A False Mirror: Summary and book reviews of A False Mirror by Charles Todd, plus links to an excerpt from A False Mirror and a biography of Charles Todd.
A False Mirror An Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery
by Charles Todd
Hardcover: Jan 2007,
384 pages.
Paperback: Jan 2008,
416 pages.
Hampton Regis, a small harbor town on the southern coast of England, is a most unlikely place for violence. Yet, one spring morning, a man is found on the strand so severely beaten that he slips in and out of consciousness. The prime suspect? His wife's jilted lover, who served with Rutledge in the recently ended Great War—but who left the Front under a cloud. Badly wounded, yes, but did someone also cover up cowardice?
Rutledge is called on to prove the innocence of a man he dislikes and distrusts. But the deadly triangle also stirs up memories of the woman Rutledge himself loved and lost when he went to France to fight. His doubts about the accused and himself only deepen when the victim of the beating mysteriously disappears, with no body to be found.
As the brilliant yet tormented detective discovers that he's not the only person seeing a reflection of tumultuous emotions in this case, he must confront the demons that threaten to overwhelm him and search out the truth. For in Hampton Regis hides a vicious killer who intends to let nothing—and no one—stand in the way.
For anyone already familiar with this series it should be a given that the authors deliver a neatly packaged plot laced with psychological suspense reminiscent of Agatha Christine, Arthur Conan Doyle and P.D. James, but what raises the series above the mass of historical detective mysteries are the memorable characters, the subtlety of the plot-twists, the evocative, fully-realized settings and, most of all, the war-damaged, painfully slow-healing character of Rutledge himself. (Reviewed by BookBrowse Review Team).
Booklist - Stephanie Zvirin
[A] character-driven mystery, which builds smoothly but not simply to a climax that is likely to be a genuine surprise.
Library Journal
he revelation of the culprit comes as a surprise owing to multiple suspects with potential motives, but it is Rutledge's tortured soul that will intrigue and engage readers most.
Kirkus Reviews
The heartbreaking aftermath of choosing either side in the fight-or-flight dilemma...Compelling evidence that inside every warrior who returns from the front, there's a nightmare waiting to break out.
Publisher's Weekly
Starred Review. The complex, evocative ninth installment in Todd's series set in post-WWI England showcases the pseudonymous author's usual subtle understatement and deft characterization.
Charles Todd is the author of ten 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.
According to Caroline "because of
Charles' job and his father's job,"
they've been reticent about using their
last name. Charles was a corporate
troubleshooter, who traveled frequently
for his job. Even their residences are
kept under wraps - other than that they
live somewhere along America's
mid-Atlantic coastline. Some biographies
will show Charles living in Greenville
Delaware, but that simply refers to a
P.O. box they maintain....
Anne Perry’s gift for illuminating the heart’s deepest secrets shines through in her bestselling series of World War I novels. With compelling immediacy, she depicts the struggles of men and women torn by their convictions and challenged by the perils of war.
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