A Fearsome Doubt (Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery) [Kindle Edition]

Charles Todd (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This brilliant and gripping whodunit may well be the best of Todd's six Rutledge novels (Watchers of Time, etc.). Featuring as its protagonist a Scotland Yard inspector who is among the walking wounded after his WWI traumas, the series has always been compelling. This time, Todd ratchets up the psychological pressures by raising doubts about the one aspect of Rutledge's life that he has felt secure about: his prewar accomplishments as a policeman. The widow of a convicted killer, who went to the gallows for preying on the infirm elderly, confronts him with a missing jewelry piece found in a neighbor's possession, suggesting that Rutledge helped execute an innocent man. Reopening the inquiry requires caution not only because of the soul-searching it provokes, which threatens to shatter the inspector's tenuous grasp on sanity, but also because the case contributed to his superior's promotion. This old mystery becomes only one of the puzzles Rutledge must resolve when he's ordered to investigate the poisoning deaths of three disabled soldiers. The solutions to both sets of crimes are logical, satisfying and unexpected, but it is the character of Rutledge himself-intuitive, exquisitely sensitive to mood, the emotions of others and the significance of what is left unsaid-that makes this both an outstanding historical mystery and literate period fiction.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Todd's sixth work featuring Inspector Ian Rutledge is a well-crafted addition to his popular historical series (e.g., Watchers of Time). Rutledge is taken aback when a persistent Nell Shaw brings him new evidence that could clear her late husband's name. Had Rutledge and his fellow policemen inadvertently sent an innocent man to his death six years earlier? Reconsidering the pre-World War I case serves to distract the inspector from his current assignment: determining who is killing maimed ex-soldiers in the peaceful countryside in Kent. Rutledge is sidetracked as well by his friendship with Elizabeth Mayhew, the widow of an old school chum. Elizabeth's feelings for a mysterious stranger further complicate Rutledge's investigation. Todd expertly demonstrates how shadows from the past intersect with unsolved murders in the present, revealing tantalizing details about Rutledge's wartime experience in France along the way. Here, Todd downplays the role of Hamish (the dead soldier who lives on in Rutledge's mind), but he remains a key player in the series. A pleasure to read; highly recommended for all public libraries and collections of historical mysteries.
Laurel Bliss, Yale Arts Lib.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 466 KB
• Print Length: 384 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0553583174
• Publisher: Bantam (October 1, 2002)
• Sold by: Random House Digital, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B000FBFMA2
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #25,724 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

More About the Author

Charles and Caroline Todd are a mother-and-son writing team who live on the east coast of the United States. Caroline has a BA in English Literature and History, and a Masters in International Relations. Charles has a BA in Communication Studies with an emphasis on Business Management, and a culinary arts degree that means he can boil more than water. Caroline has been married (to the same man) for umpteen years, and Charles is divorced.

Charles and Caroline have a rich storytelling heritage. Both spent many evenings on the porch listening to their fathers and grandfathers reminisce. And a maternal grandmother told marvelous ghost stories. This tradition allows them to write with passion about events before their own time. And an uncle/great-uncle who served as a flyer in WWI aroused an early interest in the Great War.

Charles learned the rich history of Britain, including the legends of King Arthur, William Wallace, and other heroes, as a child. Books on Nelson and by Winston Churchill were always at hand. Their many trips to England gave them the opportunity to spend time in villages and the countryside, where there'a different viewpoint from that of the large cities. Their travels are at the heart of the series they began ten years ago.

Charles's love of history led him to a study of some of the wars that shape it: the American Civil War, WWI and WWII. He enjoys all things nautical, has an international collection of seashells, and has sailed most of his life. Golf is still a hobby that can be both friend and foe. And sports in general are enthusiasms. Charles had a career as a business consultant. This experience gave him an understanding of going to troubled places where no one was glad to see him arrive. This was excellent training for Rutledge's reception as he tries to find a killer in spite of local resistance.

Caroline has always been a great reader and enjoyed reading aloud, especially poetry that told a story. The Highwayman was one of her early favorites. Her wars are WWI, the Boer War, and the English Civil War, with a sneaking appreciation of the Wars of the Roses as well. When she's not writing, she's traveling the world, gardening, or painting in oils. Her background in international affairs backs up her interest in world events, and she's also a sports fan, an enthusiastic follower of her favorite teams in baseball and pro football. She loves the sea, but is a poor sailor. (Charles inherited his iron stomach from his father.) Still, she has never met a beach she didn't like.

Both Caroline and Charles share a love of animals, and family pets have always been rescues. There was once a lizard named Schnickelfritz. Don't ask.

Writing together is a challenge, and both enjoy giving the other a hard time. The famous quote is that in revenge, Charles crashes Caroline's computer, and Caroline crashes his parties. Will they survive to write more novels together? Stay tuned! Their father/husband is holding the bets.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most unique book series in recent years, May 2, 2005

By 

Laurie Fletcher "Laurie Fletcher" (Casper, Wyoming, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Fearsome Doubt (Inspector Ian Rutledge Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

The success or failure of this book hinges entirely on character of Inspector Ian Rutledge and the believability of his fractured, WWI brain wherein resides the voice of the Scottish soldier he killed for cowardice on the battlefield and who haunts him years after the war has ended. It is a fascinating device because Hamish, the dead soldier, gives the solitary Rutledge a foil whilst investigating crimes that are intriguing but not especially unique or compelling. It is the characters that drive the Ian Rutledge series of mysteries and, for me, the characters that bring me back time and again with no disappointment.

It turns out the Charles Todd is actually a nom de plume for a mother and son who write these books together. I believe that one or both of them is especially strong on research and setting a very vivid and thorough picture of England after the war. I've never felt any doubt about the look and feel of the London of the day or the villages wherein much of the action takes place and that goes for the Kent countryside, wherein this story takes place.

Part of this story is the investigation of the murder of three war veterans and part of the story revisits a pre-war investigation by Rutledge and others that resulted in a man being hanged for murder. When circumstances seem to point to the wrong man having been hanged, Rutledge is forced to examine his conscience, his methods, and his war-damaged memory for what might have been overlooked and what might have been misinterpreted in the case. Add to this the presence of his best friend's widow in all of the attendant action and you have a ripping good little mystery!

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great mystery as well as a haunting human drama, October 1, 2002

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Fearsome Doubt: An Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery (Hardcover)

Seven years ago, Ian Rutledge was the policeman responsible for sending Ben Shaw to the hangman for killing three elderly, bedridden women. Ian left police work to fight in France during World War I, but what he saw in the trenches almost destroyed him. He came back shell-shocked, guilt ridden and broken with his only grip on sanity being his work at Scotland Yard.

His belief in himself as a good police officer is shattered when Ben Shaw's widow comes into his office with evidence that she claims will exonerate her husband. She wants Rutledge to reopen the case but before he can come to any decisions he is sent to Marling in Kent. Three veterans of the war, all with one leg amputated have been murdered and the local police don't have a clue about who is responsible. During his investigation, Mrs. Shaw hounds Rutledge yet he is able to carry on with both cases.

The protagonist of this novel acts normal but he carries on in his head a dialogue with a soldier he ordered killed before a firing squad in France for failing to obey a direct order. At times the reader isn't sure if Rutledge actually believes Hamish is dead but there is ample evidence he is able to conduct an inquiry and make brilliant investigations from evidence he gathers. A FEARSOME DOUBT is a great mystery as well as a haunting human drama.

Harriet Klausner

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shudder dear reader along with Ian!, January 25, 2006

By 

JAD (The Sunshine State) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Fearsome Doubt (Inspector Ian Rutledge Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

The mystery begins at a blazing Guy Fawkes bonfire, as Ian Rutledge - the brilliant but flawed Scotland Yard Inspector - is trying to have some time off from a hectic schedule of sleuthing. There in the center of a charming English village (is there any other kind of English village, dear reader?) the revels are interrupted by - what? A sudden glimpse of recognition! A face in the crowd, lighted by the leaping flames! It chills Rutledge to the bone!

Is it his War-stressed imagination playing tricks on him again - making memory seem a reality? Or is this the presence of evil itself? Shudder dear reader along with Ian. Then let the tale unfold!

Charles Todd has brought his famed and admired (and to his growing company of faithful readers, beloved) detective to a new crossroads. Till now, Ian Rutledge has never second-guessed his brilliant pre-War career. That, at least, has been on solid footing, even if his post-War life seems to be built on sinking sand. However, into his assurance of things past comes an amazingly persistent woman, Nell Shaw by name, who is seeking that justice be done for her family.

Before the War, Rutledge was instrumental in her husband's conviction of murder most foul. Now, Nell is like a dog with a bone, as she brings new evidence to light that casts a large measure of doubt across the pathway of Ian's past. Was the late Mr. Shaw the serial killer that he was found to be by due process of law and hanged as a result? Or was the man framed by the real killer, still at large?

What shall Ian do? Ignore or investigate? To ignore would keep his reputation and the Yard's on a solid footing. To investigate might put his own and his super's (that nemesis!) reputation in jeopardy. And how might that eerie face of the bonfire night figure in the unfolding drama?

Of course, Ian's ghostly companion Hamish is there to help with the investigations. From his usual corner of the backseat of Ian's car; he whispers hints and opinions galore. Hamish, you see, died on the battlefield of war and is not really there-just a figment of Ian's shell shocked mind. Or is he?

Throw into the mix some sad returned veterans of the war, who begin to die at an alarming rate around that charming English village, and you have another of these complex Ian Rutledge mysteries that seem to be two very independent crimes but may very well have some connection.

One hopes that the authors will ignore those voices who say that the plot device of Hamish as Ian's detecting assistant has become tiresome. Anyone who enjoys knowing how Jane Marple compares the intricacies of murder to the local gossip of St. Mary Meade, or who relishes Poirot's banter about the little grey cells with Hastings and Miss Lemon will be glad to see Ian and Hamish interact for...well, at least the next sixty years worth of books. This is a winning combination and Rutledge has so much psychological depth to offer as the stories unfold.

If you find this review helpful you might want to read some of my other reviews, including those on subjects ranging from biography to architecture, as well as religion and fiction