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tobyyy's review against another edition
4.0
Listened to the audiobook version as I drove 550 miles today. It was a good story — I’m sure I missed some nuances when I was battling traffic and surviving thunderstorms on the interstate, but all of the book that I remember, I enjoyed.
Definitely want to continue with this series! I love WWI and WWII mysteries/historical fic and Ian Rutledge was a fascinating character. Especially given his experience with PTSD (“shell shock”) and how it affects his life as a member of Scotland Yard — I feel like Todd does an excellent job of sharing how Rutledge experiences PTSD but also how hard he has to work to hide it from his colleagues/those around him due to the stigma.
Definitely want to continue with this series! I love WWI and WWII mysteries/historical fic and Ian Rutledge was a fascinating character. Especially given his experience with PTSD (“shell shock”) and how it affects his life as a member of Scotland Yard — I feel like Todd does an excellent job of sharing how Rutledge experiences PTSD but also how hard he has to work to hide it from his colleagues/those around him due to the stigma.
berlinda52's review against another edition
4.0
The main character is a Scotland Yard inspector, returning to work after WW I and suffering from shell shock. That aspect of the novel was very interesting. On top of that, it was a very good mystery story. I had no idea 'whodunit' - which is very unusual for me!
kansas_girl's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This is the first in Charles Todd’s Ian Rutledge series. If you have not found Inspector Rutledge yet, you must put this on your reading list. Rutledge is a veteran of WWI, who returns to his position as Detective Inspector at Scotland Yard, uncertain of his ability to return to his former extraordinary skills in police work. He suffers from “shell shock” and is haunted by the voice of Corporal Hamish Macleod, whose death broke Rutledge for reasons I’ll let you find out while reading. Hamish chides, laughs, snorts, and grumbles, excoriating Rutledge for his weaknesses and reminding him of his strengths, all in a voice heard only by the detective.
wolfsonarchitect's review against another edition
4.0
Great psychological detective story set in an English village. It discusses the effects of World War I on the various villagers of different classes.
smittybooks2630's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
gswain's review against another edition
4.0
It was interesting to read the first book after starting in the middle of the series.
veronica87's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
My first book by the mother/son writing team who publish under the name Charles Todd. It had an easy and comforting writing style, a shell-shocked and sympathetic protagonist, and an ending with a twist I didn't see coming.
My first book by the mother/son writing team who publish under the name Charles Todd. It had an easy and comforting writing style, a shell-shocked and sympathetic protagonist, and an ending with a twist I didn't see coming.
annieb123's review against another edition
5.0
There are very few books that entrance me so thoroughly that I am compelled to go and buy the rest of the series before I've even finished the first one. This is a wonderful book and a wonderful series.
laurenjodi's review against another edition
4.0
A Test of Wills
4 Stars
In the aftermath of WWI, Inspector Ian Rutledge is sent by Scotland Yard to investigate the murder of a decorated veteran, Colonel Charles Harris. Everyone in the area is surprised at the senseless crime, but as the secrets of the tiny Warwickshire village emerge, Rutledge comes to realize that still waters run deep and something dark and sinister is at work.
Reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple mysteries, the seemingly peaceful village atmosphere, the intriguing investigation and the compelling protagonist all make for an entertaining read.
Rutledge is a fascinating character. Suffering from shell-shock (PTSD in today’s terminology) as a result of his experiences in the trenches, he struggles to cope with his own demons as he exposes the secrets of the various villagers along with their motives for murder.
Each of the suspects is fleshed out well whether it be the Colonel’s enticing young ward with her bewitching eyes and lying tongue, or the famous flying ace who quarreled with the victim before his death, or the town troublemaker who bears a nasty grudge and is not adverse to spreading half truths. Not to mention the obsequious priest, or the talented young artist with a disturbing past, or the painfully shy girl whose afraid of her own shadow. All of them contribute to the dark and insidious vibe within the misleadingly quaint and peaceful village.
Although the story takes a while to get going as Rutledge interviews each of the suspects and works to gather evidence from the most unlikely of sources, the last few chapters are gripping and the finale is intense and exciting with an interesting twist or two.
In sum, a promising beginning to the series and I look forward to following Inspector Rutledge’s future investigations and learning more about his past.
4 Stars
In the aftermath of WWI, Inspector Ian Rutledge is sent by Scotland Yard to investigate the murder of a decorated veteran, Colonel Charles Harris. Everyone in the area is surprised at the senseless crime, but as the secrets of the tiny Warwickshire village emerge, Rutledge comes to realize that still waters run deep and something dark and sinister is at work.
Reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple mysteries, the seemingly peaceful village atmosphere, the intriguing investigation and the compelling protagonist all make for an entertaining read.
Rutledge is a fascinating character. Suffering from shell-shock (PTSD in today’s terminology) as a result of his experiences in the trenches, he struggles to cope with his own demons as he exposes the secrets of the various villagers along with their motives for murder.
Each of the suspects is fleshed out well whether it be the Colonel’s enticing young ward with her bewitching eyes and lying tongue, or the famous flying ace who quarreled with the victim before his death, or the town troublemaker who bears a nasty grudge and is not adverse to spreading half truths. Not to mention the obsequious priest, or the talented young artist with a disturbing past, or the painfully shy girl whose afraid of her own shadow. All of them contribute to the dark and insidious vibe within the misleadingly quaint and peaceful village.
Although the story takes a while to get going as Rutledge interviews each of the suspects and works to gather evidence from the most unlikely of sources, the last few chapters are gripping and the finale is intense and exciting with an interesting twist or two.
In sum, a promising beginning to the series and I look forward to following Inspector Rutledge’s future investigations and learning more about his past.
deehaichess's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
The first Charles Todd book, and the first of "his" I have ever read. I thought the premise sounded interesting, but the book was quite slow and I was frustrated by the way in which the main character seemed to just basically go back and forth asking the same questions of all the suspects with very little progress until the 75% mark, where suddenly, everything got quite fast and tense. From that point on the story was great right to the end! That 25% made me glad I hadn't abandoned it, and I think I will try at least 1 or 2 more of Todd's Inspector Rutlege books. I felt like this was a taste of the surgical precision with which the author (just discovered a second ago that the author is a pen-name for a mother-son writing team) dissected and critiqued Post War British society. There was a poem quoted in this book - brutal in its bitter examination of such and if that is the direction the rest of the books go in, I am all in.
Oh! Also, omg but this was another audiobook and the narrator (Samuel Giles) sounded a bit like he reading it in the style of Anthony Hopkins (and now I've said that, you won't be able to un-hear it). No shade on either actor but it was not really my thing.
Oh! Also, omg but this was another audiobook and the narrator (Samuel Giles) sounded a bit like he reading it in the style of Anthony Hopkins (and now I've said that, you won't be able to un-hear it). No shade on either actor but it was not really my thing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Violence, Murder, and Gun violence
Minor: Classism