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A Lonely Death: Book summary and reviews of A Lonely Death by Charles Todd

A Lonely Death

A Lonely Death
An Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery
by Charles Todd
Published in USA Jan 2011,
352 pages.

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A Lonely Death Summary

Scotland Yard detective Ian Rutledge returns in his most exciting and shocking case yet in this latest entry in the bestselling series hailed as "outstanding" by the New York Times Book Review’s Marilyn Stasio

A breathtaking blend of psychological complexity, haunting atmosphere, compelling twists, and impressive detail, the novels in the Ian Rutledge mystery series have garnered their author, the mother and son writing team of Charles Todd, widespread acclaim, and have earned them numerous honors and awards. At the heart of the series is the compelling Scotland Yard Detective Inspector Ian Rutledge, a veteran of the Great War who understands all too well the darkness that lies within men’s souls.

Now, three men have been murdered in a Sussex village, and Scotland Yard has been called in. It's a baffling case. The victims are soldiers who survived the horrors of the Great War only to meet a ghastly end in the quiet English countryside two years later. Each had been garroted, with small ID disks left in their mouths. But even Scotland Yard's presence doesn’t deter this vicious and clever killer. Shortly after Inspector Ian Rutledge arrives a fourth soldier is found dead. With few clues to go on and the pressure building, Rutledge must gamble everything to find answers—his job, his reputation, and even his life.

A Lonely Death Reviews

"Todd's intriguing revenge tale will keep the reader turning the pages, but the main draw remains Rutledge, the relentless inspector haunted by the voice of a Scotsman he executed on the battlefield for disobeying an order. Highly recommended for all aficionados of British postwar historical mysteries." - Library Journal

"Another engaging entry in a fine series." - Booklist

"[The authors'] subtle prose and profound empathy for all their characters enhance a suspenseful and twisty plot." - Publishers Weekly

"Eloquently blasts war for the obscenity it is." - Kirkus Reviews

The information about A Lonely Death shown above was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's online-magazine that keeps our members abreast of notable and high-profile books publishing in the coming weeks. In most cases, the reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author of this book and feel that the reviews shown do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, please send us a message with the mainstream media reviews that you would like to see added.

A Lonely Death Reader Reviews

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Rated 5 of 5 of 5 by Elizabeth
A Page Turner
Three murders in a small town....Scotland yard is involved....all the same method of murder, but no weapon and no clues. The townspeople are terrified about who will be next especially since there is really no connection between the men who were murdered. The only similar thread is the victims were alone or in an isolated area and had been officers in the armed forces during WWI, and they all had identification discs in their mouths from other dead soldiers.

Scotland Yard's, Ian Rutledge, was coming up short with all clues and interviews. Everything turned up a dead end. Mrs. Saunders, the ever-present lady in the window, can't even help him even though she said she sees everything no matter what time of the day or night.

As events begin to unfold, and the characters become alive from all the great detail, the story turns to page-turning status with its twists and turns and sub plots.
This was my first Ian Rutledge Mystery....Rutledge is a character you want to know better. The beginning pages were a little confusing trying to get all the characters straight....especially figuring out who Hamish was, but once you had everyone sorted out and the plot continued...wham...it was difficult to put down.

I definitely will be reading more of these mysteries....superb author. Ohhhhhhhhhhh....I did enjoy it a lot. 5/5

Rated 4 of 5 of 5 by Karen E. (Sandy, UT)
A Lonely Death
First I have to say how much I enjoy Inspector Ian Rutledge. I love his humanity and his intelligence and his courage and perseverance. I have read several of his books, but sadly, A Lonely Death was not my favorite. However, it was still good and I would never quit reading Charles Todd's books. A Lonely Death just seemed a bit disjointed, too much going on in different places. It was kind of hard to care a lot about the outcome. And yet, still superior to so many other mystery books out there. And I can recommend it to my friends that prefer to read something clean, without all the sex and gruesome violence details. Todd always creates a few new compelling characters and gives us another slant on the ways that war affects everyone's lives. I am anxious to read more of his work.

Rated 4 of 5 of 5 by Marie D. (Waretown, NJ)
While a Inspector Rutledge fan, I was disappointed..
I was delighted when selected to review "A Lonely Death" since I have enjoyed other Ian Rutledge books. I've always loved mysteries, most especially English ones, and particularly stories in the aftermath of The Great War. This book suffers from too many storylines, too many bodies, and too much talk of motoring from one village to another! That said, I think the book would benefit with tightening up, and getting rid of the inter-office politics at Scotland Yard! Rutledge charged with murder! Scandalous! And please, authors, allow some relationship happiness for Ian.

Rated 4 of 5 of 5 by Michele G. (Westminster, MD)
A Lonely Death
I always enjoy Charles Todd books, and this was no exception. Inspector Rutledge is at his best when he is involved in a crime related to the war. In A Lonely Death we actually see him working two crimes at the same time. Although it was slow in a few places, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys seeing a crime solved by an astute detective instead of with technology.

Rated 4 of 5 of 5 by Phyllis R. (East New Market, MD)
Too Many Lonely Deaths
In Charles Todd's 13th Ian Rutledge mystery, once again the puzzle seems to lead back to the war. I always enjoy these adventures and learn something new about the time or the war. Several young men have been killed in Eastfield near Hastings and the Yard is called in to avoid any favoritism. Rutledge still has strained relations with his superiors at the Yard, even leading to his being arrested for murder. This puzzle leads to a conclusion which goes beyond the war and has many deaths along the way. As in all previous books in the series, the voice of Hamish guides and chides Rutledge. And this story suggests a romantic interest for him, only to move it seemingly beyond his reach. Once again, Todd holds readers' interest with new developments and compelling twists as Rutledge works toward a conclusion. The scene was well set and the characters believable, but there seemed to me excessive violence for the motivation revealed.

Rated 3 of 5 of 5 by Cathy R. (Scottsdale, AZ)
A Lonely Death
I could not connect the dots in this mystery - somehow the Scotland Yard Inspector solved the case but it was difficult to follow the thread and see how his conclusions were reached. Usually I am really good at picking up the clues and guessing at "who did it". Not so in this case. The book was a nice read but not a gripping mystery. This book is definitely not for someone who wants to read a real robust thriller.

...25 more reader reviews

Charles Todd Author Biography

Charles Todd is the author of nine Ian Rutledge mysteries to date, and one stand-alone novel, The Murder Stone. This USA-based mother-and-son (Charles & Caroline) writing team maintain a strong level of anonymity, even though they appear on many author panels together and Charles is a very active member of the Mystery Writers of America. They live somewhere along America's mid-Atlantic coastline.  Some biographies show Charles living in Greenville Delaware, but that simply refers to a P.O. box they maintain.  

Ian Rutledge Series

  1. A Test of Wills (1996) 
  2. Wings of Fire (1998)
  3. Search the Dark (1999)
  4. Legacy of the Dead...

    ... Full Biography
    Author Interview

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