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bgg616's review against another edition
3.0
This book seemed to ramble on and on, particularly as I listened to it on audiobook. By the end I still wasn't sure who had killed all the people who died after the initial murder.
dannb's review against another edition
3.0
This Ian Rutledge book tried to do a little too much. Otherwise, nice company in the car.
majkia's review
5.0
love this series about a man who barely managed to survive WWI and is now trying hard to get his life back together again, and solving murders along the way.
Great characters, complex plots.
I also loved the setting. I've been to Uffington, seen the Horse and Wayland's Smithy.
Great characters, complex plots.
I also loved the setting. I've been to Uffington, seen the Horse and Wayland's Smithy.
carebear102106's review against another edition
5.0
I love every one of these books, they are subtle and keep you guessing. the characters are well thought out, and the writing is beautiful. This one is no exception. Rutledge is sent to investigate a missing man, and becomes embroiled in the mystery of his life and the lives of the unique, lost individuals he lived closest too. Another triumph for this writing team.
bethnellvaccaro's review
3.0
I almost gave this four stars because it was MUCH better than the last installment. I like that Bowles finally let up on Rutledge, that was getting old. Does Hamish ever go away. I think he needs to eventually. I think the story got overly complicated, but still I enjoyed it.
nonna7's review
4.0
This is one of the early Inspector Rutledge books that I somehow missed. It takes place early April 1920. Rutledge has been given an odd assignment: to be as unobtrusive as possible while trying to find a man that once worked for the War Department and likes to wonder. He's living in one of several cottages that were built by a wealthy woman for "lepers." The "lepers" who live there are people who are trying to hide: one is hiding from both his family in England and a wealthy family in Mexico, another is a former soldier with an India regiment, another is a divorced woman whose husband not only divorced her, but left her virtually penniless. She lives in fear that he will try to kill her because he is courting a wealthy heiress whose family may not look kindly on their daughter marrying a divorced man. Yet another is a young man who is "simple" but good with his hands. However, he is also very large and the village fears him. He is a blacksmith who does delicate work that includes mending metal teapots. There is also an elderly man dying of tuberculosis as well as a mystery man whom nobody really knows much about.
When a man is found dead with a gas mask and an opera cloak wrapped around him along with a book about alchemy, suspicion falls on the local teacher. The book is explained early in the story, but it takes a while for the story to come out. Soon, people start dying. Rutledge's actions apparently have sparked a murder spree.
These books are always complex, but this one really was full of red herrings and dead ends. As with any Todd book, it's excellent.
When a man is found dead with a gas mask and an opera cloak wrapped around him along with a book about alchemy, suspicion falls on the local teacher. The book is explained early in the story, but it takes a while for the story to come out. Soon, people start dying. Rutledge's actions apparently have sparked a murder spree.
These books are always complex, but this one really was full of red herrings and dead ends. As with any Todd book, it's excellent.
zogg's review
adventurous
dark
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
4.25
bucherca49's review
3.0
The plot could have been tightened a bit. The ending seems to drag. The voice of Hamish is getting tiresome by #10 in the series. I wonder if there will be some change in Ian's psychological condition in the next 20-odd volumes (i.e., that the voice of Hamish diminishes and even disappears). I like the series primarily because of the historical context, so I was glad to learn about Porton Down in this volume. Also appreciate it when the book locates events in actual places (e.g., Fountains Abbey).
justasking27's review against another edition
4.0
oooh a lovely historical mystery, with a hauntingly beautiful setting. Inspector Rutledge, please marry me.