Charles Todd

Charles Todd: A Day Of Judgement

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Inspector Ian Rutledge #25

Chief Inspector Ian Rutledge’s long-awaited return is set in July 1921. He’s still suffering from shell shock and England is suffering from a heat wave when a body washes up near the island of Lindisfarne in Northumberland. Since the “holy island,” home to Saints Cuthbert and Aidan, is a popular pilgrimage destination, the Church of England is concerned about how the murder will affect its reputation and that of Lindisfarne itself.

Newly promoted Chief Inspector Ian Rutledge is sent to investigate the murder and to use his social and political skills to protect the Church’s reputation. He finds locals who are suspicious of outsiders and still angry about U-boat attacks off their coast during WWI. He also finds that police jurisdiction is in the midst of a post-war reorganization that raises questions about who should be involved in the investigation with Rutledge. read more

Charles Todd: A Christmas Witness

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This novella is set in Dec. 1921 after the events of the forthcoming novel A Day of Judgement, which is set in July 1921.

A few days before Christmas, Chief Inspector Ian Rutledge is sent to Kent to the home of Lord Edward Braxton, a retired Army Colonel who has survived an attempted murder. As the newest Chief, and one who has no children to spend Christmas with, Rutledge takes the case.

The Colonel, who prefers his Army title to ancestral rank, is cantankerous, uncooperative, and convinced that someone will kill him before he sees another Christmas. The problem is, he can’t describe his attacker in detail or think of a specific person who means him harm. Since he spent the war as part of the staff for Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig, referred to as “Butcher Haig” by Hamish because his orders sent many good soldiers to unnecessary deaths, any number of people could want Braxton dead: soldiers who survived as well as loved ones of soldiers who died. read more

Charles Todd: an overview of two beloved series

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After a two-year hiatus, Charles Todd has a new novella and a new novel coming out soon. Whether you’re a long-time fan or new to their series, this is a cause for celebration – and time for a quick recap to remind you where both series left off. Warning for new readers: SPOILERS included.

Charles and Caroline Todd

For those who don’t know, Charles Todd is the pseudonym of mother-and-son team Caroline and Charles Todd, renowned authors of the Inspector Ian Rutledge series and the Beth Crawford series, both set in WWI and 1920s Britain. The authors have won the Barry Award for Best First Novel (A Test of Wills), the Mary Higgins Clark Award (The Shattered Tree), the Agatha Award for Best Historical Novel (A Question of Honor), and the Macavity Award for Best Historical Novel (An Unmarked Grave). read more

Charles Todd: The Cliff’s Edge

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It’s been several installments of Charles Todd’s Bess Crawford series since Britain has been at war. Bess herself has been kept busy, often far from home, but The Cliff’s Edge brings her all the way back, finding her restless and unsure of what she will do next. She’s left with only the decision of what color she will pick for new curtains when a letter arrives in the mail, asking for her help. Her cousin Melinda begs for Bess to go oversee the surgery of one of her longtime friends, Lady Beatrice. Hesitant at first, Bess realizes she doesn’t have much else to do, and agrees to go. But what started as a simple overnight watch for a routine surgery quickly gets much more complicated. read more

Charles Todd: A Game of Fear

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Through now 24 novels, Charles and Caroline Todd have provided their readers with excellence, pure and simple.  The first novel in the Rutledge series, A Test of Wills, is a classic, and the rest of the series, elegiac, carefully plotted, and richly characterized, have all been solid and worthy reads. Sadly, this is the last novel written in collaboration with Caroline Todd, who passed away in 2021. She leaves a huge legacy.

In this novel, set in 1921, Inspector Rutledge has been called in from Scotland Yard to look at a case in Essex.  He goes where he’s sent by his higher ups, but he is puzzled to be looking in a case that seems to involve a ghost.  No-one is better than the Todds at setting up a disturbing premise that sticks in your mind as you read, wondering what’s going on.  Twenty-four books in, I was pretty comfortable waiting to discover the solution. read more

Reviewers & Book Club Faves

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Our two regular reviewers, Cathy Akers-Jordan and Vicki Kondelik, have shared their top 10 lists with us, and the book club chimes in on their favorite reads of the year as well.  Lots of good reading here!

Cathy:

Daughter of the Morning Star, Craig Johnson.  The new Longmire book is always the highlight of my mystery-reading year. The rez isn’t part of Walt Longmire’s jurisdiction, but when Tribal Police Chief Lolo Long recruits Walt and Henry to protect her niece, we learn the shocking statistics on the abuse and murder of Indian Women. Walt deals with a teenage basketball star while trying his best to keep her alive. read more