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kathydavie's review against another edition
5.0
Fourteenth in the Inspector Ian Rutledge mystery series revolving around a 1920 Scotland Yard detective still suffering from shell shock after World War I.
My Take
Either Todd is getting tired of writing it or Rutledge is beginning to recover a bit from the shell shock as he isn't experiencing the same depth of problems in this installment.
Jeez, it's hard to believe an entire village can be so involved in the smuggling that they can simply write off human mercy — "a communal conscience … laden with guilt".
Todd makes an interesting case for the wrong of "protecting" children from reality. So much that could have been different if only the truth had emerged. It was so sad as Rutledge revealed back histories to "today's" interested parties. So much they finally understood. So much that could have been better. So much that made me cry.
Okay, Todd keeps dropping all these giganto hints of the heir to both Fowler and Russell and he goes nowhere with it. If he's going to throw out the red herrings, do it. Don't just plop it and leave it. I guess I'm whining because Todd is usually so devious and twisty with subtle underlayers that this particular hint was just so out of place.
It's a shame about the cancer, Willet's books sound interesting and I so hate seeing a promising life cut short (even if it's only a fictional one!)…hmmm, maybe Todd will write us some short stories… He certainly has the period well in hand.
Damn, what is with all the loose threads!
The Story
Wyatt Russell confronts Rutledge in his Scotland Yard office to confess to a murder. Yet, when Ian wants more details Wyatt backs down and runs. It's just odd enough that Ian decides to drive down to Furnham in Essex and explore. An exploration that leaves both Ian and Frances filled with dread.
It's "Wyatt's" body being found with a bullet hole that really sets things off. Something is obviously wrong, and the feeling of "get out" that both Rutledges felt that day encourages Ian to dive into the investigation. And the more Ian investigates, the more muck is revealed: local and personal histories that tie in to a number of murders. Murders that haunt.
Cynthia Farraday has no fans in Furnham, and her actions are certainly suspicious with her breaking into River's Edge and eluding Ian. Then the real Major Wyatt Russell is found, but nothing he says can be trusted, and he promptly escapes for a whirlwind of minor crimes. More digging reveals more possibilities with the cold case of Justin Fowler's parents' murders presenting yet more clues.
The Characters
Detective Inspector Ian Rutledge is still recovering, actually, he'll never recover from his experiences in the trenches. Especially his having to shoot his sergeant for refusing an order. A typically stupid, WWI order forcing his men to attack a German emplacement that would only result in yet more death without any gain. Now Hamish MacLeod haunts Ian, a reminder of his action, but also a soldier who's got his back. Now he's Scotland Yard and continuing the fight for justice.
Scotland Yard
Sergeant Hampton. Sergeant Gibson hates Bowles as well and helps Rutledge any way he can. Chief Superintendent Bowles is ill…yeah! I'm hoping we get to attend his funeral…ooh, snarky much…? Inspector Robinson in Colchester is currently in charge of the Fowler murder case. Mr. Harrison of Biddle, Harrison and Bailey was the Fowler family lawyer; if he'd revealed all his information…
River's Edge at Furnham in Essex
Justin Fowler, Wyatt Russell, and Cynthia Farraday were children growing up together at River's Edge in Essex. With the war and Wyatt's mother's disappearance, those children scattered, and nothing is as it seems. Nancy Brothers was a housemaid at River's Edge with inside information on the family. Harold Finley was the chauffeur and then the caretaker when Fowler and Russell enlisted before he also enlisted.
Mr. Morrison is the rector at Furnham. Sandy Barber, married to Abigail Willet, is the publican of the Rowing Boat and seems to rule the village with the exception of Timothy Jessup who rules them all. The innkeeper at The Dragonfly Inn is typical of the village — no one wants outsiders in Furnham, and their overt attitudes are loud and clear. Ben Willet was destined to be a fisherman, but he had more in mind for himself. First a step up to footman, then with the intervention of the war and Miss Farraday's encouragement, he took another step up to author. Constable Nelson is a disgrace to the force.
George Munro was a fellow soldier whose life Rutledge saved on the Somme; now he works at the War Office with access to some useful info. Frances Rutledge is his sister. Dr. Fleming, Ian's psychiatrist; and, Melinda Crawford;and, Meredith Channing get a mention.
The Cover and Title
The cover appears to be snowing with an awkward angle looking up through the top of a wrought iron fence as a bird glides in the wind.
The title is accurate, although it could be plural as there is more than one The Confession in this tale.
My Take
Either Todd is getting tired of writing it or Rutledge is beginning to recover a bit from the shell shock as he isn't experiencing the same depth of problems in this installment.
Jeez, it's hard to believe an entire village can be so involved in the smuggling that they can simply write off human mercy — "a communal conscience … laden with guilt".
Todd makes an interesting case for the wrong of "protecting" children from reality. So much that could have been different if only the truth had emerged. It was so sad as Rutledge revealed back histories to "today's" interested parties. So much they finally understood. So much that could have been better. So much that made me cry.
Okay, Todd keeps dropping all these giganto hints of the heir to both Fowler and Russell and he goes nowhere with it. If he's going to throw out the red herrings, do it. Don't just plop it and leave it. I guess I'm whining because Todd is usually so devious and twisty with subtle underlayers that this particular hint was just so out of place.
It's a shame about the cancer, Willet's books sound interesting and I so hate seeing a promising life cut short (even if it's only a fictional one!)…hmmm, maybe Todd will write us some short stories… He certainly has the period well in hand.
Damn, what is with all the loose threads!
The Story
Wyatt Russell confronts Rutledge in his Scotland Yard office to confess to a murder. Yet, when Ian wants more details Wyatt backs down and runs. It's just odd enough that Ian decides to drive down to Furnham in Essex and explore. An exploration that leaves both Ian and Frances filled with dread.
It's "Wyatt's" body being found with a bullet hole that really sets things off. Something is obviously wrong, and the feeling of "get out" that both Rutledges felt that day encourages Ian to dive into the investigation. And the more Ian investigates, the more muck is revealed: local and personal histories that tie in to a number of murders. Murders that haunt.
Cynthia Farraday has no fans in Furnham, and her actions are certainly suspicious with her breaking into River's Edge and eluding Ian. Then the real Major Wyatt Russell is found, but nothing he says can be trusted, and he promptly escapes for a whirlwind of minor crimes. More digging reveals more possibilities with the cold case of Justin Fowler's parents' murders presenting yet more clues.
The Characters
Detective Inspector Ian Rutledge is still recovering, actually, he'll never recover from his experiences in the trenches. Especially his having to shoot his sergeant for refusing an order. A typically stupid, WWI order forcing his men to attack a German emplacement that would only result in yet more death without any gain. Now Hamish MacLeod haunts Ian, a reminder of his action, but also a soldier who's got his back. Now he's Scotland Yard and continuing the fight for justice.
Scotland Yard
Sergeant Hampton. Sergeant Gibson hates Bowles as well and helps Rutledge any way he can. Chief Superintendent Bowles is ill…yeah! I'm hoping we get to attend his funeral…ooh, snarky much…? Inspector Robinson in Colchester is currently in charge of the Fowler murder case. Mr. Harrison of Biddle, Harrison and Bailey was the Fowler family lawyer; if he'd revealed all his information…
River's Edge at Furnham in Essex
Justin Fowler, Wyatt Russell, and Cynthia Farraday were children growing up together at River's Edge in Essex. With the war and Wyatt's mother's disappearance, those children scattered, and nothing is as it seems. Nancy Brothers was a housemaid at River's Edge with inside information on the family. Harold Finley was the chauffeur and then the caretaker when Fowler and Russell enlisted before he also enlisted.
Mr. Morrison is the rector at Furnham. Sandy Barber, married to Abigail Willet, is the publican of the Rowing Boat and seems to rule the village with the exception of Timothy Jessup who rules them all. The innkeeper at The Dragonfly Inn is typical of the village — no one wants outsiders in Furnham, and their overt attitudes are loud and clear. Ben Willet was destined to be a fisherman, but he had more in mind for himself. First a step up to footman, then with the intervention of the war and Miss Farraday's encouragement, he took another step up to author. Constable Nelson is a disgrace to the force.
George Munro was a fellow soldier whose life Rutledge saved on the Somme; now he works at the War Office with access to some useful info. Frances Rutledge is his sister. Dr. Fleming, Ian's psychiatrist; and, Melinda Crawford;and, Meredith Channing get a mention.
The Cover and Title
The cover appears to be snowing with an awkward angle looking up through the top of a wrought iron fence as a bird glides in the wind.
The title is accurate, although it could be plural as there is more than one The Confession in this tale.
kriscricket's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
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
4.0
aoosterwyk's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting smuggling plotline. Not one of their best, but good enough. I can't wait for Meredith Channing to return.
aunt13soc1al's review against another edition
2.0
I love a good mystery and when I first started this, I likened him to a good Wilkie Collins story, however, by the time I was finished, I couldn't wait to put the book down and in some ways forget I ever read it. I know that maybe if I was a fan of the series or had read some of the other books, this may have been different, but what started out as a good potential story, it faltered and failed.
Ian Rutledge is the epitome of a Scotland Yard detective. He's smart, polite, always a gentleman, discrete, a professional, and gets the job done. At the start, I thought this might be like the TV series Jericho with Robert Lindsay, and in some ways it was. Jericho only lasted four episodes and it clearly needed to continue to really delve into who Jericho was and his past, which is something I felt was needed with Rutledge as well. Perhaps with the others in the series, there would have been a slow progression of character development, but I cannot speak to that not having read any others.
Rutledge is also haunted by his fallen friend, Hammish, who I feel is meant to add to the story, but mostly distracted the reader since his Scottish dialect is sometimes not easy to decifer. I'm sure there is probably more background as well on Rutledge in the earlier books, but coming into the series midway, the reader finds themselves encountering a semi-developed character that doesn't really grow or change any through the entire book.
The story has some good elements, a town with many secrets, a family with many skeletons in their closet, and a murder mystery to kick it all off. From the first though this story takes these good elements and drags out the events to the point where you're almost bored to tears. After the mid-point in the story, it seems as though Rutledge spends all his time in the car going from London to the coastal town and back and forth and back and forth.
Until the last few chapters, you know exactly what Rutledge knows allowing you to come to your own conclusion as to what is going on and who the murderer is, that is until he gets really close to figuring it out, then the authors decide that all that openness with the reader needs to stop so they can spend a little more time building up to the big finale which in the end, isn't worth all the build up.
The other major issue with this book is the characters are much to easy to confuse. The names are very similar, and while you never actually meet more than half a dozen of the characters the murder mystery revolves around, that makes it all the harder to keep them straight.
All in all, if you're a fan of the series, you may enjoy this book. If you're not, I would suggest giving another in the series a shot as this one felt very undeveloped and the others may be better. As for me, I doubt I will read another book by Todd.
Ian Rutledge is the epitome of a Scotland Yard detective. He's smart, polite, always a gentleman, discrete, a professional, and gets the job done. At the start, I thought this might be like the TV series Jericho with Robert Lindsay, and in some ways it was. Jericho only lasted four episodes and it clearly needed to continue to really delve into who Jericho was and his past, which is something I felt was needed with Rutledge as well. Perhaps with the others in the series, there would have been a slow progression of character development, but I cannot speak to that not having read any others.
Rutledge is also haunted by his fallen friend, Hammish, who I feel is meant to add to the story, but mostly distracted the reader since his Scottish dialect is sometimes not easy to decifer. I'm sure there is probably more background as well on Rutledge in the earlier books, but coming into the series midway, the reader finds themselves encountering a semi-developed character that doesn't really grow or change any through the entire book.
The story has some good elements, a town with many secrets, a family with many skeletons in their closet, and a murder mystery to kick it all off. From the first though this story takes these good elements and drags out the events to the point where you're almost bored to tears. After the mid-point in the story, it seems as though Rutledge spends all his time in the car going from London to the coastal town and back and forth and back and forth.
Until the last few chapters, you know exactly what Rutledge knows allowing you to come to your own conclusion as to what is going on and who the murderer is, that is until he gets really close to figuring it out, then the authors decide that all that openness with the reader needs to stop so they can spend a little more time building up to the big finale which in the end, isn't worth all the build up.
The other major issue with this book is the characters are much to easy to confuse. The names are very similar, and while you never actually meet more than half a dozen of the characters the murder mystery revolves around, that makes it all the harder to keep them straight.
All in all, if you're a fan of the series, you may enjoy this book. If you're not, I would suggest giving another in the series a shot as this one felt very undeveloped and the others may be better. As for me, I doubt I will read another book by Todd.
telerit's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars. This is the best one of the series thus far.
abeth_parker's review against another edition
1.0
This is just a holding spot! I accidentally marked it as currently reading. Still in my TBR.
judyward's review against another edition
4.0
The 14th installment in the Ian Rutledge series and the series is still going strong. Inspector Ian Rutledge is shocked when a man walks into Scotland Yard and confesses to murdering a man five years earlier. However, he won't give any details, but he admits that he is dying of cancer and that he wants to clear his conscience before he dies. After questioning, all he will tell Rutledge is that his name is Wyatt Russell and the crime took place in a small village east of London. Two weeks later, "Wyatt Russell" is found floating in the Thames with a bullet in the back of his head. Then Rutledge finds out that the man lied about his name and probably everything else and he begins the quest to find out what really happened. World War I and the role that each of the characters either played in the war or how they were affected by the war is a large part of the plot. In this book, Rutledge seems to be recovering slightly from the shell shock that he suffered in the war, although he still works hard to keep anyone around him from discovering just how damaged he is from his war experiences. I highly recommend this series for anyone who is interested in World War I and how it affected Great Britain domestically. And the mother and son writing team of "Charles Todd" continued to tell riviting stories that keep the reader eager for more.
naluju's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
pattieod's review against another edition
2.0
I've read all the previous Inspector Rutledge mysteries, accept the slow pace, and really enjoy the level of detail in most of them, but this one dragged even more than usual. D....r.....a....g...g...e....d. And it seemed even more formulaic than past books in the series. Let's see: Big house? check. Pretty family member? check. Picturesque village? Check. Trips back and forth from London to picturesque village? check. With Hamish in the back seat? Of course.
There was a historical event in the village that could have played a more prominent part in the story, but mostly it was just a lot of driving back and forth, with stops at the abandoned big house.
The authors need to shake things up a bit - someone murdered on ship in the harbor in London, Ian gets hurt and has to solve a whole case from a wheelchair, Ian finds a really feisty girlfriend who will eventually move to American and become Nancy Drew's ill-fated mother - I don't know, SOMETHING different.
There was a historical event in the village that could have played a more prominent part in the story, but mostly it was just a lot of driving back and forth, with stops at the abandoned big house.
The authors need to shake things up a bit - someone murdered on ship in the harbor in London, Ian gets hurt and has to solve a whole case from a wheelchair, Ian finds a really feisty girlfriend who will eventually move to American and become Nancy Drew's ill-fated mother - I don't know, SOMETHING different.