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Inspector Ian Rutledge #24
A Game of Fear
In this newest installment of the acclaimed New York Times bestselling series, Scotland Yard’s Ian Rutledge is faced with his most perplexing case yet: a murder with no body, and a killer who can only be a ghost.
Spring, 1921. Scotland Yard sends Inspector Ian Rutledge to the sea-battered village of Walmer on the coast of Essex, where amongst the salt flats and a military airfield lies Benton Abbey, a grand manor with a storied past. The lady of the house may prove his most bewildering witness yet. She claims she saw a violent murder—but there is no body, no blood. She also insists she recognized the killer: Captain Nelson. Only it could not have been Nelson because he died during the war.
Everyone in the village believes that Lady Benton’s losses have turned her mind—she is, after all, a grieving widow and mother—but the woman Rutledge interviews is rational and self-possessed. And then there is Captain Nelson: what really happened to him in the war? The more Rutledge delves into this baffling case, the more suspicious tragedies he uncovers. The Abbey and the airfield hold their secrets tightly. Until Rutledge arrives, and a new trail of death follows�
Spring, 1921. Scotland Yard sends Inspector Ian Rutledge to the sea-battered village of Walmer on the coast of Essex, where amongst the salt flats and a military airfield lies Benton Abbey, a grand manor with a storied past. The lady of the house may prove his most bewildering witness yet. She claims she saw a violent murder—but there is no body, no blood. She also insists she recognized the killer: Captain Nelson. Only it could not have been Nelson because he died during the war.
Everyone in the village believes that Lady Benton’s losses have turned her mind—she is, after all, a grieving widow and mother—but the woman Rutledge interviews is rational and self-possessed. And then there is Captain Nelson: what really happened to him in the war? The more Rutledge delves into this baffling case, the more suspicious tragedies he uncovers. The Abbey and the airfield hold their secrets tightly. Until Rutledge arrives, and a new trail of death follows�
336 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 2022
621 people are currently reading
6298 people want to read
About the author
Charles Todd
110Ìýbooks3,444ÌýfollowersCharles 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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January 15, 2023
Another fantastic story (#24) in the superb Ian Rutledge Mystery series by writing team Charles Todd.
Inspector Rutledge is sent out to investigate a possible murder by a “ghost�. His superior at Scotland Yard detests Rutledge and this case is assigned by Markham to shame and belittle Rutledge.
Upon arriving in Walmer, Essex Rutledge sets about his task with the professionalism and open mind that all policemen should have. It’s 1921 and the “crime� is to have taken place at the site of a former Abbey, now home to Lady Benton. During WWI, a part of the property was taken over for the war effort and an air base was established as a jump off point to fight the war. During this period, many a young airman was welcomed to the Benton home as a respite from dark times.
The war has been over for a while. Why would the “ghost� come back to commit the crime at the former place of peace? Rutledge sets about his methodical approach to find the answers to many questions.
Inspector Rutledge is sent out to investigate a possible murder by a “ghost�. His superior at Scotland Yard detests Rutledge and this case is assigned by Markham to shame and belittle Rutledge.
Upon arriving in Walmer, Essex Rutledge sets about his task with the professionalism and open mind that all policemen should have. It’s 1921 and the “crime� is to have taken place at the site of a former Abbey, now home to Lady Benton. During WWI, a part of the property was taken over for the war effort and an air base was established as a jump off point to fight the war. During this period, many a young airman was welcomed to the Benton home as a respite from dark times.
The war has been over for a while. Why would the “ghost� come back to commit the crime at the former place of peace? Rutledge sets about his methodical approach to find the answers to many questions.
February 4, 2022
This makes over 30 books I have now read from this mother/son writing team, so it was with sadness I read the introductory and moving tribute in memory of the mother part of the team, now deceased.
I do enjoy both series, but Ian has always had a slight edge over Bess for me.
The assignment ungraciously given by his Scotland Yard superior, Ian sets off for Essex. The manor home he heads for was at one time used as training ground and central location during WWI, and the lady of the manor is being threatened by what sounds like fanciful imaginings when first told to Ian. He thinks he has been given a frivolous assignment until he finds the truth to be very much otherwise. Armed with his usual intense digging for the truth he is able to save a number of lives. The action ramps up to a dramatic conclusion.
I do enjoy both series, but Ian has always had a slight edge over Bess for me.
The assignment ungraciously given by his Scotland Yard superior, Ian sets off for Essex. The manor home he heads for was at one time used as training ground and central location during WWI, and the lady of the manor is being threatened by what sounds like fanciful imaginings when first told to Ian. He thinks he has been given a frivolous assignment until he finds the truth to be very much otherwise. Armed with his usual intense digging for the truth he is able to save a number of lives. The action ramps up to a dramatic conclusion.
September 5, 2022
4.5*
is another engrossing instalment in 's series featuring WW1 veteran-turned-Scotland Yard detective Ian Rutledge. It's a well-written series in the traditional mould, which I find reminiscent of 's rather cerebral mysteries featuring Commander Adam Dalgliesh.
It's Spring 1921 and Inspector Ian Rutledge is deputed to investigate a curious incident at Benton Hall on the Essex coast. The mistress of the manor, Lady Benton, has reported witnessing a murder on her grounds, steadfastly identifying the killer as a man believed deceased during the Great War. However, when local police searched the scene, neither a body nor any trace of a miscreant could be found.
The Hall was built to incorporate the remnants of an ancient Benedictine Abbey, and adjoining land was commandeered as an airfield during the recent war. Lady Benton had become acquainted with many of the servicemen who became her neighbours over the war years, and was particularly close to an intelligent young man, Captain Nelson, to whom she permitted unfettered access to Benton Hall's library. It is Captain Nelson who Lady Benton believes she observed by moonlight, attacking another man in her garden - but the captain is known to have died in a tragic car accident years earlier...
Rutledge conducts his investigations in his usual taciturn and understated manner, forging an uneasy bond with Lady Benton, whose credibility he respects, despite the seeming impossibility of the crime she claims to have witnessed. When one of her ladyship's employees, a local war widow, is found dead in suspicious circumstances inside a building on the disused airfield, the stakes are raised. Uncovering a link with a prior series of brutal crimes, Rutledge chases down leads as far away as Flanders before a dramatic denouement in which all is finally revealed.
is a satisfying, multi-layered mystery, with plenty of historical interest and a complex central character. Much of the narrative comprises Rutledge's internal ruminations, including his frequent dialogue with Hamish MacLeod, the ghost of a dead comrade from the Somme, a constant presence in the inspector's psyche. The setting in time and place is superlative, with the losses associated with the war still looming large over the populace and the landscape, especially that of northern France, still bearing many scars of the conflict.
I was saddened to learn of the death in August 2021 of (Carolyn Watjen), one half of the mother-son duo who have, until now, collaborated to write this series under the pen name . I hope that David Watjen will continue this much-loved series in spite of her loss.
I'd recommend (and the entire Inspector Ian Rutledge series) to any reader who enjoys intricately-plotted crime-mysteries. This isn't a series for readers who demand fast-moving or action-packed narratives, but will prove rewarding reading for those willing to commit to its introspective style and sometimes languid pace.
is another engrossing instalment in 's series featuring WW1 veteran-turned-Scotland Yard detective Ian Rutledge. It's a well-written series in the traditional mould, which I find reminiscent of 's rather cerebral mysteries featuring Commander Adam Dalgliesh.
It's Spring 1921 and Inspector Ian Rutledge is deputed to investigate a curious incident at Benton Hall on the Essex coast. The mistress of the manor, Lady Benton, has reported witnessing a murder on her grounds, steadfastly identifying the killer as a man believed deceased during the Great War. However, when local police searched the scene, neither a body nor any trace of a miscreant could be found.
The Hall was built to incorporate the remnants of an ancient Benedictine Abbey, and adjoining land was commandeered as an airfield during the recent war. Lady Benton had become acquainted with many of the servicemen who became her neighbours over the war years, and was particularly close to an intelligent young man, Captain Nelson, to whom she permitted unfettered access to Benton Hall's library. It is Captain Nelson who Lady Benton believes she observed by moonlight, attacking another man in her garden - but the captain is known to have died in a tragic car accident years earlier...
Rutledge conducts his investigations in his usual taciturn and understated manner, forging an uneasy bond with Lady Benton, whose credibility he respects, despite the seeming impossibility of the crime she claims to have witnessed. When one of her ladyship's employees, a local war widow, is found dead in suspicious circumstances inside a building on the disused airfield, the stakes are raised. Uncovering a link with a prior series of brutal crimes, Rutledge chases down leads as far away as Flanders before a dramatic denouement in which all is finally revealed.
is a satisfying, multi-layered mystery, with plenty of historical interest and a complex central character. Much of the narrative comprises Rutledge's internal ruminations, including his frequent dialogue with Hamish MacLeod, the ghost of a dead comrade from the Somme, a constant presence in the inspector's psyche. The setting in time and place is superlative, with the losses associated with the war still looming large over the populace and the landscape, especially that of northern France, still bearing many scars of the conflict.
I was saddened to learn of the death in August 2021 of (Carolyn Watjen), one half of the mother-son duo who have, until now, collaborated to write this series under the pen name . I hope that David Watjen will continue this much-loved series in spite of her loss.
I'd recommend (and the entire Inspector Ian Rutledge series) to any reader who enjoys intricately-plotted crime-mysteries. This isn't a series for readers who demand fast-moving or action-packed narratives, but will prove rewarding reading for those willing to commit to its introspective style and sometimes languid pace.
January 15, 2022
Always a quality series, this 24th installment of the Ian Rutledge books is top notch. A Game of Fear begins with the Inspector Rutledge being assigned to a case that has paranormal overtones: Lady Benton, a widow who lost her son in the Great War, claims to have seen a dead Army officer kill another man. With no body and no evidence of a crime, village police are convinced her mind is playing tricks on her; however, given her position in the community, Scotland Yard is called in to aid in the investigation.
While no ghost is involved, murders seemingly committed by a dead man form the crux of the mystery. As always, Rutledge's superior detecting skills tease out clues that have eluded the village force and which come together in a dramatic and satifying denouement. Series fans will also be pleased with some positive turns in Rutledge's personal life. Even Hamish, the voice of Rutledge's war induced PTSD, seems to be a positive player in this investigation.
Even if you have not read the other books in the series, this entry stands on its own and is strongly recommended.
Full Disclosure--NetGalley and the publisher provided me with a digital ARC of this book. This is my honest review.
While no ghost is involved, murders seemingly committed by a dead man form the crux of the mystery. As always, Rutledge's superior detecting skills tease out clues that have eluded the village force and which come together in a dramatic and satifying denouement. Series fans will also be pleased with some positive turns in Rutledge's personal life. Even Hamish, the voice of Rutledge's war induced PTSD, seems to be a positive player in this investigation.
Even if you have not read the other books in the series, this entry stands on its own and is strongly recommended.
Full Disclosure--NetGalley and the publisher provided me with a digital ARC of this book. This is my honest review.
January 31, 2022
…ill met by moonlight!
1921, another nail biting mystery with Inspector Ian Rutledge working on a murder given to him by Chief Superintendent Markham rather as a taunt. Rutledge’s working relationship with Scotland Yard is not an envious one. His thoughts about his colleagues� actions when told he was off to investigate the sighting of a killer ghost had him acknowledging that too often “humor has a malicious twist to it.� Lady Benton has seen a murder being committed by someone from her moonlit window. Come daylight no body/s we’re found. Someone with influence wants her fears laid to rest.
So up to Essex Ian is sent and of course there’s so much more to this occurrence than meets the eye. Ian becomes involved in searching for a murderer who’s a phantom.
As things start to become clearer the chase becomes just that more dangerous.
Thrilling shifts, moves and counter moves, as Ian plays a game of deadly chess with a cold blooded killer.
A William Morrow and Custom House ARC via NetGalley
Please note: Quotes taken from an advanced reading copy maybe subject to change
1921, another nail biting mystery with Inspector Ian Rutledge working on a murder given to him by Chief Superintendent Markham rather as a taunt. Rutledge’s working relationship with Scotland Yard is not an envious one. His thoughts about his colleagues� actions when told he was off to investigate the sighting of a killer ghost had him acknowledging that too often “humor has a malicious twist to it.� Lady Benton has seen a murder being committed by someone from her moonlit window. Come daylight no body/s we’re found. Someone with influence wants her fears laid to rest.
So up to Essex Ian is sent and of course there’s so much more to this occurrence than meets the eye. Ian becomes involved in searching for a murderer who’s a phantom.
As things start to become clearer the chase becomes just that more dangerous.
Thrilling shifts, moves and counter moves, as Ian plays a game of deadly chess with a cold blooded killer.
A William Morrow and Custom House ARC via NetGalley
Please note: Quotes taken from an advanced reading copy maybe subject to change
February 8, 2022
I will not provide a synopsis of the book. That’s what the back cover is for! 😊
This is the 24th installment of the Ian Rutledge series and I feel this is one of those transitional books. Things are (finally) changing for Ian, but not at a breakneck pace.
For 23 books, we’ve all cheered our favorite detective on as he’s battled criminals, his superiors and, most importantly, himself. He’s been slow to progress, but that’s what makes his character so real and relatable. For anyone who’s been through a trauma, you know the road to some semblance of normal is long and painful. Like Ian, many hide their pain and just go through life in a haze, often losing themselves in work.
For 23 books, we’ve watch Ian do just that - throw himself into work, hide his shell shock, and try to wall himself off from anyone who cares. Book 24 takes a turn.
In Game of Fear, while yes, we have a couple of murders to solve, we also see a lightening of sorts for Ian. The war memories still haunt him…the guilt is still there, but he’s starting to see tiny specks of happiness. And that’s the real story here.
For several books, we’ve known two things:
1. Markham hates him and is searching for a chance to fire him, putting Ian constantly in a space of fear
2. Kate has emerged as someone who has a way of reaching Ian…something he has long both wanted and feared.
Game of Fear addresses both of these.
So, while there’s a mystery about ghosts from the past causing fear, the title and undercurrent of the book is Ian coming to terms (in a sense) with his own fears. Because of this dawning of a “new Ian� I see this as a transitional book…almost like the tv episode right before a climactic one. This is a great book. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The mystery was so-so (thus, 4 stars instead of 5), but the character progression for Ian Rutledge was *chef’s kiss.*
If you’re a fan of this series, definitely give it a read…you’ll be glad you did. Then you can commiserate with me that we have to wait an entire year for the next one!
This is the 24th installment of the Ian Rutledge series and I feel this is one of those transitional books. Things are (finally) changing for Ian, but not at a breakneck pace.
For 23 books, we’ve all cheered our favorite detective on as he’s battled criminals, his superiors and, most importantly, himself. He’s been slow to progress, but that’s what makes his character so real and relatable. For anyone who’s been through a trauma, you know the road to some semblance of normal is long and painful. Like Ian, many hide their pain and just go through life in a haze, often losing themselves in work.
For 23 books, we’ve watch Ian do just that - throw himself into work, hide his shell shock, and try to wall himself off from anyone who cares. Book 24 takes a turn.
In Game of Fear, while yes, we have a couple of murders to solve, we also see a lightening of sorts for Ian. The war memories still haunt him…the guilt is still there, but he’s starting to see tiny specks of happiness. And that’s the real story here.
For several books, we’ve known two things:
1. Markham hates him and is searching for a chance to fire him, putting Ian constantly in a space of fear
2. Kate has emerged as someone who has a way of reaching Ian…something he has long both wanted and feared.
Game of Fear addresses both of these.
So, while there’s a mystery about ghosts from the past causing fear, the title and undercurrent of the book is Ian coming to terms (in a sense) with his own fears. Because of this dawning of a “new Ian� I see this as a transitional book…almost like the tv episode right before a climactic one. This is a great book. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The mystery was so-so (thus, 4 stars instead of 5), but the character progression for Ian Rutledge was *chef’s kiss.*
If you’re a fan of this series, definitely give it a read…you’ll be glad you did. Then you can commiserate with me that we have to wait an entire year for the next one!
March 10, 2022
Book #24 in this highly entertaining series is a fine example of a police procedural set in England in 1921. I am always amazed at how my attention is focused so firmly on a crime that seems to have almost no clues for Inspector Rutledge to home in on. Charles Todd seems to specialize in presenting readers with a crime where Rutledge has to begin with absolutely no information to go on. I am a rather restless reader, I want things to happen at a pretty smart pace under most circumstances, but with the Rutledge books I willingly sit back and enjoy watching the investigation proceed slowly. The Rutledge stories always seem to have a feel of otherworldliness about them because of the presence of Hamish in the mind of Rutledge, but this time that eerie sensation is carried even further because of the presence of a ghost. Or was it just imagination on the part of the witness?
April 6, 2022
Excellent installment of the Ian Rutledge series. Hope they continue.
January 24, 2022
ARC provided by William Morrow publishers via NetGalley for an honest review.
"A Game of Fear" by Charles Todd, is the first book that I have read in this series and by this author. I was certainly no disappointed! Even though this series has 23 previous stories, it stands alone, and does not leave the reader confused by what happened previously.
The main character, Ian Rutledge, is dealing with his own demons following the war. He is investigating incidents that happened on an airfield during the war. What is real and what is seen through the eyes of an elderly woman?
The mystery had me intrigued from the first page. I love when a novel has me guessing, with a surprise ending. I literally read the entire novel in just under two days.
At the beginning of this novel, Mr. Todd wrote a very endearing tribute to his mother, Caroline Todd, who passed away this past August. I know that she would be very proud of his latest novel!
This was the first, but will definitely not be the last novel that I read by Charles Todd.
"A Game of Fear" by Charles Todd, is the first book that I have read in this series and by this author. I was certainly no disappointed! Even though this series has 23 previous stories, it stands alone, and does not leave the reader confused by what happened previously.
The main character, Ian Rutledge, is dealing with his own demons following the war. He is investigating incidents that happened on an airfield during the war. What is real and what is seen through the eyes of an elderly woman?
The mystery had me intrigued from the first page. I love when a novel has me guessing, with a surprise ending. I literally read the entire novel in just under two days.
At the beginning of this novel, Mr. Todd wrote a very endearing tribute to his mother, Caroline Todd, who passed away this past August. I know that she would be very proud of his latest novel!
This was the first, but will definitely not be the last novel that I read by Charles Todd.
March 24, 2022
Obviously since I have read all this series over the years, I enjoy the characters and the settings (which vary all over England as Scotland Yard Inspector is called in to assist local police). This one takes place in an Essex coastal village with an abandoned WWI airfield, a manor house, the usual hotel and pubs, etc. Inspector Rutledge is still the good and driven man, haunted by the trenches in WWI.
Historical mysteries are one of my favorite genres and this is a good one.
Historical mysteries are one of my favorite genres and this is a good one.
February 14, 2022
A Game of Fear was a completely enjoyable read, and fortunately for me, it's not my last read, but I am assuming this is the official last installment of Ian Rutledge. I still need to read all of the books in this series as I came late to the series. I will certainly miss the writing of the Charles/Caroline Todd writing venture.
February 17, 2022
Charles Todd, Inspector Ian Rutledge series
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: The books take us all over Britain. The U.K. has slightly less land area than Oregon. England comprises about 82 counties.
1857 Melinda Crawford survived Indian Mutiny (she's 72 in 1919; she lives on the Kent/East Sussex border )
c. 1890 Ian Rutledge born
c. 1892 Ian's sister Frances born
Rutledge's parents die in a boating accident off Skye. [book 24]
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
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:
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.
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
2002 6 A Fearsome Doubt -- Kindle, Audible � ★★�
1919.11 Kent. farther from London than Maidstone (33%)
Rutledge remembers a little of what happened 1918.11.11-1919.02.
2005 7 A Cold Treachery -- Audible � ★★★★
1919.12 Cumbria Lake District near Kendal
2006 8 A Long Shadow -- Audible � ★★★★
1919.12 - 1920.02 We meet Mrs. Meredith Channing. This one has an exciting ending.
Northamptonshire
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.
2007 10 A Pale Horse -- Kindle, Audible, first book narrated by Simon Prebble � ★★★★
1920.04 Set at the Uffington White Horse, ,
Oxfordshire (formerly Berkshire )
and at Fountains Abbey, ,
North Yorkshire:
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
1920.05 Essex
1920.05-06 London; southwestern Suffolk; Aylesford, Kent; Essex; Lancashire.
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):
East Sussex:
Gloucestershire:
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 (b. 1934) died (age 86). (Book 24 already sent to the publisher. Charles eulogizes his mother in the front matter of book 24.)
2022 24 A Game of Fear -- Audible; Kindle � ★★★★�
1921 late spring.
Essex, near the Blackwater estuary, about 25 miles south of Colchester.
Trivia:
Book 5: Watchers of Time:
/trivia/work...
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: The books take us all over Britain. The U.K. has slightly less land area than Oregon. England comprises about 82 counties.
1857 Melinda Crawford survived Indian Mutiny (she's 72 in 1919; she lives on the Kent/East Sussex border )
c. 1890 Ian Rutledge born
c. 1892 Ian's sister Frances born
Rutledge's parents die in a boating accident off Skye. [book 24]
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
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:
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.
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
2002 6 A Fearsome Doubt -- Kindle, Audible � ★★�
1919.11 Kent. farther from London than Maidstone (33%)
Rutledge remembers a little of what happened 1918.11.11-1919.02.
2005 7 A Cold Treachery -- Audible � ★★★★
1919.12 Cumbria Lake District near Kendal
2006 8 A Long Shadow -- Audible � ★★★★
1919.12 - 1920.02 We meet Mrs. Meredith Channing. This one has an exciting ending.
Northamptonshire
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.
2007 10 A Pale Horse -- Kindle, Audible, first book narrated by Simon Prebble � ★★★★
1920.04 Set at the Uffington White Horse, ,
Oxfordshire (formerly Berkshire )
and at Fountains Abbey, ,
North Yorkshire:
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
1920.05 Essex
1920.05-06 London; southwestern Suffolk; Aylesford, Kent; Essex; Lancashire.
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):
East Sussex:
Gloucestershire:
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 (b. 1934) died (age 86). (Book 24 already sent to the publisher. Charles eulogizes his mother in the front matter of book 24.)
2022 24 A Game of Fear -- Audible; Kindle � ★★★★�
1921 late spring.
Essex, near the Blackwater estuary, about 25 miles south of Colchester.
Trivia:
Book 5: Watchers of Time:
/trivia/work...
August 1, 2024
Entertaining mystery listening ✨😎�
This kindle e-book novel is from my Kindle Unlimited account book 24 of 24
I started this series in 2013
Ian Rutledge is sent to investigate the question of a ghost committing murder. The investigation leads him from England to France and back before answers begin to fit together leading to the conclusion.
I would recommend this series and author to readers of family and friends relationships British mystery novels. 2024
This kindle e-book novel is from my Kindle Unlimited account book 24 of 24
I started this series in 2013
Ian Rutledge is sent to investigate the question of a ghost committing murder. The investigation leads him from England to France and back before answers begin to fit together leading to the conclusion.
I would recommend this series and author to readers of family and friends relationships British mystery novels. 2024
March 8, 2022
Charles Todd has been the name used by a mother and son writing team of mysteries. In a sad note at the beginning of this book the son informs us of the death of his mother. They've had a good run. This is the 24th in the Ian Rutledge series.
The time is the spring of 1921. As we are reminded at one point in the book, Inspector Ian Rutledge, the World War I veteran, is still quite a young man in his twenties. His superior at Scotland Yard is still the odious Chief Superintendent Markham who despises and is jealous of him and takes every opportunity to give him assignments that have a high potential for failure. In this case, the assignment is to go to the small village of Walmer in Essex and find a killer who is a ghost.
The ghost is one Captain Roger Nelson who was killed in the recent war, but Lady Felicia Benton who is herself a war widow and who knew Captain Nelson claims that as she stood by a window of her manor house she witnessed him kill someone. No body has been found and the local police are understandably skeptical about her story. But Lady Felicia is a relative of the Chief Constable of Scotland Yard and so Rutledge is dispatched to sort it all out.
What he finds in Walmer is a set of mysteries all surrounding what was once a busy airfield housing airmen and support staff for the RAF. Lady Felicia lives in a house that was formerly an abbey located next to the airfield. She had entertained many of the airmen in her home during the war. Rutledge finds her to be a sensible woman of sound mind and not likely to have imagined the crime that she reported. He seeks other explanations for what happened and soon finds them.
He is approached by a woman whose son, a local boy, had disappeared during the war, never to be accounted for. Several people in the community also reported having seen a ghost during the war who foretold the deaths of pilots. A bunch of kids had reported something at the old airfield before it was torn down, something that has scared them into silence. Mysteries seem to abound in this remote village and an entire shoal of red herrings swims around the place muddying the waters.
There are many dead-end leads that confuse things and Rutledge keeps getting redirected to other places. He's back and forth to London and finally is sent to France to follow an obscure lead. And every time he gets sidetracked, it seems that something terrible happens. Moreover, there is a side plot concerning Rutledge's attraction to Kate Gordon which has been hinted at now in a couple of the books, and the reader wonders if this is actually finally going somewhere. We also learn in the last chapter that Rutledge is being promoted to Chief Inspector, a prospect that appalls the odious Markham.
Maybe I was subliminally affected by the knowledge that half of the writing team had died while the book was being prepared, but I felt that its plot was really scattered and all over the place. The action just seemed to jump around without any clear plan in mind. Even though in the end all the clues came together and the solution was explained, the whole thing felt awkward and forced. Certainly not the best effort in this very long series.
The time is the spring of 1921. As we are reminded at one point in the book, Inspector Ian Rutledge, the World War I veteran, is still quite a young man in his twenties. His superior at Scotland Yard is still the odious Chief Superintendent Markham who despises and is jealous of him and takes every opportunity to give him assignments that have a high potential for failure. In this case, the assignment is to go to the small village of Walmer in Essex and find a killer who is a ghost.
The ghost is one Captain Roger Nelson who was killed in the recent war, but Lady Felicia Benton who is herself a war widow and who knew Captain Nelson claims that as she stood by a window of her manor house she witnessed him kill someone. No body has been found and the local police are understandably skeptical about her story. But Lady Felicia is a relative of the Chief Constable of Scotland Yard and so Rutledge is dispatched to sort it all out.
What he finds in Walmer is a set of mysteries all surrounding what was once a busy airfield housing airmen and support staff for the RAF. Lady Felicia lives in a house that was formerly an abbey located next to the airfield. She had entertained many of the airmen in her home during the war. Rutledge finds her to be a sensible woman of sound mind and not likely to have imagined the crime that she reported. He seeks other explanations for what happened and soon finds them.
He is approached by a woman whose son, a local boy, had disappeared during the war, never to be accounted for. Several people in the community also reported having seen a ghost during the war who foretold the deaths of pilots. A bunch of kids had reported something at the old airfield before it was torn down, something that has scared them into silence. Mysteries seem to abound in this remote village and an entire shoal of red herrings swims around the place muddying the waters.
There are many dead-end leads that confuse things and Rutledge keeps getting redirected to other places. He's back and forth to London and finally is sent to France to follow an obscure lead. And every time he gets sidetracked, it seems that something terrible happens. Moreover, there is a side plot concerning Rutledge's attraction to Kate Gordon which has been hinted at now in a couple of the books, and the reader wonders if this is actually finally going somewhere. We also learn in the last chapter that Rutledge is being promoted to Chief Inspector, a prospect that appalls the odious Markham.
Maybe I was subliminally affected by the knowledge that half of the writing team had died while the book was being prepared, but I felt that its plot was really scattered and all over the place. The action just seemed to jump around without any clear plan in mind. Even though in the end all the clues came together and the solution was explained, the whole thing felt awkward and forced. Certainly not the best effort in this very long series.
February 22, 2022
2.5 stars. This was a very odd read. Immediately upon opening the book, I was confronted with the fact that one half of the writing team passed away in August 2021. This is quite sad, but also made me wonder if this was the final book in the series? 24 books is a good run, especially when there's another ongoing series as well.
I ventured forth into the story with this knowledge. Maybe it was my imagination, but this book's plot seemed really scattered for a really long time. Rutledge is sent to Essex to investigate a "ghost" murder - a competent witness claims to have seen a man that she *knew* to be dead killing someone in her private garden. There's no body to be found, however, and no evidence that a crime took place. Rutledge is curious if the woman who witnessed the event is the target of someone's ire, or if it has something to do with the recently decommissioned airfield nearby. Was the man known to be dead really dead? And what about a local boy who disappeared around the same time? Several people claimed to have seen a ghost fortelling the deaths of other pilots during the war, and something made itself known to a bunch of kids, something that scared them into silence as the airfield was being torn down. And what of the huckster sniffing around, wanting to buy the old airfield property and proportedly turn it into some sort of shrine/museum?
There are plenty of red herrings, but it feels like Rutledge is mostly spinning his wheels as he follows dead end lead after dead end lead. He's sidetracked to London and then sent off to France, and each time he leaves Essex, something terrible happens.
The killer is introduced in the middle of the book and has no heretofore mentioned ties to anything in the village, and it felt really obvious. The clues came together in the end, but I, too, found myself wondering why Ian didn't shoot to kill the murderer when he had the chance. It would've saved everyone a lot of misery and trauma.
The last chapter finds Rutledge stunned to learn that he's been promoted to Chief Inspector, much to his supervisor's consternation. There are still various loose ends floating around (will he make a play for Kate Gordon, as he's been inching towards for the last couple of books?), but it seems like a rather natural place to end things, as well. I'm not sure if I want to read more Rutledge books, especially if he's led into more political nonsense or whatever, instead of working his cases in the field.
Maybe its because I was confronted with one of the author's deaths at the very start, but I felt like I could sense a difference between this book and the previous ones, even though its been over a year since I read the last one. The pace is very scattered, there are some obvious awkward turns of phrase, characters come in and out of the spotlight of importance, and though everything came together in the end, none of it started out very convincingly.
IDK. As I said at the start, this was an odd read.
I ventured forth into the story with this knowledge. Maybe it was my imagination, but this book's plot seemed really scattered for a really long time. Rutledge is sent to Essex to investigate a "ghost" murder - a competent witness claims to have seen a man that she *knew* to be dead killing someone in her private garden. There's no body to be found, however, and no evidence that a crime took place. Rutledge is curious if the woman who witnessed the event is the target of someone's ire, or if it has something to do with the recently decommissioned airfield nearby. Was the man known to be dead really dead? And what about a local boy who disappeared around the same time? Several people claimed to have seen a ghost fortelling the deaths of other pilots during the war, and something made itself known to a bunch of kids, something that scared them into silence as the airfield was being torn down. And what of the huckster sniffing around, wanting to buy the old airfield property and proportedly turn it into some sort of shrine/museum?
There are plenty of red herrings, but it feels like Rutledge is mostly spinning his wheels as he follows dead end lead after dead end lead. He's sidetracked to London and then sent off to France, and each time he leaves Essex, something terrible happens.
The killer is introduced in the middle of the book and has no heretofore mentioned ties to anything in the village, and it felt really obvious. The clues came together in the end, but I, too, found myself wondering why Ian didn't shoot to kill the murderer when he had the chance. It would've saved everyone a lot of misery and trauma.
The last chapter finds Rutledge stunned to learn that he's been promoted to Chief Inspector, much to his supervisor's consternation. There are still various loose ends floating around (will he make a play for Kate Gordon, as he's been inching towards for the last couple of books?), but it seems like a rather natural place to end things, as well. I'm not sure if I want to read more Rutledge books, especially if he's led into more political nonsense or whatever, instead of working his cases in the field.
Maybe its because I was confronted with one of the author's deaths at the very start, but I felt like I could sense a difference between this book and the previous ones, even though its been over a year since I read the last one. The pace is very scattered, there are some obvious awkward turns of phrase, characters come in and out of the spotlight of importance, and though everything came together in the end, none of it started out very convincingly.
IDK. As I said at the start, this was an odd read.
January 12, 2022
ARC provided by William Morrow publishers via NetGalley for an honest review.
I so enjoyed this newest book in the series. Even at 24 books, this series continues to be fresh with different murders and mysteries and Rutledge continues to show growth in his character and his abilities to solve some very difficult murders.
This book sees Rutledge really struggling with his shell shock (what they used to call PTSD), partly because this mystery deals with the war more than some of the others. Hamish, his ever present ghost, is also a bit more vocal and present in this book than in the last couple. He also has to face some old emotions and heartache of his own as he has to travel back to France in pursuit of the truth.
This story is quite different than some of the others in that much of the mystery pertains to events that happened on the airfield during the war. It was really difficult to decide what was true and what was possibly imagined by others in this one. There were some really good twists that were hard to see coming, but the overall tone of the book was somewhat subdued. I never really felt the fear that I perhaps should have given the events as they unfolded.
One of the things I really love about this series is the settings. Rural England after WWI was an interesting mixture of old and new. The conveniences of the city were far and few between in the villages he visits. This is really noticable when he has to drive to the next town just to place a phone call. The details in the writing really make you think that you are visiting these areas yourself.
Another great Inspector Rutledge story. If you have not yet given this series a try, you really should. Although they don’t need to be read in order, you should start with the first one, A Test of Wills, as that one sets up who Rutledge is and how the war affected his life.
I so enjoyed this newest book in the series. Even at 24 books, this series continues to be fresh with different murders and mysteries and Rutledge continues to show growth in his character and his abilities to solve some very difficult murders.
This book sees Rutledge really struggling with his shell shock (what they used to call PTSD), partly because this mystery deals with the war more than some of the others. Hamish, his ever present ghost, is also a bit more vocal and present in this book than in the last couple. He also has to face some old emotions and heartache of his own as he has to travel back to France in pursuit of the truth.
This story is quite different than some of the others in that much of the mystery pertains to events that happened on the airfield during the war. It was really difficult to decide what was true and what was possibly imagined by others in this one. There were some really good twists that were hard to see coming, but the overall tone of the book was somewhat subdued. I never really felt the fear that I perhaps should have given the events as they unfolded.
One of the things I really love about this series is the settings. Rural England after WWI was an interesting mixture of old and new. The conveniences of the city were far and few between in the villages he visits. This is really noticable when he has to drive to the next town just to place a phone call. The details in the writing really make you think that you are visiting these areas yourself.
Another great Inspector Rutledge story. If you have not yet given this series a try, you really should. Although they don’t need to be read in order, you should start with the first one, A Test of Wills, as that one sets up who Rutledge is and how the war affected his life.
March 14, 2022
This book opens with a letter from one of the authors memorializing the other, who has died. It is unclear what will happen to the series going forward, but this book is a very solid installment in a long running and enjoyable series. Rutledge is sent out to a decommissioned air field where the lady of the nearby manor house saw someone seemingly murder another. There is no evidence that this in fact took place but the Yard sends Rutledge out to investigate, and of course it is quite complex, with other unexplained deaths to be looked into, as well as a hint of a love interst.
September 13, 2023
In the end this was a good book. At first I thought it a little slow and was tempted to stop reading it. However, I did keep on and when it got hold of me I found it thoroughly enjoyable.
January 17, 2022
Through now 24 novels, Charles and Caroline Todd have provided their readers with excellence, pure and simple. The first novel in the Rutledge series, A Test of Wills, is a classic, and the rest of the series, elegiac, carefully plotted, and richly characterized, have all been solid and worthy reads. Sadly, this is the last novel written in collaboration with Caroline Todd, who passed away. She leaves a huge legacy.
In this novel, set in 1921, Inspector Rutledge has been called in from Scotland Yard to look at a case in Essex. He goes where he’s sent by his higher ups, but he is puzzled to be looking in a case that seems to involve a ghost. No-one is better than the Todds at setting up a disturbing premise that sticks in your mind as you read, wondering what’s going on. Twenty-four books in, I was pretty comfortable waiting to discover the solution.
When Rutledge arrives in tiny Walmer he’s informed by the local Inspector that Lady Benton, a normally sensible woman, seems to have seen something in her garden one night that involved a ghost committing murder. When the police tried to find any evidence of a crime, they found none. Rutledge, while skeptical, feels that the woman is sincere and turns his mind to discovering what really happened.
Lady Benton’s estate sits on the edge of a huge field that was used for airmen during the war. She’s lost her son and husband, as well as one of the men she was particularly fond of, and it’s this man she thinks she saw in the garden, his face illuminated in a ghostly fashion. While Rutledge is still haunted by his war experience (to the point where one of the dead men who had been in his charge inhabits his thoughts, speaking to him in a different voice and accent than his own), so too is Lady Benton. Her home, now utilized for tourists, nevertheless holds meaning for her as the legacy of her husband and son, and she refuses to leave, no matter what may happen.
The melancholy and elegiac aspects of writing about so many people traumatized by war � Lady Benton’s staff are all war widows � is something the Todds have perfected. The details of those in the countryside who have lost sons or brothers or fathers are always present, overhanging the stories even as life seems to go on, at least in the form of murder investigations.
When a series of puzzling deaths and other events follow the ghostly sighting � and some of them can be described as accidents or even suicides, or simply disappearances � a pattern begins to emerge and Rutledge begins to tease out what really happened, finally realizing he is on the trail of what we would now call a serial killer.
Very interestingly, this is not a serial killer novel about the killer, but a serial killer novel about the victims and the aftermath of what the killer has wrought, combined with a slam bang action ending. Oh, and Rutledge also makes some personal and professional headway. This is a lot to pack into one beautifully rendered package. As always, I was more than happy to spend some time with Rutledge and one of his investigations.
In this novel, set in 1921, Inspector Rutledge has been called in from Scotland Yard to look at a case in Essex. He goes where he’s sent by his higher ups, but he is puzzled to be looking in a case that seems to involve a ghost. No-one is better than the Todds at setting up a disturbing premise that sticks in your mind as you read, wondering what’s going on. Twenty-four books in, I was pretty comfortable waiting to discover the solution.
When Rutledge arrives in tiny Walmer he’s informed by the local Inspector that Lady Benton, a normally sensible woman, seems to have seen something in her garden one night that involved a ghost committing murder. When the police tried to find any evidence of a crime, they found none. Rutledge, while skeptical, feels that the woman is sincere and turns his mind to discovering what really happened.
Lady Benton’s estate sits on the edge of a huge field that was used for airmen during the war. She’s lost her son and husband, as well as one of the men she was particularly fond of, and it’s this man she thinks she saw in the garden, his face illuminated in a ghostly fashion. While Rutledge is still haunted by his war experience (to the point where one of the dead men who had been in his charge inhabits his thoughts, speaking to him in a different voice and accent than his own), so too is Lady Benton. Her home, now utilized for tourists, nevertheless holds meaning for her as the legacy of her husband and son, and she refuses to leave, no matter what may happen.
The melancholy and elegiac aspects of writing about so many people traumatized by war � Lady Benton’s staff are all war widows � is something the Todds have perfected. The details of those in the countryside who have lost sons or brothers or fathers are always present, overhanging the stories even as life seems to go on, at least in the form of murder investigations.
When a series of puzzling deaths and other events follow the ghostly sighting � and some of them can be described as accidents or even suicides, or simply disappearances � a pattern begins to emerge and Rutledge begins to tease out what really happened, finally realizing he is on the trail of what we would now call a serial killer.
Very interestingly, this is not a serial killer novel about the killer, but a serial killer novel about the victims and the aftermath of what the killer has wrought, combined with a slam bang action ending. Oh, and Rutledge also makes some personal and professional headway. This is a lot to pack into one beautifully rendered package. As always, I was more than happy to spend some time with Rutledge and one of his investigations.
February 1, 2022
Charles Todd's mother and co-author, Caroline, passed away last August, but the pair completed their twenty-fourth Ian Rutledge novel, "A Game of Fear," before her death. In 1921, Ian travels to the village of Walmer on the Essex coast. He is there to investigate a strange sighting by Lady Felicia Benton, a widow who saw what appeared to be a murder committed by the ghost of Captain Roger Nelson, whom she knew during the war. Lady Benton lives in a former abbey that is now a manor house and, after meeting her, Rutledge believes that she is a woman of sound mind who is not likely to see things that are not there. She is also related to the Chief Constable of Scotland Yard. Therefore, Inspector Rutledge is expected to get to the bottom of this bizarre case.
As fans of this series know, Ian is plagued by the horror of what he saw and did during World War I. Furthermore, the voice of a dead soldier, Corporal Hamish MacLeod, who was under Ian's command, has haunted him for years. Ian wisely sought help for his emotional problems, and he functions normally—except for bout of claustrophobia, occasional flashbacks, and nightmares. The authors set their story in a remote area that once housed a busy airfield occupied by airmen and support staff for the RAF. When Rutledge digs into the soldiers' backgrounds, he discovers disturbing evidence that points to the existence of a murderer who may still be at large.
Sadly, Ian's suspicions are borne out when a local resident is killed, and the remains of another body are uncovered. "A Game of Fear" has plenty of angst and atmosphere, but its plot is slow-moving, the dialogue is repetitious, and the characters do not command our attention. The villain is a cipher and, other than Ian, there are few individuals in this mystery who comes across as three-dimensional. Inspector Rutledge is constantly on the move and he seems to come up with solutions out of thin air. The book's conclusion is flat, anticlimactic, and dreary, and it is heartbreaking that Ian's life seems to be permanently scarred by his traumatic memories and corrosive feelings of guilt.
As fans of this series know, Ian is plagued by the horror of what he saw and did during World War I. Furthermore, the voice of a dead soldier, Corporal Hamish MacLeod, who was under Ian's command, has haunted him for years. Ian wisely sought help for his emotional problems, and he functions normally—except for bout of claustrophobia, occasional flashbacks, and nightmares. The authors set their story in a remote area that once housed a busy airfield occupied by airmen and support staff for the RAF. When Rutledge digs into the soldiers' backgrounds, he discovers disturbing evidence that points to the existence of a murderer who may still be at large.
Sadly, Ian's suspicions are borne out when a local resident is killed, and the remains of another body are uncovered. "A Game of Fear" has plenty of angst and atmosphere, but its plot is slow-moving, the dialogue is repetitious, and the characters do not command our attention. The villain is a cipher and, other than Ian, there are few individuals in this mystery who comes across as three-dimensional. Inspector Rutledge is constantly on the move and he seems to come up with solutions out of thin air. The book's conclusion is flat, anticlimactic, and dreary, and it is heartbreaking that Ian's life seems to be permanently scarred by his traumatic memories and corrosive feelings of guilt.
March 13, 2022
Drawn out. Not very believable. Became boring in a lot of spots.
November 21, 2021
A Game of Fear is the 24th installment in the Ian Rutledge series. For me, an important part of the series is the way Inspector Rutledge copes with his shell shock from WWI. Of course, there was no label at that time. Mental illness was not socially acceptable. In the previous few books, Rutledge seemed to be coping well. In this book, his PTSD is back with a vengeance. As he navigates the case of a ghost committing murder and sifting truth from lies and deception, he must be careful not to let his own ghost get the better of him.
My condolences to Charles Todd on the death of his mother Caroline Todd. I will sorely miss their collaboration and hope that there is some way to continue the two series. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.
My condolences to Charles Todd on the death of his mother Caroline Todd. I will sorely miss their collaboration and hope that there is some way to continue the two series. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.
February 13, 2022
I did need to pause for a bit at the authors intro, and process the loss of part of the Todd writing duo. It came as a bit of a jolt, I wasn't aware that Caroline “Todd� had passed away in August last year: what a huge loss for Charles, and Caroline’s family, and friends.
It felt odd, and sad, listening to the last (?), duo written, Rutledge mystery after that.
The mystery had quite a few side stories going on and adding to that the authors had Rutledge needing to, made to, take a return trip back to a war torn Calais, so lots going on.
The murderer is a serial killer and prepared to remove anyone who gets in the way of the past crimes he is wanting to cover up, and, what he is currently looking for �.
Ian seems to be doing better with “Hamish�, though his love life remains at the cautious and retreat stage. So frustrating! However, it is good see a breakthrough in his work life.
It felt odd, and sad, listening to the last (?), duo written, Rutledge mystery after that.
The mystery had quite a few side stories going on and adding to that the authors had Rutledge needing to, made to, take a return trip back to a war torn Calais, so lots going on.
The murderer is a serial killer and prepared to remove anyone who gets in the way of the past crimes he is wanting to cover up, and, what he is currently looking for �.
Ian seems to be doing better with “Hamish�, though his love life remains at the cautious and retreat stage. So frustrating! However, it is good see a breakthrough in his work life.
September 29, 2021
Thank you to William Morrow and Custom House and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book was published on February 1st, 2022.
Another great Charles Todd title -- I very much enjoy their (Charles Todd is a mother / son writing team) Ian Rutledge post-WWI series. In this episode, a woman sees a murder take place outside her window but there is no body and the man she can positively identify as the murderer has been dead for many years. Rutledge has to go back to the time of the and the aviation field nearby to understand what is really happening. Charles Todd is definitely a notch above the writing skill of your typical cozy. A pleasure to read!
Another great Charles Todd title -- I very much enjoy their (Charles Todd is a mother / son writing team) Ian Rutledge post-WWI series. In this episode, a woman sees a murder take place outside her window but there is no body and the man she can positively identify as the murderer has been dead for many years. Rutledge has to go back to the time of the and the aviation field nearby to understand what is really happening. Charles Todd is definitely a notch above the writing skill of your typical cozy. A pleasure to read!
March 21, 2022
The DRC I read did not include Charles' prologue about the death of his mother Caroline--they wrote as a team--but this is apparently going to be the last book in the series.So that leaves Inspector Rutledge, 24 books later, largely in the same place he was to begin with--still fighting shell shock, still with the voice of Hamish in his head. He does get a promotion, but he still hasn't met Bess Crawford, the other Todd character, though they have a common link in Melinda Crawford. The mystery now is whether Charles Todd will attempt to solo on additional books.
March 29, 2022
4.5 Stars
A GAME OF FEAR is one of the best books in the series, if not THE best.
I was very sad to discover that Caroline Todd had died back in August of last year. She and her son have devised some wonderful characters and toothy plots. And they also managed to bring the Great War to life for me like nothing else I have read.
June 4, 2022
So sad to hear of the passing of Caroline Todd, who is half of the mother/son authors of this series! This will be a loss to all readers and I hope that the son (Charles) can continue on....
Again, one of my favorite series thanks to Inspector Rutledge himself (PTSD, WWI and a bachelor)! This time he is sent (by Scotland Yard) to the coast of Essex to investigate a ghost and a 'maybe' murder! The background, which is lengthy; involves a WWI airfield in England, some unsolved murders in England and abroad (France) and the lady of a large manor (who owns the airfield land) and her family and friends.
I guess, whatever the crime, Inspector Rutledge can start with the smallest detail and work it to the 'nth' degree! I enjoy the police procedurals and am astounded to see what they discover given the lack of modern day DNA and other modern devices.
The cases always surround the 'world' of the Inspector who suffers with PTSD and his daily angst of being alive when his comrades perished during the war; ALTHOUGH, I do wish that he would finally find (and keep) a love interest. I think this would only add to his attractiveness - haha - only kidding. I am actually worried that he is doomed to become a confirmed bachelor because of his ghost (Hamish) and worries that no woman would accept him.
Waiting for the next book!!! :)
Again, one of my favorite series thanks to Inspector Rutledge himself (PTSD, WWI and a bachelor)! This time he is sent (by Scotland Yard) to the coast of Essex to investigate a ghost and a 'maybe' murder! The background, which is lengthy; involves a WWI airfield in England, some unsolved murders in England and abroad (France) and the lady of a large manor (who owns the airfield land) and her family and friends.
I guess, whatever the crime, Inspector Rutledge can start with the smallest detail and work it to the 'nth' degree! I enjoy the police procedurals and am astounded to see what they discover given the lack of modern day DNA and other modern devices.
The cases always surround the 'world' of the Inspector who suffers with PTSD and his daily angst of being alive when his comrades perished during the war; ALTHOUGH, I do wish that he would finally find (and keep) a love interest. I think this would only add to his attractiveness - haha - only kidding. I am actually worried that he is doomed to become a confirmed bachelor because of his ghost (Hamish) and worries that no woman would accept him.
Waiting for the next book!!! :)
February 2, 2022
As a longtime Ian Rutledge fan, I always know each new series entry will have Rutledge, a troubled WWI vet and Scotland Yard detective, untangling a dark and mysterious murder. Rutledge, like many Great War survivors, suffered from shell shock, what we now call PTSD. He is burdened with the ghost of a soldier he had to shoot for mutiny.
Rutledge doesn't quite fit anywhere. Although an excellent detective, he is not very communicative and can be high-handed. He is not well liked at Scotland Yard and has been cursed with some very bad superior officers who would just as soon see him gone. And his personal life is non-existent. His fiancee and he broke up after he came home wounded in body and spirit. He recognizes that it would have been a disastrous match, but still stings from the rejection.
This book actually holds out a slight bit of hope of a more normal life -- Rutledge has strong feelings for a woman who is struggling with escaping from her family's expectations. It would be nice to see him progress on his tortured journey.
The mystery: a widow has seen a "ghost" -- she thought she glimpsed a man she knows to be dead killing another man. And she lives next to an abandoned airfield and there are a number of oddities: a mechanic who disappeared, an ace pilot who died in a car crash, a camp administrator who commits suicide. Rutledge carefully traces down the individual cases and tries to thread together a scenario. And then a local widow is found dead in a staged suicide.
This is an excellent series, dark and meaty. Thanks to Net Galley and to the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Rutledge doesn't quite fit anywhere. Although an excellent detective, he is not very communicative and can be high-handed. He is not well liked at Scotland Yard and has been cursed with some very bad superior officers who would just as soon see him gone. And his personal life is non-existent. His fiancee and he broke up after he came home wounded in body and spirit. He recognizes that it would have been a disastrous match, but still stings from the rejection.
This book actually holds out a slight bit of hope of a more normal life -- Rutledge has strong feelings for a woman who is struggling with escaping from her family's expectations. It would be nice to see him progress on his tortured journey.
The mystery: a widow has seen a "ghost" -- she thought she glimpsed a man she knows to be dead killing another man. And she lives next to an abandoned airfield and there are a number of oddities: a mechanic who disappeared, an ace pilot who died in a car crash, a camp administrator who commits suicide. Rutledge carefully traces down the individual cases and tries to thread together a scenario. And then a local widow is found dead in a staged suicide.
This is an excellent series, dark and meaty. Thanks to Net Galley and to the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
February 12, 2022
Here is and another nail-biting mystery by my favorite Ian Rutledge. I was so sad to read the introductory tribute to Caroline Todd. She touched so many hearts.
A Game of Fear by @charlestoddpic
In this story , Inspector Rutledge is assigned to a supernatural and mysterious case.
Spring, 1921. Scotland Yard sends Inspector Ian Rutledge to the sea-battered village of Walmer on the coast of Essex, where amongst the salt flats and a military airfield lies Benton Abbey, a grand manor with a storied past. The lady of the house may prove his most bewildering witness yet. She claims she saw a violent murder—but there is nobody, no blood. She also insists she recognized the killer: Captain Nelson. Only it could not have been Nelson because he died during the war.
Everyone in the village believes that Lady Benton’s losses have turned her mind—she is, after all, a grieving widow and mother—but the woman Rutledge interviews is rational and self-possessed. And then there is Captain Nelson: what really happened to him in the war? The more Rutledge delves into this baffling case, the more suspicious tragedies he uncovers. The Abbey and the airfield hold their secrets tightly. Until Rutledge arrives, and a new trail of death follows�
A Game of Fear by @charlestoddpic
In this story , Inspector Rutledge is assigned to a supernatural and mysterious case.
Spring, 1921. Scotland Yard sends Inspector Ian Rutledge to the sea-battered village of Walmer on the coast of Essex, where amongst the salt flats and a military airfield lies Benton Abbey, a grand manor with a storied past. The lady of the house may prove his most bewildering witness yet. She claims she saw a violent murder—but there is nobody, no blood. She also insists she recognized the killer: Captain Nelson. Only it could not have been Nelson because he died during the war.
Everyone in the village believes that Lady Benton’s losses have turned her mind—she is, after all, a grieving widow and mother—but the woman Rutledge interviews is rational and self-possessed. And then there is Captain Nelson: what really happened to him in the war? The more Rutledge delves into this baffling case, the more suspicious tragedies he uncovers. The Abbey and the airfield hold their secrets tightly. Until Rutledge arrives, and a new trail of death follows�
March 8, 2022
Wonderful, well plotted, well written
One half of the “Charles Todd� mother and son writing team died in 2019 (2020?) This is the first book written by the son alone and, to me, it is by far the best of the series. Much as the other books were written well, they were often bogged down by too much verbiage, too much description. This one was tightly written, and, from the beginning, very suspenseful. A blameless aristocratic widow sees the ghost of a dead flyer killing a stranger out her window. Inspector Rutledge is sent from London to Essex to see what it’s all about as the widow has influence in Scotland Yard. The mystery deepens, Rutledge puts the case together carefully while another sad murder occurs.
I was riveted by the story. I began by listening to it on Libby but then bought it on Kindle because I couldn’t listen to enough of it to satisfy myself. A great read.
One half of the “Charles Todd� mother and son writing team died in 2019 (2020?) This is the first book written by the son alone and, to me, it is by far the best of the series. Much as the other books were written well, they were often bogged down by too much verbiage, too much description. This one was tightly written, and, from the beginning, very suspenseful. A blameless aristocratic widow sees the ghost of a dead flyer killing a stranger out her window. Inspector Rutledge is sent from London to Essex to see what it’s all about as the widow has influence in Scotland Yard. The mystery deepens, Rutledge puts the case together carefully while another sad murder occurs.
I was riveted by the story. I began by listening to it on Libby but then bought it on Kindle because I couldn’t listen to enough of it to satisfy myself. A great read.
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