Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book sets itself up like a classic English mystery. Inspector Ian Rutledge, just back from WWI and carrying some serious trauma, gets sent to a tiny village to solve the murder of a beloved officer. Sounds promising: war-haunted detective, a countryside setting, shady villagers with secrets — basically, the recipe for a moody whodunnit.
But the execution? Brutal. There are so many characters that keeping track of them felt like a part-time job. Every time I thought I had a handle on who was who, another villager would pop in with their own side story, and the whole thing spun out again. Instead of layering suspense, it just made everything muddy and confusing. Half the time I wasn’t even following the plot — I was just flipping back muttering, “Wait… who is this person again?”
And the pacing? All over the place. One moment we’re crawling through pages of internal angst, the next we’re thrown into yet another conversation with yet another character I didn’t care about. It was disjointed, hard to follow, and honestly, not fun. The detective’s war trauma angle could’ve been fascinating, but it got buried under the sheer weight of names, details, and nonsense filler.
By the time I got to the end, I didn’t even care about the “big reveal” — I was just relieved it was done. The only real mystery here was why I kept torturing myself by finishing it. Finding it in a Little Free Library suddenly made perfect sense: someone else had the same experience and bailed, leaving it behind like a cursed object.
If you want a mystery, there are a thousand better ones out there.
But the execution? Brutal. There are so many characters that keeping track of them felt like a part-time job. Every time I thought I had a handle on who was who, another villager would pop in with their own side story, and the whole thing spun out again. Instead of layering suspense, it just made everything muddy and confusing. Half the time I wasn’t even following the plot — I was just flipping back muttering, “Wait… who is this person again?”
And the pacing? All over the place. One moment we’re crawling through pages of internal angst, the next we’re thrown into yet another conversation with yet another character I didn’t care about. It was disjointed, hard to follow, and honestly, not fun. The detective’s war trauma angle could’ve been fascinating, but it got buried under the sheer weight of names, details, and nonsense filler.
By the time I got to the end, I didn’t even care about the “big reveal” — I was just relieved it was done. The only real mystery here was why I kept torturing myself by finishing it. Finding it in a Little Free Library suddenly made perfect sense: someone else had the same experience and bailed, leaving it behind like a cursed object.
If you want a mystery, there are a thousand better ones out there.
This is the first of Todd's historical mystery series about Inspector Ian Rutledge, an Englishman who returns to his job at Scotland Yard. He's trying to conceal the true extent of his WWI-induced shell shock, but that becomes far more difficult when he's assigned to a case which involves another shell-shocked ex-soldier. The historical details are very good, and so is the characterization, especially Todd's depiction of Rutledge's mental condition. The plot doesn't quite hang together, especially the out-of-the-blue ending, but I liked the character and historical setting enough to keep reading the series.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I was slow to get into this story and connecting with Ian Rutledge, don't know why but just that way for me. He does grow on you and you get into his rhythm of investigating.
I will try the next couple books in the series since he got is groove back so to speak at the end and is looking forward to continuing his job at the Yard.
He is suffering from "shell shock" or as we call it now PTSD and is applying what he learned in the clinic to functioning back in real life.
Also looking forward to seeing what is boss is actually up to and why he is against him.
I will try the next couple books in the series since he got is groove back so to speak at the end and is looking forward to continuing his job at the Yard.
He is suffering from "shell shock" or as we call it now PTSD and is applying what he learned in the clinic to functioning back in real life.
Also looking forward to seeing what is boss is actually up to and why he is against him.
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
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
Wow this book was so good! I was not expecting the ending at all. Sometimes I had a hard time following the characters, but it was still really good. It made me appreciate what men went through in WWI. Absolutely horrifying, devastating, wow! People truly had grit back then. Such a good book! Looking forward to reading more in this series.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-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:
Yes
This was my first time reading Charles Todd and I absolutely loved it!!! Ian Rutledge is a war hero, his PTSD making him hear Hamish's voice in his head. The mystery in itself was intriguing enough. While I easily guessed the link/mystery (?) between Lettuce and Harris, I could not have guessed the actual murderer. All the suspects had motives or means at one point or the other. While the pot was easy enough to follow, the subtle hints throughout the book made me want to keep reading it.