Inspector Ian Rutledge of Scotland Yard takes up his twenty-fifth case, which occurs during a warm July of 1921. A DAY OF JUDGEMENT is the first in the series I have read. The setting shortly after the ending of the Great War is memorable, as emotions are bitter and losses keenly felt.

Where England meets lowland Scotland on the eastern side is the Northumberland coastline and the Farne Islands, including a monastery on the Holy Island of Lindisfarne. We learn that a boatsman washed up on the tide at a fishing village. Rutledge is sent by his superiors – driving up in his Rolls-Royce – because of the proximity to Lindisfarne. The Anglican Church holds a political sway and general respect.

Rutledge served in the trench warfare and, like many men, came home shattered mentally. The author has provided a ghostly figment of imagination, which Rutledge carries with him, called Hamish, who makes irascible comments. I suspect this was a great idea in book one, and by now, the author can’t dispose of the disembodied voice.  

There are few police in the remote area, and the fishermen stick together and keep order. They also tend to drink a lot. Rutledge stands out like the proverbial sore thumb. The story describes each village, inn, church and rectory as though describing archival photographs, with the difference that Rutledge then walks inside and converses with the inhabitants. I found a few Americanisms, such as calling the ground floor the first floor, but I might have read a version written to make sense to American readers. The action is quite ponderous, in a day when the hotel has the only telephone and newspapers don’t usually reach the shops. The inspector keeps returning to the hotel to pick up messages, and he drives from one village to the next, getting a grand day out in a small boat for a change.

The dour locals keep recollecting how the Huns used to sink fishing boats, calling submarine warfare cowardly. We understand this is tied to the abrupt death, but as they won’t trust the outside police officer, it’s hard to see how Rutledge can make headway. He gets on with enjoying fresh fish and treacle pudding, while some women find him a good prospect in a land depleted of fit young men. Charles Todd was half of a writing duo with his late mother, Caroline Todd, and now continues the series. A DAY OF JUDGEMENT makes occasional reference to previous cases but stands well alone. I would be interested to read the earlier case files. I suggest this novel might be better in audiobook, for the mix of accents.