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bucherca49's review against another edition
3.0
I did not want to put this book down, but when I reached the end, questions remained. Too many characters introduced. I can't figure out who Baxter is, but he seems important to the novel. Too many threads that when they are finally brought together remain confusing.
plantbirdwoman's review against another edition
2.0
I am an avid reader of series, especially mystery series, and have read all of the Inspector Ian Rutledge mysteries right up to this number 15 in the cycle, Proof of Guilt. It's been an uneven series, but, on the whole, I have enjoyed it. I find the depiction of the period after World War I and particularly the sensitive treatment of the soldiers who experienced "shell shock," or post traumatic stress disorder, as we would term it, to be very intriguing and generally well done. All that being said, I can only express my extreme disappointment with this entry.
The plot is so confusing and the dizzying number of characters so underdeveloped and uninteresting that it makes trying to come up with a sensible summary of the book virtually impossible. We have missing persons and multiple unidentified corpses. Do the two categories match up? Well, maybe or maybe not. That's one of many things that isn't entirely clear.
At least one of the major missing persons is never accounted for by my reckoning, even though, based on the flimsiest of circumstantial evidence, a man is arrested for his murder, which may or may not have occurred. We never find out for sure.
Moreover, in addition to the plot and character problems, the dialogue is just choppy and unrealistic. It doesn't really advance the story. And in this tale, unlike some of the other (better) books, we get very little insight into Inspector Rutledge's inner drama and his ongoing internal conversation with the dead Scottish soldier, Hamish.
Okay. Here's my best effort at a summary.
Rutledge has a new boss, a by-the-numbers man who insists on quick clearance of crimes with the perpetrator arrested. He doesn't seem to care overmuch whether the arrested "perpetrator" is actually guilty of anything.
His boss sends Rutledge to check out a body found dead in the streets, a man who appears to have been struck and dragged by one of those newfangled horseless carriages. The man has no identification on him. The only clue is an expensive and apparently old watch that he was carrying. Rutledge hits nothing but dead ends in trying to identify the man.
He discovers that the man that the watch probably belonged to is missing, but his sister views the body of the dead man and insists that it is not her brother. Then the man's business partner from Madeira, who was supposed to be arriving by ship also fails to turn up as scheduled and is considered another missing person.
Then there's that household which takes on its staff from men who have been inmates in prison or insane asylums and have been cleared for release, and one of them may have a connection to two of the disappeared men and may have had a grudge against them...
No, no, no! I give up! It's a mess and I refuse to try to describe it any further.
This is simply a poor effort and the only reason that I give it two stars instead of an ignominious one is for old time's sake and in hope that other books in the series might return once again to the bare standard that one expects of a Charles Todd/Inspector Rutledge mystery.
The plot is so confusing and the dizzying number of characters so underdeveloped and uninteresting that it makes trying to come up with a sensible summary of the book virtually impossible. We have missing persons and multiple unidentified corpses. Do the two categories match up? Well, maybe or maybe not. That's one of many things that isn't entirely clear.
At least one of the major missing persons is never accounted for by my reckoning, even though, based on the flimsiest of circumstantial evidence, a man is arrested for his murder, which may or may not have occurred. We never find out for sure.
Moreover, in addition to the plot and character problems, the dialogue is just choppy and unrealistic. It doesn't really advance the story. And in this tale, unlike some of the other (better) books, we get very little insight into Inspector Rutledge's inner drama and his ongoing internal conversation with the dead Scottish soldier, Hamish.
Okay. Here's my best effort at a summary.
Rutledge has a new boss, a by-the-numbers man who insists on quick clearance of crimes with the perpetrator arrested. He doesn't seem to care overmuch whether the arrested "perpetrator" is actually guilty of anything.
His boss sends Rutledge to check out a body found dead in the streets, a man who appears to have been struck and dragged by one of those newfangled horseless carriages. The man has no identification on him. The only clue is an expensive and apparently old watch that he was carrying. Rutledge hits nothing but dead ends in trying to identify the man.
He discovers that the man that the watch probably belonged to is missing, but his sister views the body of the dead man and insists that it is not her brother. Then the man's business partner from Madeira, who was supposed to be arriving by ship also fails to turn up as scheduled and is considered another missing person.
Then there's that household which takes on its staff from men who have been inmates in prison or insane asylums and have been cleared for release, and one of them may have a connection to two of the disappeared men and may have had a grudge against them...
No, no, no! I give up! It's a mess and I refuse to try to describe it any further.
This is simply a poor effort and the only reason that I give it two stars instead of an ignominious one is for old time's sake and in hope that other books in the series might return once again to the bare standard that one expects of a Charles Todd/Inspector Rutledge mystery.
jeanenej's review
1.0
I gave this book more than 200 pages to interest me. I don't know why I kept reading for so long. It just didn't hold my attention. I thought this book might be like the Maisie Dobbs series, but it's not.
beckylej's review
4.0
When the body of an unidentified man is discovered in Chelsea, Ian Rutledge is sent from Scotland Yard to investigate. The man appeared to have been hit by a car and, based on evidence on is clothing, dragged for a distance. Strangely, there are no tracks evident on the road itself and no one saw or heard anything in the neighborhood. What's more, the only identifying item found on the body is an expensive looking watch that's eventually traced to a prominent family of wine merchants. Only two of its kind were made and both were given to members of the merchant family, brothers Michael and Lewis French, but Michael was killed in the war. Certain they've identified the victim, Rutledge retrieves the man's sister for official identification. Unfortunately for Rutledge, the sister claims she has no idea who the man is and now her brother and his vehicle appear to be missing. Now Rutledge is faced with a growing number of questions and no clear answers to any of them.
After my introduction to the Bess Crawford series with AN UNMARKED GRAVE I was definitely ready to try my hand at Todd's other series. Like GRAVE I found PROOF OF GUILT to be equally easy to dive into regardless of not having read the prior installments. The plotting is smart and Rutledge, like Bess, is a great lead. Unlike Bess, however, I did feel that I was missing out a bit in not knowing Rutledge's background. He's a man with a guilty conscience, for one -- he talks to a dead Scottish soldier in his head! So while the individual story stands fine on its own, Rutledge remains a bit of a mystery himself for this first time reader of the series.
I found the layering of the mystery to be particularly intriguing and appealing in PROOF OF GUILT. As Rutledge investigates further, more and more questions appear. Each avenue of inquiry results in further possibilities but no eliminating or revealing of suspects or motives. And Rutledge is constricted by the laws and politics of Scotland Yard, which makes things that much more difficult. In fact, at one point his boss is ready to bring in a suspect Rutledge instinctually feels is innocent but having seemingly exhausted all his ideas, he's unsure what to do next.
Well, the mother and son team have officially made me a fan of yet another of their series -- meaning I'll have to go back and read from the beginning of this series now as well :)
After my introduction to the Bess Crawford series with AN UNMARKED GRAVE I was definitely ready to try my hand at Todd's other series. Like GRAVE I found PROOF OF GUILT to be equally easy to dive into regardless of not having read the prior installments. The plotting is smart and Rutledge, like Bess, is a great lead. Unlike Bess, however, I did feel that I was missing out a bit in not knowing Rutledge's background. He's a man with a guilty conscience, for one -- he talks to a dead Scottish soldier in his head! So while the individual story stands fine on its own, Rutledge remains a bit of a mystery himself for this first time reader of the series.
I found the layering of the mystery to be particularly intriguing and appealing in PROOF OF GUILT. As Rutledge investigates further, more and more questions appear. Each avenue of inquiry results in further possibilities but no eliminating or revealing of suspects or motives. And Rutledge is constricted by the laws and politics of Scotland Yard, which makes things that much more difficult. In fact, at one point his boss is ready to bring in a suspect Rutledge instinctually feels is innocent but having seemingly exhausted all his ideas, he's unsure what to do next.
Well, the mother and son team have officially made me a fan of yet another of their series -- meaning I'll have to go back and read from the beginning of this series now as well :)
colibookworm's review
1.0
This will probably be my least favorite book in series so far. I had trouble following or caring about the mystery. The ending didn't wow me either.
howjessicareads's review
4.0
Another good entry in the Ian Rutledge series. This time, a mysterious dead body turns up - with only a watch as a clue to who the hit and run victim is.
Although, as with all Charles Todd books, I can't help thinking - "WHY SO MUCH DRIVING??" I realize they're largely set pre-telephone, but still.
Full review for Shelf Awareness soon.
Although, as with all Charles Todd books, I can't help thinking - "WHY SO MUCH DRIVING??" I realize they're largely set pre-telephone, but still.
Full review for Shelf Awareness soon.
vkemp's review
4.0
Inspector Ian Rutledge has a real twisty case in this 15th entry in the series. A body is found on a street with no identification except for an expensive watch, that is easily traced to a family of wine importers. Three different people go missing. Who is the dead body and to where have the three missing folks disappeared? This case kept me guessing until the last page and I recommend it highly. My only quibble with this series is I want Ian to meet a nice girl and fall in love and get married. One of the many reasons I will keep reading.
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