In A LONELY DEATH, book 13 of Charles Todd's Ian
Rutledge series the war-
damaged Rutledge is called to the Sussex village of
Eastfield to investigate the garroting deaths of three men.
In each mouth is found a pasteboard identity disc with the
name and rank of a stranger. The discs were used by the
military to identify bodies for burial. The murdered men all
served in the military, but not in the same unit.
As
Inspector Rutledge painstakingly unravels the threads of the
past he faces challenges from the case and elsewhere that
could bring him to the brink of death himself.
As so many fans have come to expect, A LONELY DEATH is gem
of a mystery. The killer is clever, the subtle red
herrings deeply buried and the denouement is viscerally
satisfying. Charles Todd pulls us deeply into the story
from the first page. The victims are introduced with raw
immediacy, as Todd uses miniscule every-day details to
create vivid lasting impressions in the reader's mind.
Ian Rutledge, haunted by a guilt-spawned voice only he can
hear struggles to keep focus on his job between episodes of
shell-shock. His vulnerability helps make him one of the
most fascinating sleuths out there.
The setting of the books, England after the Great War, is
brought to us with almost painful intimacy, highlighting the
persistence of damage to the individual and the community,
the hidden wounds that continue to cost lives after the
harsh, numbing blows of the war itself.
I highly recommend any of Charles Todd's books whether in
the Inspector Ian Rutledge series or those featuring Bess
Crawford, war nurse.
(Charles Todd is the name used by the mother and son writing
duo Caroline and Charles Todd.)
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.
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