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margaret_k30's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
hudsone45's review against another edition
4.0
I struggled to get through up until the last quarter, and then it picked up. I don't like cliff hangers though.
xkwright's review against another edition
3.0
Flew through this one pretty quickly over a day or two of being sick in bed. The plot hinged on what felt like a lot of coincidences - surely 1919 Britain can't have been THAT small of a place - but I still wanted to know the resolution of the story and it kept me guessing until most of the way through. The ending was a bit abrupt, IMO, but I still enjoyed it.
majkia's review against another edition
Ian Rutledge is forced to go to Scotland to look into a missing person. He's still haunted by the Scots who died under his command, so reluctantly heads north. Then things get worse.
The Series keeps getting better!
The Series keeps getting better!
bethnellvaccaro's review against another edition
4.0
I just love this series. There are ridiculous coincidences and not always a lot of detective work, but I still eat them up. Can't wait to read the next one.
nonna7's review against another edition
4.0
The Inspector Rutledge series is one of the few "historical mystery" series that I follow pretty closely. As happens too often, I came in at the middle. I've had a lot of time to read lately so I was able to finish this one up quickly. This is actually the fourth in the series, and it answers a lot of questions about the character that I had reading the later ones.
It is 1919. The Great War is over, but Rutledge is still suffering some of the effects of war. He hears the voice of a dead soldier in his head - one that he ordered shot for insubordination. He had no choice, but is haunted by it. He was a detective before the war and is now back at Scotland Yard. However, his superior does not like him, he has lost his fiance, so all he wants to do is work so he doesn't have time to think. A woman in a small town in Scotland is arrested for murder. A body has been found that may be that of Eleanor Gray, daughter of Lady Maude Gray who is both wealthy and well-connected. He soon learns that the accused murderer is a woman to whom he owes more than he can ever repay and there are many buried secrets that could be exposed. This one was interesting although the ending was a little overly melodramatic.
Charles Todd is actually a pseudonym for a mother/son writing team. It's obvious they've done their homework. Reading their books is a real pleasure for me because they are so well-written and thoughtful. The writers know how to convey the emotion and darkness of the Great War and it's incredible aftermath. It is said that Great Britain lost an entire generation. Those who returned often continued to suffer. It's a lesson that we never seem to learn for very long.
It is 1919. The Great War is over, but Rutledge is still suffering some of the effects of war. He hears the voice of a dead soldier in his head - one that he ordered shot for insubordination. He had no choice, but is haunted by it. He was a detective before the war and is now back at Scotland Yard. However, his superior does not like him, he has lost his fiance, so all he wants to do is work so he doesn't have time to think. A woman in a small town in Scotland is arrested for murder. A body has been found that may be that of Eleanor Gray, daughter of Lady Maude Gray who is both wealthy and well-connected. He soon learns that the accused murderer is a woman to whom he owes more than he can ever repay and there are many buried secrets that could be exposed. This one was interesting although the ending was a little overly melodramatic.
Charles Todd is actually a pseudonym for a mother/son writing team. It's obvious they've done their homework. Reading their books is a real pleasure for me because they are so well-written and thoughtful. The writers know how to convey the emotion and darkness of the Great War and it's incredible aftermath. It is said that Great Britain lost an entire generation. Those who returned often continued to suffer. It's a lesson that we never seem to learn for very long.
jacklozada's review against another edition
5.0
This has been my favorite of the Ian Rutledge series, so far. The mystery is great with someone from his past. It ends on a cliffhanger too. Loved it!
plantbirdwoman's review against another edition
4.0
Legacy of the Dead is the fourth in Charles Todd's Inspector Ian Rutledge series. This is an intelligently written, literate series about a veteran of the trench warfare in France during World War I who, after the war, is trying to pick up the pieces of his life and his career at Scotland Yard.
But he carries the burden of a dark secret - namely, that he still suffers from the effects of shell-shock, as it was then known, post-traumatic stress disorder as we call it today. He carries with him the persona of a young Scots soldier named Hamish McLeod, whom he had to have executed on the battlefield for his refusal to obey an order. Hamish's cynical, taunting voice is a constant presence in his mind. One of the strengths of these books is that they deal with the issue of PTSD in a very sensitive fashion.
Ian Rutledge's superior at Scotland Yard is a very jealous man and he prefers to keep the skilled investigator Rutledge as far away as he can, so he always sends him out of town on cases at every opportunity.
This time, he is sent to Scotland which is where many of the ghosts that haunt Rutledge rest uneasily. This will not be a comfortable assignment for him.
The case that he is sent to investigate involves the weathered remains of a woman that have been discovered on a Scottish mountainside. The police believe they may be those of Eleanor Gray, a young woman from high society who has not been heard from in three years. Her mother, Lady Maude Gray, a woman of imperious bearing and ties to the British crown, professes not to believe that the bones are those of her daughter, and her objections must be handled delicately. Just the sort of thing that Inspector Rutledge excels at!
The real problem is that there is a young woman in jail who is accused of having killed the woman whose body was found and that young woman turns out to be a shocking surprise to both Rutledge and his mental companion Hamish.
We follow Rutledge through his examination of the evidence and his interviewing of many potential witnesses in the small and very insular Scottish town. He perceives early on that the accused woman, who has been enduring a campaign of slanderous anonymous letters sent to her neighbors, has become a scapegoat. He is sure that she is innocent and he hopes to be able to prove it and save her from the hangman.
There are several surprising turns in this well-written book and perhaps the most surprising is saved for the last. The plot is intricately planned and executed and it keeps the reader guessing and turning those pages right up to the end. It's easy to see why this was a "best novel" nominee for the Anthony Award when it was published in 2001.
"Charles Todd" is actually two people, Caroline and Charles Todd, a mother and son writing team. They have been very prolific. They actually have two series going, as well as stand-alone books. The Ian Rutledge series has at least ten more books, and counting, which just means lots of good reading ahead for me!
But he carries the burden of a dark secret - namely, that he still suffers from the effects of shell-shock, as it was then known, post-traumatic stress disorder as we call it today. He carries with him the persona of a young Scots soldier named Hamish McLeod, whom he had to have executed on the battlefield for his refusal to obey an order. Hamish's cynical, taunting voice is a constant presence in his mind. One of the strengths of these books is that they deal with the issue of PTSD in a very sensitive fashion.
Ian Rutledge's superior at Scotland Yard is a very jealous man and he prefers to keep the skilled investigator Rutledge as far away as he can, so he always sends him out of town on cases at every opportunity.
This time, he is sent to Scotland which is where many of the ghosts that haunt Rutledge rest uneasily. This will not be a comfortable assignment for him.
The case that he is sent to investigate involves the weathered remains of a woman that have been discovered on a Scottish mountainside. The police believe they may be those of Eleanor Gray, a young woman from high society who has not been heard from in three years. Her mother, Lady Maude Gray, a woman of imperious bearing and ties to the British crown, professes not to believe that the bones are those of her daughter, and her objections must be handled delicately. Just the sort of thing that Inspector Rutledge excels at!
The real problem is that there is a young woman in jail who is accused of having killed the woman whose body was found and that young woman turns out to be a shocking surprise to both Rutledge and his mental companion Hamish.
We follow Rutledge through his examination of the evidence and his interviewing of many potential witnesses in the small and very insular Scottish town. He perceives early on that the accused woman, who has been enduring a campaign of slanderous anonymous letters sent to her neighbors, has become a scapegoat. He is sure that she is innocent and he hopes to be able to prove it and save her from the hangman.
There are several surprising turns in this well-written book and perhaps the most surprising is saved for the last. The plot is intricately planned and executed and it keeps the reader guessing and turning those pages right up to the end. It's easy to see why this was a "best novel" nominee for the Anthony Award when it was published in 2001.
"Charles Todd" is actually two people, Caroline and Charles Todd, a mother and son writing team. They have been very prolific. They actually have two series going, as well as stand-alone books. The Ian Rutledge series has at least ten more books, and counting, which just means lots of good reading ahead for me!