England post WWI

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: 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