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A review by northstar
Wings of Fire by Charles Todd
3.0
Inspector Ian Rutledge heads to Cornwall to investigate three suspicious deaths in the Trevelyan family. Two half-siblings, one a famous poet, allegedly committed suicide. Soon after, another half-sibling tumbles down the stairs to his death. Rutledge's suspicions are colored by the fact that the poet's verse provided him solace during his years in the trenches of WWI.
This is a classic English mystery with spooky moors, a rich but tragic family and angry villagers who don't want the past disturbed. Toss in one creepy old lady, one all-knowing servant and a dim local policeman and you could have a recipe for cliche, but I think this novel rises above that, in part because Ian Rutledge is such a strong character. He is a police inspector and shell-shocked vet trying to cope with his war nightmares, which often take the form of a dead Scottish corporal whose voice lives inside Rutledge's head.
If you want more of Rutledge's history, you probably should read the first book of this series before this second novel. I look forward to reading of Todd's books.
This is a classic English mystery with spooky moors, a rich but tragic family and angry villagers who don't want the past disturbed. Toss in one creepy old lady, one all-knowing servant and a dim local policeman and you could have a recipe for cliche, but I think this novel rises above that, in part because Ian Rutledge is such a strong character. He is a police inspector and shell-shocked vet trying to cope with his war nightmares, which often take the form of a dead Scottish corporal whose voice lives inside Rutledge's head.
If you want more of Rutledge's history, you probably should read the first book of this series before this second novel. I look forward to reading of Todd's books.