A review by nonna7
Proof of Guilt by Charles Todd

5.0

One of the wonderful things about reading Charles Todd is the complexity of the story. Charles Todd, the nom de plume of a mother and son team, writes in the fashion of the old fashioned British murder mystery with a tad more blood and violence, but not much. This is the 15th in the series which features Inspector Rutledge, a WWI veteran, who lives with the voice of one of his men in his head. Despite that he functions well and is outstanding at his job. He has never fully recovered from the horrors of the war. In this book, Louis French, a wealthy partner in a Madeira wine enterprise with locations in both Portugal and London, is missing. A body was found on a London residential street which was, at first, thought to be French's body. There are a lot of suspects: a jilted fiance, his missing cousin who worked in the Portugese location and was expected for a visit, but has not arrived, French's bitter sister not to mention the head clerk who runs the London office. Then there's the man who called in the body when it was discovered on his street. He is a shadowy figure and Rutledge has his own questions about exactly who he is. As always, I am NEVER disappointed by a Charles Todd book. The authors also have a wonderful series that takes place during WWI featuring Bess Crawford, a nurse. No matter which character the next book features, I know I'll be lining up to reserve it at the library.