“Todd’s Ian Rutledge mysteries are among the most intelligent and affective being written these days.”
NO MAJOR SPOILERS
There are quite a few different books in the Ian Rutledge mystery series and I have read 7-8 of them. The one I’m currently finishing is ” Lonely Death” and it has been quite engrossing.
I truly enjoy the writing of the mother-son duo that is Charles Todd. I have also read the Bess Crawford mystery series by them. The Ian Rutledge books follow a Scotland Yard inspector who came back to London after WWI with a case of “shell shock” (PTSD) and hears the voice of a man he served with in his head at all sorts of times.He doesn’t want his superiors at the Yard to know about this problem, so that adds a personal dimension to his sleuthing.
Once again Scotland Yard has sent Inspector Rutledge out of London to the British “hinterland” to find out why three men from a small village have been murdered. Before he can even draw a connection between the three, a fourth man is killed in a neighboring town. All the four seem to have in common is that they were soldiers in France during the war, although they did not all serve together.
Rutledge’s own traumatic stress threatens to obscure the clues – but the voice in his head (Hamish, a soldier he commanded) is quick to spot dangers and oddities in this quirky crime.
Very enjoyable book.
Reviewed by:
Beth350
Added 15th March 2016
