Inspector Ian Rutledge: The Series

 

Books written by Charles Todd and read by Samuel Gillies (1-9) and Simon Prebble (10-22)

I first found Inspector Rutledge in my inbox, in an Audible Daily Deal announcement. I have no idea why I decided to purchase Book 22 of the series, A Divided Loyalty, as my introduction to a new author but I did. I did not regret my decision. I started to keep an eye for more titles in the sale piles and found The Gate Keeper. When Audible announced its new gimmick, the Plus Catalog (free titles for streaming), I searched the catalog for even more titles. I was hooked. I started at the end of the series and have been reading randomly. There are some details of his personal life that unroll chronologically but since they aren't essential to the solving of the crime, it does not bother me. 

Inspector Ian Rutledge is  a World War I veteran, a battlefield officer and a haunted, psychologically damaged man; in today's lingo, we would say he has PTSD.  He is a deep, dark man who solves murders for Scotland Yard. His life is complicated both personally and at work where his immediate superior is out to get him, in spite of the fact that he is very good at his job. 

I just had to know more about who was writing these books. I had a feeling that in spite of what I was hearing in my earpiece, the haunting baritone of Simon Prebble, that the author was not a Brit. If you read enough British authors, you come to realize that there are some turns of phrase that are distinctly British and others that are distinctly American.  Turns out that Charles Todd is the pseudonym of a mother and son writing team, Caroline Todd and Charles Todd. They live in North Carolina and Delaware, respectively. 

While not graphically violent or psychopathically twisted, the world of Ian Rutledge is dark, haunted and somewhat depressing. These are not stories to turn to when you need something light and fluffy to read. They won't give you nightmares but they will linger darkly in your memory for days after you have turned the last page. Inspector Rutledge stories most certainly do not lend themselves to binge reading.