Search the Dark

What on Earth are the murders of some seemingly unrelated women in the Dorset countryside to do with Scotland Yard? Well, as always, Ian Rutledge and his internal nemesis Hamish are sent where the Yard thinks they stand the best chance of getting rid of them (though the only one they KNOW they're getting rid of is Ian). As always, strict instructions are issued for Rutledge to avoid antagonizing the powerful people involved in this case; as always, he fails; and as always, Rutledge and Hamish bring home the bacon (bad pun--there's a fire in this book that crisps Rutledge a bit) with some tidy last-minute inspiration.

But the book's characters, the book's post-WWI England, the book's solid construction provide a happy experience for the show more seasoned veteran of the Mystery Wars, and a soothing, orderly sense that the guilty will suffer. (My, how they're going to suffer in this book, and not just the murdering guilty. It's *very* subtly, nicely imagined, and almost perfectly executed. I smiled my most Schadenfreude-laden smile those last 20pp.)

I don't think the series will appeal to everyone, especially those who find mental challenges unpleasant reading, but the books offer a lot of pleasures of atmosphere and of justice served. I hope many more of you will give them a shot soon. show less

Much better than the previous Inspector Rutledge novel, 'Wings of Fire' - the pacing is tighter (relatively speaking), the characters are sympathetic, and we learn more about Rutledge's personal history. Hamish is also becoming a character in his own right, which is fascinating, but slightly worrying for the poor Inspector! (I love how his ghost varies between Rutledge's conscience and a Watson-like sidekick, depending on how unsettled the detective is by the case at hand. The psychology behind Hamish's 'voice' is interesting to think about.)

Rutledge is once again dispatched by his boss, 'Old Bowels', to a far flung corner of the English countryside to investigate what appears to be the murder of an estranged wife and the disappearance show more of two children. Of course, he finds it's never as simple as he's been told, and soon he is investigating two murders and the secrets of a small Dorset village. The ending, once again, is rather contrived, but I enjoyed the series of red herrings packed into the final chapters - from 'Too obvious!', to 'what an anti-climax', until finally getting to, 'I didn't see that coming!' I love mysteries that make the reader think back through the novel, picking up clues and re-reading crucial scenes, and this didn't disappoint.

Again Rutledge discovers that he is not the only man still haunted by the war, and is charmed by the lovely French wife of the local landowner. Todd's characters are much the same - strong women, broken men - but he infuses these figures with so much human frailty and depth of emotion that it's hard not to care for them. And the setting, of both time and place, is picture-perfect once again. Charles Todd rarely trips up, even on the smallest detail, and when he does, any mistakes can usually be attributed to the American editing of his writing.

I'm glad I have the next book in the series to hand! show less

Well, this third installment in the Inspector Rutledge series didn't engage me nearly as much as the first two. I'm getting really tired of the higher-ups and local constabulary treating Rutledge like a bumbler. He's already solved two difficult cases, and here he is saddled with a "look busy" kind of assignment which turns out to be much more involved than anticipated, and no one wants to let him do his job. Enough, already. It also seemed to me that the story line kept the reader treading water too often and too long...pacing was not handled well. Rutledge doesn't seem to be growing much as a character. All of his war-related torments continue, although his "relationship" with the ever-present memory of Hamish McLeod has changed a show more bit, I think. It's been a couple years since I read the 2nd book in this series, but it feels like Rutledge in more "in conversation" with Hamish than just hearing his voice in his head, and that Hamish is often trying to be helpful, more than taunting his superior officer for his "failures" as those aforementioned colleagues and superiors do so readily. I will probably give this series one more outing, but if Rutledge still doesn't seem to be "getting somewhere" with his life and/or career, I'll bow out.
Review written March 2017 show less

I came across this book by accident, hiding on my shelf and opened it to scan the first page; later that day I closed the cover and sat back feeling I have used my time wisely.

The main protagonist in this book and all the other in this series is a Scotland Yard policeman. Newly returned from the Great War, he has his own personal demons to deal with as well as helping those who are also dealing with their demons from fighting in this war. Add to that the stress of trying to find the criminals, and it could make for a very unstable and highly strung character but the Author manages to avoid this wonderfully. Instead he uses this character as a vehicle to bring the reader’s attention to the unseen horrors that many carried with them show more when they returned home. This character is vulnerable, unsure whilst at the same time being very capable of doing his job and bringing the wrongdoer to justice. I felt for this character as I don’t usually do in a cozy mystery, and wished there was some way I could help him find peace in his life. In this one character the Author managed not only to show the inner turmoil of those who returned from the fighting, but he also shows in the other people he encounters in his enquiries the change in society that had taken place while he was away. These range from total indifference to the way these returnees were feeling and going through, to those who wanted to cosset them and keep them wrapped up from the hurts that may come their way in everyday and finally to the group of people who refused to believe that, mentally, their loved ones would never return to normal. This book is not loaded down with a bunch of secondary characters which helps the book move along at a steady clip and keeps the reader on track to the end.

What an end it was. This is the kind of book I love. I thought I had spotted the bad guy, then no it took a twist, and another, then another until the end I had no idea who the real criminal was, and when the reveal came I was blown away as I never thought it was this person. Add to this the feeling of flying down country roads in a little old car when horses and carriages were still in good use, and it all combines to the kind of book that I just couldn’t put down.

I highly recommend this book to lovers of cozy mysteries, and those who enjoy a great read that will keep you guessing until the end. I will definitely be reading more in this series.


Originally reviewed on: http://catesbooknuthut.com/2014/09/29/review-search-the-dark-inspector-ian-rutle...





This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. show less

I came across this book by accident, hiding on my shelf and opened it to scan the first page; later that day I closed the cover and sat back feeling I have used my time wisely.

The main protagonist in this book and all the other in this series is a Scotland Yard policeman. Newly returned from the Great War, he has his own personal demons to deal with as well as helping those who are also dealing with their demons from fighting in this war. Add to that the stress of trying to find the criminals, and it could make for a very unstable and highly strung character but the Author manages to avoid this wonderfully. Instead he uses this character as a vehicle to bring the reader’s attention to the unseen horrors that many carried with them show more when they returned home. This character is vulnerable, unsure whilst at the same time being very capable of doing his job and bringing the wrongdoer to justice. I felt for this character as I don’t usually do in a cozy mystery, and wished there was some way I could help him find peace in his life. In this one character the Author managed not only to show the inner turmoil of those who returned from the fighting, but he also shows in the other people he encounters in his enquiries the change in society that had taken place while he was away. These range from total indifference to the way these returnees were feeling and going through, to those who wanted to cosset them and keep them wrapped up from the hurts that may come their way in everyday and finally to the group of people who refused to believe that, mentally, their loved ones would never return to normal. This book is not loaded down with a bunch of secondary characters which helps the book move along at a steady clip and keeps the reader on track to the end.

What an end it was. This is the kind of book I love. I thought I had spotted the bad guy, then no it took a twist, and another, then another until the end I had no idea who the real criminal was, and when the reveal came I was blown away as I never thought it was this person. Add to this the feeling of flying down country roads in a little old car when horses and carriages were still in good use, and it all combines to the kind of book that I just couldn’t put down.

I highly recommend this book to lovers of cozy mysteries, and those who enjoy a great read that will keep you guessing until the end. I will definitely be reading more in this series.


Originally reviewed on: http://catesbooknuthut.com/2014/09/29/review-search-the-dark-inspector-ian-rutle...





This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. show less

This is the third in the Ian Rutledge series, and the second I have listened to. It is a "village mystery", with quite a confined setting. A returned soldier travelling south by train to find work looks out of the window as the train passes through a small village and sees a woman and two children on the platform with a man. The soldier, Mowbray, believes his wife and children were killed in the bombing of London in 1915, and yet there they are on the platform.

He frantically tries to get off the train, but is not put off until the next stop. By the time he gets back to the station, the woman and children have gone. Distraught he searches the town, threatening his wife harm when he finds her. The next day a woman's body is found, face show more battered, some miles away in the countryside and the local police inspector assumes it is Mowbray's wife. But there is no sign of the children.

Ian Rutledge from Scotland Yard is brought in to find the children, but there are too many things that don't add up, and he is not convinced it is Mrs Mowbray. When another young woman is discovered to be missing, it seems Rutledge may be right. However the local policeman is not so easily convinced.

What I found as I listened is that I really cared about what happened to these characters. Rutledge is a bit pedantic about getting things right, and more than once I found myself saying " get on with it man!" but then I find he has thought of something that didn't even cross my horizon. And just when you think you've got it all worked out, the plot takes another turn, another body is found, or whatever, and off we go again.

The war is a recent memory and Rutledge is not the only one damaged by it. Several of the characters in the book, including the unfortunate Mowbray, have been deeply affected by the war. Rutledge himself is constantly reminded of the war by the ever present voice of Hamish MacLeod.

For me this time, the voice of "Hamish in his head" is much stronger in this early novel, the conversations Rutledge has with Hamish are more like dialogue between the detective and his offsider. I commented on this in my Sleuths and Foils post. By A PALE HORSE, which is #10 in the series, and set a year or two later than SEARCH THE DARK, Rutledge is learning how to control Hamish to an extent, and to respond less automatically to his voice.

I am "hooked" on these stories, but next time I really must read a book, not listen to one. show less

Book #3 in the Scotland Yard Insp. Rutledge series and there's more insight into just how badly he is suffering after the War. Still struggling with the voice of Hamish in his head (the soldier he had shot for cowardice on the front) the Insp. has to sort out just who the murderer is and how the deaths of two women who didn't know each other are related while dealing with the local Insp. Hildebrand who resents his being involved. And who exactly are the two murdered women, no one can seem to positively identify them and is the man being held in jail really the murderer (Rutledge is not sure that he is but everyone else thinks so)? And are there really missing children? An involved plot with complex characters interwoven and all show more suspecting each other....who is the murderer and what was the motive? And still not too much on why Chief Supt. Bowles, Rutledge's boss, dislikes him so much. Charles Todd has me hooked on Insp. Rutledge, my new favourite crime solver. show less