A Cold Treachery

Another excellent Ian Rutledge mystery. Like Martin Cruz Smith, Charles Todd uses the mystery genre as a vehicle to explore his very human characters and to write excellent prose. Mysteries make up the plots--including twists and turns, some unexpected--but the core of these books lies in the tortured Rutledge and the other characters that Todd creates. The period details are also excellent in setting the time and place without overloading a reader with exhaustive detail. This novel is particularly good in the series.

Reading Frances Brody's second Kate Shackleton novel prompted me to return to the Inspector Rutledge mysteries by Charles Todd, as both are set just after the First World War. I still enjoy these detective stories, but there is definitely a formula, as with all enduring series - for once, I would like Inspector Rutledge to visit a town or a city (the case in Preston referred to in this story would have been interesting), to challenge or simply escape the village mentality of the rural crime scenes he is constantly being dispatched to!

'December 1919. The North of England'

Although Old Bowels is slightly more reluctant to send Rutledge this time, considering the success rate of his recent investigations (see novels 1-6!), the haunted show more Inspector is already on scene in 'The North' when the Yard is called in to investigate a mass murder in the Lakes. The Elcotts, a farming family with four young children, are found shot to death in their isolated farmhouse in the middle of a blizzard. The small valley community is shocked, with no clues to explain the brutality or identify the murderer - unless they can find 10 year old Josh Robinson, who has somehow escaped his family's fate. Search parties are sent out into the bleak, snow-covered fells of the surrounding landscape, but by the time Rutledge arrives, hope of finding the boy alive is dwindling. Without a witness to the crime, the Inspector must rely on the motives of those closest to the family, including an ex-husband, a jealous brother, and a sister looking for someone to blame. 'Greed. Jealousy. Revenge. The land - the lover - the wife ...' The more Rutledge delves into secret lives, the more like a soap opera the story becomes!

The murderer is fairly obvious after the first few chapters, I have to say, but I enjoyed watching Rutledge gather the clues and struggle with his temper all the same. And despite Todd's frequent stereotypical references to 'the North' and its Bronte-esque inhabitants (those who aren't on the lam from London, anyway), the wintry weather and harsh scenery of the mountains contribute a dark and oppressive atmosphere to the story. Evocative and exciting. show less

I liked it. It's grittier and heavier than some in the series. There's a pervasive theme of evil in the countryside. As usual, no one wants to tell Inspector Rutledge their secrets. This stretches out the story-telling a bit too long for me. Still worth reading.

This is an outstanding mystery that stays hidden until very near the end. The clues for the reader are sparse and, in places, one almost becomes exasperated that a solution will be found. The murder event in this book is among the worst I've ever read. The description of the characters is quite depressing but realistic. I want to read more from this author.

Another one complete in my quest to read the Insp. Rutledge murder mystery series. He's continually haunted by the voice of Hamish and his Chief Supt. Bowles still has a hidden agenda. Another great plot and some great characters. This one had me stumped until almost the end. Lots of twists and turns and at the end, I felt even more sorry for Ian than I have for a while...

I enjoy these Inspector Rutledge mysteries. They are very atmospheric. Great sense of place. A good collection of characters in this one. I have to space them out so that I don't run out. Samuel Gillies did a wonderful job narrating this.

`A Cold Treachery' (2005) is Charles Todd's seventh Ian Rutledge mystery novel, but the first for this reviewer. Rutledge is a Scotland Yard detective who is haunted by his service in the bloody trenches of the Great War. Rutledge hears voices - more precisely he hears one voice that of Hamish MacLeod, a soldier in Rutledge's unit who died in the war, but lives on in Rutledge's head. Hamish acts as his conscience and advisor. Bit odd, but an innovative story-telling mechanism. The first seven Rutledge stories all take place between June and December 1919 as Rutledge struggles to live with his memories.

The story opens with this line: "You'll hang for this-see if you don't! That's my revenge! And you'll think about that when the rope show more goes around your neck and the black hood comes down...."

In the midst of a fierce blizzard, a family has been slaughtered at an isolated farm in the remote north of England. No sign of a struggle, the Elcott family has been gunned down; father, mother, their young twins and his daughter. The 10-year-old son of Elcott is missing.

Is the missing Josh another victim? Or is he the perpetrator? Or might it be one of several likely local residents? Or perhaps one of the several outsiders who now live in the isolated Lake District village of Urskdale? A relative perhaps?

Todd crafts the tale so that any of the suspects might have uttered that phrase and he plausibly maintains that suspense throughout. An intriguing subtext: "Charles Todd" is actually a mother/son team of Charles and Caroline Todd and the story centers around mother/son and father/son relationships.

`A Cold Treachery' is more a suspense/psychological mystery than a thriller. The setting is grim, many of the characters are grim, Ian Rutledge not the least among them. It makes for interesting read, if not especially a fun one. show less