriptions make real the time and places. Their research of the period is apparent and conveyed in the syntax of speech and historical details such as children’s clothing and toys, and the history of identity tags, the precursor of “dog tags.”
At the end, however, it’s the story that keeps one reading. Todd writes an excellent mystery which deals with both the brutality of murder. It is not a perfect plot--there is a thread which relied on coincidence which could have been left out, and a completely unnecessary portent—but does contain a powerful and emotional twist adding even greater depth to the character of Rutledge. Even so, there is a quality to the writing that draws me back and leaves me anxious for the next book.
A LONELY DEATH (Hist Pol Proc-Ins. Ian Rutledge-England-1920) – VG+
Todd, Charles – 13th in series
Wm Morrow, ©2010, ARC – US Hardcover ISBN: 9780061726194
November 3, 2010
A period detective story, set just after World War One. Scotland Yard detective Rutledge is called in to investigate the deaths of three men in a small Sussex village. It would appear initially that the deaths are unrelated apart from the timing. When Rutledge begins to ask questions a variety of possible connections begin to surface.
The writing here is very restrained, as befits the time period. There are continual references to the war and its effect on those involved. The quality of the writing on this topic really does help you to understand the horrors of war and the long term effect on individuals and communities.
The plot developed very slowly and despite 5 murders seemed to meander at times. A decent who and why to tie the story up was then spoilt by the coincidences in the secondary storyline.
December 14, 2021
Charles Todd, Inspector Ian Rutledge series
https://www.orderofbooks.com/authors/...
Our hero is Inspector Ian Rutledge, shell-shocked after WWI, routinely hears the voice of his dead corporal, Hamish McLeod, in his head. The two of them are good characters; their relationship develops over the series from antagonism to a kind of partnership.
Rutledge is the Rodney Dangerfield of Scotland Yard: no respect from his higher-ups, no respect from the public, none from the local police he's sent to help.
Especially early in the series, they end abruptly.
They don't have to be read in order.
Charles Todd is the pen name of an American mother-and-son writing team: Caroline Todd, died 2021.08.28 (book 24 already sent to the publisher) and Charles Todd.
To orient the stories in time and place:
General areas of each book: https://www.charlestoddmap.com/ The books take us all over Britain. The U.K. has slightly less land area than Oregon. https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i... England comprises about 82 counties. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countie...
1857 Melinda Crawford survived Indian Mutiny (she's 72 in 1919; she lives on the Kent/East Sussex border https://www.google.com/maps/place/Ken... )
c. 1890 Ian Rutledge born
c. 1892 Ian's sister Frances born
1912 Rutledge was a (New) Scotland Yard inspector
1914.08 WWI began
1916.07 Captain Ian Rutledge put Corporal Hamish McLeod to death for refusing an order to lead more men to their deaths, on the Somme.
1916 - 1919 Influenza epidemic https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish...
1918.11.11 WWI ended
1919.02 Shell-shocked WWI survivor Rutledge's fiancée, Jean, ended their engagement.
1919.06.01 Rutledge returned to work at (New) Scotland Yard after recuperating from WWI. New Scotland Yard: https://www.google.com/maps/place/51%...
Simon Prebble is the best audio narrator: books 10-16, 18-22.
Tales -- Short Stories 0.5 and 12.5, Kindle ✅ ★★★
2013 0.5 Cold Comfort -- Kindle, in Tales, Short Story ✅ ★★★
2015 0.6 A Guid Soldier -- Kindle, Short Story ✅ ★★★
1994 1 A Test of Wills -- Kindle, Audible ✅ ★★★
1919.06 Warwickshire
1998 2 Wings of Fire -- Kindle, Audible ✅ ★★★★
Suspicious deaths in the house of fictional poet O.A. Manning. Cornwall. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Cor...
1999 3 Search the Dark -- Kindle, Audible ✅ ★★★
1919.08 Dorset. Ends rather badly.
2000 4 Legacy of the Dead -- Kindle, Audible ✅ ★★★
1919.09 Scotland. Features Fiona MacDonald, fiancée of the late Corporal Hamish McLeod.
2001 5 Watchers of Time -- Kindle, Audible ✅ ★★★
1919.10 Norfolk https://www.google.com/maps/place/Nor...
2002 6 A Fearsome Doubt -- Kindle, Audible ✅ ★★★
1919.11 Kent. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Ken... farther from London than Maidstone https://www.google.com/maps/place/Mai... (33%)
Rutledge remembers a little of what happened 1918.11.11-1919.02.
2005 7 A Cold Treachery -- Audible ✅ ★★★★
1919.12 Cumbria https://www.google.com/maps/place/Cum... Lake District near Kendal https://www.google.com/maps/place/Ken...
2006 8 A Long Shadow -- Audible ✅ ★★★★
1919.12 - 1920.02 We meet Mrs. Meredith Channing. This one has an exciting ending.
Northamptonshire https://www.google.com/maps/place/Nor...
2007 9 A False Mirror -- Kindle, Audible ✅ ★★★
1920.02 - 1920.03 We hear Rutledge's nasty boss, Bowles's, thoughts about how to destroy Rutledge. Some very stupid suspects. Dorset. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Dor...
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Westo...
2007 10 A Pale Horse -- Kindle, Audible, first book narrated by Simon Prebble ✅ ★★★★
1920.04 Set at the Uffington White Horse, https://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/u... ,
https://www.google.com/maps/@51.5775,...
Oxfordshire https://www.google.com/maps/place/Oxf... (formerly Berkshire https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berkshire )
and at Fountains Abbey, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fountai... ,
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Fou...
North Yorkshire: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Nor...
2008 11 A Matter of Justice -- Audible: Simon Prebble, library large print, ✅ ★★★★
Starts in the Boer War (11 October 1899 – 31 May 1902). Good story.
2009 12 The Red Door -- Libby ebook, Audible: Simon Prebble ✅ ★★★
1918.11.12-13 Lancashire https://www.google.com/maps/place/Lan...
1920.05 Essex https://www.google.com/maps/place/Ess...
1920.05-06 London; southwestern Suffolk; Aylesford, Kent; Essex; Lancashire. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Suf...
How do you ask a parrot about a murder? (chapter 19)
The near-senile Gran is the one likeable character in the central family. Many of the characters are despicable.
2010 12.5 The Kidnapping -- short story, Kindle ✅ ★★★
2011 13 A Lonely Death -- Audible: Simon Prebble, large print ✅ ★★★
Flashback to 1905 midsummer's eve
1920.06-07 France; London; Baldslow, East Sussex (fictionalized as Eastfield):
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Bal...
East Sussex:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Eas...
Gloucestershire: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Glo...
Compelling. Gruesome and sad in places.
2011 14 The Confession -- Audible: Simon Prebble, Kindle ✅ ★★★
2013 15 Proof of Guilt -- Libby audio: Simon Prebble; Libby ebook ✅ ★★★★
2014 16 Hunting Shadows -- Audible: Simon Prebble ✅ ★★★; Kindle
2015 17 A Fine Summer’s Day -- Libby audio ✅ ★★★★; large print
1914.06.28 - 1914.12.26. This one has Inspector Rutledge's backstory as a Scotland Yard inspector in the months before he goes to war. The fine summer's day is the day the Austrian archduke is murdered in Serbia.
2016 18 No Shred of Evidence -- Libby audio: Simon Prebble ✅ ★★★★★; Libby ebook
2017 19 Racing the Devil -- Audible: Simon Prebble ✅ ★★★★
2017 19.5 The Piper -- Kindle ✅ ★★★
2018 20 The Gate Keeper -- Audible: Simon Prebble; Kindle ✅ ★★★★
2019 21 The Black Ascot -- Audible: Simon Prebble; Kindle ✅ ★★★★
2020 22 A Divided Loyalty -- Audible: Simon Prebble; Kindle ✅ ★★★★
2021 23 A Fatal Lie -- Audible; Kindle ✅ ★★★★★
Has an overage of unpleasant characters. Early 1920s, Wales and Shropshire.
2021.08.28 Caroline Todd died (book 24 already sent to the publisher)
2022 24 A Game of Fear
Trivia:
Book 5: Watchers of Time:
https://www.goodreads.com/trivia/work...
https://www.orderofbooks.com/authors/...
Our hero is Inspector Ian Rutledge, shell-shocked after WWI, routinely hears the voice of his dead corporal, Hamish McLeod, in his head. The two of them are good characters; their relationship develops over the series from antagonism to a kind of partnership.
Rutledge is the Rodney Dangerfield of Scotland Yard: no respect from his higher-ups, no respect from the public, none from the local police he's sent to help.
Especially early in the series, they end abruptly.
They don't have to be read in order.
Charles Todd is the pen name of an American mother-and-son writing team: Caroline Todd, died 2021.08.28 (book 24 already sent to the publisher) and Charles Todd.
To orient the stories in time and place:
General areas of each book: https://www.charlestoddmap.com/ The books take us all over Britain. The U.K. has slightly less land area than Oregon. https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i... England comprises about 82 counties. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countie...
1857 Melinda Crawford survived Indian Mutiny (she's 72 in 1919; she lives on the Kent/East Sussex border https://www.google.com/maps/place/Ken... )
c. 1890 Ian Rutledge born
c. 1892 Ian's sister Frances born
1912 Rutledge was a (New) Scotland Yard inspector
1914.08 WWI began
1916.07 Captain Ian Rutledge put Corporal Hamish McLeod to death for refusing an order to lead more men to their deaths, on the Somme.
1916 - 1919 Influenza epidemic https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish...
1918.11.11 WWI ended
1919.02 Shell-shocked WWI survivor Rutledge's fiancée, Jean, ended their engagement.
1919.06.01 Rutledge returned to work at (New) Scotland Yard after recuperating from WWI. New Scotland Yard: https://www.google.com/maps/place/51%...
Simon Prebble is the best audio narrator: books 10-16, 18-22.
Tales -- Short Stories 0.5 and 12.5, Kindle ✅ ★★★
2013 0.5 Cold Comfort -- Kindle, in Tales, Short Story ✅ ★★★
2015 0.6 A Guid Soldier -- Kindle, Short Story ✅ ★★★
1994 1 A Test of Wills -- Kindle, Audible ✅ ★★★
1919.06 Warwickshire
1998 2 Wings of Fire -- Kindle, Audible ✅ ★★★★
Suspicious deaths in the house of fictional poet O.A. Manning. Cornwall. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Cor...
1999 3 Search the Dark -- Kindle, Audible ✅ ★★★
1919.08 Dorset. Ends rather badly.
2000 4 Legacy of the Dead -- Kindle, Audible ✅ ★★★
1919.09 Scotland. Features Fiona MacDonald, fiancée of the late Corporal Hamish McLeod.
2001 5 Watchers of Time -- Kindle, Audible ✅ ★★★
1919.10 Norfolk https://www.google.com/maps/place/Nor...
2002 6 A Fearsome Doubt -- Kindle, Audible ✅ ★★★
1919.11 Kent. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Ken... farther from London than Maidstone https://www.google.com/maps/place/Mai... (33%)
Rutledge remembers a little of what happened 1918.11.11-1919.02.
2005 7 A Cold Treachery -- Audible ✅ ★★★★
1919.12 Cumbria https://www.google.com/maps/place/Cum... Lake District near Kendal https://www.google.com/maps/place/Ken...
2006 8 A Long Shadow -- Audible ✅ ★★★★
1919.12 - 1920.02 We meet Mrs. Meredith Channing. This one has an exciting ending.
Northamptonshire https://www.google.com/maps/place/Nor...
2007 9 A False Mirror -- Kindle, Audible ✅ ★★★
1920.02 - 1920.03 We hear Rutledge's nasty boss, Bowles's, thoughts about how to destroy Rutledge. Some very stupid suspects. Dorset. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Dor...
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Westo...
2007 10 A Pale Horse -- Kindle, Audible, first book narrated by Simon Prebble ✅ ★★★★
1920.04 Set at the Uffington White Horse, https://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/u... ,
https://www.google.com/maps/@51.5775,...
Oxfordshire https://www.google.com/maps/place/Oxf... (formerly Berkshire https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berkshire )
and at Fountains Abbey, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fountai... ,
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Fou...
North Yorkshire: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Nor...
2008 11 A Matter of Justice -- Audible: Simon Prebble, library large print, ✅ ★★★★
Starts in the Boer War (11 October 1899 – 31 May 1902). Good story.
2009 12 The Red Door -- Libby ebook, Audible: Simon Prebble ✅ ★★★
1918.11.12-13 Lancashire https://www.google.com/maps/place/Lan...
1920.05 Essex https://www.google.com/maps/place/Ess...
1920.05-06 London; southwestern Suffolk; Aylesford, Kent; Essex; Lancashire. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Suf...
How do you ask a parrot about a murder? (chapter 19)
The near-senile Gran is the one likeable character in the central family. Many of the characters are despicable.
2010 12.5 The Kidnapping -- short story, Kindle ✅ ★★★
2011 13 A Lonely Death -- Audible: Simon Prebble, large print ✅ ★★★
Flashback to 1905 midsummer's eve
1920.06-07 France; London; Baldslow, East Sussex (fictionalized as Eastfield):
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Bal...
East Sussex:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Eas...
Gloucestershire: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Glo...
Compelling. Gruesome and sad in places.
2011 14 The Confession -- Audible: Simon Prebble, Kindle ✅ ★★★
2013 15 Proof of Guilt -- Libby audio: Simon Prebble; Libby ebook ✅ ★★★★
2014 16 Hunting Shadows -- Audible: Simon Prebble ✅ ★★★; Kindle
2015 17 A Fine Summer’s Day -- Libby audio ✅ ★★★★; large print
1914.06.28 - 1914.12.26. This one has Inspector Rutledge's backstory as a Scotland Yard inspector in the months before he goes to war. The fine summer's day is the day the Austrian archduke is murdered in Serbia.
2016 18 No Shred of Evidence -- Libby audio: Simon Prebble ✅ ★★★★★; Libby ebook
2017 19 Racing the Devil -- Audible: Simon Prebble ✅ ★★★★
2017 19.5 The Piper -- Kindle ✅ ★★★
2018 20 The Gate Keeper -- Audible: Simon Prebble; Kindle ✅ ★★★★
2019 21 The Black Ascot -- Audible: Simon Prebble; Kindle ✅ ★★★★
2020 22 A Divided Loyalty -- Audible: Simon Prebble; Kindle ✅ ★★★★
2021 23 A Fatal Lie -- Audible; Kindle ✅ ★★★★★
Has an overage of unpleasant characters. Early 1920s, Wales and Shropshire.
2021.08.28 Caroline Todd died (book 24 already sent to the publisher)
2022 24 A Game of Fear
Trivia:
Book 5: Watchers of Time:
https://www.goodreads.com/trivia/work...
March 13, 2021
3.5 stars
I find this a depressive series, somehow casting a darker shadow than the more obviously dark genre of Scandinavian crime fiction, which I find somehow livelier.
Still, most of those I’ve read are quite readable and interesting for their particular historical perspective. In this one I enjoyed getting to know a little more about the relationship between the protagonist and the quirky presence of his ghostly companion.
I find this a depressive series, somehow casting a darker shadow than the more obviously dark genre of Scandinavian crime fiction, which I find somehow livelier.
Still, most of those I’ve read are quite readable and interesting for their particular historical perspective. In this one I enjoyed getting to know a little more about the relationship between the protagonist and the quirky presence of his ghostly companion.
September 30, 2019
I have been generally enjoying this series, but this one is... not good, on really a number of fronts.
1. The mystery is predictable. I knew who it was, and how he was moving around unnoticed about midway through the book.
2. There are a couple of staggering coincidences in two of the sub-plots (the Mrs. Channing sub-plot, and how Rutledge helps Cummings solve the case that haunted him). One of the coincidences would have had me rolling my eyes. In combination, they were ridiculous. It doesn't help that one of them adds to my fourth objection.
3. I get that this series is meant to be sort of bleak and sparse, set as it is in post-war England. I get that. But this one takes it too far. It's one of those books that had me yelling, "Yes, but every so often nice things really do happen!" I mean, someone has to get murdered every book in a mystery series, so I'm not even counting that aspect of things. This series is starting to make Rutledge a bit of a whipping boy on a number of fronts, and because this is book 13, the authors have decided they need to continuously find worse ways of doing that. Which then leads me to...
4. This series is way too reliant on maintaining the status quo, while also simultaneously dialing all the drama up to 11. Look, I totally get the desire to maintain status quo in a long-running mystery series. But if you're going to do that, don't tease change, and don't try and one-up yourself drama-wise every book. It's unsustainable. Because while I readily admit I don't generally enjoy excessive drama in my novels, if repeated stampedes of drama-lamas are going to tear up the place, one thing I would expect is that eventually they would provoke change. If really dramatic things repeatedly happen to people, or around them, those people are affected by those things. You can't have something really dramatic happen, and then just slide everything back the way it was, and maintain the status quo. Hence, for example, why in a romance novel, drama being dialed up to 11 tends to provoke either a relationship roadblock, or a romantic declaration.
This series is trying to have it's cake and eat it to, and quite frankly, this installment stretches things so far, it defies logic.
In this particular installment, my third and fourth issues with the book play off each other on two fronts for Rutledge creating one eye-rolly scenario, and another scenario that just makes no sense and is wildly unpleasant to boot. I'm spoiler-cutting most of the rest.
Let's start with this series' insistence that Rutledge have no consistent friends of any kind.
But that is not the worst of the piling on. Look, I've made no secret of the fact that I find the Bowles-hates-Rutledge plotline tedious. Bowles hates Rutledge for poorly defined reasons, so he subtly tries to scupper his career. As his supervisor, this is something that he can do. It's generally been annoying and distasteful.
Then, in this one, it jumped right to insane. The plot is as follows:
Basically, the entire subplot doubles down on drama, while ignoring any and all logic.
Debating not reading any more of these. At this point, they're nothing but unpleasant. And they're clearly not willing to let a single thing change, even slowly.
I mean, if you're going to maintain status quo, do that. If you don't want to have any kind of long-term character arc for your protagonist, that's fine (though I'd perhaps recommend one). But then, in that case, let the murders of the week be the sole source of drama. If you're going to introduce other drama all over the place, than it should eventually produce change of some kind, or even just be developed in a reasonably consistent or logical way.
The unfortunate thing is that I'm going to be tempted to read the next one, just to see how far off the rails these things go.
1. The mystery is predictable. I knew who it was, and how he was moving around unnoticed about midway through the book.
2. There are a couple of staggering coincidences in two of the sub-plots (the Mrs. Channing sub-plot, and how Rutledge helps Cummings solve the case that haunted him). One of the coincidences would have had me rolling my eyes. In combination, they were ridiculous. It doesn't help that one of them adds to my fourth objection.
3. I get that this series is meant to be sort of bleak and sparse, set as it is in post-war England. I get that. But this one takes it too far. It's one of those books that had me yelling, "Yes, but every so often nice things really do happen!" I mean, someone has to get murdered every book in a mystery series, so I'm not even counting that aspect of things. This series is starting to make Rutledge a bit of a whipping boy on a number of fronts, and because this is book 13, the authors have decided they need to continuously find worse ways of doing that. Which then leads me to...
4. This series is way too reliant on maintaining the status quo, while also simultaneously dialing all the drama up to 11. Look, I totally get the desire to maintain status quo in a long-running mystery series. But if you're going to do that, don't tease change, and don't try and one-up yourself drama-wise every book. It's unsustainable. Because while I readily admit I don't generally enjoy excessive drama in my novels, if repeated stampedes of drama-lamas are going to tear up the place, one thing I would expect is that eventually they would provoke change. If really dramatic things repeatedly happen to people, or around them, those people are affected by those things. You can't have something really dramatic happen, and then just slide everything back the way it was, and maintain the status quo. Hence, for example, why in a romance novel, drama being dialed up to 11 tends to provoke either a relationship roadblock, or a romantic declaration.
This series is trying to have it's cake and eat it to, and quite frankly, this installment stretches things so far, it defies logic.
In this particular installment, my third and fourth issues with the book play off each other on two fronts for Rutledge creating one eye-rolly scenario, and another scenario that just makes no sense and is wildly unpleasant to boot. I'm spoiler-cutting most of the rest.
Let's start with this series' insistence that Rutledge have no consistent friends of any kind.
But that is not the worst of the piling on. Look, I've made no secret of the fact that I find the Bowles-hates-Rutledge plotline tedious. Bowles hates Rutledge for poorly defined reasons, so he subtly tries to scupper his career. As his supervisor, this is something that he can do. It's generally been annoying and distasteful.
Then, in this one, it jumped right to insane. The plot is as follows:
Basically, the entire subplot doubles down on drama, while ignoring any and all logic.
Debating not reading any more of these. At this point, they're nothing but unpleasant. And they're clearly not willing to let a single thing change, even slowly.
I mean, if you're going to maintain status quo, do that. If you don't want to have any kind of long-term character arc for your protagonist, that's fine (though I'd perhaps recommend one). But then, in that case, let the murders of the week be the sole source of drama. If you're going to introduce other drama all over the place, than it should eventually produce change of some kind, or even just be developed in a reasonably consistent or logical way.
The unfortunate thing is that I'm going to be tempted to read the next one, just to see how far off the rails these things go.
February 19, 2018
This mystery series has as its protagonist a man flawed and damaged from his service in WWI. He is shell shocked and frequently has flashbacks of his experiences. His hallucination and constant companion is a man in his regiment, of whom Rutledge was forced to make an example and of whose loss he has never recovered. Hamish both taunts him with his shortcomings and brings him to his senses when needed. The series is remarkable as it explores the horrors of war and tremendous burden of the officers in charge. Each story incorporates a good mystery with a bit of the past.
This installment is excellent and is superbly narrated by Simon Prebble. Recommended.
This installment is excellent and is superbly narrated by Simon Prebble. Recommended.
May 23, 2011
London, July, 1920 – Chief Inspector Cummins is clearing out his desk in preparation for his retirement. Ian Rutledge is helping him pack up his books when Cummins begins to talk about his years at Scotland Yard. He tells Rutledge that he enjoyed the hunt, the chase to catch the criminal but there is one case he has not been able to solve and it has haunted him for fifteen years. “I was a little superstitious about it, if you want the truth. I kept the folder on my desk for years, telling myself I’d get to the bottom of it, sooner or later….What bothered me most was not knowing whether the dead man was a victim or a sacrifice.” Cummins tells Rutledge of the midsummer night in 1905 when a group of young people decided to celebrate the solstice at Stonehenge, dressing as druids. As the sun came up, they saw a man draped across the sacrifice stone, dead from a stab wound. The would-be Druids claimed not to know him and he could have been there before they group arrived. Cummins eventually discovered that he was Harvey Wheeler from the Orkney Islands but he never discovered motive, weapon, or suspect. Rutledge knows Cummins was a diligent investigator and he decides that as he travels around England he will keep the case of Harvey Wheeler in mind.
Eastfield, Sussex, July, 1920 – In the span of a few days, three local men are murdered as they walk about their business in the dark. All of the men are taken by surprise because there is no evidence that they tried to defend themselves. All have been garroted. All served in the war although not in the same regiments. All grew up in Eastfield and were of the same age. All were found with an identity disk in their mouths bearing the name of a soldier but not their own. Panic sets in. Two are farmer and one is the heir to the local brewery business. If they could be killed so easily was any man in Eastfield safe?
Rutledge is nearby, attending the funeral of a good friend, a man who could not escape the demons from the fields of France. He is sent to Eastfield to assist the local police. Max took his own life rather than live with what he believes he has become. Is it the war that made the Eastfield men targets of a killer?
As with all the books in the Ian Rutledge series, this one has the same elegant prose, reflecting, perhaps, the time before the rapid social changes after WW I are not yet mirrored in the social structure of rural England.
The authors devote no more than 2 1/2 pages to each of the victims yet the characters are described in such detail that each is vivid and distinct from an other. The setting, a small town near Hastings, is made real in part because the authors don’t spend many words on describing Eastfield. But, they use words brilliantly to create atmosphere. Ian Rutledge is claustrophobic after being buried in a trench in France under the body of Hamish MacLeod, the voice that is always with him. The Eastfield as created by the authors is a place where the lives of its residents are tied so tightly for so many generations that the choices that can be made by the people are limited by history and their roles in the life of the town. This is not a negative. Readers in the twenty-first century are taken back to the early twentieth century to a place that exists only in the imaginations of the authors who invite us to join them.
Ian Rutledge is getting stronger. The Todds have used a very interesting device that allows time to pass slowly so that as changes happen around him, Ian is also changing. A LONELY DEATH is the thirteenth book in the series. The first book in the series is set in July, 1919. Each of the first twelve books is placed chronologically after that month and year. The thirteenth book is set in July, 1920. The war ended on November 11, 1918. Ian Rutledge is introduced to readers only 8 months after he would have been discharged from the army. The reader does not know how long Rutledge was in the hospital for shell shock but it is important to keep in mind that his wounds, psychic and otherwise, have had very little time to heal. But they are healing and the reader can see it happening from book to book as Ian builds a life after war.
January 9, 2011
I am a huge fan of the Inspector Ian Rutledge historical mysteries and this one is yet another engrossing read. Todd blends heartbreaking detail of the post WWI era with the psychological complexity of men trying to resume their lives after a devatating war.
In A Lonely Death, Rutledge is sent to Eastfield to investigate the deaths of three men. The men were garrotted when they were alone and identify tags were left in their mouths. But the names on the tags are not the men who were murdered. The identity tags inexplicably list the names of other, apparently random, war veterans.
As Rutledge investigates, he peels back the complex layers of relationships in the small villiage, revealing some of the social constraints and tensions of the time between the well-to-do and the poor.
Rutledge's jerk-of-a-boss, Bowles, is also scheming to discredit Rutledge and ensure he doesn't get a promotion, and this leads further difficulties for Rutledge as he tries to work his way through the mystery. This is doubly brutal for Rutledege since his job is sometimes the only thing he can cling to and maintain his sanity after his horrific war experiences and a severe case of shell shock. Sometimes I wish Todd would create some tragedy to befall Bowles--the character is in desperate need of some terminal illness or something--and give Rutledge a bit of a break. LOL
I won't write more for fear of giving away too many of the twists and turns. There is a delightful subplot, as well, of an older mystery that gives Rutledge two mysteries to solve in this book, which added another dimension that I really appreciated.
Fans will definitely appreciate this latest novel about Rutledge and for those who are new to the historical mystery series, it is equally good as an introduction to the thoughtful inspector.
In A Lonely Death, Rutledge is sent to Eastfield to investigate the deaths of three men. The men were garrotted when they were alone and identify tags were left in their mouths. But the names on the tags are not the men who were murdered. The identity tags inexplicably list the names of other, apparently random, war veterans.
As Rutledge investigates, he peels back the complex layers of relationships in the small villiage, revealing some of the social constraints and tensions of the time between the well-to-do and the poor.
Rutledge's jerk-of-a-boss, Bowles, is also scheming to discredit Rutledge and ensure he doesn't get a promotion, and this leads further difficulties for Rutledge as he tries to work his way through the mystery. This is doubly brutal for Rutledege since his job is sometimes the only thing he can cling to and maintain his sanity after his horrific war experiences and a severe case of shell shock. Sometimes I wish Todd would create some tragedy to befall Bowles--the character is in desperate need of some terminal illness or something--and give Rutledge a bit of a break. LOL
I won't write more for fear of giving away too many of the twists and turns. There is a delightful subplot, as well, of an older mystery that gives Rutledge two mysteries to solve in this book, which added another dimension that I really appreciated.
Fans will definitely appreciate this latest novel about Rutledge and for those who are new to the historical mystery series, it is equally good as an introduction to the thoughtful inspector.
August 30, 2012
The latest (for me) of the Ian Rutledge mystery series finds him in the middle of career and personal crises. This time he is sent to Sussex to unravel the death by garrote of three local war veterans, all young men who had managed to make it home only to be murdered for no apparent reason. This case would tax Rutledge in personal and professional ways before its ultimate solution. As always, Hamish continues his invisible presence throughout the case, sometimes frighteningly strong. As well, he must deal with interference from those at The Yard who dislike him.
In his personal life, Rutledge also is finding rough sailing. Having recently dared to declare himself to Meredith Channing, he wonders what will happen next, does she know the truth about him (the shell shock he suffered and has tried to keep hidden for so long).
It really is important to read these books from the start of the series in order to understand the implications of the names I mention. Otherwise they become simple mysteries with a lot of meaningless detail thrown in.
Treat yourself---read A Test Of Wills. Then read on from there.
In his personal life, Rutledge also is finding rough sailing. Having recently dared to declare himself to Meredith Channing, he wonders what will happen next, does she know the truth about him (the shell shock he suffered and has tried to keep hidden for so long).
It really is important to read these books from the start of the series in order to understand the implications of the names I mention. Otherwise they become simple mysteries with a lot of meaningless detail thrown in.
Treat yourself---read A Test Of Wills. Then read on from there.
February 4, 2017
I love the Ian Rutledge series. This was a well-written and plotted book, following the investigation much like a real investigation, following all the twists and turns, reaching dead ends and then trying another theory. It kept me very involved in the story until the end. One of the best books in the series. I would give a 4.5 if possible. The only reason I deduct a half a star is because there was a subplot that was interesting until the end of the book. There was a shocking conclusion to this subplot, but I found the answer to the subplot mystery a little unbelievable, and some issues were never explained at all, such as why the body in the subplot was found where it was. The book would have been fine without this subplot. Perhaps was to present a moral dilemna to Rutledge, and to bring a little bit of human relationships into Rutledge's lonely life.
April 16, 2012
This Rutledge story was a little bit more straight forward as to the murderer. There were lots of complications but it was a little more satisfying than a few others I have read. I was glad to see that Rutledge is starting to think about a new romance, but Todd sure put an end to it quickly. Maybe it will come again.
February 4, 2013
The best Ian Rutledge--and I've read all but the most recent one. A fascinating plot, good characterization, and at last a climax that really ends things in a worthwhile way, instead of just finding out whodunit out of left field. This is a worthwhile series for those who like the setting: post-WWI in England, and the Rutledge character.
February 2, 2017
Interesting but my frustrations with the series remain. A too-neat tie-up of the two mysteries, a chase rather than deduction (in fact, I started to wonder if I'd missed something repeatedly, but even upon rewinding found there were just abrupt transitions and characters who were not differentiated enough). Still a good mystery compared to the sexist dreck I've been finding lately.
June 13, 2017
Another moody, interesting mystery by Charles Todd. The subplot mystery seemed to come out of left field a bit and wasn't as well-integrated with the main story for my liking, but the gloomy brooding tone of the main mystery was a good rad.
February 18, 2016
These books are just starting to feel a little too formulaic and Rutledge just too distant. How about we have a book from Hamish's perspective?
February 1, 2021
Ian Rutledge mystery series is set in post-WW1 England, and Ian, an Inspector with Scotland Yard is haunted by the voice of his former friend and comrade, Hamish, who lives on in Ian’s head and the backseat of his motor car. In this mystery several veterans of the Eastfield Company are found murdered in what appears to be revenge or retribution. I love the time period, the atmospheric setting and Ian’s commitment to finding out the truth. Any books of this series would be fine as stand alone mysteries as an introduction to the series. Todd is also the author of the Bess Crawford series about a nurse serving in France during WW1. I’m a big fan of both series.
November 30, 2017
3* I admire writers who construct lengthy, intricate plots such as this one. I am enjoying the Ian Rutledge series with the insights into that period of history, though it is largely a bleak picture. There is darn little, if any, humour for relief. But the stories do pull me along. As in the others, it seems difficult in works of this complexity to avoid a few bloopers, and if I am correct in my assessment, then I wish the talented writers had a little more help with the proofreading/editing. That aside, I will be looking for more. Good one.
July 17, 2017
These very involved mysteries from another time in history might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I do enjoy listening to them on audiotape while running multiple errands. Much of what happens in the working out of the mystery in the Inspector Rutledge series "happens" in Rutledge's mind. And now the author has added another element of internal conflict with the haunting memory of Hamish, the friend he had killed in the war. But while poor Ian never seems to have his love life run smoothly, he is a crackerjack at crime detecting and using his imagination and intelligence to ferret out details that others seem to miss.
April 10, 2018
Surprised to find this was thirteenth in the series rather than the third which I'd actually intended to read. No wonder I felt there were gaps in my memory (there are, but in this case there are ten books in the series before this one that I have yet to read). Anyway, I still enjoyed this, and Simon Prebble's narration, as is to be expected, was first-rate.
January 20, 2020
Oh come on, seriously? Everyone is deeply damaged by the war, no one can pick up their boots and move on?! This constant tragic melodrama is wearing soooooo thin! The puzzle was still quite intriguing though... yes, they are free at the library and the audiobook reader is good so I'll keep going, but not sure how much longer I can take it!!
August 8, 2018
Bully
Funny that bullying would be such a core reason for revenge; somehow, like most, I’ve buried those long-ago inflicted wounds that to carry them into my adult life seems preposterous, but is it?
Funny that bullying would be such a core reason for revenge; somehow, like most, I’ve buried those long-ago inflicted wounds that to carry them into my adult life seems preposterous, but is it?
July 6, 2022
Multiple savage murders in a small town inseaside England seem to be rooted in the past: the War or earlier. Rutledge runs afoul of both the locals and the police. It’s a feature of this series that the other police are very crabby and thick. The early books in this series (v early 20th century) hinge on the difficulty of confirming identity before documentation like driver’s licenses, fingerprint, photography etc. Also: the title makes no sense.
July 18, 2017
While I did get mildly annoyed with how LONG this story dragged on (why so much info on the back and forth runnings of Rutledge??) I was very intrigued with the side plot with Merideth. I'll be more curious to see how that plays out more so than any of the actual "murders."
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