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valefimbres's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
leahreadsalot's review against another edition
2.0
I think that to really be 'in' to this one, you might have to start with book 1 in the series. I felt unfamiliar with the characters the entire time, and this wasn't a book I felt connected to in any way. Though, perhaps if I had been more familiar with the series, I'd be more invested.
rumbledethumps's review against another edition
3.0
The disappearance of a prominent author and missionary leads Scotland Yard Inspector Ian Rutledge into the English countryside to investigate the death of a war widow.
The twelfth novel in Charles Todd's Ian Rutledge series, The Red Door combines some of the best elements of modern mysteries and those of the Golden Age of Christie, Sayers, and Marsh. A close-knit family guarding a family secret, the English landed-class of the 1920s, a single-minded detective determined to find the truth are all staples of the Golden Age. But Todd adds the more modern elements of a flawed central character (haunted by the First World War), and characters who know "Chin up, old boy!" is not always the best response to the modern world.
I haven't read any of the other books in this series, and doing so might have increased my understanding of some of the minor parts of the book (an old romance, a case in Scotland that traumatized Rutledge), but the book can be read and understood without reading the first eleven books.
My only complaints are minor (in the first paragraph, a woman considers her reflection in order to describe what she looks like to the reader; a Scottish character whose accent is conveyed through all sorts of non-standard spellings and apostrophes), but overall it was an enjoyable read.
The twelfth novel in Charles Todd's Ian Rutledge series, The Red Door combines some of the best elements of modern mysteries and those of the Golden Age of Christie, Sayers, and Marsh. A close-knit family guarding a family secret, the English landed-class of the 1920s, a single-minded detective determined to find the truth are all staples of the Golden Age. But Todd adds the more modern elements of a flawed central character (haunted by the First World War), and characters who know "Chin up, old boy!" is not always the best response to the modern world.
I haven't read any of the other books in this series, and doing so might have increased my understanding of some of the minor parts of the book (an old romance, a case in Scotland that traumatized Rutledge), but the book can be read and understood without reading the first eleven books.
My only complaints are minor (in the first paragraph, a woman considers her reflection in order to describe what she looks like to the reader; a Scottish character whose accent is conveyed through all sorts of non-standard spellings and apostrophes), but overall it was an enjoyable read.
knottyrambler's review against another edition
5.0
These are great books to listen to as I garden and cook. All of them are engaging and have plots that are not obvious.
judyward's review against another edition
4.0
I can't believe that this is the 12th book in the Ian Rutledge series. The plot in this book is as good as the one in the first book in the series. It's July of 1920 and Rutledge is called in to investigate the disappearance of Walter Teller from a hospital in London. It seems strange to Rutledge that the Teller family leaves his wife in London alone while they fan out to check sites all over southern England where Walter may have gone. What's going on here? Does this family have a secret? Well, what self-respecting family doesn't? Walter comes back on his own, but refuses to reveal where he had been and what he had been doing for the four days that he was missing. Then there is a murder in a distant village of a woman who had been married to a Peter Teller who never came back from World War I. Hmm, Walter Teller has a brother named Peter Teller. Is the family involved in some way? There are lots of red herrings--all of which I fell for--and I thought that I had the mystery figured out about seven times before the ending which surprised me. A well-written book about the interwar era in which I am so interested. One note: I think that it helps to read the books in order in this series because of the mental breakdown that Ian Rutledge suffers as a result of his actions in World War I and his attempts to work his way back to normality.
kriscricket's review against another edition
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? It's complicated
4.0
hudsone45's review against another edition
Will he be rejected? Will he finally be happy? One more cliffhanger to go maybe.