32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Superior but not supreme, November 27, 2009
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The Ian Rutledge series is one of my personal favorites. However, this particular entry becomes, to my mind, a bit overly complicated and I found myself growing a bit weary of the endless twists and turns involving the Teller family. Even Hamish fails to provide some of the spice of the earlier novels. However, the good inspector's personal life shows signs of becoming more interesting and I'm anxious for future novels just to see how the haunted protagonist handles a woman in his life. All in all, this is a provocative read, but not recommended as an introduction to the world of Ian Rutledge. Do read some of the earlier books first.
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32 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting plot that plods, November 30, 2009
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This is my first Ian Rutledge book, so that may influence my view because as another reviewer noted, this is a series to be read from the beginning, and not jumped into midstream. Even so, I think that a book, even in a series, should be written so that someone can jump in at any point and enjoy it.
The Red Door has a decent plot. The only problem is that it takes over half the book to get going. I had to force myself to keep reading; only rarely do I write a review for a book I do not finish. While the plot is interesting- others have covered the basics, so I won't repeat them- and the dialog flows naturally, there were things about the book that bothered me.
The Red Door is set after WW1. But for references to the past war and people traveling by train and hand-cranking a car, I found little that linked the action to that period. This story could have taken place at any time. Some might say this is the sign of a good story, however a major reason why I read mysteries set in earlier times is because I enjoy a story wrapped up in descriptions of the period. The above ties in with the authors' writing style. The word "spare" kept coming to me as I read. There are some descriptions, but it is the bare minimum necessary. If you like atmosphere and descriptions that make you feel like you are there in the story, you may not enjoy this.
As for the characters, I found them wooden and uninteresting. After reading this, I have no curiosity or desire to read anymore about Ian Rutledge. I should have, but didn't. He has problems from the war, to be sure, but that did not gain my sympathy. Having one of his former soldiers in his head is different, but I saw nothing to show he was healing- or getting worse, for that matter. The man's voice is just there. I just saw no spark or passion in Ian until the last page, and even that was minor.
There are other characters such as the required boss and coworker who is after him, the sister, a love interest (I think- that past relationship wasn't made very clear) and a caring godfather. The godfather's visit gave the authors and opportunity to let Ian grow or work through some of his problems, but they declined. The man comes...and goes, with a bit of excitement that fizzles since they did not even use the second chance Ian had to talk with his godfather. Overall, everyone seems...bland.
Twists in a plot line can surely enliven a story, but this one hangs perilously close to the "oh, please, not another one!" category during the last quarter of the book. Had the authors spread the wealth out a bit, say making the first part of the story make more sense- or even more interesting, I think I would have enjoyed it more. At the end, once everything was explained, I still had questions.
This is not a bad book, and fans of the series will mostly likely be pleased. For me, it just didn't catch my interest.
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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Mystery awaits the reader behind the Red Door, November 25, 2009
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The Red Door by Charles Todd is overflowing with cases to be solved. Inspector Rutledge is puzzled by a family with dark secrets. A missing persons case turns into a murder investigation. Convenient accidents confuse the investigation. The only witness may be a talking parrot.
Meanwhile the Inspector becomes a target of a young robber. He must be caught before he cuts up another look-a-like.
On the personal front Rutledge's godfather visits from Scotland. At first he fears that his insightful godfather will discover his weaknesses but as the week plays out he realizes how much he has missed his companionship. Unfortunately a train wreck threatens to cut their time short. Rushing to save the day Ruthledge encounters Miss Channing. She has decided to travel. He is faced with not seeing her for the next two years.
As always Hamlish is in his head providing wisdom and guidance as well as the memory of war
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