"A Haunting Gem of a Mystery Featuring One of the Most Fascinating Sleuths Out There"

By: Charles Todd

Genres: Mystery Historical

Posted: June 27, 2012

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.)

Book Summary

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 Lonely Death by Charles Todd

A Lonely Death

by: Charles Todd

Inspector Ian Rutledge #13

William Morrow
January 1, 2011
On Sale: January 4, 2011
Featuring: Ian Rutledge
352 pages
ISBN: 0061726192
EAN: 9780061726194
Kindle: B003ZSHUK2
Hardcover / e-Book

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